Big Brother (Week 10)- FBJ Takes Control

This week, almost anything was possible. With one of the most incredible HOH wins I've seen, the house was thrown into disarray as Bowie Jane won the HOH competition live on Thursday's episode. After weeks of male-dominated gameplay, specifically Cam and Jared, it was time for a new voice to lead the charge. With the jury phase underway, the gameplay has been focused on the endgame. Finale Night is on everyone's mind. It's too bad they still have a few more weeks to get through. 

The Lines Are Being Drawn

Not only is it clear who everyone is aligned with, it's clear that everyone knows who everyone is aligned with. Even with all the side deals and fake alliances this season, there is little hiding who is working together. There are the obvious duos of Cory and America and Matt and Jag. The older ladies of the house are working through a slightly strained relationship. Blue is getting closer to Cirie every day. Everyone thinks they have Bowie, though she's floating at the moment. We also know who is targeting whom. The main rivalry in the house is between Cory and Blue, which has been spurred on by Matt and Jag as they wait to make a big move. I'm still waiting for someone to wise up and target Matt and Jag, but their ability to win competitions keeps them from sitting on the chopping block. It keeps the narrative of the second half from being interesting but will make their demise all the more sweet when it happens. 

Zingbot Returns

A staple of the show for over a decade, Zingbot returned to the Big Brother house to zing the houseguests before the veto competition. While opinions on Zingbot are divided due to his often lazy and uninspired zings, I teeter more on enjoying his appearances. It's more that I like the houseguests' reactions when they see him because it has become a right of passage to be insulted. This year, it was a mixed bag. There were some truly terrible ones, like calling Felicia wrinkly despite her lack of wrinkles, comparing Bowie Jane to a Great White Shark, trashing Blue's clearly brilliant fashion sense, or comparing Jag to poorly punned cars. There were also some mediocre burns, like making fun of Matt for picking a cardboard cutout of Josh Duhamel during the Buddy Games veto competition or calling Cameron a Major F'n Tool, though everyone agreeing in the Diary Room after was funny. The best of the group were America, Cory, and Cirie. Zingbot roasted America about her relationship with Cory, accusing her of robbing the cradle. Cory was insulted through Zingbot's parody of "America, the Beautiful," in which he's given a laundry list of insults that he takes on the chin. Cirie's was the best, tying in her prior history on Survivor and how she's been left alone on an island again with Jared and Izzy out of the house. I also liked that Mecole was zinged without being in the game anymore. Overall, it was fine. They combined Zingbot with OTEV, so I can't complain too much. 

Bowie Jane's HOH Reign

While not her original plan, Bowie Jane made the biggest move of the season. Though Jag and Matt convinced her to target Cameron after her initial hesitation, she'll be credited with the move since it came during her HOH reign. Was this the right move for her game? Maybe. Jag and Matt seem keen on keeping her in the house until at least the Final 4 since they're confident they can beat her in competitions, so evicting Cameron might've been the right thing. However, Cameron's insistence to keep her safe seemed genuine enough. My frustration with her was how she constantly said she didn't want to get blood on her hands by making a big move. The thing about it is Cameron was the consensus target already. If she hadn't made this move, the house would've been more upset, especially since Matt and Jag lead the charge. No one would target her right now, so she had nothing to worry about. Even if Cameron stays, I doubt Bowie Jane would've been at the top of his list. Ultimately, she made the right decision.

This Week's Eviction

I appreciate the editing team for the Thursday episode. While we were left with a cliffhanger on Tuesday night and still needed to see Cameron get put on the block, they didn't treat us like we were idiots. While we got segments of Cameron trying to stay in the house, it was clear he was the target and would be out the door on Thursday. Instead, we got to see some preparations for the coming week. I liked Cameron's final plea to the house to keep him, promising not to evict any of them and to throw every competition. I also appreciated Cameron's self-awareness during his exit interview with Julie. However, this doesn't automatically make me like him. He was frustrating to watch. While he was edited well during the episodes, Cameron wasn't the saint he was portrayed as. His conversations and interactions with America don't sit well. He also failed to hear people out when he was in power. His loyalty was to whoever would do his bidding, and if you failed to do it, you were next. There was no gray area. Now, he gets to sit in the jury house for a few weeks before casting his vote for the winner. Cameron had been on borrowed time for weeks. He couldn't win his way out of this one. 

What Could Happen Next Week (WITH HOH SPOILERS)

Under the veil of anonymity, Jag has won his first HOH competition of the season by smashing the BB Comics competition that is usually used for the veto. It's not much of a surprise, so it'll quickly be figured out by the rest of the house. They know Cirie and Felicia didn't win it, and Bowie Jane couldn't compete. This leaves five players to pick from. Matt already knows Jag won, and Cirie suspects he did since he's a terrible liar. As for Jag's nominations, there are two routes he could take. The first would be to go big and put Cory and America on the block. He does this at the risk of people narrowing further who the HOH is by taking Cory and America out of consideration, leaving himself, Matt, and Blue. However, I think Jag is going to play it incredibly safe. With the uncertainty surrounding the power for the winner of the veto competition, there's no reason to risk anything. The only clue Julie left the audience with was that the houseguests would see double. This leads me to speculate there'll either be two winners or the winner gets to take both people off the block. If that's the case, put Felicia and Cirie as your nominees to increase your odds of winning it.