They say age is just a number. But in the Big Brother house, it can also be a secret advantage, according to recent evictee Pam Davidson, who at 61 was the oldest housemate this season.
“I do relate well to young people so I didn’t feel on the outer at all,” the mother of two tells TV WEEK. “Whereas Pheobe really struggled with that. Some of these young people are so used to being on their phones, iPads and their technology that they couldn’t have a conversation to save themselves.”
The Adelaide teacher was evicted during Pheobe’s birthday party, in a brutal game of pass the parcel. It was a chaotic exit, but not exactly a reflection of Pam’s time in the house, where she often found herself trying to keep the peace rather than getting caught up in the drama.
“I think that I have been the voice of reason,” Pam explains. “And I think now it could all go downhill rapidly in the house.”
Her time in the house wasn’t without its bumps, though. Pam came to blows with opinionated housemate Matty, who she describes as “the quintessential stirrer”.
When asked what sparked their clashes, Pam says it largely came down to the way he spoke about women.
“We don’t want to be put into a box, no woman does,” Pam says. “He comes from a mining background. I think he’s actually quite used to speaking like this in his real life. So it was up to me to pull him up on it, which I did.
“I felt happy about the way I handled that and we all moved on. He’s got young little girls and he’s a good dad. He’s doing the best he can do.”
And Pam wasn’t just a voice for women in the house. She was also representing a demographic often underrepresented on our screens, and hopes her time on Big Brother sends a message to women of every age.
“There is a lot of ageism out there in society,” she says. “I was hoping to get the message out there that you know, I’ve been teaching for 41 years and if you want to get off the gravy wagon and do something different, now’s the time to do it. Women can never be underestimated, whatever age they are.”
As for who Pam thinks could be heading out the door on Sunday, and which housemate she’d happily never see again, she doesn’t hold back.
“Will either be Talia or Ryan, they are a powerhouse together and they need to be split up,” Pam says. “And I’d happily never see Harmon again. I’ve seen a lot of life and I’ve seen a lot of things go wrong in life, but he was unnerving. He would suddenly appear into a conversation, say something and then sort of disappear. It was the weirdest setup I’ve ever been part of.”
Big Brother airs Monday to Friday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 7pm on Channel Ten and 10Play.
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