The pre-jury phase of Big Brother 24 ended with a bang. The unofficial wrath of “Taylor’s Karma” kicked into full gear to evict not one but two of her biggest bullies during Week #4 and Week #5. These weeks were perfect examples of how past actions can come back to haunt houseguests. If you play terribly, the consequences of those moves can show themselves quickly, but in this case, it was a mix of bad moves AND bad treatment in the house. Nicole’s and Daniel’s evictions were back-to-back satisfying weeks that capped off the earlier weeks of Paloma’s, Pooch’s, and Ameerah’s eliminations.
Week #4 was another case of the over-confident pawn. We witnessed this disastrous thinking during Pooch’s eviction, so the houseguests should’ve learned their lesson from this mistake. However, both Daniel and Nicole were warned plenty of times to not make such a rash move in the hopes of evicting Taylor. After getting blindsided by Ameerah’s eviction, why did they think their chances were any different? How would Week #4 be any different if Nicole were on the block or not?
One of the biggest mistakes Nicole and Daniel suffered this week was a great learning lesson for future players. Specifically, houseguests need to be vigilant of the house dynamics and what people are saying to them. Monte gave them plenty of opportunities to back out of using the Power of Veto to blindside Taylor; Nicole going on the block was going to guarantee her own eviction. If they didn’t have the votes to save Ameerah, there was no way they would protect Nicole—that outcome was obvious to the majority of the house (and the viewers at home). Always go for the opportunity that will guarantee your safety for another week. Sure, they would’ve lost Alyssa had they not used the POV, but Nicole or Daniel could’ve bounced back in Week #5 with a new plan or a challenge win.
Nicole’s eviction was a result of her cold mentality toward Taylor and her over-confidence being her blind spot. She focused too much attention on trying to get Taylor out of the game that she ignored every glaring red flag in front of her, like the numbers not being on her side or that she was a bigger competition threat. A strength of Big Brother is the self-awareness to recognize how the game has shifted; Taylor (and by extension, her alliances with Terrence, Indy, Daniel, Jasmine, and Alyssa) chose to ignore the reality until it was too late. They never had the votes to get their way, and Nicole only put herself in the line of fire. Though, the worst part of it all? Her best friend Daniel was the one who unknowingly backdoored her with the POV—you can’t write a Shakespearean tragedy like that.
Week #5 nearly threw a wrench in the plans, but Daniel (and his alliance) buried any chances he had of staying. One bad move after another sealed Daniel’s fate making him one of the most satisfying evictions yet; it was a long time coming for Taylor and the rest of The Leftovers to get him out of the house. This week summed up how both over-thinking and under-thinking could potentially ruin someone’s game when left unchecked. Though, the poor gameplay and over-confidence spiced things up to keep the hilarious-yet-baffling momentum going.
Firstly, Kyle’s thinking of there being a Cookout 2.0 was incredibly wrong and biased. Nothing during the events of Big Brother 24 so far had shown that an alliance like The Cookout was even possibly working behind the scenes. Many of the houseguests had turned on each other already, and players like Taylor and Monte had their names thrown out multiple times. His idea to make an alliance of him, Alyssa, Turner, Brittany, and Michael (with Indy in the mix) was wrong on all levels. Trying to save himself and Alyssa could’ve been done another way.
Speaking of his showmance, both Kyle and Alyssa need to get their heads in the game. They’re letting their flirtation steal focus and drive them to make rash decisions out of fear. Sure, it’s great for them to have another number in the house that will protect them, but most of the time together is just flirting or resisting the urge to hook up. At this point, they should get it over with to clear their heads. They’re toying with the idea too much and getting lost in the flirtation that it’s distracting them from making selfish game moves. If Kyle was considering not saving Alyssa during Week #4, she should be confident to cut him when needed.
For Daniel and his alliance, why did they think it was a smart idea to all pitch to Michael the idea of backdooring Monte? It was clear that the numbers were not on their side, especially with Nicole’s recent eviction. All five of them going to Michael further proved to the Head of Household that the outside alliance was still tightly working together; the need to break down their numbers was too tempting to pass up. Plus, their poor pitching only brought The Leftovers together further since they figured out the others were still a tight threat. As I mentioned above, they didn’t think this through and it only dug Daniel’s grave deeper; they needed to be separate entities instead of one working unit.
Advertisement
Daniel’s eviction was the sum of all its parts. He was one of the leading bullies toward Taylor, he was a strategic voice for his alliance, and he made moves that ruined any chances of him staying. It’s even more baffling since members of The Leftovers were considering keeping him around to benefit them, but Daniel and his alliance’s bad pitching ensured his eviction. Daniel unknowingly pitched his way to an eviction! From a gameplay standpoint, it kept getting worse for him, but from a viewer’s POV, it was satisfying to watch the implosion of a villain.
Week #4 and Week #5 brought down two BFF villains in equally glorious ways. The over-confidence of a once powerful alliance imploded week after week, leaving them confused and upset over what should’ve been obvious outcomes. The Leftovers outplayed them and the challenge wins worked out in their favor. After weeks of blindsides and uprisings, the momentum stayed the course to make Big Brother 24 one of the best pre-juries in Big Brother history.
Big Brother 24 airs on CBS on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8/7c.
Advertisement
Advertisement