Episode 10 Recap- The Not So Amazing Jeff

The foam party ends and things are back to reality. Johnny Mac asks Vanessa if James threw the comp but in reality, he just sucked. James blames his suckiness on sexism because girls and patterns. Ok. You dumb. With James believing that Audrey is the backdoor target, he thinks he’s pretty safe this week. Golden Boy and his crazy socks arrives in the HOH room to discuss the official target with Vanessa. Her hopes is that she can keep the nominations the same so James can go home. Austin, still wants Jeff gone. The twins swap and they still whine. Liz complains that Julia is not her. Bubbly! Oh and COVER THE TOOTH! I sense a plot line to come! Audrey brings herself up to question Vanessa to ensure she’s safe. Vanessa and Austin ensure she’s safe. The fish fry is focused on Jeff and James because the longer Audrey stays, the bigger her target remains.

Gronk's Veto Challenge

Jeff brings himself up to hang with his bro Austin. Jeff thinks they’re tight and Austin is totes gunning for Shelli and Liz. Austin lets Jeff run his mouth because, well, he’s a moron. It’s veto comp selection. Before Vanessa pulls her chip we get a glimpse of Trainwreck Becky! AHHH! Welcome back girl! So Vanessa grabs Shelli. Johnny Mac gets houseguests choice and picks Austin. Smart move my man. James pulls his worst fears and takes Audrey. Jason is mortified. AHHHHH! Vanessa wants Audrey to win so the nominees stay the same. Oh this will be a good comp! Audrey comes up to the HOH room because girl loves the drama. Audrey is ecstatic. The POV challenge arrives and it’s the dice game from seasons of yore. Oh wait, who’s hosting the POV? It’s Becky! Now she speaks! Congrats Trainwreck! In Gronk and Roll, the players get in the dice and must roll their die back to their platform with the correct number facing up. Vanessa, poker diva herself, challenges Audrey with the number 2. Vanessa plays real bad and makes it appear that the die is hard to move allowing Audrey to win. John challenges Audrey. Uh oh. The number is 3 and John is rockin’ easily beating Audrey. James is up and takes on Goliath himself, Austin. James is just rolling while Austin looks like an animal but it’s the animal who beats the Hillbilly. Shelli is up next and challenges Goliath. The number is 4 and Austin frogs to victory. It’s now down to the finals between Austin and John. Rock Doc vs Judas. Who will it be first to 1? It’s the Rock Doc Pawn Master winning Veto AGAIN. I have to say, John in the Diary Room sessions are like a college kid on drugs. Wild, crazy, and uncomfortable to watch. And at this rate, Johnny Mac will be here to stay for a long time.

John celebrates his victory by falling into bed and listening to James. He knows how ridiculous he sounds as he says he feels safe. But now with Veto in his hands, Vanessa is screwed. And thinks Austin may have thrown the competition. They spat and Austin backtracks. Their fight goes in circles as they both think they’re right while clearly it’s Vanessa since we already learned via the DR that Austin kinda maybe threw it. 

Gronk's Shower Party

It’s time for Gronk’s first official party. So anytime Gronk calls a party, if you don’t show up, you get a party fowl and become a have not. Shelli is WAY too excited. The first party is a living room toga party. It’s not very killer. Next up is a pool party. And then a shower party? Huh? Uhhhh…ok. And then we get a New Year’s Eve Party which means KISSES! It’s cute until Clay and James kiss…and then any dream of kissing Clay is ruined. Oh man. Another? Costume party. And then we get a montage, thankfully, to spare us. Parties when you’re sleepin, parties when you’re cookin’, party to limbo and conga, and of course a hot tub party. Those parties sure are exhausting! No time for strategy? Psssh. It’s Vanessa and Jeff talk time! Vanessa claims she’s struggling on what to do. She uses the “Audrey’s cause” excuse. Jeff tries to convince her that Audrey really is the appropriate target as she is the source of all dramz. Jeff goes around and whines about the lack of Audrey going up. And of course he shoots himself in the foot by spilling his guts with Clay around. Jeff even asks Austin what her deal is. Jason catches on to Austin’s plan of working with Vanessa. Jeff, on his reign of uh oh, continues to try to sway Golden Boy away from Austin. Jeff, you are awful at this game. Go back to running around the globe. Clay goes right to Austin who goes to Vanessa who come up with the plan of giving her a reason to nominate Jeff. Operation Expose Jeff! Austin immediately approaches him in front of Shelli and Clay. Smart move! He claims that he told him that he can’t trust Clalli. Dramz! Austin then pulls Vanessa into the room. Vanessa calls him out and they go at it! Fate sealed. Jeff, sayonara. The BBTakeover music arrives and Gronk returns. Anyone who won a competition this week gets to play in a competition to win a Gronk cruise. Jason, John, Meg, Vanessa, and Austin get to play the first luxury comp! All ya gotta do is select a cup and chug! Simple. And the winner is Meg! She gets to travel with Gronk and his family on a party ship. Good luck darling. Don’t celebrate too long because it’s Veto meeting time. With John inevitably taking himself off, it’s inevitable that…wait. Gronk party? Way to be a buzz kill Gronk! The party’s over for Jeff as he gets to be John’s replacement on the block. It’s now Jeff vs James and things couldn’t be any worse for that alliance. Jeff isn’t buying it beyond being Audrey’s puppet. Austin is thrilled as he is bloodless. And Audrey is shocked she is still alive. 

The battle is on. James may actually have a reason to feel safe with Jeff sitting next to him. Will Jeff have an amazing time going home? And what will the next BB Takeover be hosted by? Cross your fingers it’s someone good! 

Episode 9 Recap- Foam Boy Hunting!

Life post Mama Day finds us in a world ruled by Vanessa and Austin and Gronk’s party is the most excitement to come. Please tell me there is hope in this world because this ain’t my party scene. With Da’Vonne gone, Audrey should be enemy number 1. Vanessa, hours before the eviction, learns the truth about Liz and Julia. How will this work to her advantage? With Julia coming out to Vanessa, Julia has plans post official switch, but getting there has to happen first. Vanessa needs to protect Liz and Julia so she goes to Shelli and Clay about the truth. Shelli understands how this could work to her advantage if another number comes in. Clay warns Julia that she can’t be alone with the other side of the house. Shelli is so happy for one reason and one reason only. SORORITY SISTERS! ugh Vanessa goes to Austin who is completely in the dark about the truth. So dumb. With the Twin alliance in power, how will they secure 3 more evictions? We’ll find out soon but first it’s HOH room time. Oh wait, not yet. Meg and Jason and Jeff and James praying they’re not targets. Austin finally gets his Julia moment where Austin reveals to us that he actually likes Liz. But not necessarily Julia. Even though he had no idea which was which. Hillbilly and Amazing Race Douche are freaking out about Vanessa because they have no idea what she’ll do. But Austin and Vanessa decide that Jeff, Jason, or James should be the ultimate target making the house think Audrey is the real target. It’s a risky move but with the pieces in place, it could secure a better chance getting Julia into the game. 

It’s finally HOH room reveal. Vanessa gets to see a picture of her girlfriend and her puppies. Austin finds baby pictures and Clay Aiken music. Austin is a Claymate? HUH! In the twin swap, Julia reveals to Liz that her new alliance knows everything. She goes straight to the HOH room where Vanessa clearly has no idea who is who. Clay arrives in a sexy bathrobe to greet real Liz. Liz is relieved until she understands how mean the rest of the house are. STOP FAT SHAMING! But as Liz reveals the differences between the two, these houseguests are morons. As is Austin with the dumb alliance name. The Sixth Sense. Well, actually that’s not half bad. 

In the backyard, Clay and Steve play with balls and bro out on the hammock. Wait, strike that. They fall right off. Sorry Stevie, you’re a dork. James knows he and his group are going up until they theorize about Liz. The Rock Doc plays detective about Liz and the crown on her tooth. Rock Dock intrudes the HOH and plays fake paparazzi until Liz gets onto him. Jeff pulls his podcast bro Austin into a room to tell him that his bestie is a twin. Austin plays dumb, which he does well, because he knows he is about to slam a knife into his Jeff’s back. Jeff wants the Liz reveal to happen but Austin will protect his ladies! Austin, Vanessa, and Liz try to pick their nominees for eviction. Vanessa wants Austin to nominate Meg and she’ll pick John. But they need a deal with him to play the pawn again. Vanessa and Austin him safety through six evictions. He agrees because he can’t say no at this point. Oh and has anyone noticed Becky hasn’t been seen at all this episode? Poor Becky. So pointless. 

Austin/Judas and Vanessa reveal their nominations

It’s nomination time. What is about to happen because Judas is in the house! Austin and Judas decide to nominate Meg and Jason because of Da’Vonne. Vanessa selects James and John for game purposes. Jason is pissed to up with Princess Pretty Pawn. Johnny is mad because James took his picture spot. He’s becoming more and more lovable. Audrey is on the outs and breathes a quick sigh of relief. Meg is upset because she doesn’t want to continue to be a pawn. Well go talk to Johnny, Princess Pretty Pawn. Meg and Jason are collectively made because unless it’s bedazzling, putting up a play, or cooking a frittata, they’re gonna lose up against the dudes. James tries to hype up the Rock Doc but he doesn’t buy into it because he’s in a good spot and can’t reveal it. 

Gronk's Foam Party Battle of the Block

It’s a foam party in the backyard at Club Gronk. Wait! There are non houseguests in the house! WHAT! The Battle of the Block this week is find the matching patterns on items to the party goer. Oh and there’s a maze involved. James’ strategy is to find the hot chicks. Jason is so “disorientating”. Johnny Mac is throwing it but also can’t breathe through the foam. Poor kid. Meg notices the man with the murse because how can you miss a man with a murse and immediately finds his matching pattern. James is clueless because all he knows is camo. The gay man and the New York hipster chick are destroying the competition. Partially because James sucks at this. Jason is thrilled with all the cute boys in his VIP lounge. Jason and Princess Pretty Pawn win dethroning Austin, who gets foamed in the process. With James and John on the block, will Audrey be the target as the house assumes or will Jeff find himself up there if a veto is used? Oh NO site of Becky until the credits. Poor train wreck. 

Episode 6 Recap- The Newfound Diva Rivalry

Happy Fifth of July and the fifth episode of the season! After two unlikely houseguests won HOH, it’s anyone’s guess how this week will shake up. Shelli is shocked she’s HOH and that she’s on a game show to win money. Becky on the other hand is excited to be HOH with Shelli. Clay is stoked Shelli won because he sees himself as safe. Day is not happy because they are both question marks in her book. Vanessa knows Audrey is the target this week. Oh and then Audrey tries to tell Vanessa that she’s associated with the all girl clique rumor. Backtracking much? Vanessa, with the fates on her side, calls out Audrey and Day about the rumor. Day is so excited to rally the troops and call a house meeting about Audrey’s big lie. Audrey is shocked that anyone would call her out? Girl! Have you never seen this show before? This house meeting is epic. The 8 person alliance is officially no more as Audrey is at the forefront of at the mistrust. Da’Vonne and Audrey are officially the biggest rivalry in the house. Audrey is also the worst salesperson ever. Can’t even play dead and sell it! With everyone gunning for Audrey, it’s a matter of who will target her first. Shelli isn’t officially done with Audrey so with the right persuasion, Audrey could convince her to target her rival instead. 

Diva Smackdown! Da'Vonne vs Audrey

It’s time for the lady HOH room reveal and James is the happiest. Baby pictures of Shelli make Clay melt. Ew. Becky’s letter is very sweet. Shelli’s is equally. Except for when her mom and dad make a winky face at her new “friendship” with her younger boy. Ew. Shelli and Becky have their first convo to find out where they stand. Audrey is the elephant in the house. Becky reveals that Audrey is the backdoor with four pawns. Clay is automatically safe with Steve as a obvious nominee. Becky has storage room meetings where she spills the Audrey beans as the target to Jason and James. Is she playing or just being a puppet? And then it’s Johnny Mac’s turn who seems so clueless. Becky continues her tour of destroying Audrey by telling Steve to focus on Audrey. Clay then throws a wrench in the situation by throwing Day’s name to Jeff and Meg. Audrey appears and immediately fights for her safety by subtly throwing out Day. Clay, so manipulative, agrees. Clay works Shelli to focus on Day and it seems to work. Clay, like a moron, wants her to put him up and finally Shelli has some smarts. Shelli wants John to throw the BoB. Poor Rock Doc. He’s like a deer in headlights. He has no choice but to agree. 

Outside, Becky tells her story about how she was hit by a train a year earlier which is why her lip is all messed up. Jason thinks the story is insane and that she is superhuman. Becky’s story is appealing and can work to her advantage or destroy her because she’s a “trainwreck.” In the bathroom, Steve reveals he’s sharing a bed with Liz. And he is absolutely terrified that there will be a girl in his bed. So cute. But no time for that. It’s nomination time! Will it be a Audrey backdoor or is it Da’Vonne to get the boot. The houseguests gather around to find out who’s on the block. Shelli nominates Johnny Mac and Da’Vonne as protection for herself. Becky nominates Jason and Steve as retaliation for being on the block and because Steve hasn’t talked game with her. Audrey is pleased to be off the block but is weary of the backdoor plan. With Becky and Shelli on complete opposite pages, this Battle of the Block is bigger than ever. 

Da’Vonne, James, and Jason are shocked Audrey isn’t nominated and believe she won’t be backdoored. They both plan on playing for BoB. Becky tries to calm Jason and Steve by telling them Audrey the squirrel is truly the target. Shelli and Clay are in bed quite close and Audrey interrupts. Audrey is paranoid about if Steve and Jason throwing the competition so Shelli immediately deflects so she doesn’t get in trouble. Rock Doc and Da’Vonne have what appears to be their first conversation. Johnny Mac tries to cheer up Day knowing that he’s gonna give her the worst dental ejection ever. Ejection from the house! OOOH! 

Becky's nominees Jason and Steve

In what seems to be a trend, the BoB is a takeoff of the tv set theme. Audrey plays the director of Ginger Fever where the nominees will be camera operators. When Audrey yells shot list, the teams must follow the shot list and get all nine shots. The catch, you don’t know what prop is attached to what camera. Oh the other catch is they have to wear a pair t-shirt and move together as one. Steve and Jason have the idea of going two by two with the cameras. Da’Vonne decides to turn them all on and do a lot of running. Well, you just lost it for yourself sweetheart. It’s not that eventful as Steve and Jason win easily. To dethrone Becky, she gets powdered. Wah wah. And to make maters worse, Becky thinks Shelli will agree to toss out Audrey. Da’Vonne, knowing she’s a goner, is fighting for veto hard. 

Power Rankings 

Here are the latest Power Rankings! As you can see, with Audrey and Da'Vonne blowing up at each other, they have made themselves easy targets with Da'Vonne a likely goner. Meg is playing an incredible game, being loved by all and staying quiet in the majority. Vanessa moves up due to the majority finding out she can be trusted, so plan on seeing her being used quite often. Clay, though he is clearly running Shelli's HOH, is still in a power position though he is a likely target if Audrey gets another pass. And John, well he just does what he needs to do to get by. And it's working. 

        1. Meg (4)
        2. Vanessa (9)
        3. Clay (3)
        4. John (14)
        5. Shelli (13)
        6. Becky (10)
        7. Steve (8)
        8. Jackie (15)
        9. James (1)
        10. Liz (11)
        11. Austin (12)
        12. Jason (2)
        13. Jeff (15)
        14. Audrey (5)
        15. Da’Vonne (6)

Episode 4- Cue the Paranoia

For those live feeders, SHIT IS GETTIN’ CRA! I’ll keep those spoilers away from the recaps but if you want some good drama in the early stages of the game, get thee to the feeds! Anyway, the night begins with Steve bummed he lost BoB. The Rock Doc, who calls it the Bob Competition, is thrilled he’s safe and not going home. James and Jason do some math to figure out how many votes it will take to backdoor Jace. They need 7 votes to secure him leaving. James goes to Meg-lor Swift to vote Jace out. He then goes to country boy Clay, looking fine in a cowboy hat, to join Team Jace ouster. The new alliance of James, Jason, Clay, Meg, Audrey, and Da’Vonne meet in the HOH room to discuss their new plan to oust Jace. After the meeting, Clay helps Steve lift weights while Jace goes…streaking. No laughs. Mortification. Austin is pissed because he’s associated with the Jac-ass. Austin is on the pulse of Jace being the target. Jace goes up to James, with lurking Audrey, to find out where his head’s at. Austin arrives to try tell him a big move is a bad idea. And then Audrey starts stirring the shit. She throws out the idea of backdooring the other HOH, deflecting all drama from her. They sell him what he wants to hear which is that they are now in a clearly fake alliance called Cloudtown. Jace, enough with the towns! No one should be allowed to be any town in the BB house! 

It’s time to pick players for the Veto comp. Six players play. The HOH, the 2 nominees, and whoever gets drawn out of the bag. James picks Becky’s chip. Jackie picks John’s chip. Steve picks Houseguests choice and picks Jason. Why? Because he thinks it will help him in the future. Austin is selected to be the host…and of course Jace makes it about himself. Da’Vonne lurks around the house counting everything she can count knowing there will be a counting competition at some point. Jeff gets weirded out Da’Vonne walks into his “room”, or creeping as we call it. Da’Vonne is mad at Jeff and Clay only by association. Mama Da and Jeff have a conversation that should be damage control but leads to her basically calling out Clay. And then Jeff, of course, goes to Clay. Clay is now pissed at Da’Vonne. Who knows how long time has passed before Clay approaches Da’Vonne. And we get our first big blowup of the season! It’s quite silly actually but proves neither can trust each other. And already an alliance is crumbling. Da’Vonne then goes off on Clay to Audrey, who sits there smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Audrey, now joining Team Paranoia, thinks Da’Vonne is a liability. Audrey convinces Clay to apologize to Da. And rather than letting them talking on their own, Audrey lurks, again. When the hug it out, Da’Vonne gives a sinister look to the camera. Bitch be playin! Now she’s pissed at Audrey! Loose cannon time! 

#shade

It’s time for the HOH to pick the first four have-nots of the summer. So who’s getting slop, cold showers, and a bad bed? The four safe ones. Liz, Austin, Vanessa, and Da’Vonne get the punishment. They enter the Have Not room to discover it looks like a Dentist’s office. It’s terrifying. Even Johnny Mac hates it! Good luck! Austin pops out of the Diary Room to get ready for the Veto comp. The backyard looks like the great outdoors. In “Nose-ascotia”, the houseguests must dig for gold nuggets and spell a word with the letters on their nuggets. They have 10 minutes to find the nuggets and lock in a word. The word with the highest value wins POV. It’s a dirty comp indeed with so many gold diggers. Get it? It’s a nose pun. Steve rips off his bandaids which reminds Meg of the community pool. And we get to see Meg and her acting skills. John locks in first followed by James. With a minute left, Steve locks in with Becky, James, and Jackie following suite. James spells Lifeguards for 8 points. Becky spells closest for 7 points. Jason spells zones for 6 points. Jackie spells judge for 6 points. Steve spells trombonists for 12 points. The Rock Doc spells boogers for 7 points. BOOGERS?! How fitting. Well, Steve wins and it’s certain he’ll take himself off the block allowing the backdoor plan to happen. 

Steve's "people" leads to his winning POV word

Steve, still going on about how trombonists are his people, is excited and finally in game mode, hyperventilating in the storage room. It’s nighttime and Audrey is paranoid about the alliance. She pulls Shelli from bed to drag her into the alliance. Comparing herself to the sandman, she snags Jeff next, taking him away from pillow talk with Meg. At 5 in the morning this all takes place. I repeat, these people are awake at 5 in the morning. Jeff is not thrilled about this little charade questioning what the point of this is to which James quotes Keith Nale by saying “stick to the plan.” It makes sense. Hillbilly talk. Meg and Clay get pulled out of bed, clearly too tired for this stupid club. Audrey must not be able to sleep because she is perky compared to everyone else. With everyone now wearly of Audrey, James puts her name on the chopping block. 

With paranoia all over the place, with the exception of the only one who should be paranoid, it’s Steve’s turn to have power. Knowing Steve will pull himself off, will James stick to the plan? Or will Audrey find herself blindsided. Steve does in fact use the veto on himself. James has to name a new houseguest to replace Steve. James tries to make it appear that he came up with the decision on his own, he nominates Jace, saving the alliance. Jace is PISSED, as is Austin. Jackie is thrilled because she knows she’s still a pawn. 

Who will be evicted from the Big Brother House? Plus who the fuck is the twin? #lizjulie Oh, and who’s ready for Kathy Griffin and whatever takeover she could possibly have? This will be good! 

Episode 3- Rise of the Tiny People

Our first Sunday show of the season! With the Battle of the Block now in affect, we lose the intrigue of the Nomination Ceremony as the peak of the end of the episode. Rather we’re forced to endure the end of a competition which just seems odd. But personal opinions aside, let’s get into the recap!

After our first official title sequence, copying last year’s splashy intros, the houseguests speculate as to what exactly Phil’s twist will be. Jason thinks he and James will have to do The Amazing Race. Silly Jason, this is a twist for Da’Vonne and Vanessa not you, you selfish boy! I have a feeling Jason is going to be grating on the house, and viewers REAL soon. As the majority of the house ponders, a new alliance begins to form. As Jace puts it, Austin is the ying to his yang. Ying and Yang immediately start to irritate the house as they develop the ridiculous bro code. It’s so ridiculous I didn’t even bother trying to write any of it down. Thankfully the edit kept bro code to a minimum and we get our first official glimpse into the Head of Household room. Like last year, the room has an extra bedroom for the two HOHs. The second room has a fish tank table. It’s actually quite cool. Everyone is pretty enamored with it. Shockingly there is not much talk about the cloud and plexi floor. I don’t know about you but that would get on my nerves real quick. Rather than going through the HOH goodies, we watch Jace plop into the bathtub and arrogantly believe he’s going to woo the ladies in with him. Are the editors setting us up for something? We’ll find out soon! James and Jason, who haven’t quite spoken much, have their first big convo discussing strategy and targets. The first names on the list are Steve and John, both of whom seem harmless as of now. Then Jace’s name is thrown out there but Jason is worried about becoming a threat if he nominates someone who is perceived as a strong player. Outside the HOH room, The Amazing Racers Jeff and Jackie contemplate their position with each other and in the game. We continue to learn that their pairing is non-romantic at this point and understand that the only way to not be lumped together is to stay distant. Will this work or are they just easy first targets?

In the bathroom, there’s an awkward pickup line contest including Steve shockingly knocking Liz off her feet in laughter. Why do we watch this? Well because it leads right into the BB Takeover with Phil! Phil reveals that Da’Vonne and Vanessa will receive a “BB Fast Forward”, where, like on his show, they will both jump ahead to the next week and cannot be nominated or evicted. Though the house already promised this, they soon learn they won’t be alone. It’s revealed that they each can select one person to also receive the BB Fast Forward. Who will it be! Vanessa and Da’Vonne have individual meetings with the houseguests to figure out who the best option is. Vanessa talks with each person and reveals she wants a strong player, someone who can be her ying I suppose. Da’Vonne plays a different game. She wants someone who will offer her something. She immediately tells her alliance of Shelli and Audrey that she won’t pick them because that reveals they are aligned. Shelli ain’t havin’ it. She also tells Steve she won’t pick him because the house views him as an Ian, which we have learned is a massive threat. When it’s finally revealed, Da’Vonne picks Liz, who offered safety, and Vanessa selects Austin, who is already a ying.

The slow week leads to some bonding. Ying and Yang are sitting by he pool playing with shells. Austin and Jace think it’s a brilliant idea to take a note from the Shane Powers playbook of crazy and use the shells as phones, calling each other. Their playtime leads to the first official alliance name. Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Shelltown. Clearly paying homage to Season 2 and 7’s Chilltown, Shelltown has no shot in hell of success. Neither player is a Will Kirby and cannot manipulate the rest of the house the way he did. Nevertheless, welcome to Big Brother history Shelltown. Meanwhile, the Puma and her pray, Shelli and Clay, are flirting in the hammock room. Shelli has the hots for Clay. It’s almost sad. Though they do have a ten year age difference, they actually do look good with one another. Da’Vonne, the queen of raining on parades, is worried about Shelli kissin, touchin, and rubbin. Jealousy? Perhaps. Paranoia? Absolutely.

With the dynamics of alliances still on the slow side, it looks like the power pairs of Audrey and Da’Vonne vs. Austin and Jace will be coming into play. Audrey gets into Jason’s ear planting the evict Jace seed. Jason, already on board with this idea, is exciting but they know it will have to be a backdoor situation as Jace is too strong to get two chances to save himself. Steve approaches Da’Vonne in hopes that they could align but she is having none of it. Which will likely backfire for her down the line. With Jason on board, James agrees to backdooring Jace but they know they have to find some pawns. James recruits Jackie, who knows she must since she would have gone up anyone, while Jason gets Johnny Mac, who has to play cool. When it’s finally time for the duo to nominate, we see James’ current getup. It includes cowboy boots with shorts. Oh and a WWJD wristband. Ladies of BB, HELP THE MAN OUT IN THE WARDROBE DEPARTMENT.

It’s finally time for nominations to be revealed. Yet again, the classic Lazy Susan key box is out of play and the photo board is used. Melodramatic if you ask me. Jason nominates John and Becky due to his lack of personal connection. James nominates Steve and Jackie because he thinks they can get themselves off the block. With the secret backdoor plan in affect, Jace admits he wasn’t worried about being nominated. Cocky! Steve and Jackie chat, since they have never done o before, and are sorta confident in each other. Kids, this is a game where you need to trust your block partner! Fix it soon or this is just foreshadowing! Becky cries in he bathroom because she was blindsided. Like Steve, she’s so upset about being a pawn that she is willing to put Jason up next week. Is she strong enough to win HOH to do it? We’ll find out shortly in the BoB.

 

Becky and John vs Steve and Jackie

The Battle of the Block is construction inspired where teams must transport 26 blocks to the other side to build a tower resembling the one on the blueprints. It’s a simple challenge but the balance beams are not as easy to navigate as it seems. Jackie’s dancer balance doesn’t pan out well for him. Steve, who looks helpless, switches strategies and crawls his way across. What was once a tight race soon becomes a blowout for Becky and John, winning themselves freedom. Now that Jason is dethroned as HOH, it’s up to James and his pawns to backdoor Jace. Will it work? Find out on Wednesday!

The excitement level was pretty minimal and tv time was even more minimal for some houseguests. But this episode helped display the power players at this point. Are Audrey, Da’Vonne, and Jace playing too strong early on out? Is Becky a legitimate competitor? And what do we think of Shelltown?

Episode 2 Recap: The "Amazing" Twist

Tonight’s second part of the two-night premiere is so big there is no time for a Julie “but first”. So let’s just get on with it! We are immediately teased that the BB Takeover will begin with a guest. We all presume that involves two more houseguests but before we need to meet our next six.

(l to r): Julie Chen, Liz, Jason, John, Becky, Vanessa, Steve

The formula is the same so let’s just get the highlights of the introduction packages.
- Liz is a feisty Capricorn without a filter
- Jason believes working for minimum wage isn’t a good look
- Vanessa has 4.5 million from poker
- John rocks out… and wants money
- Becky loves the outdoors (it’s a theme…and apparently everything about her)
- Steve plays with K’Nex (like a child)
This group of six is pretty tame in their package. Vanessa tells us that love is love and how she’s now a lesbian. John hates superfans. And as Liz is packing, she’s conveniently packing in front of a mirror…but who was that packing was it Liz or a POTENTIAL TWIN NAMED JULIE. Oh and like Clay, Steve’s house has their family name plastered on the front. Maybe it’s a clue. Or just a stupid coincidence. 

After we meet our second six, Julie brings them out like she does and immediately reveals the twists to the six. I think they were smart enough to figure out the Battle of the Block the second they walked out in a group of six, but they need some drama. The BB Takeover Twist? Well John was not having that at all. Get used to it Rock Doc. Julie sends them on in to meet the first eight and what ensues is just another adorable meet and great. John is intense. Like cannot handle himself. And perpetually drunk with that slurring thing he does. When Jace and Becky meet, Jace tries to be super chill and calls her home state “Rado” which, according to Becky, no one does. I smell tension! In the Diary Room sessions, Vanessa admits she is playing. Analyzing and getting information immediately about the first HOH. But we learn that gets spilled quite soon to all. And then Liz says something with a knowing look that clearly foreshadows that she’s the Twin Twist. Editing or complete inability to make this twist last? You decide. Da’Vonne, who seems to have an opinion on everyone, does not believe John is a dentist and thinks Jason is the equivalent to Pee Wee Herman. And then James, the guy with the baby at home, is still melting for the hot girls. 

We return from break to meet our first guest Taker Over. And it’s Phil Koeghan, host of The Amazing Race, confirming what we already assumed. After showing some clips of previous BB couples on The Amazing Race, Phil reveals it’s time to throw some racers into the BB House. And we get Blind Date twist couple Jeff and Jackie. They admit they are close friends and that’s it. How will this play out? No need to wait, get them in there! They meet the rest of the house to a mix of previous knowledge and complete and utter ignorance. I mean Da’Vonne calls the show they were on Gulliver’s Travels. Let’s just keep Da’Vonne longer than she should be on the show because her DR quotes are epic. 

Jackie and Jeff of The Amazing Race

After a harmless introduction, Julie gets ready to reveal the next HOH. But first, another houseguest must sit out. This time it’s Vanessa who takes a gamble and agrees. The rest of the house agrees that they won’t put her up as well leaving the available number of houseguests to nominate to ten. THAT is a gamble. The movie joked about in the first HOH is the theme of the second HOH. The houseguests must hold onto their stake before getting sucked into the UFO. Simple enough, right? That is until alien slime is shot onto them. It was #grossnasty. And speaking of grossnasty, can we talk about the abysmal production value with the laser beams? It was embarrassing. The Post Production team should be fired. But alas, we’re here for competition and just like that, Steve is out. The others seems to be holding on well including super cocky Jason. Jason, the token gay boy, loves to run his mouth and I think this will make him a super easy target very soon. Jeff, one half of the BB Takeover Twist, decides to throw the challenge as to not make the target on his back bigger. And just like that we’re down to…nope, John’s out. And Becky. And now Liz. Making the final two Jackie and Jason, a very unlikely pair. By this point, Jackie is way up on her stake and knows time is running out. Jason wants to win so badly that he foolishly agrees to make a deal with Jackie and not nominate her. She immediately agrees and Jason wins. This makes two tiny people the HOH for the week. But wait! We still don’t know what will happen to Da’Vonne and Vanessa! I think the best twist would be to take them out of the house and make them do The Amazing Race instead. But Phil returns and teases that “sometimes with risk comes reward.” Thanks Mr. Vagueface. 

And just like that, the jam packed episode is over. We now know our official 16 houseguests. So what do you think of Jeff and Jackie being in the house? And how will the power dynamics shift with Jason and James as the HOH? Who will they nominate? We’ll find out on Sunday!

Power Rankings

So after every Thursday episode, we will do a re-ranking of the Power Rankings. This first re-rank is simple. HOH to the top and The Amazing Race to the bottom.

        1. James (7)
        2. Jason (4)
        3. Clay (1)
        4. Meg (2)
        5. Audrey (3)
        6. Da’Vonne (5)
        7. Jace (6)
        8. Steve (8)
        9. Vanessa (9)
        10. Becky (10)
        11. Liz (11)
        12. Austin (12)
        13. Shelli (13)
        14. John (14)
        15. Jackie (n/a)
        16. Jeff (n/a)

Episode 1 Recap: BB Takeover, or WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS AGAIN!

Big Brother is a beloved show. It has recent fans who’ve just started watching the past few years. It has superfans who’ve been watching since the very first season. I fall into the super superfan category. I’ve studied the show inside and out. I’ve rewatched seasons. I remember every single contestant. I remember every single twist. And as a super superfan, you have to expect the unexpected. But after tonight, the unexpected seems more like recycled crap. More on that later, for now let’s get started on the recap of our very first episode of BB17!

The show begins and our fearless leader Julie Chen sets us up for a great season. Unlike previous seasons, Julie teases us from INSIDE the house. We get our first official look at the newly designed Big Brother house, now including the glass bridge outside of the Head of Household room. As Julie gives us the walk through and into the “live” studio audience outside the BB house, we learn that we are going to get THREE twists in one night. One will be a fan favorite, one will be brand new, and one will be a secret just for us. We already know that the brand new twist will be the BB Takeover where each week will introduce a new twist that will destroy the game. Literally. Forget having a strategy because everything that could happen will likely happen. But before we get there, let’s meet our houseguests. 

It is tradition that we meet our houseguests in their natural habitat so we get a glimpse of who they really are, prior to entering the BB house. Rather than analyzing every single moment, the highlights included:
- James is a hick through and through
- Meg lives with her #gusband, or gay husband
- Jace is a born explorer (and a carbon copy of Hayden Voss)
- Audrey is a girly girl, yet athletic (and it’s all a big lead up for her big secret)
- Austin (and Judas) has a masters in Medieval Romance Literature
- Da’Vonne is a gamer with a baby
- Clay’s family farm has a beautiful fence with “The Honeycutts” on it
- Shelli is a DYIer (and very handsy)
Is the intro package ever really important? Nah? It’s mostly a throw away of fun and bubbly staged moments. BUT for those reality TV superfans, I bet you were eagle eyed into Meg’s package where one of her best friends included Survivor: Redemption Island and Survivor Caramoan castaway Andrea Boehlke! Also, did anyone else think that Da’Vonne was gonna pack her baby in her suitcase? The way she was just laying on the side I was ready for her to toss her in. 

So there are our first eight…Eight?! Last time we had people enter in two groups was in BB 16 where we had the fan-splitting Battle of the Block. Hmmm, could this recycled twist come back? We’ll just have to wait and see. So the first eight are granted entry into the house for what is to be a history making 98 days. Good luck y’all! Once the eight do their typical “ahhhs” and “omgs” and hugs and kisses, we start to some dynamics form. The edit clearly wants us to watch the Puma and the Texan get it on because Shelli wants Clay real bad. Which actually works because Clay likes animals. And I’m sure we all noticed the disproportionate combo of Austin (who hasn’t revealed Judas yet) and James. It’s hilarious. It’s hard to gage just how tall James is but next to Austin, he looks like a munchkin. As the eight were exploring, they seemed to fall in love with the glass bridge. Until they realized ladies best not wear skirts cuz the fellas can look right up! Now I wonder if production thought of that as a bad thing...

Top Row: Austin, Audrey, Jace, Clay
Bottom Row: Meg, James, Shelli, Da'Vonne

The obligatory circle of hellos and introductions continues to tease the showmance between Clay and Shelli, adding their unofficial alliance title “The Heart Murmurs” once it’s revealed that they both had heart murmurs. Shelli also reveals she has a twin brother. Oh twins, who really cares. (#foreshadow). There are an abundance of lies as the houseguests reveal their occupations including Da’Vonne (the poker dealer is now a 2nd grade teacher), Clay (the former football player is now a grad student), and Meg (oh wait, server in NYC and actress are the same thing aren't they?). Also, James thinks Meg looks like Taylor Swift. Another lie right there. But someone who isn’t lying is Audrey. As it was already spoiled all over the internet, Audrey revealed to her houseguests that she is transgender. A first for the franchise. It’s a bold move but a beautiful moment. Her seven roommates seem to welcome this with open arms. Will this play into the game at all or will this just be a blip to the story? It’s too soon to tell but with it out on the table, Audrey can play the game openly. In the diary room interviews, all the houseguests talk about Audrey but it’s James who seems to get a little confused about life. He compares him being Southern Asian to Audrey being transgender. I know there’s sentiment in the statement but it totally misses the mark. 

When we return from commercial, we get a chance to see the players in their new natural habitats. We see Shelli, Da’Vonne, and Audrey chatting in the doorless bedroom with the best bedding while Jace, Austin, and Clay are in the macho man room chatting about cookies. Is this a set up for a boys vs. girls alliance formation? It is on one side as Audrey immediately pursues Shelli and Da’Vonne for an alliance, stating that a girl has to take over and win. Well, cross your fingers you’re not a Joey sweetheart because if this catches wind, you’re outta here first! With the alliance sealed, we jump ahead to see James and Clay joining in on a discussion about “y’all”. How boring. Why would you show this? Oh, because it leads into a discussion on Audrey’s journey and her family’s acceptance. We learn that she was sent to a camp to repress her thoughts but it backfires. I think all of the houseguests are relieved to find out that Audrey is loved by her family. But throughout this story, poker dealer Da’Vonne is reading every single person and believes there’s something up with Audrey’s story. Hate to break it to ya, but don’t doubt her just yet because YOU JUST MADE AN ALLIANCE WITH HER! 

It’s the first night of Big Brother so we know we’re gonna get a little bit of competitive action. And we do! In tonight’s first twist of the season! It’s the fan favorite twist. Julie reveals that we are in fact getting another season of the stupid Battle of the Block. Was this really a fan favorite? I don’t know. Perhaps some people hated it because the BB 16 players truly didn’t understand how to utilize it. Maybe these houseguests will use it as strategy and not a throwaway tool. Before the competition can begin, Julie reveals that one contestant must sit out. Why exactly? We’ll never know. Literally, we still don’t know. But it doesn’t matter as Da’Vonne volunteers herself as long as the other seven don’t nominate her. They agree and it’s outside they go! Assuringly related to the special guests feature of the season, TV personality Kevin Frasier is the host of the competition which is set up like a red carpet for a BB movie that got bad reviews. After some awkward interactions (we’re looking at you James), the competition is underway. In this first Head of Household competitions, houseguests are perched on a ledge and must catch ten “tomatoes” in order to be crowned the first (of two) HOH of the summer. The competition gets underway and it’s not as easy as it looks. And these tomatoes are literally softballs. Just watch Meg get nailed in the boob. James seems to get the hang of it. So do Austin and Clay. But then things get dicey. The ledge begins to move and Meg falls. As does Austin, who rips down the holder, and Clay, who just revealed he’s golden. Poor pretty boy. We didn’t even get to see you get dirty. With three out, James is way in the lead with Jace slowly behind and Shelli and Audrey ball-less. Jace catches himself twice to avoid falling. Out of nowhere, Jace, Shelli, and Audrey catch up to the Asian Hillbilly but wait, the ledge is falling and down go…ALL FOUR?! Really? Julie reveals that they have to look at instant replay to determine the winner. After reviewing the tape, it’s revealed that James has won and will be the first HOH. For all those who underestimated the Asian Hillbilly, myself included, you really have to expect the unexpected. 

With a new HOH in place, it’s time for Julie to reveal the next twist to the houseguests. While it isn’t a surprise for us, the houseguests learn about BB Takeover, which includes a surf-tastic “Get Ready for a Takeover” theme song. I have a feeling it will get obnoxious real fast. What this means is that each week a new twist will be revealed. What is it? Who knows but it’s sure to shake up the game. Expect mass pandemonium. For those with a strategy, you might as well just toss it out the window because thinking moves ahead won’t work this time around. 

So that’s it, right? Nope. We have our third twist to get to! The third twist. What could it be? We’re expecting something fresh and new and game changing, right? Well get ready to scream because the third twist is titled: TWIN TWIST. Excuse me? Did I just get out of a time machine from 2004 because I could have sworn Big Brother included this twist in BB5. For those who don’t remember, BB5 was themed DNA, or Do Not Assume. The main twists revolved around familiar bonds including Cowboy and Nakomis discovering they were half siblings and Adria and Natalie playing as Adria for 4 weeks. In 2004, this twist was golden. It was completely unexpected and amazing. But this was a time where social media could not aid in discovering who this person is. Julie teased that the Twin may or may not be in the house with this first eight. But superfans seem to have already linked who the Twin is (we’ll get to that tomorrow). So now begs the question, why? If the rest of the BB Takeover twists involve previous twists, then fine, Twin Twist is fine. But to reboot an iconic moment from the classic season is just unfair to us. It worked in the moment. 

It may not have been a super eventful evening but a lot sure did happen! What are your thoughts on the first eight? And are you Team Twin Twist? Sound off and get ready for night two of the two night premiere tomorrow on CBS!