Big Brother Blowout: Veto Winner Goes Rogue, Blowing Up HOH's Game and Drawing Battle Lines
2024-09-05
CBS
It was all about the Power of Veto this week, with the winner throwing a huge monkey wrench in Head of Household Quinn's Big Brother game as alliances shift and the House tries to find its footing in the wake of Tucker's eviction.
Nobody is really sure who to trust anymore on Big Brother as Tucker's impact on the game continues to ripple through the House in the days since his surprise eviction last Thursday. As a result, Quinn's plans went up in smoke after a shocking Power of Veto decision.
After securing his first Head of Household win of the season, Quinn had his sights set on his season-long nemesis (after Tucker), Angela, She'd been gunning for him since the first week, and so many in the House (and outside) are wondering how she's even still there.
He put Rubina and Kimo up next to her, with a fairly logical reason behind his choices. His intention was to protect the five players who'd voted to evict Tucker last week, respecting the chance they took and their success in taking out his biggest rival in the game.
As it turns out, though, nominating Kimo ruffled a lot of feathers, as Quinn had been aligned with Kimo and T'Kor in The Visionaries. Now, Kimo and T'Kor have also been going rogue all over the House, including their FRIENDzzzz alliance with Tucker and Rubina, so why do they expect a level of loyalty they weren't offering?
The shifting alliances are fine, it's just the self-righteous outrage when someone else does what you've already done that always leaves us scratching our heads.
Joseph the Great
Speaking of scratching our heads, can we take a moment to process Joseph just a bit. This dude has been floating almost as hard as Leah in this game and has the audacity to think he's running the show. The arrogance of some of this season's players is incredible.
His shown conversation with Chelsie where he told her he thinks their games are similar, and compared his own game to BB legend Dr. Will was beyond laughable. He wants to follow on his hero's footsteps and win the game with zero competition wins.
The problem for Joseph is that he doesn't have nearly the rizz he thinks he does, as evidenced by Leah quickly friendzoning him right next to Quinn. Your girl is just not down for any sort of showmance sprinkles this summer ... sorry boys!
Joseph has been preening around, caressing his mustache, all season so far like he's putting on a villain performance. It's almost like he's play-acting what he thinks a BB villain is like in hopes that he can go down in history as one.
When Angela approached him after her nomination to talk about his vote and her place in the game, he matter-of-factly laid it out for her that he doesn't see a path forward for her in the game after she blew up so many people's spots.
Now, he's not wrong, but he was pretty condescending about it. It's hard to sympathize with Angela at most times, but Joseph giving her a dressing down like she's subhuman brought us about as close as we're capable of going.
We also have to give Angela some appreciation for at least acknowledging that it's her own fault that she's on the Block after calling Quinn (and other people) names this season. That said, she still lacks the self-control to not give into those bullying impulses.
This season's blackout competition was much easier than the messy haunted house disasters we've seen in the past (and may still be coming). For now, Veto players had to crawl into a pitch-black room and assemble a robot by touch based on an image shown outside the room.
They can crawl in and out as much as they want, but the first to buzz in will get it right.
Amusingly, Leah was very concerned when Angela's chip was pulled, giving the nominee the chance to pick a player to compete. While it was shown how close Leah and Angela have gotten in the House, Leah wasn't quite sure she wanted to expose her game if she won and had to save her friend.
Luckily, Angela didn't want to blow up her spot, either, and so she chose Joseph. Well, the BB gods were clearly in both of their heads, because the second and last chip pulled was ... Leah's.
As the competition progressed, Quinn actually had this one in the bag -- except he knocked one of the robot pieces to the side of the room in the dark and couldn't get it assembled right without it. Who knows how long he was one piece away from having it, but with extra pieces to choose from, he didn't even know he was short one.
That extra time allowed Leah -- who didn't even want to be put into the competition or this position -- to secure her first competition win of the season. Like a helium balloon that's been floating in the air for six weeks, it was time to come back down to the ground.
Now, Leah had no choice but to actually participate in the proceedings of the game. But would she make a move and expose something of her strategy by saving Angela, Kimo, or Rubina? Or would she play it safe and keep Quinn's nominees the same?
We got to see Leah wrestle with the dilemma. To her credit, Angela vowed to not ask her friend to use the Veto on her, and it at least appears she did not. Quinn, however, made his own case for why she should leave nominations the same and let him get rid of Angela.
He argued that it would be a disservice to the House to let someone drag Angela to the end, knowing the controversial HG could only hope for 2nd place. But that's also $75K that would go into Angela's pocket.
Leah's counter was that she wanted a guaranteed Jury vote from Angela, so she needed to keep her a little longer. In the end, she did what was best for her game and used the Veto on Angela, shocking Quinn and definitely exposing how close she and Angela are.
With the house still in so much flux that it's hard to know if there are any legitimate alliances right now, that's a very telling move, indeed. There are fewer and fewer places to hide. Leah has been invisible all season long and she just came into the light next to the most polarizing player.
In response to that, Quinn finally revealed why he'd chosen the nominees he did -- based on protecting those who voted Tucker out -- which mean that Joseph was his only choice left. He told T'Kor that she didn't have an option to vote Tucker out (she wouldn't have), so she gets a pass.
It remains to be seen if T'Kor -- who said all episode she was unhappy by Quinn putting Kimo on the Block -- will take this explanation at its value to mean he's not necessarily gunning for her.
With Kimo, Rubina, and Joseph now on the Block, there are no real clear targets. From the outside, Kimo seems like the strongest target because it breaks apart the strongest pair in the House. Also, Rubina and Joseph are now the ONLY TWO players who've yet to win anything!
That said, with the House decimating comp beasts week after week, the field is more open than ever before. Makensy and her three wins is currently leading the competition leaderboard, with Angela, Chelsie, and Quinn behind her (having each won two, counting Quinn's Upgrade win).
Thursday's A.I. Arena is more important than ever, with it possibly also coming to an end this week as the show promised another game-changing announcement from Ainsley. Hopefully, it's not something as dumb as the A.I. Instigator proved to be.
Chelsie Baham (27, nonprofit dir) seemed to again rise to the top, but only by the slimmest of margins. She orchestrated Tucker's ouster, but has yet to grab the reins of the post-Tucker House, which is in shambles. We know she's got the skills to rally, but a lot will depend on who rises to power these next few weeks -- or until strong alliances form (or re-form). [Grade: B-]
T'kor Clottey (23, crochet business) came out of her HOH pretty unscathed, even though it was kind of a disaster for her. Not being able to participate in the Tucker vote at all is actually beneficial, as it doesn't expose anything she's been doing (and she's been doing a lot). How she handles his exit and Quinn's moves this week will set up her mid-game. [Grade: C+]
Cam Sullivan-Brown (25, physical therapist) quickly faded back into the background, which is where he's been most of the game. The strategy is working, as most people left in the House just aren't talking to him. He also bolsters numbers for Chelsie's people, if they can solidify something and hold onto some power long enough to make a difference. [Grade: C+]
Quinn Martin (25, nurse recruiter) is trying to play this crazy, aggressive game, but things just keep not going his way. Leah saving Angela definitely did not go his way, and makes him a target to anyone who wants to keep Angela around as a loyal (yeah, right!) soldier or number. He has some damage control to do, and based on how well he did with Leah, we're not totally sure he's got the skills to pull it off. [Grade: C+]
Makensy Manbeck (22, construction pm) is now the biggest competition threat in the House, but she's playing a somewhat low-key game. Yes, they're seeing her as a threat, but she's still not a major priority for anyone; rather an easy target. She's playing it well, overall, so we'll see if the current power structure wants to work with her -- it wouldn't be a bad idea. [Grade: C]
Leah Peters (26, VIP cocktail) woke up and is playing the game. Good for her. We're not sure how the House will feel about her and Angela, now. It looks like she just revealed a friendship might also be a potential duo, making her a bigger target. [Grade: C-]
Angela Murray (50, real estate agent) is a mess, but she's made it far enough now that people will consider carrying her deeper toward the end for a vote, in our out of the House. If they think she can keep it together, though, we suspect they'll be in for a rude awakening at some point. [Grade: D+]
Rubina Bernabe (35, event bartender) is a target by association, but that makes little sense now that Tucker is gone. We think that's actually beneficial to her right now because she's kind of a free agent, and not anyone to really worry about. That said, she better figure out her new place in the game quick or she'll keep being a possibility (like Makensy post-Matt). [Grade: D+]
Kimo Apaka (35, mattress sales) is probably the best person to get out of the House because he did mastermind the first flip and he's a very influential player. Plus, it breaks up the longest-running duo, shaking T'Kor's confidence and place in the game. But he's also pretty well connected, so we're not sure if they'll take the shot. [Grade: D]
Joseph Rodriguez (30, video store) might be the easiest target right now, despite his almost zero-level threat rating. He's won nothing, but his arrogance is enough to make people want to get him out. That and his approach to the game is so blasé, he could change direction with the win and his own self-impressed ego. [Grade: D]
(asides and comments -- not necessarily strategic, but entertaining and sometimes revealing)
"I've been through the wringer here and a lot of it's my own fault. In his speech, Quinn said that I called him a narcissist, a liar, and an idiot and, you know, I did." --Angela
"I deserved it. I called names." --Angela
"They just lost their biggest asset to the game and now it's a scramble." --Chelsie (about Tucker eviction)
"That's why I was cool going to the end with him, because I know I could beat him." --Joseph (to Chelsie about Tucker)
"Tucker at least played the game. You have simply been taking up air." --Chelsie (about Joseph)
"I feel pretty good about making it to the Final 9, smooth sailing. I'm a badass." --Joseph
"I need a bot to help me take down the government-- I mean, curtains." --Ainsly
"I feel like people are worried that you could blow up their game. It's one thing if you've maybe blown up on somebody one time, unfortunately, Angela, it's just a pattern." --Joseph
"Honestly, I don't see a way for you. Honestly, I'm amazed you're still here." --Joseph (laughing to Angela)
"I couldn't pass up the chance to secure a solid jury vote with Angela. Friendships are great, but this is all a game for me. Is that rude." --Leah (after using POV to save Angela)
Big Brother airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on CBS.
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