The Best And Worst Moments Of Big Brother 18 Week 11

Big Brother 18 has been quite the roller coaster. One week we all like someone the next week we can’t stand them. One week we want this group to win, the next week we want them all to go home. And no other week has quite represented those thoughts like this past one.

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We’ve got plenty of Ewws & Ahhs to get through, and some of you won’t be agreeing with a lot of what I say. And this week I’m going all in. And that’s OK. Opinions are awesome. So share yours below! Let’s go!

The Best and Worst Moments of Big Brother 18 Week 11

Eww. The HGs are super boring. I don’t know if it’s just that Corey is in the house and so he just puts off an overall boring vibe or if this final 6 is one of the most boring and complacent ever. There were days when our Live Feeds update would’ve been five entries long had we not included things like “Nicole shaves Corey’s chest” or “James and Nicole talk about their constipation.” I’m serious. WAKE UP! Literally. Get out of bed and entertain us.

Ahh. Victor wins HOH. Since I’m enjoying Paul and Victor the most, as are most people who watch the Live Feeds, this was a great victory for us all. We didn’t have to worry about our boys for at least one week. The bad news is we have to worry about our third-favorite player Natalie. But she’s been a bit off the past couple of weeks anyway, so you know what, just going to say it: Never cared.

Nicole Franzel stressing on Big Brother 18

Eww. Nicole and Corey don’t want to target James. Of course they don’t want to target James. Even though that’s Victor’s target and the person they all decided on before the HOH. But you see, Nicole and Corey have loyalty issues accept when it comes to James. And that’s most likely because Nicole and James have had an alliance since even before the game. That’s hearsay but I’m here and I’m going to say it. I think it’s true.

Ahh. The new veto competition is awesome. I loved that new competition. I could’ve done without the show tie-in, but I get why that was the theme. I hope this or something like it becomes a staple. I’d love to see it evolve and grow into something that really tests HGs’ skills and performance under pressure. Loved it.

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Eww. Corey wins Veto. I really want Natalie to win the Power of Veto because I already knew at this point what was afoot. If James stays, Paul and Victor are toast.

Ahh. Corey doesn’t use the veto. At least there can’t be any funny business this week and James will be weakened with Natalie gone.

Eww. Nicole and Corey are sitting too pretty. Once again these two are getting what they want and even though they’re making all the right moves for their games, they’re lacking major integrity in their gameplay.

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Eww. The editing. This week’s editing was garbage. I felt like the James and Natalie narrative was grossly unfair against Natalie. Anyone who expects to have a true romance after 80 days inside a tv producer-controlled sound stage with someone they just met doesn’t deserve to get the edit James got. It’s clear many people at CBS love James and as soon as they saw his pranks weren’t charming us as much as last season, they came up with this narrative to make sure he gets that America’s Favorite Player prize again.

Eww. Jeff and Jordan. Why do we only get to see Brenchel and Jeff and Jordan EVERY season. What about BB3 Lori? What the hell has she been up to? Or BB5’s Will Wikle. I hear he’s got a new “movie” coming out. He could talk about that. Jokes aside, show us some other updates. Stop being so obvious with your favoritism both in the season and outside.

Eww. Corey and Nicole decide to flip back to James. You didn’t see a lot of this on the episode, but it was decided on the Live Feeds that Nicole and Corey would go back to James and scumbag the Final Four alliance with Paul and Victor. They will be putting both Paul and Victor up together so that there’s no chance Corey or Nicole have to go up as a replacement. James would get that honor if it comes to that.

Julie Chen with BB18 noms James & Natalie

Eww. Natalie is evicted. Not only shouldn’t Natalie have been evicted over James, but Julie kind of goes in on her overing throwing James under the bus yet Paulie didn’t get anything mentioned to him about hisĀ constant misogyny while in the house. Good one, Julie. Big Brother is so fair and balanced.

What were your worst and best moments of the week?

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115 Comments

  1. Eww. This season has been one of the worst ever when it comes to obvious production bias towards certain houseguests, especially when it comes to how they are editing certain players to cast them in an artificially positive or negative light.

    Ahh. This has been one of the best seasons in that, instead of a boring march to the inevitable where every week it’s a unanimous vote because everyone’s just “going with the house”, the hg’s have flipped and flopped and backstabbed each other so many times that it’s actually made Thursday night live shows consistently interesting for the first time in many seasons.

    • This isn’t even clos to the most biased. S8 wih Evil Dick says hello. :)
      I agree in your 2nd paragraph. It is because people are actually thinking big picture. I think Nic and Corey would love to be loyal to Paul/Vic for Final 4 but they also realize they cna’t beat them in F2 o you gotta knock them out.

      • That was a nice try, but this season is the worst in a very long time. HG’s boring – except Paul and Victor. No way would they not scumbag Victor and Paul, even if it meant keeping Meech

    • If not for Victor and Paul, I would have packed it in for this season of BB! This has been the worst season I remember offhand. I can’t bear the thought that James or Nicole could win 500,000. BB phoned in this season – too busy preparing for the online version. I won’t be watching

  2. Nicole will be shocked silly by how much she is hated this year, I hope she doesn’t become the next “Andy” and become the worst winner, but it looks like that is what CBS wants, why i will never know. If they let this show become more organic and back to the original style, they wouldn’t need all the “tricks and twists” to get ratings. BB old school isn’t to be messed with, and they are f*king it up! Now, with James, I don’t hate him, much like most people, he isn’t meant to be on BB, he doesn’t have the killer instincts to be a good competitor or great TV watching, please don’t come back James, your time on BB has expired! Paul for the win!

  3. I agree with everything you have said except for Julie’s exit interview. I took it as Julie trying to give Natalie a chance to explain what happened. The edit did seem a bit harsh and after hearing Natalie’s answer I saw it for what it was..biased.

    • Everyone who is a contestant on any show knows that they feed off of drama and will use all of your bad moments.

      But yeah defiantly biased.

  4. Branden, I swear you read my mind. I agree with everything. I’ve tried getting my point across to others, but you do it SO WELL.

  5. What makes me maddest is they are being paid to be on tv. And all they did was sleep. That should be AGAINST the rules # 1. And I’m sick of prod twisting things to go the way they want. That’s NOT fair. I don’t like James. I don’t think he is AFP. And Corey is the most boring hg ever. Nicole IS a snake. She is petty and jealous and not very good at this game. And then she screws the ppl who trusted her. 2times. I hope she goes next. I know she won’t. But I can hope. #teamvictor

    • I know right?!?!?! I’m so sick of those three DOING NOTHING and getting a golden ticket to the end. The only hope we have now is that Corey nominates James and someone else.

      • Nic was hesitant that he did that because she was scared that James would win Veto take one down and vote her out. It was Corey’s choice.

      • I’m team Vic too but really wanted a Vic Paul finale. Hopefully Vic wins veto but who knows. If James won and used it on Vic that would be awesome but this is James were talking about.

      • Which you have to admit whether you like him or not is a good game move. He can’t beat Vic or Paul. If he puts either Vic or Paul up with James and either Vic or Paul whoever is not on the block wins POV they will take the other down and Nicole would go up. Then Vic and Paul would control who goes. He’s making a great move for his game. The people rooting for Vic and Paul are the only ones that don’t see that.

      • I see it. I don’t think Corey (and his other half) should have gotten as far as they have….e.g.this move wouldn’t have been an option.

      • I was going to say: They hid out in bed 90% of the season and got lucky (in more ways than one)!

      • Dingus thinks she has a prize trophy and arm candy. Doofus can’t wait to get out and get some different kind of candy. Dingdoo is dingdoomed.

      • But if it was the other way around and Victor and Paul nominated Nicole and Cory then what would you say? They are playing Big Brother. Backstabbing is part of the game. Everybody can’t win. Like that are not nominating Victor and Paul is a smart move.

    • Oh please. Tose people have snaked others. Vic/Paul had n problme turning on Paulie when it suited them. Theyre already planning on going after James BEFORE he voted Vic out. I don’t feel sorry for them.

      • Agree, it is just a game and as much as you personally like someone you shouldn’t get mad when they are out played.

      • That’s not why they took Paulie out. They took him out because he had the gall to want to keep his showmance.

      • Yeah, how dare he. Also, it’s hard to overlook how people started flipping on Paulie immediately after coming out of a DR session. I’m not calling conspiracy, I’m just saying that raised eyebrows from me.

      • Yeah, flipping on him “just because” he wanted to keep Zakiyah seems fishy, as it’s a weak excuse. Might have been that + DR suggestion. That’s a more compelling reason than just wanting to keep his showmance, aka somebody who wasn’t going after him, aka something everybody should want to keep in the game.

    • #TeamVictor! I hope Nicole and James go one after the other. It won’t happen, but i can’t stand either one

    • IKR? I sure don’t care. When the season is over, I never, and I mean never, give it a thought until the next season. These cast members, both past and present, live and breathe BB. I don’t get it. Get a life, people!

      • I’ve already cknd tinged decision to never watch again. If requires too much personal investment of time, such a waste on a scripted show which does not wquate to REALITY, IMO

  6. I’m sorry, but no way did Cory know to go directly to the pipes to open the grate during the POV comp without even looking around. This to me proves that coaching by production is in progress.

    • He didn’t go directly to it. He stalled and hesitated. I just played it back 3 times over on DVR before writing this. He just got there faster than everyone else. You and people claiming the same thing make it sound like he opened the door and ran to the pipes on the wall all in one motion. Untrue.

    • Thanks Ella, it’s just another example of how the show is rigged. Natalie would have won POV and Nicole/Corey would have been in jeopardy if not for productions unfair interference.

  7. Julie asked Natalie so she can explain. I think some people took it as throwing James under the bus, but she said that was not the case. James and his gut should have gotten evicted, but BB is rigged so he had to stay.

    • When in the history of BB has Chen ever explained who said what and cleared up an argument? Totally weird and showed CBS’s true colors.

      • Good point. Disappointed at Julie for doing that to Natalie. Julie needs to apologize because many of us love her work and it would be a shame for her to lose millions of fans over production’s shady antics

  8. Ha-ha-ha-ha! I love you, Branden! You make me laugh and you’re entertaining…which is something that has been sorely lacking from the cast this season. Luckily you and Matthew, with the incredibly hard work you do, have made up for that…huge shout out to you both. Another shout out to the people who comment on these threads, who make them worth reading every day!
    I’m tired of the same old showmances too, so thanks for affirming that for me.
    You didn’t mention this, but I know it will happen: Paul and Victor—the two who have been playing the best games this entire season–won’t be F2 and that makes me want to puke. Paul has had THE best social game (and I think he’s a rat…but, damn!, he’s GOOD). Vic is a beast! Kicked out. kicked a** ; came back. Kicked out. kicked a**; came back!! Neither of them coasted by in bed the first 50 weeks of the game. Sickening.

    • Love it! Especially your analogy of Paul. haha… Spot on! And of course I couldn’t agree more on Vic, but I love the way you put it. :) Kicked out! Kicked a$$! Comes back! Love love love it. Now THAT slogan needs to be on a Tshirt Sha! Tell Cy we have a new one and he needs to make it happen! ;) LOL!

      • We should SO make him a t-shirt with that saying and send it to him. Cy lives near the studio, so he HAS to do it!!
        Hey, do you think that lady got my sarcasm in the second post? ;)

    • āž•?

      It is very sickening and insulting to the viewers how production is rewarding Nicole and Corey who coasted by in bed the first 50 days of the game.

  9. Branden, if I could give 1,000 upvotes here I would, for every point you have so clearly laid out. I would add only one other ‘Eww’, which is allowing James to practically beg for AFP and a trip to DW with his daughter that “all cost money.” The editing is so bad, including the ‘well timed’ Fish, it has become a distraction. We seem to be witnessing something that goes far beyond favoritism at this point.

    • I agree! Natalie was terrible to James this week. She has a problem taking responsibility for her own actions. She is too busy blaming others feeling sorry for herself.

    • Natalie didn’t deserve it. James did and all those who are rooting for James need to reread Brandens post above.

      • I’m not rooting for James. I like him but think he played a bad game. Was he a little harsh with Natalie? Yes. But she’s been mean to him all season. You just saw a little bit of it. He’s always apologizing after they have an argument and he did nothing wrong. She always plays the victim. The first few weeks I kind of liked her but then all she did was talk about herself and how nice she is and everyone is mean to her and blah, blah, blah. I thought look in the mirror. And as far as Brandens posts well we know how biased he’s been all season. We know Natalie’s his favorite that’s clearly obvious.

      • The guy needs help if he thinks he can find a bride on a soundstage on a reality show. It’s an insult to all the viewers.

        Natalie played a better game than James and he jeopardized her game and caused her to get voted out.

        Production should stop trying to edit him in a positive light because millions of viewers just simply don’t like him.

      • But if Natalie really was playing a better game wouldn’t she of made her own decisions? Nobody was forcing her.

  10. I’ve decided I’m going to focus on the parts of this article I actually agree with to save us all grief.

    Yes, Branden, the Veto comp was AMAZING!!! I would love it if that became a staple. As far as Jeff and Jordan and Brenchel, I don’t mind that they keep bringing them back because I love them (and it’s probably easy for them, since Jeff works for CBS), but I wouldn’t mind seeing other HGs come back to give their opinions. It was cool to see Vanessa and Cody earlier this season.

    • Your first line is a very good way to go about things when reading certain articles. It’s unfortunate that even if intelligently expressed and with no rudeness attached, any negative thoughts about articles get met with criticism and backlash. I agree with you that its deserved, but it’s never met with an open mind.

      I agree with all of the same things you agreed with — the awesome competition, that they definitely need more of, and I liked seeing Jeff and Jordan and Cody again. Vanessa too, even though I wasn’t a fan, it was good to show her if Tiffany was in the game.

  11. I mean, the show probably doesn’t love Brenchel and Jeff and Jordan on a personal level. They bring them back because they think that’s what the audience wants. And maybe the casual, show-only viewers do.

  12. Right off the bat I’ll say that this won’t exactly be positive towards the author, but I’m going to say it with as much respect and politeness as I possibly can. I promise.

    Scumbagging the F4 deal… ok, you can say that the very essence of it, not actually going to the final 4 with Paul and Victor, is scumbagging it. But let’s try to break this down for a second. Technically you could also argue that they’re even, one-for-one, as when Nicole was HoH she kept Paul and Victor safe, and when Victor was HoH he kept Nicole and Corey safe. Even. If Corey’s HoH keeps Victor and Paul safe, it’s 2-1 for Corey and Nicole in the loyalty game, with no chance of that score ever getting evened at 2-2, because they’ll be entering the Final 4, where it’s 2 vs 2, and clearly the lines in the sand are more drawn than ever — nobody is doing the other side any favours at that point.

    So now you look at it from Corey’s (and Nicole’s, sure) perspective, with trying to win the game. Let’s go head-to-head with two of the best competitors this season has seen (one of which is among the best to ever play Big Brother, competition-wise) vs going there with James, who has been extremely beatable in competitions…

    Look, I don’t like it either. I very much dislike James, he’s easily the least favourite for me of the remaining 5 and has been in bottom 4-5 all season long. I didn’t like him last season either. Meanwhile, I would rank Victor and Paul 2nd and 3rd of who’s remaining, respectively, with Victor having been in my top 5-6 all season long.

    But I can still speak without such obvious bias, in saying that it’s smarter for Nicole and Corey to evict one of those two now. I had a different opinion of how to go about it, and while the approach they appear to be taking is to outright nominate Victor and Paul is the less risky approach, and admittedly my approach would’ve been more risky albeit I believed a necessary risk, it’s still ultimately the better move to see one of them leave now.

    I wish, just once in a while at least, that Branden could report based on what’s actually good for a player’s game, instead of always just what Branden would prefer to see, based on his favourites. He flat out admits that Victor and Paul are up there for him and that Nicole and Corey aren’t, and that’s fine, nobody’s asking you not to have and not to share an opinion from time to time. But that’s just it — it’s all the time. It’s every article. There was seriously an entire “Ahh & Eww” article where every Eww was against Paulie and every Ahh was for Victor.

    This site is to write about Big Brother, no? And not to get a bi-weekly update on how things are going for Branden’s favourites in the house? I don’t know you, and while I’m sure you’re a great guy, with all due respect, that means I can only care so much about what you personally want to see happen. Especially in episode recaps where you’re supposedly just talking about what happened in an episode. You write with an eye for humour and I appreciate that, that’s the main reason I read your work, but you also seem like you have a good eye and a passion for the show and I would bet anything that includes an eye for seeing what’s good for somebody’s game as well. Objectively.

    To anybody who reads this, thanks for reading. Sorry it was long.

    • Very well written. I agree with the entire thing and I was happy to read it all. Careful though, any negativity towards writing here seems to be met with only backlash. Not open minds, save for a select few. I’ll back you up if I can.

      • Yeah pretty much. It’s ok to have favourites but part of being a writer is supposed to be being able to be objective. I haven’t seen much of that at all. Thank you for reading my post, I appreciate it.

    • Branden’s article was spot on with no holds barred. BB needs to stop editing the show one way and rigging it another.

      • I think you’ve got your head in the clouds if you think it was spot on. Just because it matched your opinion. I obviously disagreed with you if you read my long post yet you decided to say this anyway. Interesting. Thanks for reading anyway.

  13. Say what you want about Natalie but atleast they did address that she threw James under the bus. Honestly whether she meant to or not she still did. Doesn’t matter if you really meant to, people can take it and hurt you.

    Although I never understood why Paulie was never called out for his sexism.

  14. Wow, bias much? Your articles are so pro Victor and Paul that everyone else gets an “eww”. Nicole and Corey played the games perfect this week and if the situation was reversed, you’d be saying how great Victor and Paul have played. Tsk. Tsk.

      • Lol. Trust me I wasn’t actually saying it was anything to worry about. Just pointing out that certain things aren’t met with an open mind on here. Unfortunately.

        I’ve said things too that I knew wouldn’t be popular. I stand by what I believe, even if I’m the only one in the world. So I definitely hear you on that.

    • Me too!!! Finally, someone that sees it like I did. I’ve been hearing a lot of people going off about Natalie because of the editing. That’s so unfair to her.

  15. BAM!! I agree completely about the editing of Natalie and James! “Anyone who expects to have a true romance after 80 days inside a tv producer-controlled sound stage with someone they just met doesnā€™t deserve to get the edit James got.” Nat didn’t throw James under the bus… It’s a game ppl…. and Natalie played a better game than James and deserved to stay in the house… Very well said Brandon.

  16. Thank you for writing this amazing piece on the state of the show. Couldn’t agree with you more about James deserving to be evicted before Nat and Julie really going in on Nat while giving Paulie special treatment.

    Corey and Nicole have been boring players and it would be an insult to all the viewers if either of them or James win.

    • Stop speaking for other people. Speak for yourself. Insult to all the viewers? It wouldn’t be an insult to me. Even if I’m the only one (and I’m not) you’ve still been proven wrong by claiming “all the viewers”.

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