As same-sex marriage continues to fuel debate in the United States, over in Germany one of their more popular soap operas has tackled the subject head on with a highly-publicized wedding between two of its major characters.  Same-sex weddings are not exactly a novel concept even in American television, but what made this one more notable is that it took place in a church, and was performed by what seemed to be a member of the clergy.

While same-sex marriage is legal in ten countries around the world and in five states and the District of Columbia within the United States, it is actually not currently allowed in Germany.  However, Germany does recognize Registered Partnerships for same-sex couples.

Earlier this month, on Friday, September 3, two popular male characters from the long-running German soap, Verbotene Liebe (Forbidden Love), were married in a church wedding.  Christian Mann (played by Thore Schölermann) was wed to Oliver "Olli" Sabel (played by Jo Weil) in the culmination of a long storyline that traced their relationship from acquaintances to friends to lovers.

(l-r) Thore Schölermann as Christian and Jo Weil as Olli

In a time where American soap operas such as One Life to Live dropped its gay characters, attributing them to the decline in the show's ratings, it's interesting to see what's happening across the ocean.  We spoke to the actors about their characters and storyline in late August in an audio interview translated and transcribed below.  The actors recorded their answers in their native German so if you want to listen to what they sound like, even if you don't speak German, the audio clips are posted at the end of this article.  Enjoy!

On Tuesday, September 7, Britney became the latest casualty of the unstoppable juggernaut that was the Brigade Alliance of Big Brother 12.  Britney's eviction by the sole vote of Enzo was telecast the following night.  With the final 3 now set as consisting of Hayden, Enzo, and Lane, they have declared that the Brigade Alliance is no more and that it's every man for himself.  Britney put up a valiant fight as the last woman standing for almost a 20-day span between the eviction of Kathy on Day 48 and her own eviction on Day 67.  However, the Brigade Alliance vowed to make it to the final 3 together, and that's just what they did.  Britney was shown the door according to schedule, and she's now off to the jury house.  She was kind enough to answer our questions before she went into sequester where she will spend the next week confined with Brendon and Rachel.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO BRITNEY OF BIG BROTHER 12:

USTH: Give us your true feelings of each of your housemates: Andrew, Annie, Brendon, Enzo, Hayden, Kathy, Kristin, Lane, Matt, Monet, Rachel, Ragan.

BRITNEY:

• Andrew – unique
• Annie – I didn't get to know her very well
• Brendon – Neanderthal
• Enzo – hilarious
• Hayden – genuine
• Kathy – cigarettes
• Kristin – Unitard
• Lane – best friend
• Matt – sneaky
• Monet – partner in crime
• Rachel – ugh
• Ragan – hysterical

USTH: Do you think you've made any real friends in the Big Brother house? Which housemates will you really make an effort to stay in touch with after finale night?

BRITNEY: Hayden, Lane, Enzo and Monet.

USTH: Which houseguest turned out to be the most different from your first impression of him or her and in what ways?

BRITNEY: Probably Brendon – my first impression was that he was a normal, nice, cool guy.  I was wrong.

USTH: Has the final 3 of Hayden-Lane-Enzo surprised you? In the first weeks, whom did you think had the best shot at being in the finals and why?

BRITNEY: I thought Matt did because he was such a good competitor and at the same time a friend to everyone. The final three doesn't overly surprise me.

USTH: Which of the Brigaders do you want to see in the final 2 and why?

BRITNEY: Hayden and Lane because they are both good people. I would be happy if either of them won.

USTH: Congratulations on your overall performance in the competitions. However, many houseguests think that winning puts a target on their backs. Why did you NOT go with the strategy of throwing competitions?

BRITNEY: I was already considered a weak physical competitor from the beginning and needed to not be seen as a floater. So, I chose to make bold decisions when it came to competitions.

USTH: If the offer were made to you to become the Saboteur, would you have done it? If so, what kind of pranks would you like to have done?

BRITNEY: I don't think I would have done it. I wanted to play the game of Big Brother as I had seen it played so many seasons as a fan.

USTH: Who do you think was the second Saboteur, and why do you suspect that person?

BRITNEY: I think it was Matt because of Pandora's Box. I think his Diamond POV was in exchange for being the Saboteur.

USTH: If you had known about the Brigade alliance weeks ago, would you have blown them out of the water, Andrew-style? If not, what would you rather have done: risk getting evicted by them or enter into an alliance with Brendon and Rachel to stop them?

BRITNEY: I would have exposed them and tried to form an alliance of my own, but not with Brendon and Rachel.

USTH: Of the two showmances in the house, Brendon-Rachel and Hayden-Kristen, do you think either of them has a chance of lasting outside the house? If so, which one?

BRITNEY: I don't think Brendon and Rachel will last.  If Hayden and Kristin really want to give it a shot, then maybe they could make it.

USTH: If you didn't already have a boyfriend outside the house, do you think you would have had a showmance with Lane? Why or why not?

BRITNEY: No – we are great friends, but would make a terrible couple. We fight and argue like brother and sister.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Britney!  I'm sure all of your fans appreciated the chance to hear your thoughts and to get to know you better.

Other Big Brother 12 interviews:

Hayden, Lane, and Enzo

Matt and Brendon

Ragan

Kristen

On Thursday, September 2, Ragan became the latest evictee from the Big Brother 12 house, losing his shot at the half-million dollar jackpot.  However, as the second Saboteur, Ragan successfully completed his two-week mission of secretly stirring up chaos and paranoia in the house, earning himself a nice $20,000 consolation prize.  Ragan is off to the jury house to hang with his pal, Matt and his not-quite pals, Brendon and Rachel, but not before becoming something of a fan favorite thanks to his underdog status coupled with a never-say-die attitude and an exemplary performance in the competitions.  So, how does Ragan feel about his experience in the Big Brother house and about his fellow house mates?  Read on, and check out our interviews with some of the other houseguests like Matt, Brendon, and Kristen on the next pages of this site.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO RAGAN OF BIG BROTHER 12:

USTH: When did you know for certain that you would be evicted on Thursday night? Are you content that you did all you could to save yourself?

RAGAN: The minute I lost the OTEV comp I knew I would be evicted – and I have no regrets about the effort I made.  Nothing I would have [done] could have changed Lane's mind.

USTH: Do you think you've made any real friends in the Big Brother house? Which housemates will you really make an effort to stay in touch with after finale night?

RAGAN: Yes, definitely.  I anticipate being life long friends with Kristen and Matt.

USTH: Give us your true feelings of each of your housemates:

RAGAN: 

• Andrew - religious hypocrite
• Annie - hilarious
• Brendon - neander-troll
• Britney - cunning
• Enzo - "meh"
• Hayden - golden boy
• Kathy - frisky
• Kristin - genuine
• Lane - good old boy
• Matt - brother
• Monet - gorgeous
• Rachel - nightmare

USTH: Which houseguest turned out to be the most different from your first impression of him or her and in what ways?

RAGAN: Lane – he has such an amazing sense of humor and is so warm and has a lot of layers to his personality.  Equal parts goofy, compassionate and intelligent.

USTH: Which of the remaining houseguests would you like to see in the final 2 and why?

RAGAN: Britney and Lane.  Britney – because she made the biggest moves in the house getting rid of Matt, and she wasn't afraid to win competitions. She is the best player of the game this season and deserves to win.  Lane – because he is the most genuinely nice person in the house.

USTH: What was your strategy going into the house, and do you think your friendship with Matt derailed it?

RAGAN: My strategy going in was to not ruffle any feathers early on and go after floaters and pawns. No, I don't think my friendship with Matt derailed it.  It was either going to win me the game or put me in fifth place.

USTH: Some of the houseguests are more religious than others – notably Kathy and Andrew. Did they or any houseguest ever voice any negative opinion about your sexual orientation? If so, what did they say?

RAGAN: Absolutely not...

USTH: Did you put any pressure on yourself to represent yourself in a certain way on behalf of the gay community?  If so, in what ways, and do you think you succeeded?

RAGAN: I went in not wanting to be the crying gay guy and I ended up crying a lot on the show, but I was also a very fierce competitor.  I think I embody a lot of contradictions in my day-to-day life and that's just one example.  Ultimately, I can only hope that gay fans of the show respect the game I played.

USTH: Tell us some things that you did or accomplished in the Big Brother house that you feel particularly proud of.

RAGAN: Forming my friendship with Matt is at the top of my list.  Getting through that argument with Rachel without cursing once.  My performance in the endurance comps and winning the puzzle veto by such a large margin.

USTH: How do you think the Big Brother experience has changed you?

RAGAN: Wow!  Some people will walk out and look at it as nothing more than a game and an opportunity to win a half a million dollars, but to me this has always been more about the experience than about the money or being on TV. This game has forced me to acknowledge and evaluate what I value in myself and other people.

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Ragan!  I'm sure all of your fans appreciated the chance to hear your thoughts and to get to know you better.

Other Big Brother 12 interviews:

Hayden, Lane, and Enzo

Britney

Matt and Brendon

Kristen

On Thursday, August 26, Day 55 in the Big Brother house, we were treated to the famous "Big Brother Fast Forward" episode where, in addition to the regularly-scheduled Thursday eviction, a quickie HOH and POV competition would be played that would result in a second houseguest being evicted the same night.

Shortly after Matt became the first evictee of the evening, Hayden became the new HOH in a two minute Head of Household competition.  Although Hayden only had minutes to decide whom to put on the nomination block, it was really a no-brainer for him, and Brendon and Ragan were targeted.  Ragan's second time being nominated for eviction was also his second victory in the POV competition.  Ragan promptly removed himself from the block, and Britney was put up in his place.  Brendon, who had been a target of the house pretty much since week 1, was once and for all evicted from the Big Brother house.

Both Matt and Brendon are headed to sequester in the jury house where they will join Rachel and Kathy for the next month when they will be called back on finale night to decide the winner of Big Brother 12.

However, before they went into sequester, each was kind enough to answer a bunch of our questions.  Read below to hear from Matt and Brendon as they reflect upon their experiences in the house and share their true feelings about their fellow housemates.