“Mean … where I come from, if you do have a dream like that, you do NOT tell anybody about it!” – Lane, on Matt’s nighttime visions of a shirtless Hayden

Last night’s Big Brother episode was one of the least eventful of the season, but also the most entertaining. Little happened, and what did was fairly predictable, but the entertainment value exceeded expectations thanks to some of these off-the-wall characters.

From Ragan’s multiple references to his gay drama queen status to Lane’s enthusiastic take on … well, anything, the Diary Room confessions alone would have made for a good episode. As for who Britney decided to put up on the block as Head of Household?

Brendon was a given, but Matt’s caginess before dropping the Diamond PoV grenade
last week may have spelled the end of the Brigade. It was inevitable at some point, with just seven house guests remaining, but the way it transpired was unexpected.

SCRATCHED OUT: Might the Meow-Meow Express be going astray?

Having basically admitted he was going to “whack” Matt, then trying to backtrack sketchily later, Enzo has lost the trust of his fellow alliance member. Matt hasn’t yet turned his back on the Brigade, but he’s not that sad to see Enzo on the block either.

Whether the fearsome foursome is splintering or already fractured is up for debate – as the best player in the game, Matt is keeping his options open. He’s not throwing anyone under the bus … entirely. He could have put Enzo up instead of Kathy.

Still, Hayden and Enzo are quasi-turning on Matt because he turned on them, or so they say. Matt hasn’t really turned on anyone … he’s just seen their true colors and is the favorite, as he showed in talking Britney out of putting him up as the pawn.

Britney’s/Matt’s reasoning for putting Enzo up was brilliant – he’d never been on the block before. Not only is it true, it comes off as the opposite of a personal attack. As far as putting up Brendon? We’re scratching our heads a little at that one, Brit.

First off, the guy offered you a deal. If you don’t put him up, and he wins PoV anyway, you can say you honored the deal. If someone else wins and you can back door Brendon, so be it! Now there’s a decent chance Brendon wins PoV and wreaks havoc.

Two other interesting questions resulting from Britney’s nominations:

1. If the nominations stay the same, does the Brigade kick out Brendon, or turn on Enzo? Probably the former, but Matt is always thinking a step or two ahead.
   
2. If either Enzo or Brendon win PoV and take themselves off the block, who goes up instead? Might we see a new pawn go up in order to take either one out?

For the first time this season, I’m heading into a Big Brother 12 live eviction episode not knowing who will go home. Lane and Matt are on the block, and if you asked the HGs, they say Matt will be evicted 4-1. However, he has the Diamond Power of Veto, which will change everything.

Matt has tried dropping hints, talking all week about what would happen if someone has a special power. Sadly, no one seems to take him that seriously, which could spell their demise. I’m certain Matt will use it and I’m certain that whoever he nominates will be evicted, but I’m not sure who that will be at the start of the episode.

In other words, it’s the most exciting Big Brother 12 episode yet. And it’s not even a double eviction extravaganza.

First, Julie Chen finally clarifies the fact that the Diamond PoV cannot be used on the HoH or regular PoV winner.

Brendon is so proud of himself for doing exactly what Rachel told him to do via pretzels because he’s a loyal dog (I mean boyfriend). Even sadder than Brendon’s attitude is Ragan crying over Matt’s wife’s “illness.” Luckily, Matt finds a little amusement in the fact that Ragan has no idea about the Diamond PoV.

Matt also grows suspicious that Kathy didn’t immediately tell him about Rachel’s pretzel message. However, he also feels out the Brigade and grows resentful that Enzo seem to be conspiring to evict him. Basically, Matt is in the hardest position ever because there are huge pros and huge cons to any replacement nominee.

The Saboteur: Ragan finally does something kind of cool and puts a note under Enzo’s pillow saying “I Know Your Secret.” It’s even funnier because Ragan has no idea that Enzo really does have a big secret: The Brigade. Everyone also thinks that Kathy is the Saboteur because she made Enzo’s bed and Enzo also thinks that the “S” stands for “Sheriff.” He wants a Scooby Snack, but idiocy doesn’t get a reward.

Julie Time: Ragan has no regrets about his huge fight with Rachel, even though she’s on the jury. Lane wants Muscle Milk, which he says tastes like Thanksgiving dinner in milk. Between this and spotlighting, I officially love Lane. She also lets everyone know that the Saboteur’s sabotaging is done.

Hometown Visits: We get to find out what Britney and Lane’s families think about their friendship in the house. Britney’s mom is every bit the polished southern diva you’d think she is. Meanwhile, Lane’s mom  is pure country and she loves her little boy.

Diamond Power of Veto Time!

Matt saves himself and nominates … KATHY!

Matt’s speech is kind of mean to Brendon and then he does a total fake out and calls Brendon a big dummy. He whips out the Diamond Power of Veto, everyone is shocked and Julie explains it.

It’s kind of a waste for the special power as I was hoping Matt would turn on the Brigade, but maybe this can bring the Brigade closer than ever. Despite being blind-sided, Kathy’s speech is very classy. Good for her, because anyone else in this house would’ve lost it.

Hayden votes to evict…KATHY
Enzo votes to evict…KATHY
Ragan votes to evict…KATHY
Matt votes to evict…KATHY
Britney votes to evict…KATHY

KATHY IS EVICTED!

This is hilarious, as is watching everyone who passes through the diary room corridor high-fiving over Matt’s play. Ragan in particular is beaming.

Kathy leaves with a ton of class, telling Matt that it’s OK and making sure someone will feed her fish. Inside the house Matt and everyone else joke around, except Brendon, who is seething. Kathy also admits that she didn’t throw the Zingbot PoV, she genuinely fell off.

HoH Competition!

After a bunch of endurance competitions, we’re back to a simple quiz about a game of Simon Says Big Brother played with the HGs yesterday. It’s just true or false.

Ragan and Hayden are out first.
Matt is out second.
Lane is out third.
Enzo is out fourth.

BRITNEY IS THE NEW HOH!

Wow, good for her. Three PoVs and now an HoH? She is killing it.

The Have-Nots this week get America’s Choice of:

Artichokes and anchovies
Broccoli and bean dip
Prunes and pimento loaf

If I know America half as well as I think I do, it’ll be prunes and pimento loaf.

Next Thursday is the DOUBLE EVICTION! Yes, the most exciting night of the season, this is going to be a fantastic week, if only because Britney will probably bring back “Just the Tip,” the nightly talk show in the house.

“Are you the biggest bitch because you’re gay?” – Rachel to Ragan

The concept of Pandora’s Box either ruins the integrity of Big Brother (we know, we know) or makes the game even more compelling, depending on your point of view.

No one can refute that it really shakes things up, though.

For the second time in as many weeks, someone opened it. We’d love to see someone pass, saying, eh, I’m just not feeling this right now. What did Brendon discover?

Not what he was looking for, which was theme of the episode for him. Ragan, who Brendon nominated
for eviction along with Lane, promptly snared the Power of Veto.

Ragan Fox (left) was the star Wednesday. Matt Hoffman should be tonight.

Did the producers choose this puzzle to give the professor an edge? Coincidence or not, he didn’t just win, he flat-out dominated, securing his Saboteur check to boot.

Not a bad prize for some sketchy messages. Soon, though, Ragan was battling his nemesis – Rachel – in person, after Brendon opened Pandora’s Box and unleashed her.

He thought he was getting a 24-hour vacation with her, but Big Brother punked him and they switched places. Brendon spent a nice day in a Malibu mansion … alone.

Meanwhile, Rachel returned to wreak havoc on the houseguests who ousted her by a unanimous vote. No one was happy, but the fireworks with Ragan were epic.

Ragan was getting worked up even before the aforementioned, uneducated dig at his sexuality, and the rest of the cast could only watch in awe as he owned Rachel.

Driving home the points that she’s not better at the game and no one likes her, Ragan was the true victor in the house Wednesday on every level. Dude is the man.

They’ve gone and done it again. They ended the ‘Big Brother 12‘ live show with an HoH competition underway, yet not completed. They’re either out of ideas for short competitions or, by leaving viewers with a cliffhanger, they’re hoping to increase the ratings for Sunday night’s show.

While it would be a hoot if the hamsters all got so tangled up in their ropes that they were still struggling by Sunday night, we all know that’s not the case. The competition is over and there’s a new Head of Household in place. Plus, that HoH has chosen three people to be Have Nots. You can wait until Sunday night when it airs on television or … you can keep on reading.

Beware — extreme spoilers ahead!

This wasn’t an endurance comp. It was more of “what a tangled web we weave.” The ropes they were trying to undo and lug to the end were tied in knots, in different levels and more. It was probably the most difficult competition I’ve seen on the show. The ropes kept tangling after they undid them from the web and the rain was making them heavy and unwieldy. Right out of the gate, the guys were having more success than either Kathy or Britney. I realize that’s not a shocker about Kathy.

Fortunately the feeds weren’t blocked for long after the show. Once they returned, it seemed to be a battle between Lane and Brendon with Hayden in third place. However, one of the hamsters was very determined to win and worked like a madman through the web. I’m not talking Enzo. Somehow he ended up on par with Kathy! Oh no, Joisey, what’s up with that? Both Ragan and Britney actually started crying in frustration as they tangled their ropes. It all seemed so futile.

And, that it was. At about 9:29PM ET, Brendon threw his coiled rope over the edge of the web. Lane was still about three or four squares behind. Brendon ran to the bell and kept thumping it. No lights, no sound, no nothing. The feeds were blocked at that point. But he definitely won — the buzzer must have come from a dollar store like their arts and crafts stuff.

When the feeds returned again about 15 minutes later, Brendon had already chosen the three hamsters for Have Nots. Gee, can you guess which three he chose? Why, it was the cockroaches (as he calls them) — Matt, Britney and Ragan. We all know that no matter what, Matt will be safe with his Diamond Power of Veto. Since he can’t tell anyone what he won, no one knows about it.

So the Brigade had to jump in action. Hayden and Enzo are in the best with Brendon, both playing a good social game. No one sees the Brigade as an alliance at all. Their goal is to get Brendon to put Ragan and Britney on the block. Let Brendon get his hands dirty with the ones most likely to win ‘Big Brother’ knowledge competitions. Enzo already told Brendon that he had to go along with the house vote. Brendon, although he hates ‘em all supposedly, is going to think that both Enzo and Hayden are his own allies despite their vote.

Britney cried some more, as did Ragan. Enzo was hilarious fussing that Hayden made fun of his performance in the Diary Room. Deep down though, I think Enzo is really upset that he can’t seem to win anything. He covers it with humor, but it’s there. Unlike Kathy who can’t win anything, no one gives Enzo any grief about it. I think they’re intimidated by the accent or they just like him too much. Kathy is more taking up space than anything else. Enzo’s actually a character.

The nominations should be Friday evening. Right now Brendon is saying that he hasn’t decided yet. I’d like to make a bet that it will be two of the three Have Nots. Brendon seems to think that Lane is the saboteur, but I don’t think he’d nominate him. I think he’s going to go for revenge. Finally, in this past week, the live feeds have been interesting to watch! Right now, they’re all subdued and exhausted from the comp. But with Brendon as Head of Household and avenging his true love, this should be good!

We last left the hamsters of the ‘Big Brother 12‘ house spinning around on a giant can of paint while having a paint brush slap up against them. Obviously they weren’t doing it for the sheer joy of having such fun. It was the Head of Household competition and the second endurance competition in two weeks.

Everyone was up on the paint can ledge except Rachel as she’s the outgoing HoH. Most have a reason to want to win. Brendon knows that he has to bring his best game so that he and Rachel can remain in the house. They’ve got the biggest targets on their backs.

The Brigade needs the win to keep their own numbers up. Then there’s Kathy and Ragan. To be honest, I’m still not sure what Kathy is doing in the house and Ragan remains the Floating Along Dude — he’s a FAD! So, who lasted the longest? Read on!

It was inevitable that Kathy would be the first one down and, as a result, the only Have Not in the house this week. What’s confusing is the “deal” she made. I think — not that I really can understand the way her mind works — that she wanted to act like she was taking one for the team. Perhaps she thought everyone would think more of her and not nominate her if she made the ultimate sacrifice. According to her, she wants them all to think she’s weak. Um … she is either weak or should get an Emmy if all of a sudden she starts showing any game!

As Rachel kept encouraging Brendon to the exclusion of all the rest, the can spun and they got splattered. They were trying different positions to no avail — it wasn’t an easy comp by any means. But I’m kind of disappointed in my New Jersey cohort Enzo; The Meow is nothing but a slacker when it comes to competitions! True, he’s the one who started the Brigade. But it doesn’t say much for his own character or ambition that he always gives up and depends on them to finish the job.

Brendon was out next, crashing Rachel’s hopes, dreams and life in the house. She let us know how disappointed she is in his attempts to win Head of Household, though she was a bit easier on him. Once again, just like the surfing endurance, he’s sure to blame his failure on his size. Yet, Lane was still up when Brendon came down. Oops, there goes Lane! At least he doesn’t fuss about the competitions being unfair!

Bam, down goes both Britney, then Hayden. Now, Britney doesn’t really want to win. She knows that she herself isn’t a target and that whomever wins needs to put up Rachel and Brendon. Why get that blood on her hands? I went several weeks without a favorite in the house. I didn’t even like Britney in the first few weeks. But now I’m on the Britney train. It would be a hoot if she beat out the Brogade Boys in the end.

Hayden had good reason to win, but just couldn’t hold on any longer. Like the last endurance comp, it was Matt and Ragan at the end … and then Matt for the win. Ragan, like Britney, doesn’t really want to win — let someone else make the enemies.

One thing I’ll give this cast credit for is finally mocking the big “Welcome to my new HoH Room” bit. It’s about time! We all know how fake the happiness is for most of them. This time both Matt and Britney took it so over the top with screams of joy that I actually chortled a bit. Yep, I chortled. Meanwhile, as Britney pointed out, Rachel thought it was all a real reaction. For a supposed scholar, Rachel is clueless about so many things that it’s really a bit sad. What’s really sad is Rachel on the whole. Her best boyfriend ever let her down in the comp, everyone hates her, she’s probably going home and she resembles Boy George. Life in the house is just so unfair!

Before the nominations can be made, there are a few items of business to be handled. We’re talking Pandora’s Box and, if opened, the unleashing of the new saboteur in the house. Of course Matt’s going to open Pandora’s Box. He’s a gamer. They’re offering him the Diamond Power of Veto. Despite being warned he will unleash something on the house, there’s no decision that needs to be contemplated.

The last time there was a Diamond Power of Veto in the game, it wasn’t used. I expect Matt to use it so he can set the line-up of evictions best to suit his own personal game. I believe it was Allison in season 4 who had the power last. It enables the user to not only take a person off the block, but to name the replacement. In other words, it just about takes all the power away from the Head of Household. If they used it every season, there would be issues as the incentive to be HoH is diminished. But to spring it out after five years, that’s fine by me.

Because he opened Pandora’s Box, he unleashed the saboteur. We were privy to Ragan’s acceptance of the task. He claims he’s only doing it because he’s honored America chose him and doesn’t want to disappoint us. I say the 20 grand might have had something to do with it. By now he has to realize that his chances of winning the $500,000 are kind of dismal. To give Ragan some credit, his acting job when the saboteur appeared on their television was perfect. The saboteur video, similar to Annie’s video, made it clear that the saboteur was one in the running for the win and promised to backstab them. They’re probably going to think it’s Matt due to his stupid lie about what he got for opening the box — $1. Give me a break!

When the nominations came down, it was oh-so-predictable. Although we were shown both Brendon and Rachel working on Matt (and having a blow-up with Ragan because Rachel called Matt and Ragan “a pair”), it was obvious who Matt had to put up on the block. He seriously dinged his reputation in the Brigade with his last non-nominations and has to do the real deal. So he did — Brendon and Rachel are on the block. Hold on to your hats my friends, this drama’s going to get wild.

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Big Brother Season 12 : ‘Big Brother‘ is messing with us. There are usually two endurance competitions per season, then the one at the end of the season.

We just had an endurance comp two weeks ago. Usually the next one is due the third week of August. Well, not now! The live eviction show ended with our beloved (cough) hamsters standing on a ledge on a spinning paint can while a paint brush slapped them and paint was squirted on them.

But, what’s that? That paint can has no one on it? How did that happen? Well, it’s because the competition ended. There is a new Head of Household and one person is the sole Have Not for the week. Why wait until the show airs on Sunday night? Don’t you want to know the spoilers from the live feeds?

Extreme spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned.

You know me; I’m not happy unless I have something to grouse about. This time, it’s the amount of time the feeds are blocked during the competition. Due to complaints, they’ve removed the “24/7″ from the CBS website and Julie Chen’s announcements. But we usually get good coverage of the endurance competitions. Not so much tonight. Oh, I still have the news, that I can promise you.

The feeds were blocked until just shy of 9:30ET, a half-hour after the show ended. At first, we just had audio — very adult-rated audio at that. I can’t see them using much of that on the aired show. When the feeds came up Kathy and Enzo were already down. Later we found out through conversation that Kathy went down first. That’s a shocker, eh?

But we hardly had time to absorb that anyone was down before we actually caught Brendon (and his size 13 feet) go down. So much for Rachel’s dreams of house control! Brendon had leaned so far out that the paintbrush knocked off his goggles. He was out shortly after the goggles went.

They kept blocking the feeds intermittently, sometimes for a good five minutes at a time. At one time during blocked feeds, three went down — Lane, Britney and Hayden. I believe Hayden was the last one of the group to go as the feeds came back in time to show Kathy helping him up and telling Matt and Ragan they were the last ones on the can.

Yep, just like the endurance comp two weeks ago, it’s down to Ragan and Matt. And, just like before, Matt is looking way comfortable and saying he can last all night. To be honest, I don’t want them to stay up there all night. I want it done and over with!

Sure enough, just like the last time, Ragan weakened and started trying to deal with Matt. He got Matt to agree that he (Ragan) and Kathy would be safe if Matt wins Head of Household. It was all over in just about an hour. Ragan felt sick at one point, then worried how he was going to fall safely. Then, of course, they blocked the feeds when he actually went down. Grr.

Matt is once again the Head of Household. He told Kathy that she’s safe for another two weeks in the house. In whispers, the Brigade, Ragan, and Britney have all talked about Rachel and Brendon both going on the block this week. Matt told Enzo he needs to make sure that if the one remaining (of Brendon or Rachel) gets Head of Household, he’s put against either Kathy or Ragan. I don’t see how that can be guaranteed, but that’s what he wants.

You don’t always get what you want. But sometimes, you get what you need. Brendon and Rachel need to be on the block. They need to be split up. If all goes as it looks right now on the live feeds, Matt’s actually going to step up to the plate and put them on the block.