TV Review: Big Brother Canada 5 “Week 6”

What’s the expression again: “Those who don’t know their history are doomed to repeat it”? That seems right. Big Brother Canada 5 had a major case of deja vu during the sixth week of the game. I didn’t think it would be possible as the week began, but these houseguests are proving me wrong. Someone made the same fatal error that destroyed their game the first time around in their original season. It’s a shame as I hoped for this houseguest to make it farther. However, after the Neda destruction during the Double Eviction, it’s clear that some mistakes are bound to happen.

Firstly, Sindy was the unfortunate veteran to get the boot. She got blindsided and backstabbed as the others turned against her to make her the replacement nominee. It’s reminiscent of Big Brother Canada 3 where she made a big move by getting out Jordan, only to then be evicted the following week. In this case, she made a big move by getting out Neda and now she’s evicted. Her run on the show improved vastly over her first season – I was very impressed with how well she was playing the game. Kudos to Sindy for fixing the mistakes and updating her style.

Winning the second round of the Double Eviction is where I think things went downhill for her. She didn’t need to win the power; she was safe at that point and could hide behind the meat shields. By getting into power, she let Ika manipulate her and put Neda (who was an ally to Sindy) on the block. I felt sad for Sindy as it was completely out of her hands. Though, the others should have targeted Kevin instead of Sindy – he’s the bigger manipulative threat and could pose a bigger problem down the line. Ika, Dillon and their side of the house should’ve realized this before deciding to target Sindy.

All of the challenges this week were surprisingly fun. As compared to the gripe I have with Survivor sometimes, Big Brother likes to try new challenges or update them. The HOH challenge of pressing the button was an intense competition. Having the temptations appear throughout the night made the decision to walk away from the button even more tempting. If I was playing the game and wasn’t in danger, I may have walked away a few times to grab a bit of food or the prize money. (I would heavily debate about the Have-Not pass.) While the Power of Veto competition (throwing a ball into a loop and catching it) is a concept we’ve seen a few times now, it’s a tough endurance competition for the players. It takes a lot of energy and timing to catch the ball after it’s been thrown. I love seeing this game brought out.

I’m SO happy that the Big Brother producers brought back the secret Power of Veto for another season. We haven’t had this power since Allison found the hidden door in Big Brother Canada 2. This extra POV can change the season if it’s used right, and we almost had them if the Gremlins had voted out Adel instead of Arlie. I don’t know if William will use the secret POV to shake things up. He’ll obviously use it to protect himself, but if he knows there will be no retaliation against him, he might not risk it. And since Karen already suspects him (she caught up walking out the hidden door), the fingers could be pointing back to him. Still…it was nice to have this power back again for the time being. Keep doing this, Big Brother; I love these secret moments.

Does anyone else feel bad for Jackie? Everyone is against her, she’s become the unofficial pawn/real target of the season, and she has no chance of winning. It’s hard to watch her look sad knowing that her days are numbered. I somewhat hope that things turn around for her and she has a chance to stick around. She needs to stay low for a while and continue to build relationships with people for the time being. Bruno likes her enough; he might want to protect her now that Sindy is gone. Though, with Karen against her and this shady weekly deal with Ika and Demetres, it doesn’t look too good for the pizza maker.

Right now, it seems to be a battle between Ika/Demetres and Kevin/Bruno. Both sides are pulling in the newbies to build up their numbers and it’s working to an extent. I still have a feeling that a newbie will win this season. All of the veterans are getting picked off one after the other, so it wouldn’t surprise me if one of the newbies comes from behind to claim the title. Dillon is a top contender, but I would be pleasantly surprised if William or Dre pull it out. Demetres could be picked off for numbers, Karen is a floater and Jackie is a personal target by people. With the season more than half over, most of these players need to get it together.