Recapping the Fourth Week of BBCAN2

Poor Ika.

I think this whole week was one of Big Brother Canada's strongest so far. It's time to recap these past two episodes and talk about the events leading up to Ika's eviction. (Image credit Slice)

Poor Ika. She realized what she needed to do too late, and worked as hard as she could to convince Rachelle to make the right move and put up Kenny and Andrew. But Sabrina, as I talked about on Monday, is controlling Rachelle like a puppet, and we left off Sunday night with Allison and Heather up on the block.

Somehow 4th place
Allison was left
with the POV.

At the POV (and I always love this challenge), somehow fourth place Allison was left with the Power of Veto and removed herself from the block...and you had to pretty much know at this point that Ika was going up. We didn't have a lot of shockers on the Wednesday night show, but we did see the return of Marsha the Moose!

I love Marsha, and I was really happy that it was Arlie chosen for this great task, which included telling Allison that she'd put on weight, telling Jon he stinks, and making Kenny cry. And the reward was take-out food from Talla, who was one of my favorite players from last year's BBCAN, so it was great to see her back in the house.

Do you love it? Love it!

So that was all nice and fun, but the real drama was happening behind the scenes, as Sabrina convinced Rachelle to backdoor Ika. It really was shocking to see how the Girls' Alliance has crumbled so quickly; just last week Rachelle and Ika were best friends and now they'll barely speak to each other.

By the end of the Wednesday night show, I was pretty sure that Ika was going home and I had no idea how Big Brother was going to spice things up...but he sure did! The letters from home vs. cheque idea was really one of the best twists or choices we've seen in a long while, and what made it even better was that it was Ika making the choice.

The whole scene of her mulling over her options and the other Houseguests watching was fascinating, and let me say this right now: Ika definitely made the right choice. There was absolutely no way the First Five was going to keep her just for letting them have their letters; Ika is right about Andrew's heart being black. And I have to say, it felt pretty good to watch some of these self-righteous people in power (like Andrew and Allison) get their comeuppance.

Ika definitely made the right decision.

Anyone who was bawling their eyes out and yelling at Ika just looked ridiculous and despicable to me at that moment...what did you expect Ika to do, Andrew and Kenny?!?! You isolated her and targeted her and now you want her to give you a present?! I should think not! I was very happy Ika picked the money and was at least able to walk out of the house with something. There were some people who appeared to understand, like Sarah (surprisingly).

I was very impressed with Sarah's reaction to the shredding of the letters. She rationalized everything Ika was saying, accepting it as the truth and having the empathy to understand Ika's point of view. Of course, I'm sure it's easier said than done to stay calm when it's your letter being shredded, so I guess I'm doubly impressed with Sarah. This didn't stop Sarah from voting Ika out later, but it shouldn't have.

I'm doubly impressed
with Sarah.

And then Arisa told us that we (well, Canada) would be the HOH for this upcoming week, which I presume is Big Brother's way of shaking up the house and trying to loosen the grip the First Five has over everyone else. In theory, I'm against this whole outside influence thing, but I will admit I went to Slice's website and voted for two people, and I encourage you to do the same and put up two members of the First Five alliance to get the ball rolling again.

Who were my two nominees, you ask? Andrew and Sabrina. Andrew for obvious reasons, but I didn't choose Kenny because I think that he's not as aggressive or annoying as Andrew, and is actually playing a decent game. The same could be said for Sabrina, but she's making personal attacks against other Houseguests and went back to the policy of flipping between manipulating players and crying about it, which really bugs me. That being said, I think that the nominations will end up being Kenny and Andrew.

I really hope they are the final two.

Hopefully one of Kenny, Andrew, Sabrina, or Allison will go home this week and power will shift to the fledgling alliance of Arlie, Jon, Neda, Adel, and Heather that we've heard some rumors about over the past week. We continued to see the development of Jon's and Neda's relationship, and I really hope they are the final two. But I'm also a big fan of Arlie and Adel (Heather's nice but really dumb), so maybe this group can take control.

Let's finish off this week's recap with a look back at what I said of the Houseguests last week and what I saw of them this week that may or may not have changed my opinions.

Adel

What I said: "He could still be in trouble due to his association with Ika, but I think that his secret power will keep him safe for now."

Public Enemy #1
with the First Five.

What I saw: Adel was a true and loyal friend to Ika this week, and I think viewers (including me) like him because of that, but it's probably made him Public Enemy #1 with the First Five. Hopefully Adel can forge a new alliance and take control, or he's toast.

Sabrina

What I said: "...she's a little more subtle at controlling the house [than Amanda]. I don't like her."

What I saw: Ok, maybe not quite so subtle. Sabrina truly is a master manipulator, but her emotions are getting the best of her, and I'm ready to see her go. Even people like Sarah and Kenny are tired of her.

Jon 
What I said: "I think he's got a lot of longevity, since he's with Kenny and Andrew but also has Neda to keep him safe on the other side."
What I saw: I think Jon's position with the First Five was hurt a little this week due to his connections with Ika and Neda, but he should be able to ride this out and could be in a great position if he can topple the First Five.

My enthusiasm for Kenny
is waning. 

Kenny 
What I said: "Kenny's still a huge target, and even though he's playing a great game, could go up on the block this week."

What I saw: My enthusiasm for Kenny is waning, but I still have enough of it that I didn't make him one of my nominees this week. He needs to wise up and see what a big threat he is...although I think he's determined to hang on to the First Five for as long as he can, and could very well go home this week if that's what Canada wants.

Ika 

What I said: "I think Ika's in trouble unless one of her allies wins Head of Household."
What I saw: One of Ika's "allies" did win HOH and she still went home. Just like I've said to Paul and Kyle...you will be missed, Ika.

Andrew 

What I said: "Andrew's not the greatest player, but he's surrounded himself with people who are."
What I saw: All the smart, game-savvy people Andrew has surrounded himself with are liable to turn on him if necessary...Arlie and Jon are ready to flip, it seems, and I can see Sarah and Sabrina selling him out as well if it's really necessary for their games. Hopefully he leaves soon.

I am just not an Allison fan.

Allison

What I said: "I think Allison is all-in with the First Five now; there's no turning back. She seems like a good player, and should be able to outlast her boyfriend."

What I saw: I am just not an Allison fan. There are others within the First Five that I like, such as Arlie, but Allison just annoys me for some reason. That being said, she's certainly very smart, and I think she can survive the week easily.

Sarah 

What I said:  "She's going to take the fall for flipping on Ika, and could be a target of the girls if they regain the power. Sarah is a cunning player, however, and I hope she sticks around."
What I saw: As I said, I was really impressed with Sarah this week. She wasn't targeted, was able to slip silently back into the pack, and forgave (or at least understood) Ika's decision. Let's see more of Sarah; she's great.

Being on the block
actually reconciled
Ika and Heather.

Heather 
What I said:  "You have to be pretty dumb to not notice that all of your so-called allies are planning on voting you out, and you were only saved by the people who should be your enemies. I'm not sure how vengeful Heather will be, however."
What I saw: It seems like being on the the block actually reconciled Ika and Heather...at least until the decision. Heather's position in this game is now clear: she's a pawn, and a vote for whoever wants it.

Neda 

What I said: "Neda is in this for the long haul!"
What I saw: I'm just a little worried that Neda's association with Ika has made her a bit more of a target, but I think there are bigger fish to fry this week. Hopefully we see more of Neda's and Jon's alliance.

I'm really hating
cold-hearted Rachelle.

Rachelle 

What I said: "At least win the HOH for your alliance, please."What I saw: She did win HOH for her alliance...her alliance of Sabrina and Rachelle, which is really her allegiance to the First Five. I'm really hating cold-hearted Rachelle at the moment...just cause I didn't want Ika to go.

Arlie 
What I said: "Arlie is quickly becoming one of my favorite Houseguests, and his crazy schemes and theater continued with him streaking the house."
What I saw: If Neda is the smartest player, and Jon is the friendliest, then Arlie is definitely the funniest, and I think these three Houseguests are my favorites. Arlie's mission was awesome, and I hope to continue seeing Arlie in the future.

That's it for this week's BBCAN...check back on Monday for my inevitable rant when Andrew and Kenny/Sabrina/Allison somehow escape nomination yet again. We've got a Survivor feature article coming your way tomorrow, and TAR recap (maybe even a podcast) on Sunday, so stay tuned!