Ovi or Kathryn are poised to become the first evicted HouseGuest of the summer, but things don't go as anyone expects after the live vote!
When Julie Chen Moonves promised a major twist this week that would disrupt the "Big Brother" game like never before, she absolutely delivered. This is one for the record books.
Immediately, the entire social strata of the game changes, and even how much of the strategy is executed. It's easily one of the most exciting twists in the history of the game, and it also creates more parity for those it impacts directly.
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View StoryBut first (stole it Julie!), there was the season's first eviction to get to, and with it the desperate campaigning by Ovi and Kathryn as their "Big Brother" lives were on the line and Head of Household Christie didn't really care which one of them went home.
But the paranoia led to Kathryn revealing herself as either the most paranoid person in the house, or the person most desperately trying to be funny ... and failing miserably. We think it was a bit of both.
"Are You Bitches Conspiring Against Me?"
Julie could have made a hashtag out of "Are you bitches conspiring against me?" Kathryn asked it of everyone in the whole damned house over and over again. Hopefully no one made a drinking game out of it or they'd have been unconscious after watching this episode, and possibly on their way to the hospital. Create drinking games responsibly!
While Kathryn was going off the deep end, Ovi was feeling fairly confident that he had the numbers to stay. But then he spoke with Nick, who basically outed that he absolutely did not, and we can't figure out why he did this.
Was Nick just being overly honest without really thinking about it? Wouldn't it be in his best interest to keep Ovi in the dark about his fate this week. Why create problems when your target thinks they're safe. If you let them know they're not, they campaign harder.
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View StoryMaybe Nick wanted to see Ovi do just that. Or maybe he wanted Ovi to stay and was trying to kick his butt in gear. We don't think so, but we're trying to give Nick more credit than he probably deserves in this moment. Honestly, it was a pretty dumb move.
But it did have the effect of making Ovi push even harder, even going so far as to reveal his Nigtmare power to Jack and Michie in the hopes it would convince them to keep him around. It's a pretty good power, considering he can use it for the next six weeks to manipulate the nominations So why was Jack so quick to dismiss it?
There's the fact that Jack has proven he's not really open to changes of plan when they are in motion, so his gut instinct is to shut it down. A more sinister view might be that he doesn't trust Ovi to carry through on his word. That could be because he doesn't trust Ovi, or because Jack knows he wouldn't keep his work in Ovi's situation, so he's projecting his own dishonesty on the college kid.
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View StoryCamp Comeback
Whatever the reason, we were honestly a little surprised to see an absolutely unanimous vote to evict Ovi, and his Nightmare power along with him. In most seasons that would be it, and everyone would move on, but here's where we get to Julie's epic twist, which might have just created the most awkward living situation in "BB" history.
Rather than leave the house, Ovi will continue to live among the HouseGuests in the house as part of "Camp Comeback." It means he has separate sleeping quarters upstairs and he won't participate in any of the game challenges, but he's still among them. And he's not alone.
David, who was the first HG eliminated after losing the Banishment challenge, also returned to the house to join Ovi in "Camp Comeback." And the next two Houseguests will also join them, meaning the house stays at a 16-person capacity until four people have been eliminated. At that point, they compete and one of them returns to the game.
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View StoryThis is huge because it makes it at least somewhat less likely that this Houseguest will just be targeted and eliminated again. It also keeps them in the loop about everything in the house.
The angle that some might not quite realize yet, though, is that there is risk in keeping these people around. They have less to lose as three of them are going home so what's the harm in blowing up your game. For example, Christie totally lied to both Ovi and Kathryn, telling them they were safe this week. What does Ovi have to lose in comparing notes with Kat and exposign Christie's lies.
It's common "BB" practice to lie your teeth off to the person you're about to evict, because what are the consequences early in the game? They're not in the jury so who cares what they believe and might find out later. Now, it matters a big deal because they're still there and they're still talking to everyone and they just might talk about whatever you said to them.
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View StoryHouseGuest Report Cards
Isabella still gives us the sense that she knows what she's doing in this game, and her social game is just fantastic. Smart, savvy and likable are a dangerous combination. Plus, she's made zero enemies and is aligned right for where the power is. Grade: A
Christie is coming off a successful HOH reign and still in the power alliance. She proved she can play her own game and managed to navigate doing so without ruffling egos or feathers, which is a huge feat in a game that can get as emotional as this one. She's off to a great start in her game. Grade: A
Michie is laying low since winning Camp Director, but he is also well-liked and respected/feared at the same level as Jack as a leader in this game. The difference is Jack will be the one getting blood on his hands. And while both men have had some questionable comments, most of them have been in private, so nothing has blown up publicly just yet. So for now, they're sitting pretty. Grade: A-
Jack emerged victorious in the latest HOH challenge, he is one of the de facto leaders of Gr8ful and he just proved himself a strong mental competitors. Ovi's power move plea to him and Michie proves the house already sees him as a leader and they're a little intimidated by him. If he navigates this right and keeps his alliance strong, he's going to be good for awhile. Grade: B+
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View StoryHolly, Analyse and Tommy don't even get separate entries at this point as they're all just doing okay. They're in the power alliance, so they don't really need to do much else right now but just be loyal and be a number. Grade: B
Nick gets his own entry because we still don't get why he told Ovi the truth about the house targeting him. Either he's working his own angle or he's just kind of a bad player. Either way, it makes him a potential liability to his alliance, though he'll be good with them as long as they need the numbers. Grade: B-
Kathryn survived a tough week and only annoyed everyone in the house. But, she also has built relationships with the power alliance. While she's not a member, she is being seen as a voting number for the time being. Plus, as far as we know, she's still in hot with Michie, which is another mini-alliance that could keep her safe as long as he has any influence. Grade: B-
Cliff is just loved by everyone in the house. It's a great position to be in for the short-term and the mid-term, but it doesn't bode well for his long-term game. Luckily, he has time to try and turn friendships into alliances. Grade: B-
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View StorySam is the outrageous, goofy guy but everyone seems to be enjoying him. Plus, like Cliff, he's seen as the older family guy the younger kids look up to and enjoy having around in the house. And, like Cliff, he needs to parlay that into some loyalty or gameplay or he's going to be in trouble. Grade: C+
Nicole is floating through this game with no allegiances and seemingly no real relationships or friendships. No one really seems to think of her much at all, which is good for a while. But there's definitely no future in it. Grade: C
David is back in the house and shunted to "Camp Comeback." The disadvantage he faces is he was barely in the house. At the same time, he made no enemies and many feel bad he was eliminated due to a random comp rather than a vote, so he might stand a chance of advancing if he does come back. It all hinges on his social game from here. Grade: C-
Kemi has survived a rocky start socially with the house, which means she is close to being in the clear. She's definitely one Jack's radar, though, and with him in power she could find herself a target this week. She may secure the votes to stay if Jack can't strong-arm his alliance, but she's definitely in trouble right now. Grade: D
Jessica is also on Jack's radar, but she doesn't seem to have forged the tight bonds of friendship and loyalty in the house that Kemi has with Christie and Isabella and a few others. In other words, Jessica is well-liked, but who's going to have her back over so many other people in the house? If Jack targets her, she could be in trouble depending on who is sitting next to her. Especially as she just came in second in that HOH comp, which will make her look like an even bigger threat. She needs to get her game on. Grade: D+
Ovi is in a tough spot. He was voted out of the game unanimously, and that was after he revealed his power to Jack and Michie. The problem is that the house clearly doesn't want him there, so even if he finds his way back into the game, he'll more than likely head right back out the door. It's not a great position to be in, and based on his social prowess -- or lack thereof, thus far -- we don't see him doing anything to improve his situation. Grade: D-
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View StoryHOUSE CHATTER
"I swear to you, you're good. I promise you." --Christie (to Kathryn)
"My heart's broken because I didn't want to do this to you." --Christine (to Ovi)
"Ask not what you can do for Ovi, but what Ovi can do for you." --Ovi (campaigning to stay)
"Are you bitches conspiring against me?" --Kathryn (to everyone over and over again)
"It's almost like she's campaigning to go home." --Michie
"I feel I have the numbers." Ovi"Okay, because I was hearing the opposite ... so then I might be out of the loop." Nick"Or I might be out of the loop." Ovi
""This is the last thing I'm going to say tonight. Kat isn't going to be able to help you all's game because she's a floater and you need shields. So I'm going to tell you one thing. I can be y'al's real shield. I won the nightmare power. And that power meanss for the next six weeks if two people are put on the block I can decide to have them come off the block and they're safe that week. If you keep me safe this week, next week if someone tries to put you guys up, I will use the power to bring you guys down. You guys are guaranteed safety for next week. If I go, the power goes with me." Ovi (lobbying to Jack and Michie)
"We just put him up on the block and we're part of his alliance." Jack"Christe put him up. We didn't." Michie
"Right now I can find out if the bitches really were conspiring against me." Kathry (during her save-me speech)
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