Fake couple Mario and Stephanie's 'wedding' in doubt as suspicious housemates threaten to stop the ceremony
Updated: 12:25 EDT, 7 June 2008
Fake Big Brother lovebirds Stephanie McMichael and Mario Marconi are preparing for their 'wedding' today but a number of their fellow housemates appear to have worked out that it is a scam.
The pair were nearly rumbled when fellow housemate Rebecca Shiner, 21, asked if the faux-couple were going to have sex in the house.
Their swift denial led Rebecca to ask them, "It's not a task is it? I thought you were lying and it was a task or something you've been told to do."
Suspicious: Alexandra shows Rex a doctored picture of fake couple Mario and Stephanie, and expresses her doubts about the truth of the impending wedding in the house
Mario looks on as 'fiancee' Stephanie puts on a bikini
And it seems the pair are on the verge of failing their secret mission altogether as the rest of the housemates are beginning to doubt their 'wedding'.
Just after 1am on Saturday morning, Big Brother called a sleepy Mario, 42, to the Diary Room and gave him a legal notice of his marriage to student Steph, 19, which he was ordered to pin up in the kitchen. He then went back to bed.
Mum-of-one Alexandra De-Gale, 23, told fellow housemates she thought the notice was a fake and claimed she was convinced Mario was an actor posing as a contestant.
Rebecca enjoys a dip in the Big Brother pool
Jacuzzi time: Darnell (bottom) and Dennis take a bath together
Real couple Mario and Lisa share a joke together, but the scam is clearly putting a strain on their relationship
She also correctly guessed that Mario and Steph may have been offered immunity to pretend to get hitched and predicted that Big Brother would use the 'does anyone object?' wedding line to give housemates an opportunity to out the fake couple.
Accounts executive Alex told housemates, "Let's think about this, it's a wedding, they are going to play on the 'does anyone object?' thing aren't they. That is brilliant TV.
"Something fishy is going on. Steph came out of the Diary Room yesterday and went for a smoke and was saying she can't stand him, saying 'He does my head in' and then like five minutes later, no exaggeration, they were engaged. No exaggeration, none at all, that was the timespan.
Alexandra and Darnell get to grips with each other as Dennis (right) looks on
The housemates enjoy their first dinner together
Under pressure: A nervous Stephanie picks her nose as her fake boyfriend listens to the housemates suspicions
"I think it's either we are all up for eviction or those two are, whoever fails the task."
And Alex added, "That b**** is gonna look bad on Sunday, I'm gonna get my frock on and my make-up done and she best feel bad."
But despite their housemates growing suspicions , Mario and Steph have begun to make plans for their wedding on Sunday, with the bride being called to the Diary Room to choose her dress and Mario being measured for his suit.
The couple talked about their big day as they dressed in the bedroom and wannabe Italian hunk Mario - real name Shaun Astbury - asked Steph if she was excited about the prospect of marrying him.
Sussed: Sylvia relentlessly quizzes Stephanie about the truth behind the wedding
Stephanie still cannot convince Sylvia and Dennis that she is in love and is getting married to Mario
But she quickly replied, "No, I'm dreading it! But I think we've got a secret honeymoon suite.'
Then Mario tried to see the positive side, saying, "Well, I hope we get some booze out of it."
It seems as much as Stephanie has tried to disguise it, she cannot help her dislike for the Italian stallion.
Their lack of chemistry could have been the big giveaway for the housemates as the couple try to keep up their pretence.
As the happy couple partied at their engagement do earlier a suspicious Sylvia questioned Stephanie about the wedding.
She didn't back down as Stephanie tries to convince her that it is real, but Sylvia kept quizzing.
Stephanie said she hoped that her parents will be at the house supporting her and there may be 20-25 people at the house.
Wedding bliss: Mario and Stephanie pretend to have a good time at their fake engagement but they could be up for eviction
The two were soon joined by Alexandra and Dennis who also thought that the wedding was a task.
Stephanie has been sweating about the whole episode as she could be up for eviction if their cover is blown.
She has been feeling the heat with the whole situation and is not happy pretending to be with someone else's man- especially as the mans girlfriend admitted her jealousy towards her.
And as if things weren't already complicated enough with Stephanie beginning to dislike Mario and detest his snoring in bed she seemed to be getting very close with another guy.
The rest of the housemates enjoy the fake party that has been thrown for the happy couple
During a conversation about what time to serve dinner Stephanie was trying to have her say when Mario butted in with "Shut up and listen".
The blonde was less than impressed and stomped off to talk to Rex – whom she seems to be spending more and more time with.
Things move quickly in the BB house and soon attention moved away from Stephanie and was turned to Lisa by the catty bunch.
It's only the second day and already the claws were out as Alexandra and Dennis fresh from bitching about the fake wedding turned their attentions to Mario's real girlfriend suggesting that she was sucking up to people.
Will you (fake) marry me? Mario proposes to Stephanie in the pool this afternoon
Earlier that day, topless Mario summoned all the housemates to the swimming pool, with his real girlfriend Lisa being the last to appear.
Playing the part of a loved-up Romeo, Mario said: 'I'd like each and every one of you to witness this as my witnesses.'
Mario ducked under the water and resurfaced clutching a ring box, prompting an Oscar-winning performance from bride-to-be Stephanie as she feigned enthusiasm.
Mario said: 'As you know we've been together nine months and I would like to take you in wedlock.'
As Stephanie considered her answer, Mario continued: 'Why not? It's a better place than nowhere.'
Despite her impending 'nuptials', it appears Stephanie may have an admirer in student Dale.
When the couple got engaged, Dale barely responded to the high energy in the house and has told Big Brother, 'He's 33, she's 19, it won't last.'
Can I keep the ring?: Stephanie looks thrilled with her 'engagement ring' after her faux proposal from Mario
Another person who remains unconvinced of Mario and Stephanie's love affair is dance teacher Dennis, who when asked by Dale if he thought they were a couple, he replied, 'No.'
Dale said: 'You guys thought I was crazy yesterday when I was like, "Wait a sec man, this girl's got something going on here." Her story is too perfect, everything is too perfect, this is weird.'
The answer may have come as a surprise to Croydon 'celebrity' Alexandra after her conversation with Stephanie a short time earlier.
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Student Stephanie confided: 'He's doing my head in to be honest.'
Alexandra asked: 'Do you wish he wasn't here?'
Stephanie replied: 'Yeah, he's stuck to me like a leech... I just need space.'
Twenty minutes after Mario's fake proposal, he takes his surprised partner Lisa aside and asks if she is OK.
Mario admitted he couldn't tell her about the proposal, but Lisa insisted she was alright with the faux wedding plans.
Celebrate: The Big Brother contestants pop open the champagne and dress up to mark Mario and Stephanie's 'engagement'
After the proposal, Big Brother whipped the housemates into a frenzy when 'he' told them of his plans for a weekend wedding.
Big Brother said: 'Before Mario entered the Big Brother House, Big Brother was aware that he would propose to Stephanie.
'In the hope that Stephanie would accept Mario's hand in marriage, Big Brother made the necessary enquiries with regard to hosting a wedding.
'As a consequence, Big Brother has the honour of announcing that a wedding will take place in the Big Brother House this Sunday.'
Big Brother's announcement moved bride Stephanie so much she started crying, which prompted Thai masseuse Kathreya to start blubbling again after her earlier weeping during the proposal.
To celebrate the 'couple's' engagement, Big Brother treated the group to some champagne.
Grimace: Lisa attempts to celebrate the impending nuptials of her partner Mario and Stephanie
Lisa grimaced as she toasted her boyfriend's wedding plans, declaring 'they make a lovely couple'.
Mario entered the house with real-life partner Lisa, 40, but was told within 10 minutes of arriving he would have to pretend to be in a relationship with 19-year-old student Stephanie.
Earlier this morning, strangers Mario and Stephanie attempted to convince their fellow housemates they were an item by having their first lovers' tiff.
Steph accused Mario of not showing her enough affection, whispering, 'People
who only met tonight look closer than we are.'
Reel love: Mario and Stephanie cosy up on the sofa this morning
But, Mario admitted his new 'girlfriend' was getting on his nerves, telling fellow contestent Luke - the fourth housemate in one the 'fake couple' act, 'One minute she's pulling me in and the next she's pushing me away.'
The fourth contestant in on the act, part-time wrestling announcer Luke, was told by Big Brother that he must work alongside Lisa to prevent the other housemates from discovering the truth.
If they are successful, all four will be exempt from eviction. Failure will mean they are all at risk.
In an effort to make the new partnership more believable, the foursome agreed that Mario, 42, would drop his age by a decade and 19-year-old Stephanie would increase hers by three years.
Sleeping with a stranger: Mario and Stephanie spent the night in the same bed
In a bid to convince the housemates they were dating, Stephanie and Mario were forced to share a double bed last night, much to the chagrin of Mario's real-life lover Lisa.
During a private moment in the garden today, Lisa displayed her unhappiness with the sleeping situation.
When it was time to have a wash, the fake couple raised eyebrows amongst fellow housemates when they squeezed into the shower with Lisa, creating an interesting Ménage à trois.
This afternoon as they lay in bed in a typical couple's 'pose', Stephanie admitted she felt uncomfortable pretending to be someone's girlfriend and sharing a bed because she had only slept in the same bed as her ex-boyfriend.
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She also admitted she was worried about her mum's reaction to her cuddling up to a man 24 years her senior.
Their couple act has convinced Darnell, who admitted he would have made a move on Stephanie 'if she was single'.
During a man-to-man chat in the garden with Mohamed, Darnell said: 'Let's talk women. Sylvia is the hottest woman in the house. She is hot.
'Rachel and Jennifer are nice too and Steph would be up there as well but she's got a man and I'm no homewrecker.'
Tension: Lisa admits she is struggling to see Mario share a bed with Stephanie
Mohamed agreed with Darnell's opinion of Rachel and Sylvia; 'Them two are like, wow!'
This year, Big Brother is determined to flex its "zero tolerance" muscles this year by planning to make the 16 unsuspecting housemates work hard for every single luxury item in the house.
There are the usual built in booby-traps; a nice bedroom with plush carpets and sumptuous beds to contrast with the one with threadbare carpets and thin mattresses - not to mention a disturbing prison and padded cell for housemates who break the rules.
And this year, Big Brother has revealed it will act like a "brutal landlord" - insisting the housemates must buy "tokens" for basic living requirements as well as luxury items.
Three's a crowd: Lisa keeps an eye on boyfriend Mario as he showers with his fake girlfriend Stephanie
Mohamed Mohamed - dubbed Mo-Mo by his friends - was called to the Diary Room to collect a laminate sheet of paper with all the important information surrounding the scheme.
Coming back into the house he told housemates, "We've got five tokens, yeah?" and then held up the round discs, to which bully boy Rex Newmark shouted out, "Where's the huge slot machine?!"
Continuing to explain the new token rules to the group, Mohamed said, 'Each token can be redeemed for things like one hour of hair straightening, one hour on the hair dryer, one hour of hair clippers, or you can redeem it for a luxury item or one day's worth of hot water.'
Forget the hair straightening restriction, Rex obviously had more pressing things on his mind surrounding the scheme, blurting out to housemates, 'Who wants to use one token for alcohol now?'
Growing closer: Mario and Stephanie appear to be getting more comfortable in each other's company