Big Brother Blowout: With Huge Threats on Block Can Leftovers Resist Targeting Their Own?

Even before the competition kicked off, Michael and Brittany continued their contemplations of perhaps making the summer's biggest move, betraying the Leftovers alliance and taking this opportunity to take out Monte. It would be a huge move for the resume, and it might be easy to build a new alliance from the rest of the House, as it would definitely be the end of the Leftovers.

But they key there is that it might not be the end of everyone they're aligned with, as the Festie Besties aren't the only ones within the Leftovers who can see what a huge threat Monte is already in this game. He is positioned brilliantly in the game.

The only drawback for him right now is just how early in the season he's peaked and shown his cards. At the same time, Michael is in a similar boat after picking up his fourth competition win to secure this HOH position. So what's his best move when he himself is one of the biggest targets in the House?

Just as he and some of the Leftovers are talking about Monte and contemplating if now is the time to take him out, it's not unreasonable to imagine the next Leftover HOH having the same exact conversation about Michael (unless Brittany wins it).

At the same time that Michael is courting this epic game-changing move that would turn the House upside down again -- and we love a good House flip! -- Daniel has been growing closer to Terrance ... and they're coming up with the same exact plan.

Daniel, of course, has his back against the wall after Nicole was booted (he and Nicole were the culprits of the worst verbal abuses against Taylor this summer). Now, though, he might just see a path forward. His best-case scenario is to get picked to play the Veto, win it and keep the nominations the same.

Then, the House has no choice but to take out Monte, Joseph and Terrance. And of the three, it's a pretty safe bet that Monte would be the one to go. Whatever it takes, Daniel needed to ensure that nominations stayed the same this week. Little did he know, the current HOH was thinking the same thing.

The first part of Daniel's plan collapsed when Turner and Jasmine were selected to play in the comp with the nominees and Michael and his Festie Bestie Brittany. He and Terrance concocted a new plan, though, with the hopes that Terrance would do everything he could to ensure Michael won and then try to convince him to keep nominations the same and make this huge move.

It was as if a perfect storm was brewing against Monte in the House, and he had no idea. People on both sides of his alliance were thinking of target him. Could Monte win Veto himself? Would he need to?

In a backyard filled with vats of colored barbecue sauce and with OTEV a country-singing cockroack, this was certainly one of the messier OTEV competitions we've seen. It also turned out to be a bit of a surprise, as it quickly came down to Michael and all three nominees.

Michael was fighting to win so that he could keep his options open about whether or not to stick with the initial plan or betray his alliance and keep the nominations the same. Little did he know, Terrance wanted him to win for that same reason.

One by one, Terrance outlasted Joseph and Monte until it was just him and Michael left standing. Michael had smartly created a side stash of barbecue sauces earlier in the competition, making his later runs much more efficient. He's athletic and smart at these comps!

When it was just down to the two of them, Terrance told Michael that Michael needed to win this compeition, and he'd explain later. And so, when the horn blew, Terrance slid into the yard and began wasting time. It seems likely Michael would have won regardless because he quickly went to his stash and secured the right sauce, but we hate that Terrance giving up taints it a bit.

That's because with this victory, Michael has now won every single Veto competition he's competed in, which is just an incredible streak, and five competitions overall. Daniel is next closest to him and he only has two wins under his belt.

If he wasn't a huge threat and target in the House before, he surely will be the second he's out of power and vulnerable. The rest of the House would be foolish to not try to get him out the very first chance they get. But foolish seems to be something the House has some skill at.

As we laid out, Michael won this Veto because he wanted the option to keep nominations the same and get Monte out. That's what Daniel (obviously) and Terrance want, too. This shouldn't be that hard to orchestrate. At this point, Michael needs to get out competition threats, because when you talk about peaking too early in the season, he's sky high right now.

But then--

It's almost comical how Daniel and Terrance decided that the best strategy was to gather as many people as they could, explain to them their idea to target Monte this week and what a good idea it would be for Michael to not use the Veto and put this big get on his resume.

So in a matter of a few hours, Daniel and Terrance and Jasmine and Alyssa and Indy all went up to the HOH room with the exact. Same. Pitch. It was almost word for word. Talk about sending up a red flag.

All that really needed to happen, perhaps, was for Terrance to go an explain himself as he'd told Michael he would during the OTEV competition. Daniel could pitch it, too, as the obvious backdoor target.

But roping in three women who've basically never talked game with Michael before this in any meaningful way to pitch the same story back-to-back-to-back was just throwing up red flags for Michael everywhere.

While Terrance was downstairs prematurely celebrating that they'd convinced Michael to keep nominations the same, Michael was thinking that he'd just gotten confirmation of a five-person alliance and their intended target this week. As he saw it, they wanted him to do their dirty work for him.

Suddenly, the idea of appeasing five people he's not working with to take out one of his own alliance members and numbers, thus potentially making him more vulnerable moving forward if there are five people working together in the House--

And just like that, the plan was ruined. It was a terrible, amateur move by the other side of the House to try and sway his vote with this unnecessary onslaught of people. So when it came time for the Veto ceremony, Michael backed down on his own plan to target Monte and put Daniel and Kyle in the line of fire anyway.

If they'd have just not said anything, or been at all subtle, Michael might have done what Daniel and Terrance wanted so badly for him to do and Monte might be going home this week. As it stands, it seems impossible to imagine Kyle going over Daniel, even if he is in a showmance with Alyssa that will become problematic in time. Daniel is problematic now and has been for weeks.

Not gonna lie, we kind of love that this is becoming an ongoing narrative in the House ... because Jasmine cannot and will not let it go. Her "stealth" move of trying to hide behind the couch to listen in on kitchen chatter was a hilarious disaster.

We also kind of love that Turner did it and he just isn't going to ever admit it. It's just unfortunate that he did confess at all about it because that's what led to Terrance telling Jasmine that Turner had done it to teach her some kind of lesson.

Thankfully, Turner stood his ground and refused to admit the truth to her. It's all been very playful, with both of them laughing -- but you know part of her is really bothered that she can't figure out who it was and that someone lied to her face about it. The fact it could be her very own Festie Bestie is just too much!

Speaking of Festie Besties, the outro narration told us that this particular twist was coming to a close after this week's eviction, which should presumably mean that we are moving back to individually played games. That should simplify votes, but it will also make it harder to get big targets out of the House.

Brittany Hoopes (32) is such a plotter and schemer, and we're loving how she's just in the thick of everything happening with the Leftovers. At the same time, absolutely no one in the House sees her as a threat of any kind, allowing her to play this stealth mastermind game that so far is working quite well. Grade: A- [Bestie: Michael]

Joseph Abdin (24) is seen as a big target, but not as big a target as Monte and Michael. That puts him in a pretty good spot, and probably a swing position in the next few weeks as the House adjusts to the loss of the Besties twist. He's well-liked, very smart about the game and should be good for a little while, even if the Leftovers collapse. Grade: A- [Besties: Monte & Terrance]

Taylor Hale (27) is seeing her stock rise in this game through shrewd thinking and maneuvering thus far, and the fact that her number one bully/target is probably going home this week. She's about to have a clean slate and no one is really going to be gunning for her right away, for multiple reasons. She's been underestimated all game, but she's playing a cleverly strategic game from the middle of the House right now, rather than the bottom. Grade: A- [Besties: Alyssa & Indy]

Matt "Turner" Turner (23) is fully aware that Monte is a big threat, and probably Joseph as well. He knows they're physically stronger than him, even though he's done just fine winning comps on his own. He's willing to make big moves and positioning himself well within the cracking Leftovers alliance to emerge in a very good position. Grade: B+ [Bestie: Jasmine]

Kyle Caapener (29) is actually in a better place now than he was before because it's looking like The Leftovers might be over before he's forced to decide between his alliance and his showmance. That showmance may or may not be a problem moving forward (we've seen seasons go both ways), but it does create a bit of a target on him. But with Alyssa on the other side of the House, he's actually very well positioned to pivot in whatever direction he needs to. Grade: B [Bestie: Daniel]

Monte Taylor (27) survives elimination this week, but it may just be a stay of execution. The only thing saving him right now is that too many people want him gone and Michael got spooked it was a formal alliance talking to him. Someday soon, though, the Leftovers and the rest of the House are going to want to take that shot unless he can do something to make himself look less of a threat to win the whole game -- which he is if he gets there. Grade: B- [Besties: Joseph & Terrance]

Michael Bruner (28) is an even bigger threat than Monte, and as soon as he's out of power and the Leftovers throw in the towel on the alliance, you can bet that he'll be a huge target of theirs. The rest of the House is going to be gunning for him because with his competition wins, it might take a few shots to get him out. Michael set himself up for a hard journey to the end of this game. Grade: B- [Bestie: Brittany]

Alyssa Snider (24) would benefit tremendously from the collapse of the Leftovers, if and when it happens. If she can stay out of their crosshairs until that day, then she will probably ride alongside Kyle in whatever direction they decide to go. She's smart in the game but on the wrong side of everything right now. That said, one non-Leftover HOH win could change everything. Grade: C+ [Besties: Indy & Taylor]

Terrance Higgins (47) tried to play some game and got humbled. He's still keeping his spirits high, and we're glad to see him not only strategizing and playing the game in the House, but having a stellar showing during the Veto comp. It didn't go his way, but we hope he continues to fight. Welcome to the game! Grade: C [Besties: Joseph & Monte]

Indy Santos (31) is playing a very messy and inconsistent game. She's not doing great socially with the majority of the House. They don't despise her or anything, but she's just kind of there. At some point, that's going to be pretty easy to eliminate. Grade: C [Besties: Alyssa & Taylor]

Jasmine Davis (29) is starting to drive the whole House crazy with her muffin obsession, and really everything else that she's been doing in the House. They might eliminate her at some point just out of sheer annoyance. Grade: C- [Bestie: Turner]

Daniel Durston (35) dug his grave with his behavior attacking Taylor earlier in the season, and he started throwing dirt on himself in it after Nicole was eliminated and he went in hard on Monte, weirdly convinced that Monte had single-handedly orchestrated her demise. He is both clueless about what's happening in the House most of the time, and yet extremely confident he is a master at this game. He and Nicole got too cocky last week, and then he did it again this week with Terrance. He's almost certainly gone. Grade: D- [Bestie: Kyle]

• "You're gonna kill it, you know it, you know it." --Daniel (still weirdly passive-aggressive praising Monte after nominations)
• "Wow. Such a big move. Like, okay, Michael. Yeah! Yeah!" --Jasmine (to Alyssa after nominations)
• "Of the three of you, there's no reason why anyone should want you out." --Daniel (to Terrance, unaware he's a Leftover shield)
• "It wouldn't be difficult. Have I won anything? Have I been a comp beast? 'Damn, we lost again, fellas. Oh well.'" --Terrance (to Daniel, contemplating throwing Veto comp)
• "This is a mission to find out who the muffin eater is. I am locked and loaded behind the couch." --Jasmine (not very hidden back there at all)
• "Jasmine is doing a horrible job at staking out this muffin. I feel like in her head she's a chameleon that blended right into the walls. Meanwhile, she's sticking out like a sore thumb." --Turner (in Diary Room)
• "Turner was the one f---ing with you. He was trying to teach you a lesson or something." --Terrance (squealing on Turner)
• "Not to exaggerate or anything, but living with Jasmine is probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life." --Turner (in Diary Room after she confronts him and he continues to deny)
• "Let's be real, the big shot's Monte." --Taylor (to Michael and Brittany, contemplating targets after Daniel)
• "I think the alliance helps him significantly. I just don't want this to be the coattails he rides to the big check at the end." --Taylor (to Michael and Brittany about Monte)
• "You literally basically just woke up and you look like that. Get outta here with this." --Joseph (to Taylor)
• "It's the sunblock. The Black girl sunscreen." --Taylor
• "Best bet is that Jasmine can't play it, so that Turner can't win it. You throw it, Michael wins it." --Daniel (to Terrance)
• "And then we try to convince him." --Terrance (hoping to convince Michael to keep nominations the same so Monte can get voted out)
• "Now that's a s---load of sauce." --OTEV
• "Family show." --Daniel (watching on sidelines)
• "What's one more Veto win in the grand scheme of things." --Michael (in Diary Room, deciding to gun for Veto)
• "I need you to win. I need you to. I'll talk to you later." --Terrance (to Michael when they're the last two in Veto comp)
• "I've now officially won all four Vetoes I've competed in and I should probably stop winning before I become too big of a threat." --Michael (might be too late)
• "I want this bad, 'cause he's the head of the snake." --Daniel (talking to Jasmine about wanting to target Monte this week)
• "Hypothetically speaking, are you thinking someone who, let's just say, was HOH last week." --Michael (to Terrance after he pitched Monte)
• "Everyone sees how big a threat Monte is. Do we get a shot again?" --Michael (to Alyssa)
• "I've been contemplating making an unexpected move this week, but this is feeling a little suspicious and I'm worried that this could be a setup. It can't be a coincidence that multiple people have come to me with the exact same plan within just a couple of hours. This has to have been a coordinated effort and I don't want to do anybody's dirty work." --Michael (in Diary Room after Jasmine, Alyssa, Indy, Terrance and Daniel all pitched Monte as target)
• "It's just so stupid, They're obviously a five." --Michael (to Turner and Brittany about those who pitched him)
• "When it's all said and done, I did it." --Terrance (counting his chickens before they hatch)
• "The way that they play is just so bad." --Monte (to Michael and Brittany)
• "It's just so obvious." --Michael
• "To quote my favorite Elvis impersonator and what he said four weeks ago, 'What's good for the house is good for me.' You've rubbed some people the wrong way here and I hope you take this as an opportunity to apologize. Daniel, please take a seat. Kyle, I'm sorry, as well." --Michael (naming his replacement nominees)