Another Houseguest is out the door and off to sequester for next week’s Battle Back which means we had the chance to pose three more questions to Big Brother executive producer Allison Grodner. This week we wanted to get her take on the fun we’re seeing from those hinky votes, just what it’d take to throw in the towel on Christmas, and what might happen with a showmance showdown in the Battle Back.
Hinky votes are playing a fun role in this season’s eviction votes so far with the paranoia they’re causing in the house. What’s your reaction to Kevin’s willingness to throw them in there and his strength in convincing others it’s not him?
Allison Grodner: I think it is brave gameplay on Kevin’s part. People think he doesn’t know much about the game but he is a lot smarter than he is letting on. It will be interesting to see how long he can keep the ruse up.
What’s been the biggest challenge for your team with Christmas’s physical condition and how it’s limiting her involvement in the game? At what point would you consider not allowing her to return to continue?
Grodner: Big Brother is primarily a social game so having someone in the house with Christmas’s injuries does not prevent her from playing. The biggest challenge has been dealing with surgery schedules that aren’t necessarily aligned with production schedules.
Both Jessica and Cody seem willing to give up their game and a chance at $500K for the other after just a few short weeks together. If both of them end up in the Battle Back competition next Friday, which of the two do you think would be more likely to yield to the other to help them get back in?
Grodner: It is always amazing how strong bonds form in the Big Brother house in just a couple of weeks. We have a better track record than The Bachelor in terms of long lasting couples and marriages, but I would be surprised if either of them gave up their game for the other. We will see…
Thank you, Allison.
So I’m loving Kevin’s boldness with these hinky votes and have been especially impressed with how he pulls it off, and like Grodner points out, I wonder how long can he keep that up. But here’s the issue that I’m now seeing about Christmas and that same idea.
Christmas threw a vote against Ramses instead of Cody that surprised many of us last night. Now the house is scrambling to figure out who did it and Alex is even trying to use that unknown as part of her nomination defenses. When Kevin made his hinky vote he had to immediately act it up to convince those around him it wasn’t him and he did it well yet again. Christmas? All she had to do was hang up the phone after hers.
I’m so disappointed for Christmas that she got hurt and I really wanted her to be able to stay in the game, but despite Grodner’s suggestion that “Christmas’s injuries does not prevent her from playing” it’s hard to make that argument when you look at the game. It is actively preventing her from playing. Right now. Houseguests can’t question her and she doesn’t have to play any sort of strategy otherwise. She’s gone and the Houseguests can’t proceed in that direction without her.
Obviously production has no plans to pull her from the game, and I’ll be glad for any drama and action she can add to the game if/when she returns, but there’s no denying that her injuries are creating a void in the game and impacting the way it’s being played.
What do you think? Should Christmas bow out at this point or is it just part of the game for the HGs to navigate around without her? And what about that potential showmance showdown? Do you think either Jessica or Cody would let the other win because of their showmance? Share your thoughts below.