Big Brother 26, Week 7 Review- Quinn-finite Miscalculations

With this season's sparkplug evicted last week, I was concerned about the next steps for the houseguests in the final week before the jury phase begins. Little did I know that this would be just as exciting a week as there has been this season. Tucker's eviction meant a void needed to be filled. Instead of one player filling the void, half of the house stepped in to do the job. It resulted in another fun week as we waved goodbye to the pre-jury stage of Big Brother 26. 

Leah's Mist is Very Real

The main story of Wednesday and Thursday's episodes revolved around the trio of Quinn, Joseph, and Leah. There is no hiding how much Quinn and Joseph have been trying to win Leah's affection, only to be shut down and friend-zoned. Still, Leah has misted the two of them so much that they'd do almost anything for her. Leah deliberately went against the wishes of them both, yet they both instantly forgave her. The production team has slowly been introducing Leah as a major character over the last week or so, allowing the casual audience to see into the twisted triangle of platonic-ness. After a few close calls, Leah was finally able to win her first competition of the season, using it to take Angela off the block, in a move that clearly surprised Quinn and Joseph. One thing led to another, leading to a tense Thursday night. 

Quinn's HOH Week

I refuse to believe that Quinn is the worst Head of Household in Big Brother history. However, might he be the worst to ever be the HOH more than once? During his two weeks in charge, Quinn has inadvertently sent two allies home. Like Cedric's eviction a few weeks ago, this didn't need to be how it played out. I didn't hate Quinn's initial nominees after winning the HOH Competition on Thursday night. The real head-scratcher was his decision to nominate Joseph instead of T'kor after Leah used the veto. Quinn made it seem like he had no choice but to nominate Joseph if anyone came off the block. Truthfully, he didn't HAVE to do it. His rationale seemed related to last week's blindside, but T'kor didn't get to vote and the rest of her alliance voted to keep Tucker. By putting Kimo on the block, Quinn all but severed his ties with The Visionaries, even if Kimo wasn't his target. Completely cutting the cord by putting T'kor up would've made more sense than putting Joseph up for a reason that was devoid of all logic. The looks on Quinn's face after the vote reveal and as the episode ended tell the entire story.

Eviction Thoughts

While I've learned not to assume based on how a competition looks, it was hard to ignore how Rubina-coded Thursday's AI Arena appeared. The rope de-tangling competition favored a smaller, more agile person, both of which are adjectives I wouldn't use to describe Joseph or Kimo. Rubina won easily, making three attempts to connect her piece before Kimo or Joseph attempted it once. For all of the uncertain votes we've faced this season, this was the toughest one to call. All of the momentum appeared to be for a Kimo eviction, only for the house to pull a 180 and send Joseph packing by a 4-3 vote. Chelsie sealed the deal by breaking the 3-3 deadlock after Angela voted out Kimo, thinking she didn't have the votes to keep him.

Along with the edit of Joseph pining for Leah, we also saw the delusions of the season's "main character." I was skeptical of Joseph's chances to win the game during the preseason, only for him to reaffirm my thoughts with how he conducted himself in the house. Joseph believed himself to be the one person everyone cared about and thought that he had a chance to win America's Favorite Houseguest. I can't see into the future, but I'd be willing to bet that won't happen. Chelsie summed up Joseph perfectly with her scathing review of his game. Joseph claimed they were playing similar games, which is categorically false. He now joins a list of superfans who thought they could use the Dr. Will strategy of throwing competitions to keep themselves safe, only for it to bite them in the behind. 

Week 8 Preview (WITH HOH SPOILERS)

Chelsie winning the HOH Competition on Thursday night might've been the best outcome possible for Quinn. What looked like a certain week on the block now looks a little bit brighter, especially with this not being a double eviction situation. The plan is for Kimo and Angela to go on the block once nomination time comes on Friday, but it doesn't mean Quinn is out of the woods. There is plenty of time for the plans to change in Quinn's direction. Still, I find it unlikely with one of his biggest allies remaining at the helm of the planning. If this all ends with Angela being evicted, I'll be a happy camper. 

It's Jury Time!!!

With nine houseguests remaining after Joseph's eviction, it's time for the jury phase to begin, signaling the road to Finale Night in October. The pre-jury phase of Big Brother 26 was phenomenal, especially over the last four weeks. Week 1 set the stage for what was to come, and, while Weeks 2 and 3 had their moments, Week 4 is when things really started to take off. We withstood the quirks of Lisa and the complaining of Kenney to eventually see the rise and fall of Tucker. It's only fitting that the final pre-jury vote was the closest of the season thus far. 

While Big Brother 25 had its fair share of dramatic moments, this season has felt like a return to form for the show. It feels like the production team listened to most of our criticisms and gave us a game that has left us questioning everything on Eviction Night. We have the AI Arena to thank for some of that. The Thursday night competition has left plans up in the air for the last seven weeks, providing the drama in the lead-up to the vote. The beginning of the jury means the end of the AI Arena, but that was the right call. We have it to thank for making the pre-jury so entertaining. Hopefully, we won't see the fall off that Big Brother 25 experienced with Zombie Week.