BB Recap – 7/31 Nominations!

Well this is a late recap–sorry about that!  Sunday’s episode was action-packed.  Dani won the HOH, so there’s a big power shift in the house this week.  Plus, we got to see some more Brenchel crybabyitis, Adam in an elf suit, and Lawon FINALLY showed some depth beyond his usual outrageous behavior.

THE HOH COMPETITION

That HOH competition was pretty enjoyable to watch.  It looked pretty easy at first but they started hurting pretty quickly.  Lawon especially looked like he was being “backdoored” during the comp.  Inappropriate?

Ouch!  Looks painful!  Anyway, Lawon was second off after Adam.  Third, Brendon fell.  I’m sorry, but this was so enjoyable for me.  For someone who bitches so much about people “floating” and sucking in competitions, it was sweet vengeance to see him fall third after the dandy and the least healthy man in BB history.

Of course, Brendon had to save face, so he claimed that the competition was “rigged” for small people/people with small feet.  He’s such a tool.  When he wins, it’s because of his never-ending superiority/athleticism/intelligence, but when he loses, it’s rigged.  He’s such a weenie.

I loved that Jeff won the $10k and no one seems to be holding it against him.

It was great to see Kalia come so close to winning in spite of all the negativity being thrown at her.  How does it feel to be beaten by a “nobody,” Brendon?

DANI’S HOH

But alas, Dani outlasted them all (and NOT just because of her small feet) to be crowned the new HOH.  Watching Rachel hand the HOH key over was pretty perfect.  This was basically the worst case scenario for any member of the vets alliance.

Should Dani have thrown the HOH to Kalia to ensure her power in future weeks?  Maybe.  I can definitely see the merit in that argument.  But I think Dani really needed to win this week.  She was lowest on the totem pole and she would have been nominated if almost anyone else had won HOH.  She couldn’t risk it.

Plus, the fact that she was on the bottom of the food chain means she desperately needs to mend fences (especially with Jeff & Jordan) this week.  When you’re HOH and trying to make deals, people know you’re not just kissing ass.  It gives you the opportunity to prove your allegiances by making moves to benefit your allies.  I definitely think she was smart to take the HOH.

THE KALIA SMEAR CAMPAIGN

Disclaimer: Kalia is in no way my favorite house guest.  I think she talks far too much and she’s not all that interesting.  But she didn’t deserve ANY of what Brenchel threw at her.  When they flipped out at her for her “no beef” comment in the kitchen, it just made them look idiotic.  I don’t think they understand that.

Then the comments about her being “crazy,” “psycho, ” and “a nobody” only made Brenchel look more childish and moronic.  Brendon’s comment about Kalia’s muffin top was not only untrue, it was just plain ugly.  I’m all for the funny DR quips that poke fun at other HGs, but that was just mean.  It’s obvious Brenchel was just bitter about losing the competition.  They are seriously pathetic.

WHO WANTS TO SEE MY ELF COSTUME?

I’m happy Adam got stuck with the elf suit.  I think he’s one of the only ones who’s actually able to have fun with it instead of complaining/cheating the whole time (I’m looking at you, Enzo!).  If it wasn’t based on random draw, I definitely would have thought this was rigged, because I seriously can’t picture a better elf than the chain-smoking, metal-headed, raspy-voiced weirdo Adam.  And on the live feeds he’s done a great job of not being annoying with it.  He’s getting better at knowing when to shut off the attempts to be funny and I’m liking him more and more lately.

GUESS WHAT? LAWON’S GAY!

Who ever would have guessed?  Seriously, though, it was nice to see some development of Lawon as a character.  Usually he’s just a caricature with flamboyant one-liners (which, don’t get me wrong, I love), but I’m glad to see that he’s actually a real person underneath the 4 flaming seconds we get of him each episode.

THE NOMINATIONS

Daniele knew that unless she created some new alliances, she’d be screwed after this week.  I think it was really smart of her to target Brenchel and try to make amends with Jordeff.  It’s better to have just one couple against you instead of both, and if she had nominated, say, Jeff and Brendon, she would have made four enemies.

After all that’s happened, though, I think Jeff and Jordan will have a hard time trusting Dani in the long run, despite her apparent work to gain trust with them.  I think the best thing Jeff and Jordan could do at this point is to cut ties with Brendon and Rachel and align themselves firmly with Daniele.  Either Brendon or Rachel will likely leave this week, so keeping the other as an ally isn’t very smart for them.

Hopefully, Brendon packs up his crybabyitis and leaves the house on Thursday.  I’m sooooo done with him.  I actually hate him more than I hate Rachel at this point, and that really says a lot.

Brendon crying at the end of the episode

Episode 9 Recap: The POV!

In last night’s episode we got to see a lot of things I never thought we’d see: Brendon and Rachel not being total trainwrecks, Dani totally destroying her game, and Jeff actually being able to spell.  What’s next, BB?!  Is Porsche going to develop a personality?  Is Adam going to talk about anything besides previous seasons and bacon?  The world has gone mad!

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

When I talk about the broadcast episodes of BB I often say I wish we could get just ONE episode that doesn’t show Brenchel fighting.  Well, this week I got my wish.  But the fates mocked me, because instead of a Brenchel trainwreck, we got this:

Did I need that image burned into my brain for all of eternity, BB?  What did I ever do to you?  I’ll take a Brenchel fight over this ANY DAY.  Shudder.

DANIELE, FROM FIRST TO WORST

Daniele really did have an easy ride.  She didn’t have to compete at all because of the golden key, and she didn’t have to worry about being nominated, either.  All she had to do was sit back, keep her mouth shut, and make friends with everyone.  This week, though, it all turned to caca when she transformed into a 5th grader with a silly crush and a self-destructive streak.

Not only did she annoy the hell out of me with her childish flirting with Dominic, but she also overplayed her hand and made all of the vets distrust her.  She should have realized that Brendon and Rachel weren’t going for the backdoor Jeff plan and quit while she was ahead.  But she pushed too far too fast and it made everyone suspicious, destroying not only her game but Dom’s as well.

A HAIRY MESS

This veto competition brought the LOLs.  I think Lawon explained it best, so I’ll let him do the recap:

"WHAT is this lady in the backyard? WHO IS SHEEE?! OMG! I'm so flamboyant and SILLY! CUH-RAZAY!"

Thanks, Lawon.  That was very helpful.  To translate: Jordan played in the bubbles, Rachel almost died, and they had to spell words.  Brendon won, but Jeff redeemed himself for the “Technotronics” debacle and came in second.

NOMINATIONS STAY THE SAME

In the end, Rachel and Brenda got wise to Dani’s scheming and kept the nominations the same.  Since Dominic is Dani’s accomplice, it looks like it’s curtains for him tonight.  This week has drawn some lines in the sand (which you’ll see in the episode tonight if you haven’t been spoiled yet), so there could be a pretty significant power shift depending on who wins HOH.

ANOTHER TWIST?

At the end of the episode, we were told that another twist will be revealed tonight.  Speculation is rampant.  Some people think there will be a returning houseguest, and that possibly he/she will be chosen by the golden key holders.  Others think that the duos will be shuffled and everyone will have a new partner.  Some say  it will be revealed that Rachel is really a robot designed to annoy the hell out of people. OK, no one actually said that last one, but what other explanation could there be for her behavior?

Personally, I think the “twist” will be that the duos are kaput and it’s all individual from here on out.  And while that’d be a pretty anticlimactic reveal (since all of the HGs assume that’s what’s happening tonight anyway), I wouldn’t put it past BB to overhype the end of a twist as a twist in and of itself.  I guess we’ll find out tonight!

Epic Battle! (Live Feed Spoilers)

This post contains spoilers from the live feeds.  If you wish to remain unspoiled for the broadcast episodes, do not read any further!!!  If you do want to read it, it’s after the jump!

The Brenchel Drama Never Ends (and other live feed highlights)!

This post contains spoilers from the live feed!  If you wish to remain unspoiled for the broadcast episodes, do not read ahead!

Not very much has been going on in the past couple of days.  This is what the first week is usually like–not the menacing drama that’s been going on since the feeds went live!  For the most part, the HGs are just relaxing, exercising, and socializing.  The veterans seem to have pulled Shelly, Kalia and Adam to their side.  Then again, you never know what they’re actually thinking and what they’re just letting on.  But I see the three of them playing both sides and only reporting back to the veterans, so that says a lot to me.

Keith is the veterans’ target, so if those three newbies are really with the vets then I think Keith will be the one going.  Dominic, Cassi and Lawon seem to want Porsche out, though, so it’s still up in the air.

KALIA’S RISKY BUSINESS

Kalia seems to have a new strategy in place to go after the golden key next week.  She is telling the newbies that she wants to go home because she misses her family.  Apparently she’s hoping to be put up for eviction under the newbies’ assumption that she would go over Lawon.  In reality, of course, the numbers would be in Kalia’s favor (according to current mindsets), and the vets’ alliance would kill two birds with one stone while both eliminating Lawon (whom they view as a threat) and obtaining a golden key on their side.

I don’t know, guys.  It’s clever in theory, I guess, but it’s never a good idea to tempt BB fate.  The only safe place to be is off the block.  This is the BB house, where no one is who they say they are; no one keeps their word; and opinions change on a dime.  Plus, if she’s shooting for this to happen next week, then a golden key would only ensure her safety for one week after that.  I don’t think she’s really making a sound risk/reward judgment here.  Plus, if a noob is in power next week, do you really think they’re going to be targeting Kalia?  No, of course not.  The noobs are steadfast against the veterans, as they should be.

CLASSIC BRENCHEL

It’s funny.  In general I think I like Rachel more this season than BB12 (Brendon is still a butthead).  Rachel seems to be calmer, more polite, less irritating and not playing for the cameras as much this time around.  She and Brendon have both mentioned that this is an opportunity for redemption.  But old habits die hard and she and Brendon are reverting back to their old ways.  Last night, Rachel and Porsche got drunk and acted exactly as you’d expect them to (hint: they were annoying).

Next Stop: Celebrity Rehab?

Anyhow, Brendon didn’t take too kindly to this, so he did what he does best: act like a complete bitch.  He basically told Rachel he’s embarrassed for her and that she’s going to catch all the same flak from fans that she did last year (he mentioned that she was really hurt by all of it after BB12).  He also kept saying that she’s disrespectful when she drinks and that she “de-masculated” (the word is emasculate, dummy) him when she was drunk by calling him “Bookie” and “Snookums” (their barfy pet names for each other) in front of other people.

Brendon went into a big litany about how he doesn’t want his future babymama to behave in that way and that he’s had this conversation with her multiple times (which is true–they had this same exact fight a couple nights ago).  Rachel basically stopped responding and sulked on the couch.  The fight continued this morning, culminating in Brendon threatening to throw HOH so they’ll be voted out, and Rachel threatening to break off the engagement.  It never really got resolved, but they seem fine now.

To be honest I can see where Brendon was coming from–Rachel is an annoying drunk, and he was trying to look out for her when it comes to how she’s perceived by fans.  But he’s approaching it from a creepy/controlling perspective where he’s trying to mold her into the perfect wife (trying to mold Rachel into wife material is like trying to polish a turd).

Yuck.  Their relationship makes me feel icky.  I need to watch more Jordeff to feel better!

The Live Feed Digest! Plus, an update on our lost house guest!

I’m starting a two-week graduate course tomorrow that will be taking up a lot of my time, so for the next little while my posts will be relatively short.  Here’s the Reader’s Digest of the past day or so (this contains spoilers from the live feeds, so if you prefer to wait until the broadcast episodes, stop reading here!):

 

 

 

• Last night, Keith called Lawon out for playing both sides of the house (he has been).  He did this in front of Brendon and Rachel, in the hopes that Brenchel would use the POV on Keith.  Keith called him out on specific things that he admitted to, and other things he didn’t.  But it cast doubt in Brenchel’s mind about whether or not they can trust Lawon.
  

  The girls, sharing a moment

• In a way, the fight backfired for Keith, because in the aftermath, Lawon cried to Brenchel about it and it definitely played on their sympathies.  Rachel even cried because she felt guilty about it.
• Brenchel fought again (twice, actually) about her talking game when he’s not around.  One of the fights got a little intense, where Rachel was actually screaming at Brendon in the HOH room.  She compared their relationship to Jeff & Jordan, saying something along the lines of “Jeff and Jordan never fight!”  I mean, I guess I can’t blame her, as anyone would be jealous of Jordeff’s relationship.  Of course they made up and the roller coaster that is Brenchel continues.
• The POV ceremony was today.  Brenchel decided not to use the POV, so Keith and Porsche are still the nominees.  The veterans are targeting Keith because of his physical prowess, but the newbies are targeting Porsche because they know she’s playing both sides.
• The veterans are working hard to create cracks in the newbies’ alliances and to get some newbies to flip.  They seem to be working the hardest now on Shelly and Adam.  It seems to be working, but it’s hard to tell because they’re both doing a pretty good job of playing both sides.
• I honestly don’t know which of the nominees is leaving at this point because they are both big targets.  It’s really unclear how the newbies will be voting as many of them have made multiple deals.

In other news, Dick posted a video on his web site, RTVZone.com, addressing his departure from the BB house.  You can watch it here, but he really doesn’t say much.  He goes on for several minutes dispelling the rumors and apologizing to CBS, Dani, his fans, etc, and then when he finally gets to the point, he doesn’t say much.  He said that he was brought into the DR and confronted with some bad news about someone close to him outside the house.  The person (he doesn’t say who) needed him and Dick knew he had to leave, disappointed as he is now.  He was very clear that he will not be elaborating any further, so don’t bother asking.  Obviously this is a pretty personal issue, and I feel kind of bad for him.  Watching the video, it’s obvious how bummed he is about the situation.  I just hope everything is OK and that he’ll get another opportunity to play in a future season.