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!