Big Brother 25 (Week 11)- "Invisibility", Multiplicity, and Americory

While my title for the week doesn't rhyme perfectly, it basically sums up this week of Big Brother in a nutshell. With the Comicverse taking over the house, it was supposed to be a week dominated by anonymity. That's not how this house operates. It led to some big blowups, high drama, and one of the biggest blindsides of the season. All in all, it made for a good week of Big Brother. 

BB Comics

Much like Zingbot last week, BB Comics has become a staple of Big Brother once we reach this point in the game. Also, like Zingbot, they can be very hit or miss, playing off the broadest detail of the houseguest to create a comic character that might be really good or really bad. This year's crop of comics was largely misses. There were a few rare decent ones, like Matt's pool-themed character, Pool-tergeist, Jared as Muffin Hands, or Red as his living embodiment, The Chill-Billy. All three play on commonly known things about each. Others like Cirie, Blue, Hisam, Cameron, and Jag were fine. The rest were really lazy or uninspired. The three worst comics of the season were Mecole, Kirsten, and Cory. There was nothing remotely funny or clever about any of their comics. I'll give production a pass on Kirsten because she was only in the house for nine days, but there's no excuse for getting Cory's wrong. He's been one of the most interesting players in the game for weeks, and this felt like a huge letdown. 

A Week Full of Powers

We were given a heads-up before the week started that the Comicverse would be taking over, and with it came a new crop of twists and powers to change the game. First, the identity of the winner of the HOH Competition would not be revealed to the house. They would reign using the Power of Invisibility, secretly making their nominations. The production team also clarified that the winner of this HOH would be able to compete in the next one since it'd be a secret. Next, the Power of Multiplicity had the houseguests seeing double as two veto winners would be crowned, meaning both initial nominees would come off the block. 

As for the execution of the powers, one was good. The other was awful. Let's start with the bad one. The Power of Invisibility wasn't really a thing. The competition was BB Comics, and the final time was 8:30, thus narrowing down the field of potential winners. Once it was announced that Jag won, he immediately told Matt, then told Cory and America shortly after. Cirie, being the genius she is, knew almost immediately that Jag won, and Felicia was able to suss it out once she went on the block. Bowie Jane found out at some point, and Blue thought it was America or Cory for most of the week. Jag didn't keep it a secret, meaning there was no anonymity. The fact that Julie continued to treat it as an Invisible HOH during the eviction episode, despite being referenced during one of the final speeches, was laughable. On the other hand, I liked the Power of Multiplicity. I thought it was executed well. An endurance competition crowned the first winner, while a crapshoot would give us our second winner. The first competition came down to Jag and Blue, with the HOH winning, but Blue was able to win the second one by guessing how long Jag would be able to swing. Two winners also meant we could get a huge double blindside backdoor, adding intrigue to an otherwise dull week. 

Jag's Reign as HOH

Over the last few weeks, we've seen Jag morph into a different player. Unfortunately, the player he's becoming is unbearable. There's an air of self-righteousness to his current strategy that will burn many bridges. The target on his back will increase significantly, and he has no one to blame but himself. He could've operated this week under the veil of anonymity, with Matt being the only person he told about winning the HOH. Instead, he'd told everyone by the end of the week. His initial nomination of Blue and Felicia mattered and didn't matter simultaneously. They mattered because he was attempting to get someone out who thought they were working with him and burning the bridge to a potential ally. They didn't matter because everyone played in the veto competitions, so anyone had a chance to win. Plus, even though America told Blue she was the initial target, Blue doesn't care and remains loyal to Jag and Matt. It ended up being a sloppy week for Jag, which is par for the course. The target on his back has grown, and he'll be gone once someone other than Matt or Bowie gets power. 

This Week's Eviction

As someone who liked both America and Cory, seeing one of them leave this week was tough. I understand those who dislike the showmance celebrating, and while I wasn't bawling my eyes out, it hurt my heart a little to see them separated. Cory knew the writing was on the wall the minute Blue won the veto competition and says numerous times it's the move he would've made if he were in Jag's shoes. America reacted much differently. She was more confrontational, letting Jag, Matt, and Blue hear how mad she was. Ultimately, Cory was the target, no matter how much Thursday's episode wanted us to think otherwise. He took his eviction gracefully, choosing not to blow up anyone's game, and take his spot in the jury house as the second juror. I preferred Cory leaving over America because the potential for America's revenge felt much more exciting than Cory's. America would go right after Matt and Jag however she could. 

What Could Happen Next Week (WITH HOH SPOILERS)

Jag winning another HOH feels like a punishment from production. There is no reason he should've been allowed to play in this competition or, at the very least, forced to throw it. Being the Invisible HOH, his goal should be to remain anonymous, hence the term invisible. Instead, Big Brother's production team made a clear statement that the Invisible HOH would be able to compete in the net HOH Competition with no mention of throwing the competition. This completely negates the purpose of the power without any repercussions for not remaining anonymous. Instead, Jag competed and won his second straight HOH. Unless he decides to do something incredible, America is going to the jury house next Thursday. Maybe there's a slim chance Blue goes, but we shouldn't kid ourselves. Americory will soon be reunited. The only thing that could salvage this week is an exciting second half of the double eviction on Thursday night. With it being a live HOH competition, it'll likely be a quiz or knockout competition. With Jag unable to compete, this leaves Matt to face the rest of the women in the house. This should put Jag on the chopping block if Matt doesn't win. Knowing our luck, it'll be anti-climactic. 

The Path to the End for the Final 7

7. America- Of the seven remaining players, America is the only one that I can't see winning the game. Even if she miraculously makes it to the Final 2, there isn't anyone left in the house that she can beat. She doesn't have any competition wins. Her strategy has primarily been linked to Cory and being in a showmance. Obviously, it isn't impossible for her to win, but she has the lowest odds to win of the remaining seven. I don't think she'd have the jury votes. 

6. Blue- It's a minor miracle that Blue has lasted this long in the game. She would've been out the door this week if not for her winning the second veto competition. This one win is enough for me to place her higher than America, but she faces a tough test against the rest of the houseguests. She could get votes to win if it's her and America in the Final 2. Against anyone else, she likely falls short. If she were to make a massive move by winning the HOH and taking out Matt or Jag, that could help her chances of winning exponentially. 

5. Felicia- No one has survived the block more times this season than Felicia has. She's been on the block five times this season, including three times on Eviction Night. Yet, she remains in the house with a decent shot at winning the game. She's one of three women to win the HOH this season and has become a constant source of entertainment. As for her chances of winning, they are lower, primarily due to her ability to win competitions. She's more than willing to target the big fish in the house but hasn't shown a consistent ability to wield power. Her HOH win came on a crapshoot, and she stands no chance with anything physical. It's more likely Jag and Matt cut her before she can cut them. 

4. Bowie- I think Bowie is in a similar boat to Felicia. She has an HOH win, winning a quiz competition against Felicia. What sets her apart from Felicia is her willingness to work with Matt and Jag without any questions asked. She'll blindly follow them to the end. Like Felicia, I don't see her earning the ability to cut Matt and Jag before she gets cut. However, she stands a better chance of gaining power than Felicia, which is why she stands a better chance of making it to the end. She can beat Blue or America handily, and a vote between her and Felicia would be close. She made a big move by taking out Cameron, but Jag is more likely to take credit for that after winning the veto. I've come a long way in liking Bowie. I wouldn't mind her sitting in the Final 2. 

3. Jag- After being unanimously evicted and saved by Matt, Jag has proved that social strategy in Big Brother means nothing as long as you win competitions. With six wins and being the first-ever back-to-back HOH, Jag is purely reliant on his athletic abilities. Whether he knows it or not, his social game has gone down the drain. No one will take him to the Final 2, except for maybe Matt. The first chance people get, he will be out of the house. However, he ranks this high because he's guaranteed to play in every veto competition from here on out. He's won four of them to this point and is more than capable of winning more. The best chance he has of making it to the Final 2 is to win his way out, but even then, it might not be enough because his jury management has been poor. Cory and America, should she make it to the jury. He stands no chance sitting next to Matt or Cirie, even with more wins than them. His only hope is to get them out before the Final 2, and I'm not sure he's thinking about doing that. 

2. Cirie- The social prowess possessed by Cirie Fields was already public knowledge before she entered the house. The masterclass she's put on for the last 11 weeks has been phenomenal, and she's right around the corner from Finale Night. She positioned herself excellently in the game without needing to hold power. She came close to winning this most recent HOH, which would've meant Jag or Matt going on the block and one being evicted. There is an argument to be made for her to win against pretty much everyone. Her biggest detractors will say her lack of competition wins will be a major issue preventing her from winning. I'd argue it's more impressive that she's made it this far without being in power. She helped to orchestrate so many big moments early in the season, and now she's faded into the background while the rest of the house throws shots at one another. She's the best-positioned person in the house at the moment. Cory being in the jury house as a huge fan could help to rally some support for her, allowing her to finally win a CBS reality show. 

1. Matt- For weeks, Matt has been the consensus pick to win Big Brother. While he's become more of a target, he remains the least threatening half of his duo. Jag is going before Matt unless Jag wins a veto with both of them on the block. He hasn't won an HOH yet and only has one veto win, but he's been very good in two crucial areas. Despite his size and pedigree, he's kept his profile low by not winning so much. He's come close several times and is a physical threat, but he hasn't needed to turn it on. His jury management has also been solid. Cory and America will likely blame Jag for their downfall more than Matt. Cameron will blame Jag for using the veto to get him placed on the block. Matt has an excellent relationship with Cirie and Felicia, even if they want to target him and his partner. Jag will likely get some heat from Blue if she's evicted while he's in power. Matt is in a good spot to win the game. He could run into trouble against Cirie if he is in the Final 2 with her, but he should win in almost every other scenario.