Late last night after the Big Brother 17 Feeds returned we heard an interesting pitch from John to Liz and Austin that could have a big impact on Saturday’s Veto competition.
With nominations made official and John’s back against the wall he’s ready to make another daring or possibly foolish decision to help move him past Final 5 and give him a shot at the Final 3.
Speaking with both Austin and Liz, Flashback to 1:53 AM BBT 9/12, John told them he was willing to throw the Veto to them during Saturday’s competition if they’d be willing to vote in his favor for the upcoming eviction. John says this without suggesting they definitely have a deal with Vanessa, but “if” they do then this would be his offer.
John tells them he has a feeling “I’m out of the club” when it comes to Vanessa which would make him the odd man out between her and Steve and that’s not a good thing when you’re on the Block with Steve and the tie-breaker is Vanessa.
Austin says “that’s a really good offer” and John sweetens it to the point of non-existence by saying they don’t even have to take the deal. He just might throw the competition. Sigh. Oh and John doesn’t stop there either.
“I know you’re probably told a lot of things. It’s probably all true. I threw you guys under the bus the last couple of weeks to keep me safe. I did. I really did. I did it good,” says John in a statement that will linger and continue to confuse Liz for awhile afterward.
John says he could either go out fifth (this week) or he could be part of a three with them and be third. Austin, Liz, and John all agree to think more about this overnight as John continues to contemplate if he should throw the Veto comp (no, no you shouldn’t, John).
Austin and Liz are left to discuss and Liz asks Austin to explain this incredibly complicated deal to her. “He’s crazy!” says Austin. He tells Liz that John thinks Vanessa and Steve have a thing (they do) and he’s willing to throw the Veto to them if they’ll keep him. The throwing part is entirely to their benefit since if the Veto was won and used then either Austin or Liz would have to go up while the other was still voting and just one of them isn’t enough to avoid a tie-breaker with Vanessa.
Good deal? Maybe? Should Austin and Liz think about it overnight? Of course not! “We’re going to go tell Vanessa this is what he said,” declares Austin. Are you freakin’ kidding me? These Houseguests are such fearful players that I’m amazed they don’t crap their own pants without regular permission from Vanessa to use the toilet.
But wait. Liz tells Austin “Unfortunately I’d rather him be here than Steve.” Then do that, ya crazies. It’s not that simple for Liz though. She’s very confused and befuddled that John told them he threw them under the bus over the past few weeks. Liz is very upset about this and wonders why he’d say that when he needs their votes.
Okay, 1) John probably knows Vanessa will unload anything John ever said about them and this covers that and 2) Who cares, Liz? The point isn’t to vote for who is the nicest to you. It’s to do what’s good for your game. Keep Steve if you think he’ll go after Vanessa instead of you next round and take your showmance on to F3 or instead go with John if you think he’ll target Vanessa given the chance. It’s really that simple. Stop playing grade school emotional and consider a strategy for a moment. Good grief.
Jump ahead to 2:28 AM BBT as Vanessa emerges from DR, finds Liztin, and they immediately start telling her about what John said. I’m surprised to hear there’s no staged fury from Vanessa as she really doesn’t seem too bothered by this. She’s instead pleased to hear that John may agree to throw the Veto comp.
I’m not surprised that Vanessa likes this situation at its face value. If John, one of her nominees, doesn’t get the Veto then she’s left with just Steve trying for it giving her better odds of making a choice later on what should happen. Vanessa might not like the idea of John trying to play the game himself and circumvent her plans, but what if Vanessa’s endgame this week turns out to be getting rid of Steve and she lets the Austwins take responsibility for it? We sure know how much Vanessa hates to take any responsibility for anything and this would be a good opportunity there.
The Veto competition should arrive on Saturday and we’ll get the results before too long. If John decides to throw this comp then I think that’s a huge mistake. Winning Veto gives him a definite spot in F4 and a chance to compete for the F4 HoH. Instead of taking a dive he should compete, try to win his safety, and then negotiate a deal as a backup.
If John throws the comp and Steve wins it then he’s got to start all over in convincing Vanessa to tie-break in his favor should Steve still be willing to vote to keep him once he finds out about this deal offer, which you know will be told to him by the Austwins.
What do you think of John’s pitch to Austin and Liz? Should they take it? Liz and Julia wanted Steve out anyway. This would be getting that plus a promise from John that he’d be targeting Vanessa instead of them. It seems tempting to me.