What a bunch of hypocrites! ;)

I think the main difference is that while several players had moments of dirty play, Ben's entire strategy was predicated on it.

His use of manipulation did not bother me in the least. However, when you start conspiring to throw challenges just to screw over other people in a game where everyone is essentially playing for charity, you look like a real scumbag.

Just given what the game is all about (free houses for your heroes), you really do not expect to see week after week of a cut throat mentality....You want to win, but at the same time you need to remain mindful that in a game like this one, winning is secondary to the gift you give at the end.

As Christian missionaries whose life work is strongly inline with the core values of the game, I was actually a little curious what response his parents might have when they learned of his methods. It some ways, I am sure it hit them like a slap in the face.

Agreed. I've been pretty grossed out by most of the players this year. I get that they want to win for their hero, but it seems that would mean even more they would play in a way that would make their hero proud of them. I wonder what some of their heroes think when they watch the show and see what happened. It's a bummer because I like the concept of the show and I wanted to watch it for a shot of "feel good", but instead it just makes me feel like people will (almost) always choose to be jerks if it benefits them and makes getting what they want easier than actually just working harder to get it. The low road will get you there if you don't mind being dirty once you arrive. Blah.