TV Review: Big Brother 17 (Week #7 & Rankings)

You know summer is already half over when Big Brother starts entering the jury phase. The first half of Big Brother 17 has been an interesting season, to say the least. There were obvious twists (the twins!), forgotten twists (the takeovers?), jaw-dropping fights (Momma Day vs. Audrey!), and a house divided between those who were playing the game and those who were just lounging by the pool.

With six houseguests already gone, Big Brother 17 is now entering the jury phase. Starting with this week’s eviction, houseguests voted off from the game will be joining the jury, where they will vote for a winner at the end of the season. It’s a tough vote, but now every move–every little side-eye or comment–could determine how each jury member votes at the end. The drama is going to be good!

In Big Brother, you always need to remember: “Expect the unexpected!” For the seventh week in the game, it’s a “Double Eviction” week–two people are going home in one night. Double evictions are ripe with drama, and there’s no warning of who could be sent packing.

Here’s what went down in the Big Brother house for the last two game rounds:

Week #7 – Part 1

• #BasicBecky pulled out another Head of Household (HOH) win this season. After former football player Clay was sent packing, the houseguests had to compete in an enduring slip ‘n’ slide competition for the chance to win safety. Becky dominated the challenge and easily walked (more like flew!) her way to victory. She won safety for the week and the power to nominate two people for eviction.
• Becky was tired of staying under the radar; this was her week to make a big game move. She determined that her target would be Vanessa and devised a plan to ensure that the wool cap-wearing poker player would be the next to go. Becky nominated Clay’s girlfriend Shelli and relatively invisible Steve for nomination as pawns until Vanessa could be nominated later on. The reigning HOH brought in Meg, James, and Jackie on board with the plan to ensure Vanessa would be the one leaving. To make a big game move, you need the numbers, and Becky was securing hers.
• The plan was working once Steve won the Power of Veto (POV). He won the power to remove himself off the block. The invisible man used the POV on himself and Becky made the move she worked so hard to plan: she nominated Vanessa as the replacement nominee.
• Whispers and doubt started making their way around the house. Vanessa was the clear favorite to walk out the door, but after a little chat with Jason, she planted a few seeds that grew into a full blown house shift. Shelli didn’t stand a chance! The outsiders (James, Jackie & Meg) and the Austwins alliance (Austin, Liz, & Julia) came together to flip the house and the vote.
• Shelli was evicted by a vote of 8-0 against Vanessa and became the first member of the jury.

Week #7 – Part 2

• As the second half of the former power couple walked out the door, Julie kicked the houseguests into gear. An entire week of Big Brother was going to be held in under an hour, and a second person would be leaving soon. The HOH competition–a “True or False” game based on video clips–came down to the wire between Austin, Steve, and Johnny Mac. In a surprising turn of events, Steve won the competition and earned safety for the week. Most people are happy to win HOH, but he was disappointed–he couldn’t hold back the look of shock on his face!
• Steve only had a few minutes to decide which two houseguests would be going up on the block. He chose bubbly blonde Meg and Jackie the dancer as the nominees. Neither are particularly close with Steve, but with many other big targets and non-Floaters in the house, it was a safe choice.
• The POV competition featured a game of balancing balls. Players had to balance and move colored balls down a plank to fit within three different holes. The first person to get all three balls into the holes first would win the POV. Johnny Mac outperformed the other players and scored the POV. He ultimately decided not to use the power–Meg & Jackie would be left to face the vote.
• In a last-minute discussion, a rumor came back to hurt Jackie. Someone mentioned early on that Jackie had planned to backdoor Steve, and since Steve was now HOH, he wanted her to be the one evicted. The group came together and decided that the dancer needed to go. Jackie was evicted by a vote of 6-1 and became the second member of the jury.

NEXT: Which houseguests are currently on top?