Big Brother 18 will be remembered as the season of “Zombie Victor.” This kid has been through the wringer – evicted twice, battled his way back into the house twice – and for some reason comes back safer & in a better spot then when he left both times. While some HG’s & fans think this is unfair – I find it quite comedic.
This is the perfect scenario for why I always laugh at players preseason interviews. They always say they will do this / that – but the twists and turns dictate the way to play each season. In a season of returning players, Victor joins Boogie & Janelle as the only 3 time players.
There are just a few weeks left in the game, and going forward everyone plays for the Veto each week, so there is no more true backdoor options left. If someone is going to win this game, they will have to win a few more comps along the way, BUT FIRST… let’s see how everyone did this week.
Nicole Franzel – 5 strips of Bacon – from the outhouse to the Penthouse – Nicole was last weeks Tofurkey winner, but she stepped up her game big time this week by winning HoH & Veto. First she convinced James to drop in a wall comp – which he has owned in his 2 seasons. Then she kept her word & did not nominate James & Natalie. By putting up Paul, who she is secretly working with, she is keeping some uncertainty among them. After veto, keeping the noms the same, keeps James & Natalie thinking Paul is the easier target.
Thursday night’s show should be interesting if Nicole does not tell Michelle she is leaving, and has to be the tie-break vote. With Paul & Victor hell bent on getting James & Natalie out, and Vice Versa – Nicole may have kept her & Corey safe for the next 2 weeks. BUT, if Nicole makes it to the end, will the jury respect her? She needs to get there first – but I still think they are pretty bitter towards her.
Victor Arroyo – 4 strips of Bacon – As mentioned in the opening, they just cant seem to get rid of this guy! As a preseason favorite of mine, the genuine personality of this guy comes through when talking to people and for some reason, people forget why they got rid of him in the first place and keep him around longer. Of all players left, he may have the hardest time convincing the jury to vote for him, but… it’s possible if he wins a few more comps along the way.
Corey Brooks – 2 strips of Bacon – yeah, Corey is still pretty dull in his game play, but Nicole has put him in a good spot this week. Most showmances the male is the target, but in this one, the female is. This bodes well for Corey down the stretch since he is still bros with the other 3 guys. He needs to perform better in comps once she is gone though – and we’ve seen glimpses of that. With 2 guaranteed votes in the jury (Nicole / Paulie) – this will put even more pressure on the rest of the house to target him.
Paul Abrahamian – 1 strip of Bacon – Paul has been on the block more than anyone so far this season – and he has usually been pretty good about it. Well, last week not so much, so lucky for him he won the Veto to keep him safe. This week he agreed to go back on the block, which is VERY risky at this point in the game – but it looks like it was a smart move to show loyalty to Nicole & Corey.
To me Paul is playing the best “Floater” game since Jun (BB4). They have all picked up on how he is playing all sides, but they still want to work with him. He has the best resume to bring to the jury if he’s there on Finale Night. if he does win, the rest of them will think about all the times they had a chance to get rid of him but didnt.
Rankings continue on the next page…
Not everyone can be a winner this week as he move on to the second half of the list.
Natalie Negrotti – 2 strips of Tofu – Everything was going great for Natalie – then she finally won an HoH – and now she is starting to sweat a little. Unlike the Corey / Nicole showmance, Natalie is still less of a target than James is – so she does have that going for her – but she was so keen on what was going on in the house around her. Now she seems clueless and is not really doing anything to find out more. With this few people left, how she could not realize that Nicole & Corey are working with Paul & Victor is puzzling.
James Huling – 4 strips of Tofu – James was a candidate for Tofurkey of the week by pulling a rookie move and giving up on an HoH he could have won. He just voted out Victor hours before, and was feeling pretty confident that Nicole would go after him. Now he is blinded that Michelle is going to leave and he will then take the role of Sitting Duck.
James has shown he does not do well in mental competitions – so he really should have seized the opportunity to win the wall comp again. The other people in the house noticed that James has been different this week. I think that is because he realizes he screwed up!
That leaves only one person left – and this week’s Tofurkey of the Week is BIG MEECH! It’s obvious that Michelle Meyer is not the mathematician Bronte is. There are 4 votes this week, you need 3 or 2 with the HoH as a tie-break. This HoH is none other than Nicole – who she called out on live TV as someone you were going after, and should not be trusted. So the tie break vote is probably out.
So what has Michelle’s campaigning strategy been to keep herself safe this week? Absolutely none! Either she really does not think she is going, or she is in denial. I think it’s the later. Perhaps she feels she is still living on borrowed time after surviving twice during the Double Eviction – and is Ok with going home now. Whatever the case is – where is the fire? Where is the passion? Where is the “oh crap, I need to do something to win 500K?” It will hit her at some point in the jury house and she will become of the ex-HG’s that will be begging to go back to play again.
OK – we are getting to the homestretch of this season – FINALLY – but I think this final 6 has the potential for plenty of fireworks. 3 duos – 6 strong personalities – and hopefully no more twists to mess with the game. Let them battle it out on the field and the strongest person survive.
That leads me to my question of the week – who do you think has done the best jury management up to this point? With 5 votes needed to win, every vote is important – so you cannot afford to throw a couple away.
From outside the Big Brother house, I am Adam Poch, have a great day!
Follow me on Twitter to get more updates as the season progresses twitter.com/heavymetalteddy.