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
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- 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?
Now that two more houseguests are gone, only nine people are left in the Big Brother house competing for the half million dollar prize. With more than a month still left in the season, these houseguests still have plenty of chances to shake up the game and get a leg-up with the jury.
The remaining players have been ranked based on their game moves, alliances, and potential to win the game:
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- Vanessa
- Johnny Mac
The man with the Muppet voice is holding down a close second. Johnny Mac has won enough competitions in the game that he could always play the “competition wins” card to convince the jury. He has a tough battle ahead due to the fact that he is likeable and a big target. Vanessa has spotted him as her biggest threat and even tried to convince Becky to put him up as the replacement nominee. Unless Johnny Mac strikes his enemy first, he could be out the door before he even realizes it.
- Julia
Julia is still essentially a newbie in this game. She’s only had to play as her own player for two weeks now and she hasn’t really burned any bridges. She’s positioned herself well within the Austwins alliance, and if the debate ever came down between voting out Julia or her sister Liz, Julia has a better shot at staying. The one thing working against her, though, is the jury. She hasn’t created any real relationships beyond the Sixth Sense and Austwins alliances. She’ll need five votes to win, and that’s only four.
- James
James secured himself some leverage with his recent HOH win. He has good relationships with Meg, Jackie, and Becky, except for potentially the recent turn of events with Vanessa’s vote. Becky may not trust him anymore. However, James is one of the outsiders. He has a huge target on his back, and if the other side were to go back on their recent deal (Austwins promised to work together with his alliance), he could be an easy target to go.
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- Liz
The other half of the twins is building up a powerful resume for herself. She’s won (but lost) an HOH title and won a Battle of the Block (BOTB) challenge. On the other hand, Liz has burned more bridges than her twin, Julia. The other side of the house isn’t too keen with Liz and would rather see her go. The alliances she does have now are helping her in the game. She has Austin protecting her as a human shield, and with Julia around, she has two chances to avoid eviction if paired with either of them on the block.
- Austin
Austin is more focused on his love life than the Big Brother game right now. His obsession with Liz is clouding his judgement, and there’s potential that he could fall victim to the “showmance” curse. As the stronger person of the two, Austin is a bigger threat than Liz and could be evicted before her. He hasn’t made any other connections outside of his close allianc,e and his name has been thrown around a lot by the house to be evicted. Unless he can shift into a power position, he could be the next to go.
- Steve
Does anyone notice Steve in the house? I don’t, not really. He’s playing an “under-the-radar” game and letting the bigger targets turn against each other first before doing anything. He’s won two POVs, a BOTB, and a reluctant HOH competition. The invisible man is doing well for himself and could make a case to the jury right now about his wins and style of gameplay. However, when you stay behind the scenes, it can make you a bigger target. Steve isn’t making big alliances, and right now he’s taking up space. He has one-off friendships and some alliances, but nothing powerful. Without real safety at this point, he could find his way to sliding to an easy Top 4 or Top 5 until the others start to notice him and evict him.
- Becky
Week #7 was a terrible week for Becky. She tried to make a big move in the game and for the most part, things were going her way. The problem is that she got too comfortable and let the HOH title get to her head. She told everyone her plans, she refused a fake deal with Vanessa, and she let the game shift around her to let Shelli, a potential ally, get evicted instead of an enemy. Vanessa knows Becky wants her out, and without any real alliances backing her up, Becky is swimming for hope.
- Meg
Is Meg playing the game? Having fun and enjoying everyone’s company is fine…at a bar, but this is Big Brother. She’s only won one competition with Jason, but for the most part, Meg has played a non-game. As of right now, she’s a Floater and an expendable number that could win someone an easy half million dollars if they’re sitting next to her at the end. She needs to get into this game and really start playing the devious side of the competition.
What do you think will happen next in Big Brother 17? Share your thoughts below.
Episode Ratings:
Nomination – 7/10
Power of Veto – 9/10
Eviction – 7/10
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