Big Brother 20 Review: “Week 8”

Week 8 of Big Brother 20 is one for the history books… for all the wrong reasons. During the Week 7 review, we posed the question of if FOUTTE/HIVE had any hope left in the game after their continued blindsides. Well, we got our answer due to Faysal’s stupidity: FOUTTE/HIVE has no chance of winning Big Brother 20. Their bad luck isn’t the only thing keeping them back in Big Brother, it’s also their bad gameplay too.

In what world is it smart to nominate your own alliance member after continually losing the weekly votes? There is no amount of reasonable justification that could make this a good move. For seven weeks now, FOUTTE/HIVE was blindsided by surprise nominations and evictions orchestrated by the Level 6 alliance. Smarter houseguests would’ve put the pieces together and deduced that another alliance worked against them, but nope, FOUTTE/HIVE was blinded by their own ignorance and ego. They let themselves get played and they willingly walked into one trap after another.

Faysal nominating Scottie might be one of the most stupid decisions ever made in Big Brother history. Rockstar got evicted in a 5-1 vote, so at least one person had sided with them – Scottie mentioned up front he was that vote. But, the rest of the houseguests were in agreement that Brett made the vote. Why didn’t Faysal and Haleigh find it suspicious that the house agreed on this decision? Clearly, the other side of the house isn’t with them and they’d do anything to get the OTHER outsider on the block. Brett had never sided with them before, so why would he side with them now? Scottie worked with them in previous weeks; they should’ve learned from their history before making a rash decision.

Also, why didn’t they go after Angela, Kaycee, Tyler, JC or Sam if they were so unsure about Brett and Scottie? Haleigh started on the right track by calling out the fact that none of the others talked game with Faysal. If they weren’t talking game with him, chances are they were talking game with everyone else. Faysal wasted his Head of Household week by playing the odds in a scenario that made absolutely no sense for his game.

The only conceivable reason he was so determined to get either Brett or Scottie out was that they flirted with Haleigh, his showmance partner. Faysal had been shown to be a jealous and domineering man who wanted Haleigh all to himself. He practically held power over Haleigh’s head during Week 4 with the Power of Veto to make her date him in exchange for safety. Once Scottie admitted he had a crush on Haleigh, his game was done and Faysal wanted him out even more.

Romances can hinder someone’s game since it adds a big target, but you should never let it drive your own strategy. Faysal isn’t playing Big Brother, he thinks he’s on Bachelor in Paradise! He believed any excuse possible to get out the competition for Haleigh’s heart, and that’s a terrible way to play the game. JC deserves a lot of credit for easily manipulating Faysal and Haleigh into believing this idea. They were clay in his hands.

Week 8 suffered from the biggest inconsistencies between the truth of the live feeds and the narrative in the weekly episodes. The CBS episodes portrayed Haleigh as the lone voice who tried to reason with Faysal into not nominating Scottie; however, that reality is not the truth. Haleigh easily fell under JC’s manipulation, too and supported the idea of Scottie being nominated. She is equally culpable for FOUTTE/HIVE’s self-destruction, and if she had truthfully told Faysal to not nominate Scottie, Scottie wouldn’t be on the block.

The edit didn’t need to gloss over the truth of what really happened. Haleigh and Faysal dug their own grave with their stupid decision, so they should stand by their actions in the footage. Haleigh came to regret her actions after her heart-to-heart with Scottie, but the damage already had been done.

One of the only bright spots for Week 8 was the Power of Veto challenge. There’s something about the hide and go seek POV that makes it a joy to see return each summer. The houseguests get creative with their hiding spaces, and they get competitive in trying to find the hidden items. Plus, the game forces them to clean up the house, which is always a pleasure. Scottie’s and Brett’s gameplay proved to be the most interesting to follow. Scottie was a cautious player who kept checking on his item, while Brett blatantly made it obvious with it. Both moves felt true to the houseguests in their overall style: shy and cautious vs. bold and obvious.

Angela and Tyler will regret making the alliance with Haleigh and Faysal. While the prospect looks good for potential safety, the move will only hurt them once they turn on the showmance. Having no intention of honoring a deal with a “loyal” person causes them to view you as slimy, distrustful, and cruel. Faysal and Haleigh could view Angela and Tyler in this new light if they’re betrayed next week.

Even though Haleigh and Faysal sealed his fate by nominating him, Scottie was also to blame. Him panicking by trying to turn on Faysal and campaigning to have Haleigh and Sam on the block, only destroyed his game beyond repair. The Level 6 side didn’t trust him and then the FOUTTE/HIVE alliance lost any faith in him. Scottie tried to fix his predicament but only made it worse and, in the end, had no chance during his final week.

Week 8 of Big Brother 20 was a frustrating week to watch. The players made terrible moves, the edit was untrue, and the tide turned in a sharp manner. How can you root for Haleigh and Faysal when they caused their own demise? There’s a jury battle back coming soon, but the odds are already against the returning houseguest. Level 6 has this game in the bag… and we’re still only a month away from the finale.