Alliances crumble and feelings get hurt as the new Head of Household changes the course of the game by nominating the two biggest players in the game!
We weren’t sure it was ever going to happen, but things have gone absolutely crazy in the "Big Brother" house after the biggest game move of the season. And it comes from the most unlikely source.
But before we can get to the move, we have to deal with the aftermath of Cliff Hogg immediately bouncing his way back into the "BB" house after the Six Shooters broke ranks with Gr8ful (and Unde9able) to flip the vote and try to get Cliff eliminated. Suddenly, he’s back and they were on major damage control.
And no one was more confident in their ability to sway the Cliffster than old Jackson/Michie. He’s seen his charms work on the ladies in the house and even some of the guys, and it’s probably worked most of his life, but this is a grown man in his 50s with kids your age. He can smell what you’re cooking a mile away, Michie.
Nevertheless, they all started sucking up to him just in case he suddenly found himself in power because they were afraid of retaliation, and rightly so. Plus, with Cliff back and gunning for them at the same time they ostracize Nick, Bell and Sam, they suddenly find themselves vulnerable in the numbers if they lose their bottom three so quickly.
Un-Gr8ful
Did they play their hand too quickly? What’s fascinating about this is that it’s usually the people at the bottom of an alliance who need to make a move around this point to secure themselves a chance at the end. This time, it was the power six at the top who betrayed their own. But it only weakened their standing. Why jump the gun?
By betraying Nick’s wishes and — worse — not telling him about the vote flip from Nicole to Cliff, they instantly created enemies out of Nick and Bella and sowed layers of mistrust that will never completely bounce back. If they lose their third couple completely, they’re outnumbered seven to six (because Sam knows he was never really part of this thing with them.
To make matters worse, by voting as a bloc of six like that, they effectively exposed the existence of a tight six to the rest of the house, creating even more problems for themselves. They may have gotten a little too cocky too son. Especially after that HOH competition
"Boss" of Household
In a remarkable turn of events, it came down to Cliff and Jack for the next HOH, with Cliff pulling off one of the greatest immediately comebacks in "BB" history. Two comp wins in a row moving him from evicted to the HOH Room is a pretty remarkable trajectory in a very short span of time. And suddenly, the Six Shooters were in full panic mode.
They’re the ones who flipped on Cliff and he basically knows who it was. And suddenly, he has all the power … or at least most of the power. The Six Shooters also have two powers, though Jack has largely kept his secret. Both could be put into play and totally disrupt Cliff’s reign, but you can’t say he’s going to do what so many younger players do.
There’s something to be said about age and life experience. Michie tried his sweet talk and the other side even tried vague intimidation, but Cliff was as cool as a cucumber throughout (not the gross one Michie took into the bathroom blech). This is a guy who will listen, but he will not be swayed. He heard their arguments, but used his own logic.
And even knowing that Christie had the ability to totally disrupt the POV competition, he stuck to his guns and gambled on making a big move. Because he also knew they were all blowing smoke up his ass. Of course they’re going to tell him he’s safe now, they’re trying to save their butts. At least Michie was upfront in a confessional, admitting he was only looking out for his alliance; he doesn’t care about Cliff.
So as much as Michie wanted to have self-righteous fury at the end, Cliff made the absolute best move for his "Outcasts" alliance of outliers in putting up the two alpha males side by side. And if either of them comes down, he’s ready to put up another member of their alliance. Yes, Christie could mess it all up and see Isabella put up next to either Jack or Michie, depending on who wins POV, but even so Cliff might be able to secure the votes to get his way.
There are a lot of factors in play and a lot of uncertainty as to how this week plays out, and that’s when "Big Brother" can get pretty interesting. It hasn’t been for far too long, so we’re hoping all the powers get played, something wild happens and we can settle into a normal season of expecting the unexpected, rather than expecting the expected as the power alliance picks everyone off one by one.
HouseGuest Report Cards
Sam rises to the top in a wild week of big changes because everyone seems to really respect his gameplay. He’s seen as an overall threat in the game because of it, and yet no one is yet seeing him as a target. He’s positioned well overall with everyone socially and he really is poised to do well, but he might need some comp wins to make a final thrust. Grade: A
Cliff is making some huge baller moves this week, but while he’s painting targets on his back, he’s doing so strategically and with full awareness. He’s also solidifying an alliance around himself and setting his side up for a battle for power in the house. It’s a gamble, but he’s playing this game hard and as well as anyone right now. Grade: A
Nicole is probably Cliff’s number one person right now, and she’s also pretty savvy about what’s going on in the house. This could all flip again if the other side gains power, but Cliff and his team are posed to make a huge strike that could knock their six down to five, upending the power for good. And Nicole is a smart player who has gained a lot of sympathy in the "Outcasts" side of the house. Grade: A-
Christie is in a pivotal moment in her game, as a part of the Six Shooters and with a major power that could destroy Cliff’s plans. What she does will prove the biggest move of the week and probably change the course of the next several to follow. Either way, she will make her decision and may well solidify one side or the other in power. Grade: B+
Nick is in a somewhat bad spot, but at the same time he’s now officially floating outside of all alliances, making him a valuable free agent. On top of that, everyone seems to be gunning for Isabella over him, so if he can detach so tightly from her side, he might be able to emerge from this setback and choose where the power lies for his next move. Grade: B
Jessica and Kathryn find themselves a part of Cliff’s impromptu "Outcasts" alliance with Nicole, and it’s the smartest thing they could have done thus far in the game. Even if they don’t completely trust one another, the four know there is a six out there gunning for all of them, so why not join forces sincerely and try to make a stand. It’s about time. Grade: B-
Michie is in Cliff’s crosshairs, but he stands a good chance of surviving the block this week, even if he stays on it. He’s well-liked in the house and seen as less of a comp threat than Jack (because he is). Still, he’s hot-headed and manipulative and he wasn’t able to get his way, which means he might also be petulant. We’ll see how he bounces back. If he can regain power, he’ll be fine. Otherwise, it could get pretty interesting. Grade: C+
Tommy is in a potentially vulnerable spot as part of the Six Shooters, though he is not high on the radar of threats there. They are, however, extremely exposed now and thus vulnerable if they can’t quickly regain power, so he might need to show some flexiblity away from that power foursome at the top (Jack/Michie/Holly/Analyse) to salvage his game if it doesn’t go their way. Grade: C+
Holly and Analyse tried to convine Cliff they weren’t tied at the hips of the Jacks, but no one is buying it. We’ve still yet to see their own gameplay, and that’s dangerous when you’re part of an alliance with no individual identities of your own. Grade: C
Isabella may not be on Cliff’s radar, but she is on everyone else’s. She’s not even on the block and she has a decent chance of going home, depending if Christie uses her Diamond Power of Veto or not (and depending who wins POV in the first place). The bottom line is that even if she survives this week, Isabella has made too many enemies in the house to last much longer. Grade: D
Jack is the most likely of Cliff’s actual nominees to go home, simply because when it comes down to it the house will go ahead and knock out their biggest competition. Now, with all the powers in play there is a good chance Jack can get himself off the block or assure someone more interesting is up next to him if Michie comes off, so he may survive this week. But even if he does, the "Outcasts" side will not stop gunning for him because he is such a formidable player and alpha leader on his side … which he whittled down to smaller numbers this week. Grade: D
House Chatter
"I really feel betrayed, disgusted. I mean, they literally just blindsided me on a vote they didn’t need to blindside me on." -Nick
"Apparently flipping votes is a new thing when you’re in an alliance. Stupid." -Sam
"Leading us to believe Nicole was going out was not a smart move. This was just stupid." -Isabella (to Gr8ful)
"You guys don’t trust me. I trusted you. I told you, Jack– Nicole literally told me that you guys wanted to get me out 30 seconds before I walked in and I didn’t do it." -Nick (to Gr8ful)"’Cause that literally wasn’t true." -Christie (not the point .. and a lie)"Every time we’ve had a problem, I’ve talked to you. There’s no reason for you guys not to tell me." -Nick (except they want to vote you out)
"How am I supposed to know when you guys are lying to me now?" -Nick (valid)
"It really to this side likes Unde9able doesn’t exist." -Isabella (pretty much)
"We’ve got some division in that bigger group. If I win HOH, that little division is gonna turn into a big old crack." -Cliff
"Cliff has just been evicted, came back from Camp Comeback and now he has an opportunity to complete a Cinderella story and I’m the bad guy! I have to win this thing." -Jack
"There’s a new sheriff in the ‘Big Brother’ house and his name is Cliff Hogg, but you can call me Boss." -Cliff (after HOH win)
"I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. I can’t fake emotions. Like, I literally hold grudges so hard." -Isabella (this is not a good thing, you know)
"We gotta make it seem like his idea to put up Nick and Bella." -Michie (plotting with Holly)
"Come join the outcasts." -Cliff (inviting Nicole to join him, Jessica and Kat in HOH Room)
"I think we have to stay together strong or else we’re all screwed." -Cliff (talking to ‘Outcasts’ about couples power … and he’s right)
"I’m trying to convince him that my plan is mutually beneficial when in all reality my main goal in this is to keep Six Shooters safe." -Michie
"You can be devious. As long as you’re devious working with me, I don’t care." -Cliff (to Isabella)
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