BB Rant Time...

I know I haven't talked about Big Brother in a long time, but yes, I have been keeping up! I just don't usually get to watch the episodes as they air; I have to watch them online later, so it's hard to keep up on here on a weekly basis.

But we're to what is my favorite part of the game. It's down to the top 5, and this is where it really becomes a game about playing smart and playing strong. It's not so much about who likes you or doesn't like you, but how big of a competitive threat you are mentally and physically. It truly becomes a strategy game, and we viewers really get to see what people are made of and why they are still in the house.
And we also get to decide who we'd like to see in the final two and pick our favorite candidate for half a million dollars!

First off, James finally got evicted this week. It's too bad for him, but it had to happen. The guy played an incredible game; I haven't been keeping score, but it seems like he's won the most competitions, and he stayed in that house as long as he did by sheer willpower and determination. He proved early on to be a true player, therefore becoming the biggest target for eviction week after week, and he continually pulled himself off the chopping block by winning the Power of Veto. He really deserved to win the whole game just based on how strong of a competitor he was, but the cards (and houseguests) were definitely stacked against him for just that reason, and it was just a matter of time until he finally was strong-armed out of the game.

And now he's off to Sequester House, and then back to being a homeless bicycler.

Here are the final five players left in the house:
Sharon - I would love to see Sharon win, but it largely depends on her ability to win some true allies in the house. Luckily, this is something she's good at. I love Sharon because she is probably the one person who has played this game in a smart, strong, and sincere fashion. Sure, she's strategized, but she's played her cards so well and earned the name "Sharon the Saint" among her housemates. She honestly hasn't done a single thing bad to anyone in the house. She's sweet enough that no one feels good about voting against her, but smart enough that she doesn't buy anyone else's strategic bullcrap. And she is a very caring person, which people like to have around after three months without their families and loved ones. Sharon is a rare piece of work because she's actually made her "playing nice" strategy work for her. Usually in this game, playing nice gets you out of the house because you're too weak of a player. But Sharon has managed to stay in the house, despite being the ultimate pawn, surviving week after week on the chopping block. If she makes it to the final two, there is NO doubt she will be voted the winner by her competitors in the Jury House because she hasn't made a single true enemy during the whole game, and she'll definitely get the votes to win.

Sheila - There is always one player who somehow sneaks through week after week without winning any competitions or making any huge contributions to the house, until they end up in the top six, and then you're like, "How the heck is this person still here???" This season, that is Sheila. Sheila is definitely the weakest player in the house, but she has luckily aligned herself somehow with the strongest players, managing to be a part of the "winning" team without actually doing anything to deserve it. She also plays her strategy based solely on her emotions, rather than with logic. She loves you one minute for saying or doing something nice, then she hates you the next for doing something to better your own game. She turns on people because they hurt her feelings; she sides with people because they sweet-talk her. She gossips a LOT, but somehow she's managed to turn her gossip sessions into powerful game-altering maneuvers that turn the fate of the house on its ear. I think Sheila is borrowing time at this point in the house.

Natalie - Now that James is gone, Natalie is without a doubt the biggest threat in this house. She surprised everyone by showing her physical and mental tenacity as forces to be reckoned with, and the guys have kept her around because of this. The thing I don't like about her is her Bible-thumping way of talking up her alliance, which she dubbed, "Team Christ," and referencing the Bible to allude to all others outside of the alliance as "evildoers." Natalie is always having dreams and seeing signs that help her predict what will happen in the game, and I think it's truly a spiritual gift; however, I don't think she realizes how self-righteous and judgemental she sounds. Not to mention totally mental. She sees herself as "good" and others as "evil," which is not a realistic or helpful way to play the game.

Adam - As crazy as this guy is, he seems like a decent dude. He actually has been one of the most normal, truthful, and compassionate people in the house. He plays a pretty honest game. I would definitely like to see him in the top 3. I think he is the only person in the house who would have a ghost of a chance againt Sharon in the final two, although I still think Sharon would win. But he seems to have a gift of clearly dividing his relationships in the house between what is game play and what is friendship, and I think a lot of the other players will want to stay in touch with him once the game is over.

Ryan - I'd kind of like to see him in the top two as well. Ryan had a rocky start in the game; his partner, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend's partner were some of the least savvy players in the house, and he suffered through several weeks of being associated with them through no fault of his own. Once they all got eliminated and Ryan finally got to play his own game, he instantly proved to be a smart player and I think he saw further ahead in the game than anyone else, strategically. He did get James evicted as HOH, only to have the house instantly vote James back in and then turn right back around and target James for eviction week after week. Ryan playes with an extremely cool head and is great at keeping relationships intact, while knowing when it's time to cut someone loose for his own good. His biggest challenge from this point on will be moving carefully and choosing the right allies. I also like that he plays a pretty straightfoward game. He doesn't lie to people, and he is pretty clear about what he wants to accomplish, and he easily gains the trust of others.

OK, after last night's episode, here's what I'm thinking...and this is the part of the game where you can really visualize how the next few weeks will play out just based on who ends up HOH...

A-number-1, Natalie has to go. The WORST case scenario for everyone this week is Natalie becoming HOH. And it's unfortunate that this week's HOH comp was an endurance one because 1) we don't get to see how it ends and 2) Natalie is an absolute beast at endurance. Now that James is gone, the game in the house can finally move forward; he's been the target for so long that nothing has really been accomplished in the house. I think everyone sees Natalie as the biggest threat right now (and she is), and if they don't get her out this week, she may never leave. If ANYONE but Natalie wins HOH, there is a really good chance she will be the next to go home. The second-worst thing that can happen is that she wins POV and takes herself off the block. Natalie has the ability to control everyone else in the house, and the only way she goes home is if she doesn't win HOH and everyone in the house unites against her this week.

If Sharon won HOH, that would be HUGE. That would be the house's best chance of getting rid of Natalie, because despite all the girl-talk between Sharon, Sheila, and Natalie and their "girls stick together" plan, everyone knows Natalie would be the last person to align herself with other girls. She loves being the center of attention and so she's surrounded herself with boys as allies, and so far that's been working for her, so I don't see her changing that at this point in the game. Plus, she knows she wouldn't win if it came down to herself and Sharon.

Adam can't be HOH because he was just it last week. He's going to have to be extremely careful about who he talks to and sides with this week, or there is a good chance Natalie will, by some means or other, send him home this week to get him out of the way. Because if Adam leaves, it's Natalie, Ryan, Sharon, and Sheila. Then Sheila is out because she's weak, and Sharon's out because she's nice and Natalie and Ryan will know they have to get rid of her because she's a sure winner if she makes it to the top two.

Speaking of which, Ryan will also have to be very careful this week. If he chooses to side with Sharon, Natalie will come after him and he probably will get sent home because he is a huge threat in the house as well. If he sides with Natalie, he may have a better chance of getting to the final 2, but I think he knows he can't trust her. He has a secret alliance with Sharon, but that will only last as long as it points him in the direction of the top two. It will be absolutely game-altering no matter who Ryan decides to allign himself with. If Natalie is HOH this week, he'll be her friend. If not, he'll probably join forces with the rest of the house to evict her. For Ryan, it's just going to depend on who is HOH every week and what is best for him.

Sheila needs to hang on this week, as overdue as her eviction may be, just to make sure Natalie leaves. If Sheila won HOH, that would really shake the house up, and could possibly mean the end for Natalie, Adam, or Ryan. The only person I just don't see her turning on is Sharon. Sheila loves Sharon, and Sharon's never done a thing to Sheila, so I believe Sharon would be safe if Sheila is HOH. But Sheila hasn't won any competitions yet, so...yah.

If Ryan is HOH, Natalie will probably try to get him to turn on Adam; he seems to be her target. Based on his performance in the endurance comp last night, though, I doubt he won. If Ryan is HOH, he will use the opportunity to eliminate whoever he thinks his biggest threat is. Hopefully that will be Natalie.

OK, I'm done. See why the game gets so good at this point? One difference can change the entire remainder of the game! At this point you have to try to look at the big picture and play it out week by week in order to make the right moves. It's not a popularity contest anymore, and it's not just trashy entertainment anymore. It's fun...yay!

And that's all I've got. We'll see what happens! Until then...