'Big Brother': Bella's Blowout Fight with Kemi, Michie's Epic Lie and Will Anyone Stop the Jacks?

It's fascinating the way secrets just aren't staying secret in the house, and perhaps it's a testament to just how cocky Jack is in the "Big Brother" game that he seems to openly share whatever to whomever.

He dropped the Gr8ful name to Sam last week before realizing Sam wasn't in that alliance. And then this week, he spilled the existence of his Chaos Wacktivity power to Christie and Tommy. So far his confidence has been well-founded, as he is sitting atop the heap alongside his bro, Jackson/Michie and flanked by their showmances, Analyse/Sis and Holly. It's a power foursome no one is doing anything about.

Granted, they make up half of Gr8ful, but they're so obviously the top half of that alliance, so at what point does the bottom half have a problem with that? Perhaps they're thrilled to take 5th through 8th place, with Sam settling for 9th? Or perhaps they came to play the game.

Michie certainly came to play, but his problem is he might be playing a little too hard, and he might not be quite as good at the style he's choosing to play as he thinks he is. Dan Gheesling was a master at this manipulation and lying. Paul Abrahimian was almost as good -- except he couldn't figure out the end game. Michie shares their confidence, but he's lacking their conviction and ability to sell the lie and close the deal.

Michie played a pretty solid, strategic move in casting a throwaway vote toward Jessica in the last eviction meeting and then trying to pin it on Nicole. But then he kept trying to pin it on Nicole and pin it on Nicole until it basically became his campaign slogan.

He laid it on so thick, it lost all possible sense of sincerity and became painfully obvious that he was lying or at least up to something. Otherwise, when someone casts doubt -- because aren't we all speculating -- he had to push really hard to get them to believe something he's not supposed to know.

It was enough that his own alliance members started to doubt him, with Isabella telling Nick point-blank that she thinks it was Michie that cast the vote. It's a shame Bella can't keep her mouth shut, because she's a pretty savvy player. If only she was savvy enough to keep any secrets to herself she might be positioning herself really well right now.

As it stands, she's sitting at the bottom of an eight-person alliance with only Sam (their de facto ninth) below her. You'd think they'd want to start waking up to the reality that once everyone else is gone, it might be too late to change their fate.

Probably one of the most uncomfortable scenes of the whole night came when Kemi overheard Isabella whining about Kemi calling her and Nick out during her eviction speech last week. This is the drawback of Camp Comeback: the people you evict are still there.

Bella was trying to argue that she was Kemi's friend, but Kemi already knew that she had sold out the Black Widows to Jack. Bella doesn't seem to get that her big mouth is negating her attempts to forge friendships in the house. If I open up to you and then you betray my game, we're not friends. I just apparently thought we were friends and I was mistaken.

Bella is clearly doing some damage control for her own game, which would be easier if Kemi weren't able to storm in and contradict what she was saying and call her out. Now, Kemi didn't do this strategically either, with both women getting more and more angry as they shouted at one another, but clearly Kemi wasn't wrong for calling out Nick and Bella as playing both sides of the house.

They're not loyal to Gr8ful or the Black Widows or anyone. They're loyal to whoever is in power and only so long as they're in power. With Nick in power, it's time to see what they really stand for ... and so far it doesn't look like much.

We got hopeful when Sam metaphorically slapped Nick and Bella in the face with the truth bomb that they are numbers seven through nine in this alliance, so there are six people who will be gunning for them when it gets down to the final nine.

NO ONE at the bottom of an alliance this big should wait until the alliance is all that's left to make their move, because it's too late by then. You need numbers. There's a reason the top wants everyone else out because then you can't use those outside numbers to upset the hierarchy.

We see it year after year on shows like this and "Survivor," the people on the bottom of the alliance know they're no the bottom and they continue to vote with their alliance until it's too late to save themselves. Either they can't figure out basic math, or they think they can somehow change their spot in the rankings.

At this point, there are 13 people in the house. Eight of them are Gr8ful and Sam makes number nine. That leaves four people outside of that power alliance. They are no threat at this point, so this is the time to strike when you are at the bottom. Especially if you can convince all four to rally to your side. Suddely, the bottom three becomes a power seven facing off against the Top 6 of Gr8ful.

Nick has the power now so the opportunity to strike is now. Nicole and Cliff and Jessica would gladly unite against the Jacks (Jack and Michie), and it might not take much to get Kathryn on board ... especially if you clue her in.

let Gr8ful take out one or two more people and that top six has the majority and it's all over and the best you can hope for is a spot on the jury.

So what does Nick do? He nominates Cliff and Jessica, doing Gr8ful's dirty work for them. Oh no, Cliff has an alliance with Nicole and Ovi; he's such a threat. Ovi is in Camp Comeback, so you're talking an alliance of two people. What a danger!

We get why Sam is trying to rock the boat. He's number nine and he's not in power, so the blowback of Nick making a bold move would hit Nick and Isabella way harder than it would hit Sam, if it hit him at all. It's just a shame that Nick didn't have the nerve.

He says it's because he needs to talk to the people he trusts, but those people are simply going to lie to him. Michie has already done so in saying Nicole cast the vote for Jessica and he and Bella already suspect that.

Nicole then told him that Michie told her that Nick and Bella need to be targeted next. This did happen, but of course Michie would lie to Nick about it. Now, he might lie poorly, but will Nick believe him? He's so close to being able to turn the game over and prove he's a smart player, but we suspect it won't play out like that.

Even if He were to put a Jack up on the block the person next to them would probably be the one who gets evicted. He needed to put them both up and then if one gets removed replace them with Analyse or Holly to ensure the top four is broken up.

Jack rises back to the top by default, because Michie is not nearly as good a liar as he thinks he his, and he's playing himself a little too aggressively. Jack is remaining mostly well-liked and still able to just kind of force his will on others, even if it's not good for his game. Nicke's reign will be very telling. Grade: A+

Sam is playing an amazing game right now, holding onto the right information regarding Gr8ful, sharing strategically and trying his best to upend the apple cart before his fate is sealed. It may not work in the long run as he'd require other people to step up and play as well, but if he can pull it off it will be an amazing turnaround. Grade: A

Michie is sowing a lot of seeds and his ideas about how to create paranoia and cast doubt are brilliantly "diabolical," as Jack said. He's just suffering a bit in the execution where he lays it on way too thick. Still, if he can fool enough people for long enough, it won't matter. And at least he's proving willing to do anything to advance his game, which can be what it takes. Grade: A-

Nick says he's ready to make a big move, and taking him at his word is the only reason he ranks this high. His nominations were a disappointment at best and he's setting himself up for a Top 7 or Top 8 finish if he doesn't do something about the Gr8ful rankings or dismantling the alliance anyway. At this point, it's outlived its usefulness for anyone not at the top of the heap. Grade: B+

Analyse and Holly are in showmances with the Jacks and for now that seems to be good enough. They're at the top of Gr8ful and they didn't really have to do much, so they're sitting pretty for now. Being a smaller target is a good strategy, but creating a foursome with the Jacks is actually a pretty big target, so if anyone ever does take a shot at the power in the house, they could be in trouble. *Grade: B**

Christie and Tommy are in the middle of the pack and in the middle of Gr8ful. It was smart of them to keep Christie's "Panic" power (POV winner removes and selects replacement nominee; good for next 4 Veto meetings) a secret from Jack and the rest of Gr8ful, making it promising that they also know they're not in the power four and they might be willing to use that power to make a big move to advance their own games. Grade: B

Isabella should be doing better than she is, but she can't strategically control the flow of information out of her brain. She sees the game for what it is, saw through Michie's lie about Nicole, and has a good sense. But she isn't making the big moves necessary and her blabbermouth is making her enemies everywhere in the house, both inside and outside her alliance. She is just not trusted. Grade: B-

Nicole might be the smartest player in the house with no power, which is why she's being seen as such a threat by those in power. Also because the numbers are dwindling on the non-Gr8ful players. Nevertheless, Nicole is not going down without a fight. If only she could get someone in her power. It's huge that Nick didn't put her up and says he's not planning to, but we won't trust it until we're past the Veto as he might just bow down to the Jacks after all. Grade: B-

David got zero screen time tonight, but we still think he's got the best shot at coming back in the house (and we don't know why). He'll be a great number for the outcasts, if they can rally. And if they don't, he's observed enough about the power structure, he might be able to convince them to rally and make a game out of this. Grade: C+

Kathryn is there. She seems to be having fun. No one is worried about her. Grade: C

Jessica remains on the radar and seems unable to do anything to get herself out of those crosshairs. We haven't seen a lot of strategy talk from her, but she is on the outcast side of the house and she's eager to flip this game, if only to get off the block, so that's someone who could prove useful ... if Gr8ful doesn't get her first. Grade: C-

Cliff is in Nick's crosshairs right now, but there's really no reason for it. His alliance is a joke and he exposed it himself. It doesn't have power or numbers to do anything in the house. Nick needs to reevaluate both of his nominees and make a big move before it's too late. But if Gr8ful stays in power, Cliff will continue to be in trouble. It's a shame because he does see the power in the house, he just can't or doesn't know how to do anything about it. Grade: D+

Kemi is still stirring the pot and if she is able to come back in the house, she's proving that she'll come back fighting. and ready to make big moves and change the fate of the game. One problem, though, is that the outcasts really need either Christie and Tommy or Nick and Bella to flip and Kemi has made a mortal enemy out of the latter couple. Grade: D

Ovi is there. He seems to be ... there. No one is paying any attention to him and he's not paying attention to any of them. If he comes back in, he'll just go right back out. Grade: D-

"So Kemi, you said that I was going to be the next to go, but guess what? You woke up the beast and now I'm HOH. So you can have fun in Camp Comeback and you're not coming back into this game." -Nick

"I am like shaking right now. What possessed Kemi to shout out me and Nick like that? Whatever. See you never." -Isabella

"I still have a chance to get back in this game. So if I can shake things up and put it on their back before I'm back in, good thing. Also, can she kill it with the blue eyeliner? Like girl-- are we at the club or are we at 'Big Brother'?" -Kemi

"Getting a 10-1 vote is amazing. But Nick winning HOH is another worst-case scenario for me." -Jessica

"I cast this rogue vote to either pin it on Nic or Bella." -Michie (why he voted for Jessica)

"Nicole was that flip vote." -Michie (lying to Nick)

"I feel like I have been nothing but a friend to Kemi." -Isabella (forgetting she outed Black Widows alliance?)

"Poor Nicole. I voted to evict Jess." -Michie"Oh you sick bitch. Diabolical." -Jack

"It would just suck if it got pinned on you." -Michie (to Nicole after pinning it on her)

"I think Michie might have done it." -Isabella (after Michie lays it on thick about Nicole)"The reason I think it's Michie is because he never talks game with me. And he keeps bringing up, 'I think it's Nicole.' -Nick

"I realize that I suck at this competition. I am dumb." -Nick (failing at Wacktivity comp)

"I hope I'm still here in January." -Kathryn

"I'm forming my own alliance: 'Party of One.' It's an all-girl alliance." -Kathryn

"Honestly, after next week I don't know what's going to happen. I don't think the nine's staying together ... like if Jack wins this next one I wouldn't be too worried, but if he would win the one after that I would be. They're gonna put up me, Sam and [Isabella]. It's one of us three if we don't win." -Nick"But why are we heading towards doom and doing nothing about it? Like, we all know we're at the bottom of this freaking majority." -Sam

"You know Michie, Jack, Holly and Sis are all gonna save each other. Now is the time." -Sam (to Nick, but is Nick listening)

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