Recapping BB16 Weeks 1-8

With the tragic eviction of my favorite
Houseguest, Nicole, I just had to make
some time for this blog.

First of all, I apologize for my continued absence from the blog this summer. I've been on multiple trips and all around just busy, and with the school year approaching, things won't get less busy. However, I want to keep talking about BB as we head into the late game stage, and I do plan (as of now) to have full coverage of Survivor in the fall. I have still been watching BB16, though, and with the tragic eviction of my favorite Houseguest, Nicole, I just had to make some time for the blog.

Since I haven't talked about Big Brother since the first week, let's go through the big events and players we encountered throughout the season. (Image credit CBS)

She tried. RIP.

Week 1: Joey tries to get the girls together and fails 

I've already covered this in great detail, so I'll just refer back to my pre-season prediction for Joey: 

Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll ingratiate herself with the women to survive.

Well, she tried. RIP Joey.

Week 2: The Reign of Devin

For the record, I think Devin was awesome and he went home far too soon. Of course, he was a terrible player, but wonderfully entertaining. As Paola says, he "has three different personalities and they all suck" (but in a good way). Honestly, he never really accomplished much--getting a floater*** like Paola out wasn't a big achievement, and the Bomb Squad blew up pretty quickly (although Caleb still thinks it exists!). Still, bring Devin back for All Stars!

Paola was terrible
and only a
little funny.

Here's what I thought of Paola pre-game:

Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll appeal to some people in the House and be really funny, but her huge personality could turn others off.

Ok, I was totally wrong on this one. She was terrible, only a little funny, and...what huge personality?

***I'm not sure if I've ever talked about the negative connotation Rachel and other players have given to floaters in Big Brother. An actual floater is someone who doesn't really play the game, like Victoria or Paola. People like Andy from BB15 are NOT floaters, they're just excellent at switching between alliances and are playing the game very well.

Never use the words
gameplay, fantastic,
and Devin anywhere
near each other.

Week 3: The Fall of Devin

Alas, all good things must come to an end. At this stage of the game, I would have much rather seen Beastmode Cowboy go home over Devin, but it was not to be. It was also around this time that we saw the formation of the two main alliances--which would later come into conflict. The Detonators and Trinity (or whatever Haycole and Chrstine called themselves) were created.

Preseason on Devin:

Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. Devin's going to need to be making deals and alliances right away, and I think he's up to the challenge.

HAHAHAHAHA never use the words "gameplay," "fantastic," and "Devin" anywhere near each other. He was certainly up to the challenge of making alliances, though.

Brittany was
just bad.

Week 4: Brittany kicks 2400 goals as a punishment and is subsequently evicted

For some reason, the Detonators now decided that Brittany was a huge threat to them. I guess there was some merit in this, since she wasn't throwing in the towel like some of the other girls *cough* Paola and Victoria *cough*. I liked Brittany a fair amount--she was feisty and wanted to stick around, but she just wasn't a good player and her recruitment status got the better of her.

Preseason on Brittany: 

Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a little worse than Sarah, and a little more emotional. Who knows how strong she could be once she's inside, but the separation from her kids could make her crack just a week or two in. That seems harsh, doesn't it? Well, don't blame me--it's a guess!

Well, she certainly wasn't very good, but it didn't have to do with her kids--she was just bad.

Amber was a
decent player.

Week 5: Amber is America's biggest physical threat...right????

Team America...what a failure of a twist. Derrick molds the Team America tasks into his own plans and he, Frankie, and Donny are all paid for playing the game. This week we also saw the BB Love Triangle of Amber, Cody, and Caleb. I don't need to delve into Caleb's crazy, stalkerish obsession with Amber too much, but suffice it to say it was better for both of them that she was evicted when she was. Caleb is much more entertaining and bearable without her in the house. 

Preseason on Amber: 

Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a nice girl that people like and will stick around for a while, but will eventually be evicted before the jury as a pawn.

Not too far off, but I actually think I didn't give Amber enough credit...she was a decent player.

Week 6: Frankie almost gets backdoored

Poor, hapless
Jocasta.

I was really excited at this point...by now the house was controlled by the admittedly successful Detonators alliance, and Nicole/Hayden represented the biggest opposition. I had no huge problem with Zach (although at that point I was getting tired of his shtick), but taking him or Frankie out was a huge move that Nicole was willing to make, which was definitely great. Unfortunately, stupid Christine had to interfere, winning the Veto and keeping the nominations the same in her personal vendetta against Zach. And then even that failed, when Caleb of all people convinced Derrick to safe Zach. Poor, hapless Jocasta (who was pretty funny in the diary room) was evicted. As soon as Hayden didn't win HOH, I was convinced that Nicole was going to get the ultimate Double Eviction backdoor. It was close, but they chose to send home the physical threat half of Haycole...still very sad.

Preseason on Jocasta:

Gameplay Predictions: Decent. I think that she can get along relatively well with the other Houseguests but will probably get taken out somewhere in the middle.

Hayden was playing
a great game.

Well, that one was spot on!

Preseason on Hayden:

Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. I'll probably be totally wrong, but Hayden is going to be my pre-season winner's pick!

Well, there goes another winner pick. I've had a lot of luck with TAR winner picks, but no so much in Survivor or Big Brother. Still, he was playing a great game until that night, and he could still come back (although I hope it's Nicole).

Week 7: Nicole's in trouble...no she's safe! No, she's in trouble...she's saved! Dang, she got evicted.
Going into this week, I thought that the Detonators would sweep both HOHs, Nicole would be backdoored, and that would be that. You can imagine my elation when she won HOH, made a deal with Christine, and then sold Frankie out to his alliance, making him the target. It seemed her safety was secured when Caleb planned on throwing the Battle of the Block to keep Frankie up, which would ensure that Nicole remained HOH. But I saw Nicole's spot in the game evaporate before my eyes when Frankie single-handedly won the BoB (a task that should be impossible). I don't normally agree with any of the conspiracy theories about production influence, but this wouuuuld be the perfect time for them to intervene. That's all I'll say on that subject. Even then, it looked like Nicole could still be safe, as Christine was intent on once again evicting Zach...but then he won Veto. RIP, Nicole! You were my favorite! And hopefully you'll come back!

Nicole could
come back and be
a force to be
reckoned with.

Preseason on Nicole:

Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. This is a hard cast to predict, but I think Nicole is going to be one of the standout players of this season.

There's no doubt that Nicole was certainly a very good player--definitely the best female player this season. She was just too trustworthy and was outmaneuvered by Derrick at every turn. I see Nicole as someone like Andrea or Parvati--she showed some promise the first time she played, and with one game under her belt, could come back and be a force to be reckoned with.

I guess it's time to start rooting for Donny, right?

But honestly, Derrick is playing a fantastic game, and if he wins, I think we're talking about one of the best BB players ever. We'll have to see how this all shakes out. I'm looking forward to the endgame, and I will try to keep blogging about it. I've been staying away from the spoiler forums on Survivor, because I have reason to believe game spoilers are available this season, but I have learned a few things that I will post soon. Stay tuned!

Recap of the Week 1 Eviction

As soon as the other girls decided to sell out Joey and her dreams of an all-girl alliance, her eviction was all but guaranteed. Still, this year's batch of Houseguests is doing a great job keeping excitement high and making this week a success. (Image credit CBS)

        

         This year's batch of Houseguests is doing a great job keeping excitement high.

Devin and Caleb continued their paranoia of Donny on Wednesday's show. Instead of believing he's an actor or professional comedian, Donny is now ex-military! That's right, super-soldier Donny doesn't have hair on his legs, so Caleb is now completely convinced that Donny used to be a soldier.

When Devin asks Donny about his profession that night, Donny replies honestly that he's just a groundskeeper, but the trust holding the Double D alliance together (which is just a sham by this point anyway) has been eroded.

Before we talk about Joey, I wanted to touch on the most important topic of conversation in the Big Brother house...Nicole has found her ghost! Honestly, watching her and Christine freak out over the Big Brother Ghost was kind of adorable and it makes them even easier to root for.

The arrow may be pointing up for them, but it plummeted for Joey on Wednesday night. She tried to reconvene the girls' alliance for a meeting...but suddenly, no one was on board anymore. Jocasta of all people was the voice of reason, telling her (in the Diary Room) that you can't start an all-girl alliance with 7 people.

And then Amber, who's total loyalty apparently now lies with the Bomb Squad (who're certain to kick her out at Final 8 or 7 anyway) ratted Joey out to Caleb and Devin, who each then had one-on-one conversations (read: interrogations) with Joey. After becoming House Target #1,  Joey decided to come clean, which I actually think was the best course of action. Obviously it didn't work out for her, but I think it would have gone even worse had she lied. Although I guess it's hard to get a worse deal than a 13-0 vote, huh?

And when super-soldier Donny uses his military skills and comedic powers to win the Veto (not that he had much competition...I mean, "competive"? "Caltoru?" Come on!), Joey caltorus herself onto the block. I think I'm going to use that word in this blog now. It's a good substitute for anything.

        

       Super-soldier Donny uses his military skills and comedic powers to win the Veto.

Even though Joey pulled out all the stops by introducing her alter-ego Alex, Christine, Brittany, and Nicole expressed discontent with the dictatorship in the house, and Devin drove everyone crazy by trying to get a unanimous vote (which he did), Joey was still shown the backdoor last night. RIP Joey. You were fun while you lasted.

We then were treated to two HOH competitions; one for women and one for men, ostensibly to ensure that we got a female HOH this week, which I'm all for. Although I really wish it wasn't someone so loyal to the Bomb Squad like Amber. I certainly wanted Nicole and Christine to throw it, so that they'd stay low, but Brittany and Victoria have a bone to pick with the guys and I'd have liked to see them win.

For the guys, my thoughts were the same. I was really rooting for Hayden to win (even though it would have made him a target, but he'll be a likely nominee this week anyway), or possibly Donny, so he could put up some Bomb Squad members. 

But Hayden and apparently Cody choked right at the end of the comp, leaving Devin as the winner...which, as some have pointed out, makes him a prime target for backdooring. If Devin's nominees win the Battle of the Block, he'll be dethroned as HOH. If Amber is on board and someone who's part of the plan wins the Veto, Devin could be going home this week, which would be hilarious.

Alright...time to update my thoughts about the Houseguests.

Amber Borzotra
What I said: "She could be the challenge goddess of this season."
What I saw: She's definitely the strongest of the girls..we shall see how she stacks up against the guys. I hope Amber is in on the backdooring plan to send Devin packing.

Donny Thompson
What I said: "Everyone does love him and his cricket noises, but he's also intelligent and held his own in the comp."

What I saw: Donny SHOULD have been safe, but for some reason, Devin decided to target him and Donny was forced to win the Veto to save himself. Apparently Devin has now decided not to go after Donny until jury, so hopefully he'll be safe now.

Zach Rance
What I said: "I want to like Zach, because he's one of the nerds/gamers of the season, but he's too abrasive. He'll go soon."

What I saw: Zach has toned it down a lot, and apparently sleeps all day, which is a great strategy this early in the season. He also has a close relationship with Frankie which could help him out.

        

                  Zach sleeps all day, which is a great strategy this early in the season.

Victoria Rafaeli
What I said: "She'll be Frankie's pawn, which I'm fine with, but I don't foresee Victoria making moves on her own."

What I saw: Well, she's not Frankie's pawn...maybe she'll be Brittany's. I don't like Victoria but I hope she helps the house minority take back control.

Cody Calafiore:
What I said: "He's not as dumb as he looks."

What I saw: Very little from Cody over the past few days, except for fouling in the HOH comp. He seems like he's in a good spot if he can stay unnoticed. 

Derrick Levasseur
What I said: "I thought Derrick got off to an admirable start, and his parental connections will help him."

What I saw: Not much from Derrick, but he seems like a smart cookie. I think he'll stay off to the side and observe.

Brittany Martinez
What I said: "...she was engaging the other Houseguests at the HOH challenge and has given no indication of extreme emotions...yet."

What I saw: I was rooting for Brittany to win the HOH comp, not because I like her, but because I think she'll put Bomb Squad members up. She's not Head of Household, but hopefully she can find other ways to fight.

Nicole Franzel
What I said: "I'm still looking forward to great things from Nicole; she seems very smart."

What I saw: Nicole is great! She has a strong bond with Christine and apparently with Hayden as well...that would be a final 3 I'd be interested in seeing! She needs to stay low and not make any moves.

       

                          Nicole needs to stay low and not make any moves.

Frankie Grande
What I said: "Frankie is here to play, and my only worry with him is that he will be too big of a target, especially because he won that first HOH."

What I saw: Frankie is actually in a great spot, at least for now; he's got a strong alliance behind him, and even if that alliance gets targeted, Devin and Caleb will go first.

Devin Shepherd
What I said: "Devin is going to have a tough time of things, but he's a likable guy and I think alliances (like the Double Ds) will carry him through."

What I saw: Devin is a trainwreck! He's hilarious and ridiculous and it would be great if he gets backdoored this week, but also great if he stays to cause trouble.

Joey Van Pelt
What I said: "I think she's fully invested in her girls' alliance. Whether that succeeds remains to be seen..."

What I saw: Spoiler alert. It didn't succeed. During the pre-game assessment, I said Joey's gameplay would be "Decent. She'll ingratiate herself with the women to survive." Well, she tried at least. I was entertained by Joey and I'm disappointed she's gone so soon.

Paola Shea
What I said: "Paola seems to want to take over this house, and I'm rooting for her."

What I saw: Instead of ruling the roost, Paola is the default pawn...but I'm still rooting for her! 

Hayden Voss
What I said: "I can see him working hard at every competition and then becoming a huge target during his HOH week."

What I saw: Hayden's going to be a target for the Bomb Squad whether he's HOH or not, so he might as well try to win. If Devin is overthrown this week and the majority alliance starts to fracture, he might have a chance...if not, it's only a matter of time before he's targeted.

Caleb Reynolds
What I said: "It's strange because Caleb is extremely aggressive and willingly shows off his strength, but it's just making people like Devin want to ally with him."

What I saw: As soon as the Bomb Squad crumbles (which will be soon), Caleb will be a huge target and I do not predict he will make it another month.

        

               As soon as the Bomb Squad crumbles, Caleb will be a huge target.

Jocasta Odom
What I said: "She was invisible in the episode and all I found out about her is that she's super religious...which we already knew. Stay tuned."

What I saw: Still pretty invisible. But at least she's funny!

Christine Brecht
What I said: "We haven't seen too much of Christine, but similar to Nicole, I think she could control the endgame if she can get that far."

What I saw: She's a little less under the radar than Nicole, and needs to keep her challenge prowess under wraps, but things are still looking good for Christine!

I'll be back for the Sunday night episode recap, as well as a preview of the TARCAN cast, so stay tuned!

BB16 Week 1: Sunday Night

We had wild scheming and late night strategy sessions, but he thing that surprised me the most about Sunday's BB episode was...the new theme music/intro!! And it was great! Although I suppose I'm here to talk about the other stuff, huh? Let's get to it then (Image credit CBS).

                                            

                                                            Frankie's reign is now over :(

Starting off the episode, two two-person deals were made; Frankie and Caleb made an HOH pact and Christine and Nicole formed the Nerd Glasses Alliance, which I am VERY excited about! I would absolutely love for Christine and Nicole to be the final two. Can they go the distance? I think so.

But a much bigger alliance dominated this episode. The Bomb Squad began when Frankie and Caleb decided to recruit some numbers in the form of Derrick and Devin, which is not a bad move, I suppose.  Although I have to give props to Derrick for balking (in the Diary Room) at jumping straight into an alliance.

And THEN the Bomb Squad needs a fifth and sixth, right? So naturally we'll recruit Cody and Zach. This was the point I stopped taking this alliance seriously and started laughing. Cody voiced my thoughts perfectly when he said he wasn't sure if he'd just joined the next Brigade or the next Moving Company.

Devin really proves to be the brains behind the operation...the overthinking, hyperactive, paranoid brains that constantly gets in trouble. He scrambles so much that he makes Andrea Boehlke in her vote-off episode on Caramoan look like she's having a relaxing afternoon on the beach.

Because Devin is so confident in his new 6-person alliance, he informs us that the Danielle DiLorenzo alliance with Donny is now over, and fake cries in the storeroom with Donny for some unfathomable reason.

That's it, right? Wrong. This is Devin we're talking about! He's always playing the game...even at 4:30 in the morning, when he recruits Amber and Christine to join the all-guys alliance. Hang on...I'm pretty sure the key word there is ALL-GUYS. 

The funniest part is when Devin then wakes Caleb up and says something like "Bro, we gotta talk. I think we need to add Amber and Christine to the Bomb Squad." Caleb responds with "What?" which is a reasonable answer. Devin continues to explain and says he told them everything because "They know, bro. They already knew." 

Ummm...no they didn't! Not until you told them! Christine sums it up nicely, wondering why Devin would trust her.

So the Bomb Squad now has an 8-person alliance...half of the house! Have we EVER seen an alliance this big before? I predict there's no way it lasts through week 2.

But Devin is still not done. Instead of targeting the women like the Bomb Squad originally intended, he starts to grow worried that Donny is secretly a comedian because he's so funny and told a "pastatute" joke. Apparently Devin thought it was hilarious and dangerous, because he implores the Bomb Squad to shift their target to Donny, which they balk at. Another prediction: Devin is backdoored by the end of week 3.

                                         

                                                               Secretly a comedian.

Enough of Devin...time for nominations and the Battle of the Block, which seems like it will spice up the Sunday episodes for a time. Frankie and Caleb nominate non-Bomb Squad members, but realize there's no one left in the house that isn't part of the alliance. Just kidding. Caleb's nominees are Pow-pow and Donny, while Frankie nominates Brittany and Victoria...which is a bad idea, because Victoria thought she and Frankie were tight and now doesn't trust him. The ire of Victoria...what a scary thought.

At the very end of the episode comes the Battle of the Block, and I found myself very much rooting for Pow-pow and Donny, of course. Sadly, Paola couldn't seem to figure out how to swing in the very cool pouring-with-a-twist-on-it challenge with a 1920s theme. Eventually she got the hang of it and nearly caught up, but Victoria and Brittany pulled out the win.

Tonight's episode will hopefully see Paola or Donny (preferably the latter) pull themselves off the block and get someone boring or annoying evicted. And hopefully my winner pick of Hayden, who has so far stayed out of the spotlight and the crumbling alliance, remains safe. 

                                          

                                                       Hopefully Hayden remains safe.

I'll be back after the eviction show to recap Wednesday's and Thursday's episodes, so stay tuned! In addition, the Amazing Race Australia premieres on July 8th, and I believe Ethan and I will be covering that this season as well.

Recapping the Big Brother 16 Premiere

I was very impressed with this year's crop of Houseguests. Sure, there are some dummies and people who are just here to lie around in bikinis all summer, but there are some Houseguests here to play. Let's recap everything that happened throughout the first two days, and then I'll talk about how wrong I was about predicting the Houseguests' personas (Image credit CBS).

Night One

After enduring the forced surprise and shock of the Houseguests receiving their keys and posing in front of a camera crew, we were reunited with the Chenbot, who sent only eight Houseguests into the house, leaving the other half for the next night.

Sorry Pow-pow...El Cuatro
is doomed to failure.

Alliances immediately started forming; after the eight players agreed to stay tight against other intruders, they splintered off into several different sub-alliances. I particularly liked Devin's pact with Donny--the Double Ds is one of the few alliances I think we might be talking about for several weeks to come. Both guys realy impressed me, and I think they can stay under cover about their partnership.
El Cuatro, on the other hand, is doomed to failure even sooner than the ill-fated Big Brother Canada One alliance of the same name. Don't get me wrong--I'm all for a female Brigade-type alliance ruling the roost, but it just seems so unlikely. And if an all-woman alliance is ever going to happen, I don't see Joey, Paola, Nicole, and Amber as the ones to pull it off.

Paola and Cody also made a connection on the first night, with Paola fawning over the former soccer player throughout the evening and the HOH challenge. I have a feeling this relationship will be remarkably one-sided, and I'm already starting to see shades of Ginamarie and Nick from last year...which is even weirder considering that Paola is friends with Ginamarie, and is so far acting very similar.

I think Amber made the right call in throwing the HOH challenge to Frankie; the first HOH is always dangerous, and with the added twist it simply wasn't worth the risk. I really like Frankie and I think he could be a fantastic player. He's athletic and obviously very social, and I hope his first week as HOH works out alright.

Night Two

It became clear very quickly that there's love in the air this season--everyone's fawning over each other. I can't remember exactly who likes whom, but I predict that we'll have our first showmance within a week. 

Frankie and Victoria immediately hit it off, sharing a love of pink and vowing to be co-HOHs (yeah, no). Honestly, this will probably just drag Frankie's game down, because Victoria seems exceptionally vain and naive; if she sticks around long, she will not be playing the game, I'm sure.

Paola and Caleb, meanwhile, were scoping each other out after each identified the other as a threat. I'm looking forward to seeing their interactions over the coming week(s), and I really hope Paola gets the upper hand over Caleb.

Brittany and Derrick had the chance to bond over their kids, which is a connection they could also share with Devin, Jocasta, and maybe even with Christine, as I think she's planning on adopting. 

Not as dumb as he looks.

Zach immediately proved me right by coming across as too intense and abrasive, annoying Frankie about his high school and earning a diary room rebuke from Hayden, who I have been very impressed with so far.

The one thing that didn't impress me about Hayden was his strong performance in the HOH competition; it became clear that Caleb was going to win, so he should have just thrown it. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone is going to be looking at Hayden when Caleb showed off his strength, which immediately put a huge target on his back and doomed him.


We then learned that the first member of Team America is not Frankie, but Joey. Huh. Ariana Grande really dropped the ball there. We also find out that there will be three members of Team America, and they will complete secret tasks in the house for $5000 per task. Sounds like America's Player, but we'll have to see how the twist unfolds...I don't like it. 

She could be the
challenge goddess.

Time to see how my first impressions compared to my pre-season assessment. I'll write what I said before about the Houseguests and then what I saw from them on the show.

Amber Borzotra

What I said: "Amber isn't necessarily a player in the House this year, but she at least has a head on her shoulders, and acknowledges that a showmance would most likely ruin her game.
What I saw: Not much from Amber so far, but her throwing of the HOH was encouraging, and the fact that she was good at the challenge itself bodes well for her chances. She could be the challenge goddess of this season.

Donny Thompson
What I said: "I don't expect him to be exceptionally cunning or strategic, but I really do think everyone in the House will love him and he could make it very far."
What I saw: Donny has the whole package! Everyone does love him and his cricket noises, but he's also intelligent and held his own in the comp. I think he could make it very far barring a misstep. 

Zach Rance
What I said: "Sooner or later, people will see that he's playing hard and being arrogant, and they just will not want to keep him around."What I saw: Spot on with this one. I want to like Zach, because he's one of the nerds/gamers of the season, but he's too abrasive. He'll go soon.

Victoria Rafaeli
What I said: "She seems a little vain and full of herself...Victoria doesn't have any idea what she's getting into and will only ever have control of the game if she's lucky enough to win a comp or two."
What I saw: I was right here, too. She'll be Frankie's pawn, which I'm fine with, but I don't foresee Victoria making moves on her own.

Cody Calafiore:
What I said: "...maybe he does have some brains. If he's well-liked and popular in the House, he has all the tools to go far."
What I saw: I was actually relatively impressed with Cody. He's not as dumb as he looks. And if he cultivates a relationship with someone (a la Nick, who had control of GMs vote if he wanted it), he could be in a good spot.

No indication of
extreme emotions.

Derrick Levasseur
What I said: "Overall, he seems like a nice guy who wants to play an honest game, which is not really suitable for Big Brother. Derrick also doesn't seem like someone who's going to make a lot of waves or big moves inside the House."
What I saw: The overall theme with this cast so far is that they're outperforming our expectations. I thought Derrick got off to an admirable start, and his parental connections will help him.

Brittany Martinez

What I said: "She'll be a little worse than Sarah, and a little more emotional. Who knows how strong she could be once she's inside, but the separation from her kids could make her crack just a week or two in. 
What I saw: We saw very little from Brittany aside from her connection with Derrick, but she was engaging the other Houseguests at the HOH challenge and has given no indication of extreme emotions...yet.

Nicole Franzel
What I said: "I think a strong social game from Nicole will serve her well...I think Nicole is going to be one of the standout players of this season.
What I saw: We didn't see much of Nicole, but hey--Neda was UTR the first few weeks of BBCAN2. I'm still looking forward to great things from Nicole; she seems very smart.

Frankie Grande

What I said: "Frankie seems very personable and I think he could get along well with most people in the House, although he may be a little bit naive as well."
What I saw: Very self-aware, very charismatic, and an athletic threat too. Frankie is here to play, and my only worry with him is that he will be too big of a target, especially because he won that first HOH.

He's a likable guy.

Devin Shepherd
What I said: "I think that if he can survive those first critical weeks, Devin will be able to get into a strong enough position to make a deep run in the game...Devin's going to need to be making deals and alliances right away, and I think he's up to the challenge.
What I saw: I hold to what I said; Devin is going to have a tough time of things, but he's a likable guy and I think alliances (like the Double Ds) will carry him through.

Joey Van Pelt
What I said: "She seems like a personable type, and that could serve her well in the House. Doesn't appear to be much of a threat either."
What I saw: I have a feeling that Joey is here to play the game, and I think she's fully invested in her girls' alliance. Whether that succeeds remains to be seen, but she's always got Team America as a backup plan.


Paola Shea
What I said: "She'll appeal to some people in the House and be really funny, but her huge personality could turn others off."
What I saw: Well, she definitely has a huge personality, and it seems like people like her rather than are annoyed by her, so I have my fingers crossed. After all, Ginamarie made her way into 2nd place. Paola seems to want to take over this house, and I'm rooting for her.

Hayden Voss
What I said: "I think he could do really well and get along nicely with people...I'll probably be totally wrong, but Hayden is going to be my pre-season winner's pick!"

Extremely aggressive...will
be a huge target.

What I saw: I'm feeling good about my pick so far; he's sociable and competitive. But I can see him working hard at every competition and then becoming a huge target during his HOH week. We shall see.

Caleb Reynolds
What I said: "He could be another of the Andrew/Tom-type guys that pisses everyone off and goes from the top to the bottom in one week...he's going to make everyone mad at him and push his way along through an HOH win or two before people finally come together to vote him out.

What I saw: Well he's already got that HOH win in the bag. It's strange because Caleb is extremely aggressive and willingly shows off his strength, but it's just making people like Devin want to ally with him. But don't start thinking that's a good thing. In the long term, Caleb will be a huge target and he'll get eliminated. After all, Andrew and Tom started off as friends with the others as well.

Jocasta Odom
What I said: "I think that she can get along relatively well with the other Houseguests but will probably get taken out somewhere in the middle."
What I saw: I have absolutely nothing to work with for Jocasta. She was invisible in the episode and all I found out about her is that she's super religious...which we already knew. Stay tuned.

Christine Brecht
What I said: "Christine also came across as a little socially awkward...if she can make it through the first two weeks, Christine will become an undercover ninja and play her way to the end of the game."
What I saw: I take it back--she's not socially awkward at all. We haven't seen too much of Christine, but similar to Nicole, I think she could control the endgame if she can get that far.

That's it for the premiere recap...the Sunday night episode is tonight, so check back soon for a recap as we finally get to see the Battle of the Block. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting during the BB season, but I'll figure it out soon. It's also time to start preparing for our international Amazing Race shows...more on that soon!

Big Brother 16 Cast Scrutiny

First off, I apologize for my lengthy absence and lack of posts over the last three weeks. Big Brother is almost upon us, though (it premieres tonight, actually), and it's time to get back into the swing of things. So without further ado, here is my analysis of each contestant on the upcoming season, in no particular order (Image credit CBS).

To prepare for this, I watched each Houseguest's interview with Jeff Schroeder, and also watched some interviews with Rachel Reilly. I'll predict how well each Houseguest will be at Big Brother, from fantastic to decent to poor to terrible.

NOTE: I was a little late on posting this, so it'll go up after the first night of Big Brother, but it's all been written before seeing the episode.

Amber Borzotra
Amber lists her profession as esthetician, but she also reveals that she's a model, which is most likely the real reason that she was recruited. Yes, Amber says she applied, but I don't believe her. However, she is very calm, cool, and collected, and she seems like a genuine and honest person, which could serve her well in the House (although being too honest is also a problem). Amber isn't necessarily a player in the House this year, but she at least has a head on her shoulders, and acknowledges that a showmance would most likely ruin her game.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a nice girl that people like and will stick around for a while, but will eventually be evicted before the jury as a pawn.

Donny Thompson
Not the typical casting choice for Big Brother, is he? I'll admit that when I first saw him, I thought he'd be one of your typical Duck Dynasty-type guys and wouldn't get along well with maybe some more liberal-minded people in the House. But in his interviews, Donny is instantly likable and funny--I don't detect any malice or deceit from him at all (which could also be a bad thing on this type of show). I'm actually feeling pretty good at Donny's chances; he's also one of few true, longtime fans of Big Brother on the show. I don't expect him to be exceptionally cunning or strategic, but I really do think everyone in the House will love him and he could make it very far.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. He's going to be that one guy in the House that everyone likes and no one wants to get rid of--a friend to every clique and alliance.

Zach Rance
Wow...obviously cast to be the Dan/Ian/Matt gamer of the season, as others have already mentioned. Although I see a lot of similarities to Mike Boogie, which is unsettling. As a relatively recent Big Brother fan, I've only seen Boogie play on season 14, and he was someone that I hated but also often loved to hate. So maybe Zach will be the same way. It's completely possible that I'll end up rooting for him, and that he'll tone down the meanness and arrogance when he actually gets onto the show (like Spencer in Cagayan). I would certainly like to see some strategic gameplay this summer, so that's a plus, I suppose. I just think that Zach is overestimating himself and is going to exit the House quickly, much to his own surprise.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. He'll be trying too hard and will act similar to Garrett on this past season of Survivor. Sooner or later, people will see that he's playing hard and being arrogant, and they just will not want to keep him around.

Victoria Rafaeli
I'm not getting much from Victoria from her interviews. She seems a little vain and full of herself. Victoria says people will underestimate her because she looks naive, but I think they will accurately gauge her naivete. She plans on getting with a guy's alliance and doesn't get along well with the girls, and would rather lose the game and be loved than win and be hated (which was a great question to ask, by the way). I can see her being easily manipulated by a showmance partner and dragged along for the ride.
Gameplay Prediction: Terrible. Victoria doesn't have any idea what she's getting into and will only ever have control of the game if she's lucky enough to win a comp or two. Quite simply, she's an idiot (although of course, I could be eating my words soon).

Cody Calafiore

Cody is obviously an "ubercompetitive," attractive guy, and a professional athlete, which could be either a positive or a huge negative for him. If he can hold his ego in check, Cody will make a great player and will be loved by America (like Jeff), but I have a feeling he'll end up more along the lines of Tom and Andrew from BBCAN or Jeremy from last season. Interestingly (and positively), he says he doesn't plan on using his looks or a showmance to help himself progress through the game, so maybe he does have some brains. If he's well-liked and popular in the House, he has all the tools to go far.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. I have a feeling that I won't like him, but he'll probably be popular enough inside the House and will use his athletic ability to get himself to the jury.

Derrick Levasseur
The Rhode Island version of Tony?! Ok, look. Look. I had to talk llama 'cause...
Yeah, if you don't watch Survivor and are just a BB fan, that one will be lost on you. Anyway, Derrick does have some similarities to Tony, in that he doesn't plan on telling people that he's a cop, but I have a feeling that won't last any longer that Tony's secret did. Derrick believes that having worked undercover will help him in the game, which I agree with. Overall, he seems like a nice guy who wants to play an honest game, which is not really suitable for Big Brother. Derrick also doesn't seem like someone who's going to make a lot of waves or big moves inside the House.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. He may end up being a dud from the casting perspective--I have no idea--but I think he can stay under the radar pretty well and make it relatively far.

Brittany Martinez
Brittany obviously won't be as good as Britney, but I like her well enough. Even though she's relatively young, she was obviously cast to be the mom of the season (and has 3 kids). She reminds me a bit of Sarah from BBCAN2. I like Brittany, and she seems pretty smart, but there are a number of things not working in her favor. First of all, she's a recruit who was found in a bar two weeks before the show even started, so it might take her a while to get accustomed to the game. And apparently she cried for 48 hours straight (is that possible?) when she had to leave her kids, so that could be an issue. The jury is out on Brittany.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a little worse than Sarah, and a little more emotional. Who knows how strong she could be once she's inside, but the separation from her kids could make her crack just a week or two in. That seems harsh, doesn't it? Well, don't blame me--it's a guess!


Nicole Franzel
Here's someone I think I'm going to really like. She's a recent nursing graduation and a huge Big Brother super-fan and live feeder. Yay!!! From listening to her talk and interact with people in her interviews, she seemed very personable and charismatic, but a couple of the things she said made me worry. Nicole is scared of sleeping alone and ghosts, will probably "cry a lot," doesn't get along well with other girls, and is going to try to win the first HOH. But I think she can recover from these issues and I think a strong social game from Nicole will serve her well.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. This is a hard cast to predict, but I think Nicole is going to be one of the standout players of this season.


Frankie Grande
I'm sure we'll be taking about Frankie a lot this season, and I think all of the public voting will give him a huge edge, just like it did for Elissa last season. Frankie seems pretty smart, at least, and he says he plans on keeping money and his sister out of the equation. He says he's a super-fan, but that remains to be seen. Frankie seems very personable and I think he could get along well with most people in the House, although he may be a little bit naive as well; he doesn't think it's possible for him to win and be hated.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. He'll get along well with others and forge strong alliances to make it at least to jury.

Devin Shepherd
I liked Devin immediately, but I worry he's going to be a huge target in the House...and I mean that literally, because he's massive and very muscular, and people will want to get him out immediately because of that. Like Howard last season, though, we know that being large and strong doesn't necessarily make you a challenge beast. Devin also has a daughter, so he may be able to connect well with the other parents in the House. I think that if he can survive those first critical weeks, Devin will be able to get into a strong enough position to make a deep run in the game.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. Devin's going to need to be making deals and alliances right away, and I think he's up to the challenge.


Joey Van Pelt
Joey seems like a very interesting person, although unfortunately there was not much of a cast video for her with Jeff. I probably should have watched the other one. She says she gets along well with women, and I believe her. She seems like a personable type, and that could serve her well in the House. Doesn't appear to be much of a threat either, so if she's actually here to play the game, Joey could do well.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll ingratiate herself with the women to survive.

Paola Shea
Now here's another pre-game favorite of mine. Paola is a DJ from New York City, and seems pretty awesome. She's a fan, hilarious (at least in her interview), and has a huge personality. Of course, this could easily lead to getting the boot pretty early on, and I have no idea how well she's going to do game-wise, but I'm rooting for her and I like her personality. Paola's plan is to form an all-girl alliance...that's something we've heard before. She also says she has the memory of a goldfish, so hopefully she can forget that plan before she gets into the House; as much as I'm on board with the idea, it's never really worked on Big Brother.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll appeal to some people in the House and be really funny, but her huge personality could turn others off.

Hayden Voss
Did you say Hayden Moss? Hayden is back against all newbies? No, Hayden Voss. This has got to be a joke. Come on, CBS. But actually, I really liked Hayden. Immediately I thought of Fabio from Survivor, but hey--Fabio won. Hayden seems a lot more down to earth than Fabio, though, and plans on playing a friendly game. Honestly, this may sound crazy, but I think he could do really well and get along nicely with people. He also seems like a threat in terms of competitions, but isn't as obvious as someone like Devin or Cody.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. I'll probably be totally wrong, but Hayden is going to be my pre-season winner's pick!



Caleb Reynolds
A recruit cowboy from Kentucky, Caleb is "single and ready to mingle." He's super religious, and says he's "too athletic." If you haven't been following the BB news, some offensive comments that Caleb said on Instagram have already been dug up...I'm already not a fan of this guy. He could be another of the Andrew/Tom-type guys that pisses everyone off and goes from the top to the bottom in one week.
Gameplay Prediction: Terrible. He's going to make everyone mad at him and push his way along through an HOH win or two before people finally come together to vote him out.

Jocasta Odom
Typically, very religious people--like ministers--have not done well on reality shows. But Jocasta says she can "conform to different situations," and seems pretty competitive. So I'm cautiously optimistic on Jocasta. She's married, so that could give her a connection with Brittany and Devin. I'm not sure how well she'll do.
Gameplay Predictions: Decent. I think that she can get along relatively well with the other Houseguests but will probably get taken out somewhere in the middle.


Christine Brecht
Last but not least, we have Christine, who is the pre-game winner pick for many pundits. I really like Christine, and she's a Big Brother super-fan/nerd of the game. She has a plan to make alliances on both sides of the House, and is even a boardgame geek, which is awesome! I'm a big fan, but Christine also came across as a little socially awkward--at least to me--in her interviews, and I'm worried about her ability to fit in with the other Houseguests early on. You could say that Ian was the same way, but he would have been evicted if he hadn't had like 5 weeks of safety from Veto and HOH wins.
Gameplay Predictions: Fantastic. If she can make it through the first two weeks, Christine will become an undercover ninja and play her way to the end of the game.

So there you have it. Hayden Voss is my pre-game prediction to win. I would spend some time talking about the House and the twists, but you probably know more than I do at this point since it's Wednesday night. I'm going to go watch the premiere and then rescind every single thing I said about every Houseguest. Check back Thursday night for my recap of the two-day premiere, and stay tuned!

The Amazing Race 25 Cast Spoilers

In a rare move, the Amazing Race/CBS announced the entire cast the morning that the actual filming began, and encouraged fans to come out to support the racers at the start line in Times Square at 3 a.m. on May 31st. (Image credit Survivor Sucks and various fans)

The cast of Amazing Race 25 is:

• Bethany Hamilton and Adam Dirks: Married Surfers from Princeville, Hawaii (Bethany is the well-known surfer who survived a shark attack that resulted in the loss of an arm)
• Kym Perfetto and Alli Forsythe: Urban Bike Racers from Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Amy DeJong and Maya Warren: Food Scientists from Madison, Wisc.
• Lisa Thomson and Michelle Thomson: Realtor Sisters from Miami, Fla.
• Michael Ward and Scott Strazzullo: Firefighters from Boston, Mass.
• Brooke Adams and Robbie E. Strauss: Dating Pro Wrestlers from Houston, Texas and Woodbridge, N.J., respectively.
• Tim Tsao and Te Jay McGrath: College Sweethearts from Pasadena, Calif.
• Isabelle Du and Dennis Hour: Model and Accountant, respectively, from Tustin, Calif.
• Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan: Engaged Couple from Nashville, Tenn. (They met on the 23rd season of Survivor--South Pacific)
• Misti and Jim Raman: Married Dentists from Columbia, S.C.
• Shelley and Nici Porter: Mother/Daughter from Detroit, Mich.

I'm a little scared to continue venturing into the TAR Spoilers thread on Survivor Sucks, because people are tracking the racers all over the globe, and I'm sure there are elimination spoilers all ready. But if you want to go there yourself, here is the link.

Other pieces of info that were floating around (and again, I can't confirm anything because by now (over three days into filming), the thread will be rife with spoilers) is the introduction of something similar to the Salvage Pass, used in international versions of the show.

According to Survivor Sucks, a fan at the starting line found out the following information:

#AmazingRace #TAR25. A "Save", you can hand over before the end of 9th leg if you are facing elimination and stay in race. - spectator Ron Waxman

Supposedly, the Save is the new prize for winning the first leg, and from what I hear, the Express Pass(es) will still be awarded in the second leg.

Regarding locations, all I know is that the first place the teams have to go to is the finish line of the original TAR--Flushing Meadows Park. And I believe after that, they headed off to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hopefully when the season finishes filming, the full list of locations will be posted somewhere less spoiler-heavy and I can get it to you.

In Survivor news, Jeff Probst revealed in an interview with Dalton Ross on location that, similar to last Blood vs. Water season, one of the pairs failed to pass medical clearance and did not get to compete on the show. This means that the season will start with only 18 contestants, which is great. However, the gender balance on each tribe has been thrown off, which isn't so great. Hopefully it wasn't the Twinnies that failed to pass the medical exam.

You can listen to Jeff's interview below.

New details are being revealed practically every day, so stay tuned to Survivor Scrutiny for more updates.