Big Brother Blowout: Who Survives Pressure Cooker HOH Comp and How Does It Change Game?

After the eviction of Hisam on Thursday, which formally destroyed The Professors, it's safe to say that the early-game alliances are dead and gone. While new alliances are always emerging, they've yet to be tested, making this a make-or-break moment for everyone.

The "Pressure Cooker" is a competition everyone keeps calling iconic, which makes us wonder why it's been 18 years since it was last played. If it's so iconic, why wait so long that some of these Houseguests were toddlers when Kaysar Ridha made the worst deal of his life?

Nevertheless, it came back, and in even more grueling fashion. Rather than being played outside, this one happened inside and mostly in the dark, making it far more disorienting. It also happened after a fully day on Thursday, right after the live broadcast.

This was endurance and will above all. Well, those and focus. As the hours tick by, one slight twitch can knock your hand off your button and then it's all over. And the competition was that simple. Press a button and hold it as long as you can.

It was also a long night for outgoing Head of Household Felicia, who was not eligible to play. But at least she had something to watch on the television, even if there was no sound.

As with all competitions that go long enough, there are things to be learned as the time passes and people start talking, and dropping. For one thing, we got a sense of who's still trying their hardest to play the middle.

In this case, Matt admitted to quitting on purpose because he's not ready to show his cards as a competition threat. Cory, who's basically forfeited every comp this season, wasn't nearly as subtle when he dropped out later, reaching right up to adjust his hat wit his button hand. Luckily, everyone seemed to bleary to read too much into it.

For the most part, though, people went due to silly mistakes. The biggest problem for the dominant power alliance in the house is that the first three of those were Jared, Cirie, and Izzy. None of them threw it, but it is remarkable that all three of them went out — with mother-and-son not even making it to the two-hour mark.

Luckily for the show, the overall competition dragged on and on, quickly closing in on the nearly 14-hour run of the original Pressure Cooker. In fact, with no one in the room having any idea how long they'd been there, this one was just four minutes shy of that record (13hours, 49 minutes to 13 hours, 53 minutes).

The contestants also got prizes (or punishments) in the order of their elimination. While most of the eliminations were just a thing happening, Mecole was particularly devastated because her hand came up while swatting at a fly.

Even worse, she was third-to-last, leaving Cameron and America alone in the room while she darted out to use the restroom. HGs had to wait until every third elimination to leave the Pressure Cooker room, so it was otherwise empty.

That gave Cameron an opportunity, and he immediately siezed upon it, offering America safety for herself and her burgeoning showmance Cory. He also told her that things were going to get dirty this week, and he was more than ready to get down in the muck. This deal would keep her squeaky clean.

Mecole came in before they could finish their chat, but she ultimately took the deal, dropping out just 19 minutes after Mecole. Below are the HGs times, as well as their prizes/punishments from the Pressure Cooker.

• 1:17 - Jared [New Friends] snakes revealed in room
• 1:22 - Cirie [Sixer] six-pack of beer while waiting to exit
• 3:55 - Izzy [Concert] not specified what this means
• 8:35 - Bowie [Pressure Cooker] literally
• 9:40 - Matt [Callback] flies released into room
• 10:08 - Red [Paramount Plus] home entertainment system
• 12:17 - Cory [Have-Not] PB&J's this week (choose 2 to join)
• 12:44 - Blue [Money] $1,000
• 12:50 - Jag [Perfume] scent of sewage released in room
• 13:30 - Mecole [Dinner Party] (choose 3 to join)
• 13:49 - America
• WINNER - Cameron

With The Handful and The Professors falling apart over these past two weeks, more alliances have been forming all over the place. So who's in what and which ones are real?

Well, there are some solid Final 2 deals in place, as well as a couple of showmances. Cirie and Jared should be a Final 2, but things seem a bit rocky there as he's cuddling up closer and closer to his showmance, Blue.

GIven a name this week are the duo of Cameron and Red, who bonded immediately in the House. They are the Chillers, with Red already acting as Cameron's right-hand man from the moment his pal won Head of Household.

He had reason to, as well, because Izzy's reaction was not what you might expect from an alliance member when Cameron won the Pressure Cooker. If anyone in this House has zero chill when it comes to their facial expressions, it's Izzy. She should never play poker.

That makes her a huge potential liability to her main alliance members, Cirie and Felicia. jared is in there, but we see this more as that trio working to keep Jared alive while he's just a mess all over the place and very distracted by Blue's flirtations.

That core trio, as Cirie laughingly pointed out, is part of so many alliances, they should have been covered everywhere. Izzy's face may be what costs them the safety they should have had.

For now, though, here's their breakdown of alliances:

• Bye Bye Bitches! (Cirie, Felicia, Izzy, Mecole, Bowie Jane) -- might still be a thing
• Seven Deadly Sins (Cirie, Felicia, Izzy, Jared, Jag, Matt, Blue) -- Cirie is only half-heartedly in this one
• Legend 25 (Cirie, Felicia, Izzy, Matt, Red, Bowie, Mecole, Cameron) -- Cirie says this one is a lie to keep Red, Cameron, and Bowie close
• For Real, For Real (Cirie, Felicia, Izzy, Mecole, Jared, Cory, America) -- maybe for real, for real ... it probably depends which way the wind is blowing

As it stands, with Cameron sitting in power and Red close in his hear, the plan would obviously be to put more weight on Legend 25 (at least to them). Izzy's sketchiness does have Cameron playing close attention, but only to her.

Ultimately, he went with the alliance consensus that Jag and Blue are the biggest competition threats — though we've no idea what this is based on — and put them on the Block. He's keeping his backdoor options open, though.

Mama Cirie needs to sit down with her adopted daughter Izzy and teach her how to chill the f- out with her face before she gets them all into trouble. And while she's at it, save a smack for her son for getting his head all out of the game and into something else. She's over here working hard only to have other people jeopardizing her game!

Cirie Fields (53, nurse) has built so many shields around her that she is protected on so many sides. Some see the strategic threat she is, but we suspect they think they can just deal with her later and worry about bigger threats in the meantime. That's where she excels, though, flying so brazenly under the radar while pulling strings. And yep, they're letting her do it. [Grade: B+]

Felicia Cannon (63, real estate agent) was one of the best things that could have happened for Cirie in this game, giving her a staunch ally she could relate to and someone who is in a similar situation, as an older woman in the house. They've become quite the savvy duo, navigating a complicated game from the background (though not as hidden as they'd probably like). [Grade: B]

America Lopez (27, medical receptionist) made a deal for herself and for Cory that should keep her safe and invisible this week. She has proven herself a strong competitor, but has yet to be tested on that front, so not that many people are looking at her. The biggest detriment ot her game is she seems to be flying mostly solo in the house, despite being part of the Legend 25 alliance. [Grade: C+]

Mecole Hayes (30, political consultant) almost had this one. Like America, she's proving herself a real competitor, while also keeping her real game very close to her chest. She's so stoic, it's hard to know what alliances might even be real for her, and she doesn't get much in confessionals to make it clear. But she's in a safe spot for now. [Grade: C+]

Cameron Hardin (34, stay-at-home dad) rises to power this week, but remains a huge threat beyond this week. He's targeting his former alliance members, putting faith in the Legend 25 alliance that was faked around him. That makes him almost a pawn this week, if he doesn't go rogue and target Izzy, and a potential target next week. He needs to work hard to transform fake into real, or find some new friends. [Grade: C+]

Matthew Klotz (27, deaflympics gold medalist) seems to be building a real bond with the power trio of the house (Cirie, Felicia, Izzy), which could really impact the game moving forward. He's so much of a wild card since Reilly's eviction, as he had really only gravitated to her in a meaningful way. He could really make a difference as the game progresses ... we'll have to wait and see. [Grade: C+]

Cory Wurtenberger (21, college student) continues to fly as under the radar as he can as a non-threat early in the game. But there are a lot of people with him already on their mind for the next phase of the game, when the middle of the pack starts standing out with all the early flameouts leaving them exposed. At that point, he'll have to start showing up, so we can see what he's really made of. [Grade: C]

Red Utley (37, sales) rises dramatically this week thanks to the fact Cameron took power, and his own skills of observation. The only detriment to his game is that he doesn't really have the numbers. But he's seeing the game, and doing a great job of reading people. He needs to turn that into a stronger social presence to really solidify something around himself, though. [Grade: C]

Bowie Jane Ball (45, barrister/DJ) is like a balloon. [Grade: C]

Jared Fields (25, exterminator) is scaring us because he is really getting too close to Blue, and that's when young men start to get stupid. We've seen people throw their game away to save a showmance, and we could definitely see him doing it. Only in his case, it could destroy more than just his game. Can Cirie keep her boy in line? He's been showing a stubborn streak of late with her, sullen and pouty, so we're not so sure. [Grade: C]

Izzy Gleicher (32, professional flutist) has to really, really learn to work her face. She telegraphs every thought in her head with her expressions, and people are starting to pay attention. The good news for Mama Cirie and Jared is that we actually kind of believe she would keep their secret out of love and respect if she were to find herself heading out the door. We weren't sure of that a couple weeks ago. But for her own sake, she needs to calm the f- down. [Grade: C-]

Blue Kim (25, brand strategist) finds herself on the Block and not necessarily the target right now. But, she's also a potential liability for the power trio, as she's distracting Jared. Could Cirie decide to sever her son's showmance, she's got the influential powers to maybe make that happen ... even if Cameron isn't on board. Blue's fate may be less in her hands this week than she realizes.. [Grade: D+]

Jag Bains (25, truck company owner) is a likable guy who's proven he can hold his own in competitions. That seems to be the main criteria for Cameron, who's moving with the house to eliminate perceived competition threats. The last two evicted HGs had wins under their belts, and now Jag has one Coincidence? [Grade: D]

• "The game has absolutely reset. The Professors' alliance is done, this HOH is going to be crucial and I really, really want to win it." --Izzy (in DR)
• "It's fine. I'll pee myself." --Izzy (during HOH comp)
• "I need a rolodex or Cliff's Notes or something, I can't keep up with all this nonsense. When it comes down to it, though, I'm not depending on anybody else to save me. I want to save myself. And Jared. And Izzy. And Felicia." --Cirie (in DR about all her alliances)
• "What was that creaking?" --Izzy (during HOH comp)
• "Me and Red's knees." --Cameron
• "It was. It was my knees." --Red
• "I set myself up so that I'm covered front, back and all sides. The only wrench that could mess this up is if Cameron or Red wins HOH." --Cirie (in DR)
• "I know Mama Felicia is having a good time right now." --Jared (during HOH)
• "She has fully changed into her pajamas." --Mecole (that's true)
• "You guys gonna be here all night! Somebody come down." --Felicia (bored watching HOH comp)
• "I have an interesting story, if anybody cares." --Cameron (during HOH)
• "Well, no one can stop you, anyways." --Jag
• "I kind of like the silence." --Izzy
• "Straight up, though, thank god you're in the house." --Cory (in flashback to America on hammock)
• "Cory's growing on me. We flirt. Or, I'll flirt; he doesn't know how to flirt." --America (in DR)
• "All I care about is someone I can be turned off around — wait, that sounded weird." --Cory (in flashback to America on hammock)
• "I forgot we were in the Big Brother house for a second. I felt like we were on our first date." --America (in flashback to Cory in hammock)
• "We might have had the power in the house the last couple of weeks, but we are very much underdogs, I think." --Izzy (in DR after HOH comp about her, Cirie, and Felicia)
• "I gotta outlive two people: Jag and Blue. They're the two most lethal players stacked up against Legend 25 right now. If we can roll on through them this week and get at least one of them out of the way, we got a little bit smoother sailing ahead of us." --Cameron (in DR during HOH comp)
• "I know you want this bad. But I'm here to tell you that if I have this week, you stay clean. You would get really, really dirty and I am willing to do that." --Cameron
• "Oh no, Meme's out of the room for a minute." --Izzy
• "She went to the bathroom." --Cirie
• "That's not good." --Felicia
• "America is a fan. When Kaysar took the deal and let go, he went home." --Izzy (hoping)
• "Can Cory not go up, either?" --America (negotiating with Cameron)
• "I'm just gonna have to trust that he follows through with this and I don't get Kaysar'd." --American (in DR after HOH comp)
• "What's funny is Izzy did not seem happy." --Red (to Cameron; he was watching with her)
• "I think Izzy is one of those people that don't have our best interests in mind." --Red (in DR)
• "If I pledge my loyalty, that is not something that I give lightly. --Jag (to Cameron)
• "The thing is that I would never do anything shifty or dumb or lie to you or be shady. If I don't make the move right now, it'll ostracize both sides of the house. It'll make the line even deeper if I didn't do it." --Cameron
• "Do you know who I'm gonna be next to?" --Jag
• "Yeah, and I think you know, too. I can't stress enough that this is absolutely nothing but the game that's forcing this move." --Cameron
• "This move to me is level playing fields. You guys go up, fight it out, whatever happens happens. It's never too early for interesting outcomes." --Cameron (to Blue)
• "We are on the bottom of her trust list, the top of her hit list." --Cameron (to Red about Izzy)

Big Brother airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 8pm ET, and Thursdays at 9pm ET on CBS.