Big Brother Blowout: Veto Disaster as Worst-Case Scenario Plays Out, Leads to Tears and Betrayal

Things are about to get wild and crazy on "Big Brother" as this week and next both feature double evictions. Over the next eight days, the remaining Houseguests will be cut in half, with four going to the Jury house.

But first (trademark Julie Chen Moonves), things went from bad to worse this week as Tiffany's unexpected Head of Household reign became even more of a nightmare for The Cookout than everyone imagined. If Xavier isn't careful, he's going to wear right through that floor with all his pacing.

But before the Houseguests could get to the most pivotal Power of Veto of the summer before all hell breaks loose on Thursday's double eviction, it was time for Zingbot to make sure they were all aware of whatever America is or isn't thinking about them.

We were a little disappointed that Zingbot went with an age burn on Tiffany, as it just seems to easy, but he really came through on most of the other Houseguests. Probably the best moment, though, came when he zinged Alyssa for being "dim" -- and she didn't get it!

Sometimes you can't write a better script than what reality gives you. You can check out all of Zingbot's best (and worst) zings below.

This has become one of our favorite competitions, with the Houseguests competing to stack tiny objects with tweezers while looking through a window like they're giants. We don't know how long it took them to stack 21 tiny wine glasses into a pyramid, but based on the number of collapses we saw, we're going to guess this one took a while.

Only Kyland and Claire wound up sitting this one out, which was a huge disappointment for Tiffany on the one hand. The reason The Cookout didn't want Tiffany to take HOH this week was because it could create an impossible situation.

If Alyssa becomes unavailable as a target, then only Claire is available to hit the Block, unless Tiffany is ready to betray The Cookout -- and boy are these players ready to start backstabbing one another! It's the same reason Xavier winning wasn't ideal.

And yet, when it came down to Claire and Kyland, she couldn't bring herself to just hand him his third win of the summer, so she snagged her second in a row and evened up their resumes a bit. We get the power move, but it could come with huge consequences.

Kyland was playing an aggressive game early on, and a selfish one despite The Cookout, and he's never fully regained the trust of his alliance. Now, Tiffany's move has her in a similar situation as him.

What Tiffany didn't know was that her move, seen as selfish by The Cookout, had infuriated Xavier so much that he was considering taking Alyssa off the Block himself if he won the Power of Veto, just to put her on the spot. At that point, she'd have to either target her BFF Claire ... or The Cookout. Either option is a potential disaster for her game.

Luckily for Xavier, he wasn't faced with that tough decision. Disastrously for Tiffany, that's because Alyssa won POV all by herself. This was a win she earned fair and square, as no one was trying to throw this one. This season's wins are largely tainted because so much of the game has been orchestrated by The Cookout, but this win is pure.

And there it was, the worst-case scenario facing Tiffany right in the face. Does she betray The Cookout before they've achieved their goal of reaching the Final 6 together, being the first HOH to have a Black player leave on her reign, or does she betray her best friend in the House.

She knew Claire was going to have to go, but she didn't want to be the one to take the shot. But after talking it out with Hannah, we honestly thing she may have come up with the best and most honest approach, and this may actually be better for her game.

Unlike every other member of The Cookout, Tiffany is taking the shot herself at her side duo partner, and she did so as directly as possible. At the same time, she avoided the Block, making her one of only two people (with Azah) who've yet to see the Block. That always looks good on a resume.

Masterfully, Tiffany explained to Claire that she just couldn't bring herself to put two Black Houseguests on the Block together and be definitely responsible for one of them going home. This is in direct response of a history of just that happening on the show, where even if there are only two Black people in the House, they'll inevitably be paired and see the Block together.

Even though that meant Claire was literally the only other option available to Tiffany, and Claire is convinced it will mean the end of her game (she's right about that), she still couldn't be mad about it. She has proven herself a remarkable young woman this summer, and this was probably one of her most impressive moments, taking her inevitable demise with incredible grace and understanding.

And with that, Tiffany was able to wind her way out of what seemed like an impossible situation. It's a testament to her judge of character as she chose right in partnering with Claire. Another Houseguest (like Whitney or Britini or even Sarah Beth) would not have been nearly as understanding, or self-sacrificing.

Tiffany was in tears, Claire was in tears and we found ourselves moved by their beautifully candid moment. And without revealing The Cookout directly, Tiffany still stayed true to the whole point of The Cookout in her explanation to Claire, as it's not a traditional alliance anyway, more just an understanding "for the culture."

Hannah Chaddha (21) might be flying way under the radar among the power players in The Cookout, but she is playing this game. And as they start to look at one another with the endgame looming, she's in a great position as she's not one of the big, flashy targets that will be hit first. She's got a great pulse on the game, and seems to be part of the only genuine duo in The Cookout with Tiffany. Grade: A-

Xavier Prather (27) is a huge threat to win this game. He's got the tools to win, he's got a side alliance going with the guys of The Cookout and he's got Azah crushing so hard on him, we're not sure she'd vote against him. The danger is that everyone knows he will probably win if he gets to the end, and that's certainly a narrative that's going to grow, so it's not going to be easy for him to get there. Grade: B

Tiffany Mitchell (40) is in a tough spot, but she did earn some redemption by actually putting Claire on the Block and doing so without exposing The Cookout. She has exposed herself, though, as a huge threat and an unpredictable player. She will be targeted definitely by the guys, but she has a strong ally in Hannah, and she's damned good at this game. She might be able to wriggle her way out of this predicament. Grade: B-

Kyland Young (30) is just as squirrelly as Tiffany, but seems to have no one in the House who truly trusts him. Tiffany has straight-up lied to him about a Final 2, so if he starts trusting that people are in his corner when they're not, he could be in trouble. He's not as savvy in the game, and for fear he could win comps, they might take an early shot at him to get him out. Grade: C+

Azah Awasum (30) is unpredictable, but also not really a threat to anyone's game when it comes to comps. If she does win, she'd likely target the guys in the House, but we could also see her wanting to get Tiffany out as they've clashed personality-wise. The real deal for her, though, is it's all going to come down to who can trust her vote, as her fate will likely not be in her hands. Grade: C

Derek Frazier (29) is another one who doesn't seem to have his own fate in his hands, and we doubt anyone is looking to carry him to the end. Yes, he hasn't done much, but being able to say you socialed your way to the end isn't nothing. We suspect the gameplayers will want to just cut him out if they can. Grade: C-

Alyssa Lopez (25) saved her own butt for the first eviction this week, but she can't possibly keep it up the next two weeks. If she somehow evades the Block in this week's double eviction, she'll go immediately next week, so her fate is just a matter of time ... and that time is running out. Grade: D-

Claire Renfuss (25) wasn't supposed to go first, but as soon as Alyssa won Veto, it was inevitable. Despite their infighting, The Cookout was in too deep to turn on one another now, not to mention four of them will be in the Jury so that would just be bad Jury management. Tiffany did a great job on that front with Claire, and it was sincere to boot. We're sad to see her go, but she can go out with her head held high. Grade: D-

• “I have never been so excited, I feel like I’m about to meet Barack Obama.” --Hannah
• “Alyssa, you’re from Florida, the Sunshine State, which is ironic considering you’re so dim.” --Zingbot
• “Wait, I don’t get it.” --Alyssa
• “No, you get it. Ouch.” --Xavier
• “Okay, ouch? Zing.” --Alyssa (she doesn’t get it)
• “To be clear, I’m calling you dumb.” --Zingbot
• “Xavier, I’m gonna reveal your secret: you have a crush. All season long, you’ve been admiring their body, getting lost in their eyes and staring at their ass. Oh wait, that’s just your reflection.” --Xavier
• “I’ve been zinging for over a decade now and it never gets old. But you know what has? Tiffany. Four score and seven zings ago.” --Zingbot
• “Oh my god! Nobody move! We’re all in danger! I’ve spotted Bigfoot! My bad, that’s just Claire.” --Zingbot
• “Houseguests, I have a joke for you. Knock Knock.” --Zingbot
• “Who’s there?” --Houseguests
• “Hannah.” --Zingbot
• “Hannah who?” --Houseguests
• “Exactly. Bor-zing.” --Zingbot
• “Big D, you’ve made quite the mark on the Big Brother House this summer. Too bad it’s in the toilet. Big deuce zing, that’s a zing!” --Zingbot
• “As a robot, I can accurately predict the future. I’ve determined the following things will never happen: time travel, teleportation, Xavier going on a date with Azah.” --Zingbot
• “Dang Zingbot. On the national telly, though?” --Azah
• “Kyland, listening to you talk is like sitting by a brook, an endless babbling brook. Shut the f--- up zing!” --Zingbot

• “We’re finally going to split up another duo and I know that I’m going to be safe. Things could not be better right now.” --Claire (not so fast)
• “On the Block. On the Block. Last two Kings are on the Block.” --Xavier & Alyssa (singing and dancing)
• “The way I see it, if one of us doesn’t win Veto, it’s not looking good for the bald, Black man.” --Xavier (to Alyssa, still protecting Cookout)
• “As you can see, America, I can’t win anything in this House.” --Alyssa (after Xavier beats her in pool)
• “I’m not really gonna stress about it. I’m doing the Ky fake smile this week to get my way through it.” --Alyssa (making fun of Kyland)
• “Let’s say I win the Veto, take Alyssa down. Then what happens?” --Xavier (to Derek F)
• “I win the golden power of Veto, I snatch Alyssa off. Alyssa’s safe. She then has a choice. Put up Claire, which will make everybody in The Cookout happy, pretty much would ruin her game because Claire would go back to the Jury and tell everyone that she went home because Tiffany put her up. Or she puts up another member of The Cookout, which also ruins her game. The self-interest that I’m seeing makes me just want to … game over.” --Xavier (to Derek F about Tiffany)
• Are we at the point where we’re like, ‘F--- it’? --Derek F (to Xavier about Cookout)
• “That’s where I’m at.” --Xavier
• “Ky was so cute in the beginning, and then that damned Sarah Beth.” --Derek F (nursing his Kyland crush)
• “This was just somebody being selfish and now it bit them in the ass.” --Xavier (about Tiffany after Alyssa won POV)
• “I know people feel like, that’s what she deserved. She won HOH so she should have to suffer the consequences.” --Tiffany (to Hannah)
• “What I don’t want is to completely mislead her, but I also don’t want to endanger anybody else.” --Tiffany (trying to figure out how to tell Claire she’s going on the Block)
• Nominating another member of The Cookout: not an option. Exposing The Cookout: not an option.” --Xavier (about Tiffany’s dilemma)
• “I still want her respect for me. I don’t have to jeopardize their game to be honest with my friend.” --Tiffany (preparing to tell Claire)
• “As much as I want to ride out this thing with you, I don’t have anyone else to put up.” --Tiffany (to Claire)
• “Tiff, they’re just going to vote me out.” --Claire
• “I don’t want to lie to you. I want to be as honest with you as I can.” --Tiffany
• “Are you in an alliance with them?” --Claire
• “No, I have my own personal feeling about how I wanted to play this game. I’m so sorry.” --Tiffany
• “I can’t be that mad at her because I know that Tiff doesn’t want to be part of this long tradition that’s happened in ‘Big Brohter’ where people of color and people who are Black go out and they’re put against each other and they’re sent out. I know so many people won’t get it, but I get it. That’s why I can’t fight her on this.” --Claire (incredible young lady)
• “Even if I go home this week, I won’t hold it against you.” --Claire
• “I wanted to keep Claire safe and honor The Cookout. But we cannot always get what we want. Not even me.” --Tiffany