When Big Brother 16 is over, we will say this was the season of Coulda Shoulda Woulda. So many big moves planned – and so many safe moves prevailed. People get mad when recruits/non fans are cast, and this season had a lot of superfans (ok, we’ll call them big fans) – and they know that sometimes the best move made are the ones not made.
Fans at home always love to see the big moves because that makes the game exciting to watch, but those big moves could also work against the players in the long run. Remember, the people playing do not have all the info we do, so they are playing based on perception.
Also before I get to the ratings, I also want to say that the Big Brother HG’s have been locked up for 77 days now – away from their loved ones for about 84 or so. While I do not agree with all the things that some of the players say & do – anyone who has never been locked up like that cannot imagine what kind of mindf**k it is. The intense pressure that they are under sometimes brings out the worst in people.
As fans, we are not under the same pressure, so I ask that you think about that before spewing vile comments back at them. We are not forced to watch, we are not forced to listen, we do it because we want to. These people will have to pay for their actions & words when they get out. At the core, Big Brother is a social experiment, both inside & outside the house.
Rant over – now lets see who gets bacon this week – and who gets tofu!
Frankie – 3 strips of Tofu – my pre-ranking rant was based mostly on Frankie. He has gone over the top too many times now for us to ignore, and it’s starting to get to the point where it is truly damaging his game. He was one Beast Mode Conscious decision away from getting backdoored this week. The whispers are getting louder and he sees it coming, but yet instead of trying to mend relationships, he seems more content on playing the villain role.
Does he really think that he will be able to turn those frowns into smiles on the jury member’s faces? They are the ones that truly decide his fate. I would give him an extra strip or 2 of Tofu for not volunteering to be a Have Not this week – but as we have seen, he loves Tofu, so no reward for him.
Derrick – 2 strips of Tofu – while it has not come back to haunt him yet, going for the $5000 Dollas & Hollas during this week’s HoH competition, Derrick has given the rest of the HG’s an excuse to boot him. He is still the mastermind of the house, and the rest of the players do not realize it. They also do not give him credit for it, and perhaps he has been too subtle in his actions – that the jury would not vote for him at the end. Every move (or non move) this season has gone through him, he’s been so deep undercover – if he tries to take credit for it later, will people believe it? Now is the time for him to implement an end game before it’s too late.
Victoria – 1 strip of Tofu – just like her game most of the season, I dont really have much to say about Victoria this week. The $50K insurance policy is still there, back on the block & in no real danger of going home. She should be getting her popcorn ready to watch the final members of the Bomb Squad go after each other after this week. I just fear that something odd will happen during the Double Eviction tomorrow night, and she may be the victim of a knee jerk decision & be sent home.
Cody – 1 strip of Bacon – welcome to the silly costume club Cody. While not as cute as, I dunno, and Elf Suit, the Dinosaur Suit cements his place in BB History. He has still been more of a follower than a leader this season, but is in pretty good shape going into the final few weeks.
Caleb – 2 strips of Bacon – yes, I know last week I gave Cody the Tofurkey award for failing to make a big move with his HoH again. This week the same could have been said for Caleb – but Caleb has been the most loyal person all year long. The HoH competition he won is really hard. It takes a lot of energy to keep going for that long, and getting up from falling over and over.
The one thing that gets lost in all of Caleb’s odd behavior, is he never makes a quick decision. He always thinks things through – sometimes over thinks them, but still he is always thinking what’s best for him. As the rest of the group starts to question each other – Caleb’s name has stayed out of their mouths. I would have given him more bacon, but making Nicole a Have-Not was just mean (although good for his game, get your target as weak as possible!)
Christine – 3 strips of Bacon – early in the game I praised Christine for keeping herself safe on all sides by playing a good social game. She has never gotten too emotional even when things went wrong. Every other HGs has broken down at some point – but she just takes it all in stride. After being nominated next to Nicole, she understood why & was fine with it. How did she respond, by winning the Veto and removing herself from the block.
At this point in the game, The Veto is even more important than HoH. For those keeping score at home, this is her 5th win & 2nd Veto. A pretty good resume being built – and while her goodbye messages have ruffled some feathers, a few more wins, and she can build a great case to the jury.
That brings us to the Tofurkey of the Week – and I sadly have to give it to Nicole. People would KILL for the chance to get on Big Brother… and not only did she get on, she got voted out… played her way back in… only to lose all 4 competitions since she has been back & will be walking the plank AGAIN tomorrow. She is such a sweetheart in the real world and cannot fathom how mean & nasty people can be fighting for $500K. She uses logic in her pitches – and as we have seen every season, logic does not always translate into good gameplay.
You need to be able to put your morals aside sometimes if you want to win. You need to kiss ass, but not come off too much of a kiss ass. Once she got back in the house, she had a target on her. Not realizing just how tight this group has been for so long, she was unable to find a way to drive a wedge between them. Her only shot was to win some challenges. All of her BFF’s are in the jury house – so at least she can spend the next 3 weeks not stressing anymore.
If you are in the NY area – come join me at Pig Island this Saturday 9/6 in Brooklyn – www.pigisland.com for more details & tickets.
Also – next week, I will be in Arkansas for the Bacon Bowl with Spencer from BB15 – come join us 9/13 in Bentonville – www.baconbowl.net
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3 strips of bacon for Christine??? Surely, you jest, Adam! Sure, she took being nominated in stride and took herself off the block with the POV win, but she’s playing an absolutely awful social game. She gets on everybody’s nerves, nobody likes her except Cody and even he wouldn’t be terribly upset to see her go. 1 strip of bacon for her, tops!
My rankings are based on the week at hand, not the season. I will give my final season rankings after the season is over. She does not get 3 strips for the season (up to this point) – but saving yourself while on the block & in danger of going home (whether she knew it or not) has to be rewarded.
Yes, rewarded with 1 strip of bacon. . .not 3!!! :)
Good point Adam. She did play the best game this week. My problem lies with Caleb’s ranking. Telling Frankie of his almost back door plan surely can’t be worthy of bacon.
Agree
Adam, I read your rankings each week with an open mind, as I started out this AM doing. When I got to the part when you said “we are not forced to watch, we are not forced to listen, we do it because we want to”, I guess I didn’t want to read any further and I didn’t. There is NO excuse for some of the behavior that has went on in that house. I’m honest to a fault and just wanted you to know that I zoned out on you and I’m sure you will not miss my opinion on your rankings.
I am not saying that what they say/do is excusable – they will pay for it when they get out and see how their actions have effected others. At that point hopefully they learn a lesson & change their behavior for the better. Christine will have a long talk with her husband, and Frankie will have lots of talks with Victoria’s family (among others).
I appreciate your comments and hopefully you will go back and read my rankings. I always enjoy discussing BB with fans in a civilized manner such as this.
I got the impression that you were trying to give them an “out”. If I misinterpreted, I apologize. Civilized is always best; civilized with a little fun and sarcasm is even better.
Yeah – I am usually VERY sarcastic – just sometimes it gets lost online.
Without doubt I don’t always agree with your rankings. I try to see it from your perception as a former player with real experience with the pressures of being in the house. Not always easy to accept, but I struggle through. I think my reply is.. “thanks for sharing your comments and interacting with viewers. Again, I do not always agree with you, but you do share a very humerous view of this show we all seem to love and hate.” Thanks.
KSJB, you are talking to the same person who aligned with Andy in the last season and said some terrible things about other house guests and the viewers. They say, “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones” so don’t expect Adam to do it as he shouldn’t!
I wasn’t on the site last year, Dani, so I appreciate the insight.
I was not on this site last year. My first year doing anything for BB Network. Hahahah!
OK, Adam, thanks.
KSJB, please see below. I made a mistake and just apologized to Adam. It wasn’t him I was referring to in my previous post….it was Spencer from the last season. They do look alike! My bad!
I think you have me confused with Spencer. I was on Season 13 – with Dani, Jeff, Rachel, Shelly…. etc…
Adam, I apologize profusely and you are absolutely right, I did confuse you with Spencer who was very unpopular. I remember the season you were on and you were pretty cool! My bad!
KSJB, please note! Thanks
HAHHAHAH! All good! I am the BACON guy – he was the ummm Railroad guy!
Hey, Dani, I knew for sure that you misunderstood something . It never entered my mind otherwise. :)
So we are supposed to ignor statements from HGs that would harm another player. Statements like ( in ur season) causing one to have a miscarriage by hitting her in the stomach or pushing her down the stairs…Some statements the viewers never forget or “who” made them for that matter…Such an easy out to blame “the house”…
I never said ignore it. I said wait for them to see what harm they did & feel the ramifications of their words/actions. Saying mean things about them makes you no better than they are.
I will admit that I am a hypocrite. I can’t stand unjustified meanness and cruelty in any form. I try to call out only the actions and words that are so offensive, but have gone overboard. Sometimes the cruelty is so vile that a negative reaction can’t be helped. Fortunately we live in a country that protects victims from the most heinous actions and allows for freedom of speech. That being said, I was really hoping for at least some tofu for the 5 major offenders this week and was looking for to you ripping at Saturday’s incident. On the other hand, I understand after reading your comments why you didn’t.
Yeah, unfortunately, a lot of posters are extremely nasty and post horrible things about the houseguests, including homophobic comments about Frankie, insults about their physical appearances, and vile assumptions about the sorts of people they supposedly are. IMO, this talk reflects directly and very poorly on the character of the cyber bullies who spew this crap. Anonymity sure makes these very small people faux-brave.
A lot of these house guests have said vile things like Frankie saying he wants Victoria to be raped by two of the guys. Not sure which ones specifically but, no decent human being would put up with that! Granted that a lot this bad behavior might have been encouraged by the producers to stir drama into the Big Brother House as this season has been the most boring with the Detonators doing their utmost to float from the beginning to the end of this game. That is probably why there is so many gimmicks put forth by the producers including the flip flopping of votes, talk of making big moves without actually making them? All of it is scripted and Big Brother is looking more like the WWE where the winner of the matches has been determined before the actual match itself!
Big alliances like this season where they had 8 house guests in one alliance out of 16 house guests is nonsense which should not be tolerated or even encouraged by Big Brother. There are lots of ways to break them up right from the start. Had Big Brother done so, we would have had a way better season overall.
If a big alliance can stay together, more power to them, IMO. While it isn’t flashy play, it’s difficult to do, and I admire it.
It is not difficult to do because you just vote out anyone else not in the alliance and no game play, no strategy, no nothing! Majority of viewers watch Big Brother because of the blindsides, backdoor plays, switching of alliances among other things. Otherwise, it is like watching paint dry. No one wants these house guest to stay in the house and do nothing! That is why they have to engage in all this bad, vile behavior to stir some drama and excitement in the game although, all of it are gimmicks because they do not really follow thru on what they say! Only good thing, the Detonators will be broken up starting with this weeks double eviction—-now they have to play because like it or not, someone has to be evicted and sent to the jury house! Only question is who?
not difficult? Why don’t you see how Devin, Amber, & Zach feel about that? Let’s not forget that this alliance did not make it to final 8.
Losing two is not a big deal when there is so many of them. Even Nicole and Donny in the house, it was
2 vs 6. You do not have to be a genius to see how easy it is to beat those two individuals. The fact that they can essentially float from the very start till now proves my point. Devin and Amber being evicted did not really impact the alliance one bit when so many of the non-alliance members have been voted out!
My point is that an 8 person alliance doesn’t work. They evicted their own. So therefore, it’s not easy to join a big group and pick everyone off. Yea losing them was no big deal to the others, but to Devin, Amber, and Zach it was. They lost $500,000
The Zach eviction is really more of circumstance because had Donnie not won POV then, it would have been Donny voted out and Zach still in the game! Detonators were forced to vote out Zach because of it. Devin and Amber were voted out because they had issues with the other alliance members otherwise, they would still be in the game as well! Donny and Nicole would be long gone.
If it’s not difficult, then why hasn’t it been done every season? I don’t get bored easily, so I love this season.
Remember the Brigade? That was a 5 person alliance which was smaller than this season’s 8 person alliance. Now, that this trend has started, wait for next season because we will see more of these huge mega alliances.
Brigade was 4 ppl with sub alliances to make them 8 or however many they needed for the week. Noone will ever have a better alliance than them. Even if they had to go w/ Britt as the Brigade alternate.
So you like watching predictable and boring? I don’t.
ok just thinking about this alliance.. Vic isnt in the alliance never has been.. isn’t derrick betraying the alliance for her throwing them all at bay.. and they dont realize it. They brag about being a big tight alliance but too lame to see the alliance of derrick n victoria..like wow really ppl..
Nicole tried hard to get back in and socially she did (to frankie’s chagrin) but game wise Derrick has them so off kilter none of them would of risked working with her. Other than Cody who just wanted her for a vote and to pick off Frankie or Christine for them and they would of picked her right off like Keesha in BB10. It is amazing when people are rooting for a person to go to jury so they don’t have to be around these vipers any longer. Makes me chuckle, since I feel the same way. Caleb is one of those player who could inadvertently stumble to final two. By thinking of Backdooring Frankie, not and then covering his bases by telling him (a lesson he learned from the Chris/Nic backdoor) He now has put a huge target on Cody’s back. Frankie was sniffing for more info last night and Caleb was softly throwing Cody under the bus and Frankie was getting more annoyed over the b/d plan convo. Love Nicole but as soon as she is evicted it will be game on and my bet is Frankie will smoke them put Chris/Cody up and depending on who wins veto my gut says Cody will be evicted.
With everyone wrapped around Derrick’s finger, Nicole had no chance at all! Also, this season had this huge alliance saw their immense power in floating from one week to the next week without any consequences to their action. This huge alliance of 8 with Devin and Amber then, should have been broken down and not allowed to progress. It is totally bad for the game and removes all game play, strategy from it because everyone is content to just vote out everyone else not in the alliance! How exciting is that? It is utter nonsense which should not be allowed at all. It should have been broken up from the get go by introducing changes like making the POV a special veto to remove both nominees from the block and force the HOH to nominate two nominees in place for good! That would have ended this nonsense and made the players play the game!
the problem at the beginning with that big “survivor-esque tribe” (for a lack of a better word) was the dumb dual HoH twist. it was getting annoying and boring when 2 people that where working together were constantly winning the HoH’s. if it would of been the usual single HoH either from the beginning, or even after the first few weeks, this game would of been a lot more interesting I feel.
I personally put this dual HoH experiment down on the same level as anytime that survivor has done redemption island (except for last season’s blood vs water), and production will see how bad of a mistake it was, and NEVER do it again!
The difference between Survivor and Big Brother is that the tribe members in Survivor try to play the game. Majority of them at least. In Big Brother, the house guests are content on floating along to get along and getting their weekly stipend without having to work for it! Blame should go to the producers who see this happening and not taken steps to rectify the situation by breaking up that huge alliance! Instead, they resort to gimmicks like the house guests talking in vile disgusting ways, make believe flip flopping of votes and make believe talk of making big moves! Shameful as it makes Big Brother look more and more like the WWE where everything is scripted!
I do not think production encourages them to talk mean – but instead allows them to do so without reprimand. If they “censor” people – that is the worst form of producer manipulation. They do protect the houseguests from physical harm, as required in the contract we sign, but nothing against mental harm. There is a shrink avail 24/7 to the HG’s.
Survivor shakes up the game when it is getting lopsided – Big Brother has not this year.
Survivor shakes up the game when it is getting lopsided – Big Brother has not this year??
That BOTB that Frankie won was not Production shaking things up? Adam I don’t think your watching BB like we’re watching BB.
Zach & Donny were killing that comp. It was also a tie in for Thursday Night Football. Do you really think production switched that comp at the last minute, rearranged the travel schedule in the hopes that Frankie could have pulled it off alone?
Adam you forget the point that Production purposefully stopped Caleb from playing even after he sat down to throw it. If they didn’t want him to play in the comp then why introduce a BOTB if it’s meant for a two person duel? They knew his interference would of guaranteed Zach and Donny’s victory. The travel schedule had nothing to do with it cause that goes to the winner of the comp regardless of who wins. For you to just say that Production played no part in that is like you trying to convince BB fans that their interference doesn’t affect the game whatsoever?
“Adam you forget the point that Production purposefully stopped Caleb from playing even after he sat down to throw it.” Please show me proof of this. It’s all hearsay. But then again, if he said he is not competing in the challenge and sat out from the start – and they asked him – are oyu sure – and he said YES – and then wanted to get back in – then he should not be in. You cannot quit a comp and then ask to go back in. Once you quit a comp – you are done. It was Caleb’s own mistake not trying to throw the comp. BUT – I will say 1 thing you may agree with… it was Caleb’s fault for saying over & over that he was gonna sit it out.
Also – Do you remember my season – the Pandora’s box that helped save Rachel? It still took one of us to step up and beat her at that comp (Duo Do Over). We didn’t… production can push the envelope so far – but players still have to carry out the tasks / win the comps on their own. Why not give credit to Frankie for taking them on 1 on 2 – and kicking their butts? It was not easy physically, and it sure was tough mentally.
We, the fans/viewers, also do not see contestants 24/7 on Survivor as we do BB. That’s why this is not only the best Reality show in my eyes, but a social experiment.
AMEN!!! best comment I have read so far on any blog!!! and to go into that house knowing that (or going in having never watched the show) is signing up for ‘expect the unexpected’ LITERALLY !! I also do not hate the people of this season nor last season, but I sure cringe each time some of them open their mouth. you are so right, shameful what some have to go through!
So as much as ppl have complained about production stepping in… now we’re upset that they dont. you can not have it both ways.
Come on, Jessalli, never heard of a bi-viewer? LOL
Actually, they have stepped in but, only to resort to gimmicks. I have no doubt the constant flip flopping talk and also talk of making big moves is looking more and more scripted because of the very boring season we have had so far! What I am saying is if they are going to interfere in the game, they should do it to enhance the game instead, of these useless gimmicks. What happened to Pandora’s Box, Diamond Power of Veto? Nothing has been done to that effect except make the house guests talk about making big moves and flip flopping votes when in actuality, it is all talk!
I agree. The dual HOH was one big bust. It ruined the season.
How exactly is Caleb stumbling to final 2? Was is creating a power alliance week 1, volunteering to be nominated (taking one for the team to get Devin out), or winning and remaining HOH 3 times that will help him STUMBLE to final 2? I’d say he’s playing a better game than most that remain. While I feel that not back dooring Frankie will be his downfall, he does not see what we see. All he has to go on is the fact that Frankie saved him 2 weeks ago and clearly values him higher than at least Cody. I honestly don’t see Frankie going after Caleb.
I agree 100% they act like Caleb hasn’t be the master of his own fate. He won 3 permanent HOH, one was the double eviction which could have ended his game. He won the BOB with Victoria…Victoria. He hasn’t begged ppl to save him like Nicole who keeps on whining about Caleb not saving her when she spent all summer trash talking Caleb and bonding with Cody, you reap what you sow. Caleb has been loyal to all these guys so if he happens to make it to F2 he has earned it 100%. I hope he survives this double eviction and wins more comps, he knows now all he can do is win to stay.
Honestly, I’m hoping he wins now. He has become my favorite player still in the game. (I think I’m in love with Zach) Everyone (in and out the house) make fun of him for thinking he was in control. SO he was manipulated into getting Amber out, but that was for the best. Whose idea was it to keep Zach over Jocasta? Was that not a game changing move. One of those other detonators would be gone by now if he had not done that. BC i guarantee you noone would be wanting to waste an HOH on Jacosta. She’d just be another Victoria. Caleb has more say than anyone gives him credit for.
Unfortunately he will never be given credit for anything. Taken Hayden out was huge, even though it was the alliances decision. He did like Hayden a lot. He got rid of someone who could had been a threat to his game when it came to endurance comps. Not even past players are giving him credit. I think it’s just them being sour because they don’t like his personality so they will trash his game. I don’t expect anyone to like Caleb for his personality or him being a great person. But as a game player, everyone has based their decisions in not pissing him off. If you notice many times Derrick says I don’t want Caleb to be pissed and come after us. They are all scared of him game wise, I’d be surprise if no one tries to take a shot at him in the DE. However Derrick did tell Cody if he put up Caleb in the event of Frankie getting off the block. It would be a dumb move plus he would probably end up voting for him with Frankie, Victoria would leave and Caleb would go after him with no mercy. Hope he listens to Derrick. Cody is getting sloppy with his game in order to keep Christine.
I was actually talking to another exHG today – and the more I think about it – as crazy / stalkerish as he has been all season, Caleb is building quite the resume that even the Jury will respect. He has been loyal & won a few comps. He has played the most complete game in the nicest way possible. The guys were right early on – he was blinded by Amber – and once she was gone, he went into “game on” mode!
Caleb does what ever anyone tells him to do. He’s wimp mode cowgirl.
Throwing Cody and Derrick UTB to Frankie is loyal?
I say stumble because of his blind faith in the alliance which doesn’t even exist anymore. He told Frankie to his face about possibly back dooring him . No intelligent gamer WOULD ever do something like that. To me those are stumbling mistakes but AT THE END OF THE DAY lol, he might just get to the end for those moves. he now set Frankie on Cody’s demise meaning to or not. I don’t hate Caleb, I like Donny, just think he is the Dumbo of all Dumbos.
Yes but him coming clean to Frankie wasn’t about dumb or smart he felt guilt. Also do you not think Caleb knew either he told him or the information would later on be used against him. I think it was the best he could do, eventually Cody/Derrick would have used it against him. Have you notice he doesn’t come clean about other conversations he has with Derrick, Derrick has trash talked Cody a bit and he has not shared that information. So will have to wait and see. The reality is you cannot say he is a bad game player for this incident. Last time I check the whole alliance is keeping him safe this none existing alliance has had he’s back many times. So him making it in day one is the reason why he is still in the house. Dudes like him don’t last in BB you know that. Now before saying stumble you need to wait until you see what moves he will make or not. Not saying Caleb is the best game player but BB is not only about backstabbing and lying. You need to be able to hold your own in comps which is what Derrick doesn’t have. When they get closer to the money you cannot predict what they will do when it comes to Derrick. After all not only has he been floating his way through, he is also taking another floater with him.
Adam I hope your end of the season ranking takes into count all of these peoples stupid honesty in the game. While it is great in the real world in the BB house telling everything you know is stupid. NObody except Derrick has been able to half way keep their trap closed. Maybe they have thought of that since they got evicted. I take that back Jocasta also kept hers shut. If she could have won some comps she might have lasted awhile.
Adam’s ranking post is my favorite weekly read! I love to read along and laugh at how accurate they usually are. I have to snag away some of Caleb’s bacon and eat it for myself this week, though. While I can agree that sometimes a lack of big move is the best move, I can’t see that being true this week. I think Frankie was a great backdoor candidate who is wanted out of the house by most of the HGs anyway, so would have left little blood on Caleb’s hands. I saw his safe move as a Wha Wha Whaaaaaa.
I simply can not wait for the end-of-season ranking :))
Thanks Kimberly!!! I knew people would not be happy with me giving BMC bacon this week – but I do think him getting rid of Frankie would have made him the next big target. Frankie will protect him. Getting someone out that can protect you down the stretch is a bad move (IMO)
Thanks for your reply, Adam! Skipping ahead a day, I still feel like keeping Frankie was a mistake…look at Derrick and Cody butting heads now. Uh-oh ;)
Shame on you Adam for your opening remarks. I don’t care if Frankie had been in the house for 100 days and I don’t care if he’s under pressure. It’s no excuse for his vile behavior. And you have the nerve to say we shouldn’t be spewing vile comments. That makes you no better than him in my opinion. Just by his remarks he is the same vile, disgusting, perverted pig outside the house. I thought you played a lousy game your season but I thought you were a better person. Not after reading this.
Amen, Lavendargirl!
I think the reasoning behind giving Derrick bacon is flawed. Nobody was upset that Derrick took $5,000. It was said that he was even encouraged to, for Tenley. He’s the only HG I can remember off the top of my head who could go for money in front of everybody and not be reprimanded or talked about. Most of the people left want him sitting next to him at F2and even though he didn’t know it at the time Nicole said she would go after him (don’t know if her mind got changed), so keeping Frankie was a good move on his part. The hardest thing for him is to tell people about his moves but with Hayden and Nicole already recognizing his gameplay and Jocasta and Donny likely to follow behind. He may already have 4 votes in his pocket. For the position he was in at week 10 (a pretty good one arguably the best) he deserves bacon.