Something has gone terribly, terribly wrong with Big Brother.
It would seem that houseguests are now actually only playing to make jury. But that’s not all. I think some of the players are actively trying to lose the game. And it’s not just Big Brother 19 specific, as we’ve seen it heading in this strange direction for the past several seasons. But this season, I think it’s all the way there.
When you have a player (Alex) telling Paul that she wouldn’t mind coming in second to him because he deserves to win, then this isn’t the same show it was nine, or even seven, seasons ago. And even this past week when Julie announced to the houseguests that they reached jury, they stupidly celebrated like she had just told them they all tied for first place and would each be getting half a million dollars.
It was bizarre. And sad. Very, very sad.
Gone are the days, it seems, that people are playing to win. We are just past the halfway point of the season and there have only been three people seemingly play to win Big Brother 19: Paul, Cody and Jessica. And unfortunately for Cody and Jessica, they didn’t make the right moves or win the right competitions. Jessica is out and Cody is heading out this week, so that leaves Paul.
So Paul is playing to win, but it can be argued that when you have a group of people obeying your every command, and even offering to lose the game to you, you’re not being forced to play very hard. On the other side of that argument, though, is the fact that Paul has all these people eating out of his hands. Is it fair to say they’re all just stupid or production is convincing them to follow Paul like sheep? That’s debatable. We have no real proof of what anyone’s motives are (or what their IQ scores are). But there are very strong suspicions. And yes, I have those suspicions, too (I’m more of the stupid players camp, though).
That being said, beyond Cody and Jessica, Paul has been the only other person truly playing the game. At this point, he deserves to win. He doesn’t deserve to win the way he deserved to win Big Brother 18, mind you, but who other than him this season has proven themselves worthy? Let me run through each player left in the game now.
Cody. I’m including Cody only because it’s only Tuesday and I guess Hell could still freeze over and he stays in the game. If he were to stay in the game, then he would definitely be a deserving contender. I venture to say he could be more deserving than Paul because he has never played Big Brother before, and he didn’t have any direct help from America (or production). There was that pesky eviction, however. But he battled his way back in the game. A lot of people say once you’re out, you’re out, but if you have enough fight in you to get back in the game and make it to the end, I think you deserve to win. Of course this is all moot come Thursday when Paul leads the charge to get him out a second time.
Alex. Does Alex deserve to win? Right now? Absolutely not. She said before the season started that she didn’t want to win this season. She said she’d rather come back and win a second season. This is what’s wrong with the modern Big Brother cast. They’re seeing the same formula over and over. If you make a big enough impression and can afford living on a summer stipend, you can play Big Brother every couple of seasons, sometimes twice in a row. So she has no drive to win this season, and she’s doing literally every single thing Paul wants her to do.
Josh. Sometimes it seems like Josh almost sees things clearly, but then you realize he’s just being influenced by his emotions or by a question from production that he’s read too much into. He’s arguably Paul’s No. 1 minion, despite Josh claiming Christmas is his No. 1. Josh wanted to make his own moves, but in the end he had to fall at Paul’s feet. So, no, Josh isn’t more deserving than Paul at this point.
Christmas. We’ve seen a little bit of strategy from Christmas here and there, but she too, has followed Paul’s every command. At one time she told Josh not to listen to Paul and run his HOH how he wanted, but then she turned around and did exactly what Paul wanted. She even wasted a power that she could have used to benefit herself all because that’s what Paul wanted. I do think Christmas sees the bigger picture and could make a bold move soon, but it’s getting down to the wire and if she doesn’t make a move soon, she may never get the chance. So as of now, no, Christmas does not deserve to win the game over Paul.
Jason. For someone who has never seen Big Brother, Jason figured out how the game works pretty well. He had a lot of bold ideas earlier on and had a more focused picture of how the season should play out, but then he started just deferring to Alex for every single thing. And since Alex is getting all of her moves from Paul, Jason is as well. Alex is like the middle manager to Paul’s CEO. It’s ridiculous.
Kevin. For the longest time, Kevin was in the best position in the house. He’s played one of the best social games in history, which means he’s also played a very good old-school floater game. I’m not talking about the “floater” defined by Rachel Reilly that has since stuck with newer fans of the show. I’m talking Jun Song-impeccable floating. One where you cover all your bases and all sides at all times and no one barely notices. Unfortunately for Kevin, though, lately he’s gotten a bit messy and has started to annoy his allies. Alex in particular is pretty obsessed with what she finds to be Kevin shadiness. So Kevin, so far, only had his social game going for him and now even that’s tarnished. So should he win? Probably not at this very moment.
Elena. Eh. Elena confuses me. I think she’s tiring of being expendable member of her alliance, and sort of knows what needs to happen for her to stick around in the game, but she’s not really done herself many favors so far. In facet just this week she gave up the veto for $5,000 while she’s sitting on the block. So no, I wouldn’t say she has any reason to win the game if the finale were today. Does she have what it takes to make a bold move if given a chance? She seems ready to do it, but time will tell.
Mark. This week will make or break Mark’s game. If he can win Head of Household and pull the trigger on his plan to go after Paul’s side of the house — Paul and Alex in particular — then he’s a contender. But right now, not so much. He gave up his closest allies for people who are now turning on him, and he openly admits to being a flip-flopper. He’s done nothing to hide that aspect of his game. Mark is starting to wander off from the flock, but he has been among the other sheep the entire time.
Matt. Ummmm, no.
Raven. Absolutely NO.
So like him or not, Paul is the only person really playing to win (as of now). And that’s why he should be the biggest target in the house instead of everyone’s go-to guy. And if someone does find enough balls to go after him and succeeds, they will become the most-deserving person to win Big Brother 19.
Writer’s note: This is my personal gameplay analysis based on what I’ve gathered from watching the season very closely. I’m not a Paul “stan” trying to pad Paul’s BB19 resume. I’m simply calling it how I see it. We invite you to call it how you see it in our comments section below. How do you think everyone is playing? Who do you think would deserve to win BB19 if the finale were today?