Big Brother 24: Week 3 Recap

After Pooch was evicted last week, the dynamic of the game seemed to be shifting in favor of the Girls Girls and Po's Pack alliances. The vote was unanimous and it kept Taylor in the game for another week. Now, it's time for the Festie Bestie twist to shake the game up by forcing the houseguests to work in pairs. While it looked like the picking of partners was strategic, that strategy would quickly get thrown out the window. This week featured the first big blow-up of the season and a second blindside that sent half of the hoes reeling. There is a new majority alliance in town and they aren't taking any prisoners. 

What's Up, Bestie

Last week, I likened the plan the Po's Pack alliance had in place for picking their Festie Besties to that of The Cookout from last season. After just one week, I've found that was a gross oversimplification because The Cookout at least stayed true to their word until they reached the final six. In just a few days, the Po's Pack alliance is now dead and The Leftovers have formed. As it stood, Joseph and Monte and Indy and Alyssa were the only pairs that were working together with the other pairs seemingly on opposite ends of the house. That dynamic has now shifted with The Leftovers coming together as now Michael and Brittany seem to be playing the same game as well alongside Joseph, Monte, Turner, Kyle, and Taylor. I'm not sure how long Big Brother plans on this twist staying in effect, maybe until the early stages of the jury, but this only stands to get more interesting with a majority alliance forming...again. The Leftovers now make up more than half of the house, which means they can control the game as long as they keep winning. The twist hasn't done anything too crazy yet, outside of allowing for a pair to be taken off the block. I think it'll be a minute before we see something truly amazing. 

Daniel+Nicole v. Taylor

This week's big story before Eviction Night was the blow-up by Daniel on Taylor. Just like most arguments in the Big Brother house, it started with a bad misunderstanding and spiraled from there. Nicole, visibly shaken about having to likely throw the veto competition to get her and Taylor on the block to evict Taylor, took offense to Taylor saying that it's okay if she wants to throw in the towel, regardless of whether it affected her game or not. Before this, the rest of the house was unaware of what was going on with Nicole and they were fearing it had something to do with things outside of the game, leading Taylor and others to pray everything was going to be fine. Nicole took offense to Taylor's comment about throwing in the towel and proceeded to lecture her on how she is an adult and can fight her own battles. She said that Taylor's words were very passive-aggressive and she didn't appreciate them. Taylor apologized and gave Nicole space, but it wasn't long before Daniel got involved. Nicole shared with Daniel and others what had happened while they were sitting in the bathroom and when Taylor walked in, the floodgates opened. Daniel berated Taylor for what she had said and told Taylor not to speak to him until Finale Night. Taylor originally thought Daniel was joking, but quickly saw that he was not. She went to speak to Daniel after he'd walked away, but it didn't make the situation any better. Daniel blamed Taylor for what happened to Paloma, saying she was doing the same thing to Nicole that she did to Paloma. Nicole lectured Taylor on thinking before she spoke and told her to be more mindful of what she was saying to others. Throughout this entire endeavor, Taylor looks petrified and is at a loss for words. 

Obviously, I wasn't in the house when this happened but based on everything that was said, Nicole and Daniel are in the wrong here. I know they don't have the fortune of knowing what everyone at home knows, but Taylor didn't mean any ill will towards Nicole at all. It's clear that she was trying to be supportive and I think Nicole blew the situation out of proportion. I also love that she can fight her own fights, yet she isn't afraid to let Daniel go to bat for her either. While no one in the house intervened in the matter, Ameerah noted in the diary room that she felt Taylor was trying to be supportive and Joseph added that he'd never seen Taylor disrespect anyone. Turner even stood up for Taylor when picking his replacement nominees this week, refusing to put Taylor on the block because not only was it not best for his game, but because she'd been bullied since entering the house and he was tired of it. Nicole and Taylor being paired together makes this even more interesting because Nicole was intentionally trying to sabotage Taylor's game all week, only for them to not end up on the block.

Turner's HOH Week

When he outlasted Ameerah to win the HOH this week, I had no clue where Turner was going to with his target. It felt like he was obviously going to go after a girl since he felt they were responsible for Pooch being sent home last week, but I wasn't sure which girl. Early in the week, it felt like it was either going to be Brittany or Taylor for the third week in a row. Nicole had been in his ear all week about putting up Brittany and Michael, since Michael is the Veto King, and then backdooring Taylor by putting herself on the block as well. This served two purposes for Nicole. First, it would get Taylor out of the house. Second, it would allow her to take advantage of whatever would happen to the saved houseguest of a pair since they'd be without a Festie Bestie. Turner agreed to do his part by nominating Brittany and Michael for eviction, citing their lack of talk about the game. It wasn't until The Pound was formed with Turner, Monte, Kyle, and Joseph before the veto competition that the plan would change. The new plan was to backdoor Ameerah since she was seen as the bigger threat amongst the girls. With Turner, Jasmine, Brittany, and Michael all guaranteed to play for the veto this week, Nicole and Taylor were picked as the final pair to join the competition. This would mean Nicole needed to throw the competition to allow themselves to be eligible for eviction. With Nicole and Taylor no longer likely to win the veto, it was perfect for Turner's plan. If he and Jasmine or Brittany and Michael won the veto competition, it meant he could backdoor Ameerah. Jasmine would make things interesting by sitting out of the competition because she's afraid of heights and passed out before the start, but it would matter since Brittany and Michael won the Power of Veto, meaning Michael has held the veto all three weeks. With Michael and Brittany off the block, it meant Terrance and Ameerah would go up as replacement nominees and the plan would kick into motion. There was just one last thing for him to do. He needed the votes to get the job done. He knew he'd have three votes with Kyle, Joseph, and Monte, but now he needed three more. Enter the rest of what would become The Leftovers. Michael and Brittany, fresh off their veto win, and Taylor agreed to join the cause and send Ameerah packing. The plan was in place for the rest of the group to execute. 

This Week's Eviction

I always love seeing the days leading up to Eviction Night, especially during a week like this. One person is certain they are going home. The other is certain they have the votes to stay. On Eviction Night, however, the vote goes the other way and they are dumbfounded. Terrance refused to campaign against Ameerah, which seemed to put her at ease a little bit because she felt confident she had the votes to stay. She had no clue what was brewing, even if she suspected it all along. By a vote of 7-4, Ameerah was sent packing. The vote went down exactly how we expected with one small exception. It should've been 6-5 based on how things were playing out, but Daniel had agreed to give Terrance a pity vote not knowing that he was really going to stay. In my opinion, it made Daniel look a little stupid, but I got a kick out of it. It's the second week in a row that someone was blindsided, but this one hit differently. Last week, everyone but Pooch knew what was about to happen. This week, people were genuinely shocked when Ameerah went home. Some were obviously faking it, but Nicole and Alyssa looked lost. That's how you know you've done it right. 

What Could Happen This Week (SPOILER FOR THE HOH COMP THAT WON'T AIR UNTIL SUNDAY)

If you're a fan of the new Leftovers alliance, then you should be happy as long as they don't break up this week. Monte was crowned the new HOH, meaning that not only is he safe, but so are Joseph and Terrance, making his decision to join the boys look really good. This is also likely good news for Brittany and Michael since they're the only other pair that is completely in the alliance, while Taylor and Kyle should also be safe. It's still possible that we see Taylor and Kyle on the block at some point since they are paired with Nicole and Daniel, respectively, but the easiest target this week would appear to be Indy and Alyssa. While Monte was working with Alyssa at some point, it's the only pair where neither is in The Leftovers. This makes them a safe choice to put up. They haven't proven to be great in competition but if they were to come down, I'd target either Daniel or Nicole to get them out of the game soon. The Leftovers have enough people voting to get whoever they want out this week as long as they work together. 

My Current Ballot for America's Favorite Houseguest After 3 Weeks

1. Taylor- It might be too early to accurately assess who should win AFH, but she'd be getting Donny-level numbers if the vote were today with the amount of support she has online.

2. Michael- The resident Veto King of the house is extremely likable and isn't one to ruffle feathers, which makes him an early favorite.

3. Joseph- He's sometimes a little too daft to see what's going on, but he's been one of the more vocal people in Taylor's corner from what I've seen. 

4. Kyle- He's similar to Joseph in personality with a little bit more goofiness to him, so he's establishing himself as a fun houseguest. 

5. Alyssa- She's the only person on the "other side of the house" that has yet to really get under my skin yet.

6. Ameerah- While she was just eliminated and she wasn't the most complimentary of Taylor the entire time, she was a strong competitor and I respect that. 

7. Terrance- Last week I'd have argued that we hadn't seen enough of Terrance to get an accurate read on him, but he's managing to survive so I have to give him props.

8. Monte- I'm not sure whether I hate to admit it or not, but Monte is growing on me after he listened to Taylor and tried to connect with her after a rough first two weeks. 

9. Brittany- Slowly as this game progresses, Brittany has become more likable in my eyes after a weird first impression that is all on me.

10. Indy- Unlike most of the people below her, I don't have anything bad to say, it's just that I don't have anything to say period since she hardly has any screentime. 

11. Jasmine- She is about as Southern as it gets so while her demeanor might look all fun and charming, she isn't someone I have on my good side right now after her HOH week.

12. Turner- His standing up for Taylor might have won him some brownie points with some, but there are some real-world implications with him that still don't sit great.

13. Nicole- I get that it's a game and while I have no problem with sabotaging someone, doing it to someone that is trying to be nice to you feels really shallow.

14. Daniel- Like with Nicole, this past week didn't make him look good as both he and Nicole quickly fell down my board.

15. Pooch- He was too proud for his own good and it blinded him from seeing what was coming for him in Week 2.

16. Paloma- While I hope she gets the help she needs, some of the things she said were inexcusable and I can't support that.