Big Brother Blowout: Daniel Tries to Save Himself by Insulting Houseguests, Throws Monte & Michael Under Bus

Dan Gheesling went so far as to stage his won "Big Brother" funeral, throwing in the towel and telling the House he was ready to go -- which ultimately saved him and turned his whole game around. Dan Gheesling is a legend. Can Daniel match that?

His back was certainly against the wall this week, so it was time for a desperation ploy. Daniel evoked Dan's name twice in Diary Room entries that made the broadcast, so we can only wonder how many times production heard his name, or the names of other "BB" greats.

DJ Showtime, Terrance, is also vying to be listed among the greats by helping to save Daniel. On Wednesday, their first ploy had them convinced they'd convinced Michael to keep nominations the same so they could get Monte out of the House. Instead, they played themselves and the Veto was used, putting Daniel and Kyle on the Block.

So the new plan was to convince the House to get rid of Kyle, who has upset no one in the House, is aligned with six other people and in a showmance with a seventh, over a guy who bullied Taylor so bad a few weeks back that The Leftovers was formed.

He can put that on his "Big Brother" resume. How many Houseguests can say that a power alliance was formed as a direct result of their cruel bullying of an innocent Houseguest? And then that alliance orchestrated the perfect storm to help her get her revenge. But could they seal the deal?

With his time running out, Daniel finally figured out that elusive seventh member of what he and Nicole had begun calling the "Sorry Six" alliance. Sorry, kiddos, but the alliance is seven strong (with Kyle) and they call themselves The Leftovers because the rest of the House had already dismissed them.

They've been in power since that fateful incident in the bathroom when Daniel and Nicole brutally attacked Taylor over a misunderstanding. Taylor thought Nicole was upset because she'd gotten some bad news about her mother's fight with cancer. She even told Nicole that if she wasn't up for competing in the next challenge, that Taylor understood and was fine with it.

The truth was that Nicole was upset because she'd intended to sabotage the next challenge so they could get Taylor out. And then she got mad because she thought Taylor was telling her not to try and just be a quitter and she's no quitter -- or some bull-headed macho nonsense like that.

Poor Taylor thought they were mad at her about the chips. Honestly, after the segment Wendesday night with her constantly munching on them (and that secret bag we saw during tonight's live broadcast behind the couch), we could understand. Those chips are definitely her showmance for the summer!

The problem for Daniel is that he figured it all out, but way too late. Had he known that Kyle was part of it when they had the Veto, he'd have never used it and Nicole wouldn't have gone home. Alliances rise and fall, so all you have to do is wait and look for cracks. Instead, he appeared to seal her and then his own fate.

This is our new favorite subplot of the summer, and it's even better that it's expanding to include more players. What started as Jasmine going crazy trying to figure out who ate half of one of the muffins she'd set aside, and Turner adamantly refusing to admit it was him, has now grown.

This week, Michael got some hard cider as part of his Head of Household gift basket, and some of it was stashed in the fridge. Well, Alyssa decided that she should just tuck into it a bit here and there and here and a little more there and maybe one more time and oops, it's all gone.

On top of that, she appears to be a lightweight when it comes to her booze. So while she was twerking in the bathroom, Indy was discovering that all of the hard ciders were gone, including the one that was being held back for Michael.

When confronted, Alyssa lied as hard as the cider she'd stolen, but at least one person saw right through it. Turner explained that it's so obvious when she's been drinking, so he was pretty sure he knew right where that hard cider was -- insider her system.

But as the "Muffin Murder," there was no way he was going to turn in the "Cider Hider." Who's going to be next expand this empire of petty crimes happening in the "Big Brother" House? These are some naughty -- and hilarious -- hamsters this season.

We'll give him credit for putting his all into this Dan Gheesling impression. Dan saved himself with epic speeches and manipulation. Daniel started his "Save-Me" speech by calling his Houseguests clowns and telling them to vote him out.

He then proceeded to call out Michael (not incorrectly) as a huge threat to run away with the game. He does have five competition wins in the first five weeks of the season, which is just crazy. He also threw Monte under the bus as a big threat, and offered himself up as someone who will take those big shots that he doesn't believe anyone else is willing to make.

Basically, Daniel thinks they're all a bunch of terrible players because they're not playing the game he wants them to play and he's on the outside of it. He also said that if they evicted him, the game would get boring.

It could well get a little kinder, after that bullying display we all witnessed.

In the end, the clowns voted for boring, with only Terrance tossing one vote to try and save Daniel. Even the trio of Jasmine, Indy, and Alyssa again sided with The Leftovers in an effort to not look like the odd woman out of the vote. With that alliance already starting to crack, it's not a bad strategy because things are going to start changing very, very soon.

This week was a big week of change in the "Big Brother" House. The first change was that after Daniel's eviction, the Festie Besties twist was officially over, meaning everyone was playing as singletons again. But the singles will soon be seeing double all over again.

While the Houseguests don't know, they're about to experience something completely unprecedented in the history of this show. It won't start until next week's live eviction episode, but it could change absolutely everything about how the game plays out for the rest of the season.

After this next elimination and with ten remaining Houseguests, Julie shared that the House would then be divided in half. The halves would then be sequestered from one another for the entire week where they will play side-by-side separate games of "Big Brother."

That means two Heads of Household, to Power of Veto competitions and a double eviction the following week. Not only will this divide the seven-person Leftover alliance in some way, it could also fundamentally change relationships moving forward.

With no way to communicate with old allies and friends who may be on the other half, the different halves of the House may form new alliances and relationships. With no way to keep tabs and connect for a solid week, existing relationships will be strained and trust will erode.

It should be fun to see how the House is divided and what happens with these two five-person "Big Brother" games playing out for a week. And then it will be even more fun to see what the fallout of that week of separation has for the eight remaining players in the game.

For tonight, though, we wrapped the broadcast with the beginning of the classic "Wall" competition. Hanging onto a tilting wall with various objects and substances pelting them from time to time, it's all about endurance. Traditionally, this is won by smaller contestants or lighter contestants, who seem to have an easier time hanging on.

There are quite a few smaller, slighter Houseguests still in this thing, so it really is almost anyone's game. With The Leftovers starting to fray while they've been in power, could this be the week that the alliance finally collapses? If someone outside it wins, we'd say it's almost guaranteed. If a Leftover wins, well, it could still happen!

Brittany Hoopes (32) remains the overlooked gem in the middle of the now fairly exposed Leftovers alliance. The House seems to know she's in it, but nobody is looking at her as a big threat in the game. With Festie Besties over, there's no reason for her to even see the Block anytime soon, no matter who's in power. Grade: A-

Taylor Hale (27) has exacted her personal revenge almost completely. Does she care to continue a full sweep of the Girls Girls Alliance? She's not stupid in this game, so we could see a situation where she tries to keep them in her good graces, depending on the state of the Leftovers. This is her time to step up and show us her game without personal vendettas, and we're confident she's positioned herself well. She has a great story for the Jury, too, should she get there, but no one is yet talking about her as a huge threat. Grade: A-

Matt "Turner" Turner (23) might be having more fun in the House than anyone, and he has some of the best facial expressions of any Houseguest ever. But underneath his cool guy, chill persona, he's a shrewd player who's playing socially, strategically and even some psychological warfare, as in his muffin grab to unsettle Jasmine. He has a very impressive under-the-radar game going at this stage. Grade: A-

Joseph Abdin (24) contemplated playing dumb in the middle of the House, but he ultimately stayed true to The Leftovers. He is a very smart player in the House, but it looks like the rest of the House also knows this, which only elevates his threat level. If Monte and Michael are the Top 2 threats, we'd wager he's number three. Grade: B+ [Besties: Monte & Terrance]

Kyle Caapener (29) formally sided with The Leftovers this week, which boosted his score in our book. He put the game over his showmance, which means his head is in the right place. Alyssa didn't take it well, but he's done a pretty good job of getting away with blindsides and leaving her out of things before, so he may be able to smooth this over. It's good to see his head is in the game, though, because Daniel did his best to remind people that showmances are dangerous. Grade: B+

Monte Taylor (27) was thrown under the bus as the second-biggest threat in the House, which he probably is. If he can't win HOH this week, he needs to hope it's someone not intersted in taking a shot at him. With the Besties twist over, he could find himself on the Block with Michael. Only one of them could be saved by Veto, and we wouldn't want to find ourselves sitting next to the Veto King. Luckily, a lot of the House doesn't seem ready to take that shot. Grade: C+

Michael Bruner (28) took a huge hit in the House as far as visibility and awareness go. He'd fully intended to stop winning comps, but the target is already enormous. Daniel made it very public in his "save-me" speech, but it's not yet clear if the House cares about targeting him yet. It will probably really depend on who takes power. He is a huge threat, but he's also a huge threat to save himself if he does find trouble. His biggest fear should be a backdoor he's powerless to stop. Grade: C+

Alyssa Snider (24) is salty with Kyle after he suggested they distance themselves. She's outside the power alliance and seen as a big social threat. The Leftovers have had her on their radar for some time, and with their biggest targets gone, she could find herself one of the next ones they start looking at. It could even be a way to solidify Kyle in the alliance, if it is going to go the distance, by taking away his other option. There's not much left outside of it anyway at this stage. Grade: C

Indy Santos (31) is starting to try and play strategically and get in there, but she's doing so from the bottom of the House. Unless The Leftovers collapses, she's going to be among the next to go. She's not seen as a huge threat of any kind right now, which could buy her some time, but she's got her work cut out for her to go far. Grade: C

Terrance Higgins (47) voted all alone against the House. He's started playing very hard, which is welcome, but also against the majority consensus of the House. WIth Daniel now out, it's time for DJ Showtime to pivot hard right or left or any direction that's going to keep him around in this House. He's got the drive and the gusto, but no subtlety in his play, so we're not super confident he can pull it off. Grade: C-

Jasmine Davis (29) isn't necessarily public enemy number one, but she may be close to social enemy number one. In the absence of a clear target, Jasmine appears to be the one who is driving the most people in the House crazy. She'd be an easy target to get out this week, with minimal impact to anyone's game. That said, she's not a big shot to take, so depending on who's in power, she could get a stay of execution as the bigger threats are targeted. Grade: C-

Daniel Durston (35) couldn't overcome that bullying episode in the bathroom because it not only upset Taylor, it upset the majority of the House. They formed an alliance in direct response to it, so it's no surprise that the two main culprits of that attack were quickly eliminated. His poor social graces (it wasn't even strategy) cost him this game. Grade: F

• "I hope one day he'll look back at this moment that he should have saved me to help him. But in the words of Dan geesling, how am I gonna spin my way out of this one." --Daniel (after nominations ... you, sir, are no Dan Gheesling)
• "Your boy, DJ Showtime's still got plans. I'm hoping I can keep Daniel and move Kyle right out this House." --Terrance (not giving up)
• "I will not throw you under the bus. So just know, if I'm in the corner talking, it's not about you." --Daniel (to Kyle after noms)
• "I definitely don't owe anything to Kyle and I"m going to campaign against him." --Daniel (in Diary Room after figuring out Kyle is part of 'Sorry Six' aka Leftovers)
• "So what am I supposed to do this week, campaign like normal?" --Kyle (to fellow Leftover, Turner)
• "You definitely gotta campaign to me. Otherwise, who knows? I might vote you out." --Turner
• "Michael pulling Monte off the Block is making me nervous. Why wouldn't you want to take out a big target when you got the shot? That's making me thing there's an alliance or something deeper going on." --Jasmine
• "Alyssa, stop doing this whatever you're doing." --Daniel
• "It's called twerking." --Alyssa (and drinking too much stolen liquor)
• "Someone betrayed you, who did you trust with the hiding place?" --Michael (to Indy about his hard cider)
• "Alyssa!" --Indy
• "There's a crime wave going on in this House." --Indy (in Diary Room, referring to stolen muffin and now hard cider)
• "When Alyssa has a drink, she becomes a completely different person. So if Alyssa is the "Cider Hider," she's not hiding it that well. Don't worry, Alyssa, your secret is safe with the 'Muffin Murderer.'" --Turner
• "Now that I have your attention, this is where I'm at. I wanted to play with Alyssa, but then she went all AWOL, that whole side did, on Monte. So now there's, like, no trust over there so I'm, like, back to square one. I'm riding with The Leftovers. Alyssa, I'm sorry, but that was just a very sloppy move to just go all in on Monte without, like, any strategy." --Kyle (to cameras)
• "I don't know what options I have to play with Alyssa. It's just too much stress to think about risking everything." --Kyle (to cameras)
• "Probably wouldn't hurt to be a little more distant." --Kyle (to Alyssa)
• "Bye, see you nowhere." --Alyssa (to Kyle as he leaves)
• "I'll see you on Thursday." --Kyle
• "If I was in here with actual players, change would happen. Speak your mind. Use your vote. I'm so sick of these pushover sheep." --Daniel (to himself)
• "Hopefully I can convince Alyssa that Kyle's not good for her long-term game." --Daniel (in Diary Room)
• "If I can get these votes, there'll be another Dan on the list of 'Big Brother' legends." --Daniel (you, sir, are no Dan Gheesling)
• "So what if you didn't use it, do you think he would have?" --Alyssa (about when Daniel and Kyle won Veto last week).
• "No." --Daniel
• "Is this relationship really real in this House or am I just part of his game?" --Alyssa (in Diary Room about Kyle)
• "I'm alone. I'm not a threat. Even if people are bothered by me, I'm not a threat. Michael, if you guys don't get him out, he has five competitions [wins]. That's one competition [win] a week. You guys are crazy if you guys don't open your eyes to that. And here's another thing, showmance. That means one vote equals two every time. Every single time, they will always agree. Alliance or not, you've got the best 'Big Brother' player in a long time, Michael. You've got the showmance here." --Daniel (pitching hard to Joseph with Jasmine and Terrance)
• "So do these guys not think I'm with that side of the House? Either guys think I'm oblivious, or they think I could be swayed. Either way, that could be good for me." --Joseph (in Diary Room)
• "Houseguests, please vote to evict me. I'd rather hang out with Nicole and Paloma than any one of you bozos here today. This place is a circus and you're all a bunch of clowns. It's time to wake up and realize Michael has five competitions under his belt. I'm gonna repeat that for you guys. Michael has five competitions under his belt and he will win this season if you don't go after him next. A smart superfan like Michael knows, a strong competitor like Monte on the Block, you don't change that nominees unless you're working together. Figure it out. If you want me to go do your dirty work, vote to save me. Or vote to evict me and in about ten minutes, this season just got boring." --Daniel
• "Let's make it a boring season. I enthusiastically vote to evict Daniel." --Taylor (to Julie)
• "This clown votes to evict Daniel." --Joseph (to Julie)
• "He wanted one last moment. He got it." --Joseph (after Daniel left the House, hugging only Terrance -- and whispering something in his ear)
• "You get your wish. You won't have to talk to me again until finale night." --Taylor (in farewell message)