A wise person once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” These chilling words, while debatable when applied to most aspects of life, have never felt truer than they have in this season of Big Brother. It’s a year of déjà vu!
The newbies of Big Brother 18, who for the most part are recruits, are playing the game with blinders on and repeating the same mistakes of the past. Based on the events of the previous two rounds, it’s almost as if the lessons of Big Brother 13 and Big Brother 14 never happened. When in a season where both returning and new players are featured, there’s a clear indication of how each side is playing the game.
The fresh-faced newbies play the game from a reactive position: They tend to float, make emotional moves early on, go in a little too trusting, and rely on more well-informed house guests to lead them in the game. The veterans, however, are more proactive: They’ve taken the time to learn from their mistakes in their previous season, they build relationships to assure their safety, and dictate what could happen early in the first few weeks. Some say it’s an unfair advantage and a confidence that propels them farther in the game (they did play a season of Big Brother, after all). But the veterans have to work harder since they’re the bigger targets.
That’s not to say the newbies aren’t trying–some did try to make a change. A few openly stated that the veterans, like Nicole or Frank, were their targets and needed to be evicted ASAP. However, none have made the move to target a veteran and place them on the block. For the past two rounds, only newbies have gone on the block. Nicole, as the Head of Household (HOH) of Round #2, would never target a veteran early on, and Paulie, the HOH of Round #3, decided to go after those who plotted his eviction the week before. Even the new competition–the BB RoadKill–has resulted in newbies going on the block. The newbies started the game with a 12 vs. 4 odds against the veterans but the gap is starting to close in on itself.
Speaking of the new weekly competition, the BB Roadkill is reminiscent of the third nominee twist of Big Brother 15. (Like I said, this season is all déjà vu!) Instead of America voting for who to be the nominee (or the person choosing the nominee), the house guests will compete to win that power. On the plus side, the additional nominee allows for more tension to deliver a blind side eviction and get someone powerful out of the game. To contrast this, however, it could also sometimes eliminate the suspense if someone who isn’t in the majority alliance doesn’t win the competition and gets placed on the block. It’s a hit-or-miss twist that depends on who wins the challenge/is in power.
Even with the special power, the house guests have made a few surprising evictions:
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Jozea, or “the Messiah” as he thought he was, had the biggest ego in the house. He thought he controlled everything AND everyone–it had barely been a full week in the house before he described himself as the Messiah. This was someone who knew very little about the game and thought that he had everything figured out in the beginning. Even though he says he saw his blind side coming, the results show otherwise. Jozea got played and his overconfidence was his undoing. Never forget that Big Brother is a game–anyone can make their own moves, including the ones to blind side you.
Victor, similar to Jozea, gave his information freely. Loose lips sink ships, after all! He was never one to shy away from sharing his opinion. And being on the other side of the house with the newbies didn’t help his chances; once Paulie ended up as HOH, it was clear he could be a target. Victor was one of the biggest physical threats in the game–he won the third Roadkill competition of the season (and he even revealed this to people!). This, along with how he talked to the other house guests, led to his eviction.
The house is now at a 9 vs. 4 pairing when it comes to newbies and veterans. While the season is still focused on the team twist, eventually things will revert to single players and everyone will be competing for themselves. This could happen after the new Battle Back competition, where one of the first five evictees will return to the game. At this point it’s looking like a competition between five newbies but anything can happen in the next few weeks. The newbies seriously need a lesson in Big Brother history.
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ROUND #2
Roadkill/Power of Veto: 6/10
Eviction/Head of Household: 10/10
ROUND #3
HOH/Nomination/Roadkill: 8/10
Power of Veto: 7/10
Eviction: 7/10
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