Vicky

I'm done with Austin. He's a snake in the grass. Austin talking to James: That's something Vanessa can't understand...the perspective that I have...or understand the perspective that you have, 'cause she's not in the situation that we're in. When you have the responsibility of females it's disaster. (That's about 5:35 pm today) Ugh, Ugh, Ugh. Austin has the responsibility to protect Liz and Julia (a mere two weeks after he wanted Julia out of the house). James also thinks he has to protect Jackie and Meg, but he knows it's because he's in an alliance with them. Austin thinks he's in a Conan the Barbarian romance novel that has Fabio on the cover. My preferred boot list for the double elimination: Shelli then Austin. ETA: And then Austin said..."Everyone always goes to me for everything". He's a...well, I won't write it - but he is.

Yeah - that was a good conversation between Meg and James. I like them so much better without the bitter tongues of Jackie and Jason. ETA: I want to like Jackie, and I mostly do, but she seems kinda mean to me.

You're not wrong, but I still feel bad for her. :)

I agree. It makes it all the more sad to see how alone she is today. I haven't watched every second, but other than an initial, somewhat awkward, gathering just after the veto ceremony, her 6S alliance has made her feel even more alone I imagine. How sad to be ostracized and then hear all your former allies having a fun time with the people who had been planning her backdoor all along. It would be a generous act for one of her friends to have an honest conversation with her to let her know that she can't change the outcome but that she'd be welcome to join in with the other people. I don't know if she'd do it, but it would be nice to try. I feel like she's the wounded gazelle that the other gazelle's are just trying to outrun so they don't get eaten.

I'm not sure if it would be considered an attack or not, but Jackie has gone pretty far overboard when she describes Shelli and Vanessa in particular. And Jackie goes on and on and on - it doesn't stop for a long time, it seems.

HA! HA! That's hilarious! I am not a maniac for Vanessa - but I have enjoyed her BB game. I think Escape meant the more literal definition, though I will not hold a grudge!! :)

Okay - I may have missed some of it. I just thought she looked so pleased with herself for making what seemed to me like an obvious plan. I'll say this though...I think the reason everything seems to be working out so well - nobody cluing in Vanessa - is because it is obvious and simple and there are no complications or caveats. She also dispensed with everything pretty quickly - plan made, communicated to the team, let's go to sleep. Not much to ruminate over when it's taken care of efficiently. Maybe that's her Black Friday training! :) I wondered about that too. I wasn't sure if I should be insulted or not. Maybe Escape meant fan?

Vanessa's strategy didn't work for the long term. She hasn't adjusted well. That doesn't mean she's a stupid player. Becky's attitude since becoming HOH has been of the "Brava to me!" variety. Until you've won the game, you can't be sure your plan will prove out either.

I realize this is all water under the bridge and it doesn't matter. It doesn't even matter what is true - it only matters what the other houseguests perceive. But - I said I wanted to go back to review how Austin got off the block. Where did the first inkling come from. It looks to me like it was a perfect storm of information: Austin and Clay talking about the numbers on both sides and the Jason/Meg/James group not appearing to go along with the plan to pull Clay off the block. From 7/25 5:06 pm or so through to this conversation around 5:39, Vanessa and Shelli are on board with getting Austin out, they're getting ready to let Liz in on it and are discussing how that will work out. There's some discussion about a rumored 6 person alliance (James, Jason, Meg, Jackie, Becky, and John) who were hoping that Clay could stay on the block against Austin instead of Becky. Then he could accidentally get voted out. Shelli gets fearful. She says she's going to war if this is true. Austin walks in and discusses the numbers side of things. This is also when Austin lies about the Audrey vote. After he leaves, they're still on board to get Austin out - especially since Austin lied about the Audrey vote (which Vanessa knows about from Julia). But, Shelli wants to investigate this possible 6 person alliance first. This conversation is at 5:39: Vanessa - I want to talk after we have this conversation with Liz. I want you me and Clay to have a really big discussion to decide what we're going to do. 'Cause at the end of the day it comes down to do we trust James and...yes, it is a 3 headed monster with Austin and the two twins, but is it more scary than James, Meg, and James, or a 4 headed monster in the other four. Shelli - Right? How dumb were we...this is the thing we were freaking out that you remained in power, this was in the stars. If Jackie was still in power, we could have been so freaking dumb this week. We could have just make a freaking... Vanessa - there's no...I mean, do you believe though that Meg and James and Jason were going to be really loyal to us, or no? Is it just a one week thing where they're happy they weren't the target? Shelli - I think...I think that they blow with the wind. You know how much Meg freaks out about making any big moves in this game, like... Vanessa - Another hard part is I gave my word Shelli - You gave your word what? Vanessa - My word that... Shelli - To who? Vanessa - Becky...and Clay. And everyone in the 8 person alliance. Shelli - But, you know what? Shit changes - so fast in this game. I'm starting to freak out. Vanessa - But I will say that I have levels of loyalty. And I always did say that I was most loyal to you two, like us three, so...so if it comes down to that, that's my moral justification for myself. Shelli - Moral compass, yeah. Vanessa - I can't believe you would even ask me if I knew something I wasn't telling you [reference to earlier in the conversation when Shelli asked Vanessa if she knew about this 6 person alliance]. Are you kidding me? I don't know what else I can do to show you my fucking loyalty girl, you better be smiling right now is all I've got to say. Shelli - well, you know, you know... Vanessa - yeah, literally, like are you fucking kidding me? I am the most loyal soldier you will ever fucking get in this game period. Shelli - And you're right, you know, they're not going to be stupid enough to tell you, people know that you and i are close. They're not going to be stupid enough to tell you they're gunning against Clay. That conversation describes Vanessa's game. She is a loyal soldier. Given that, Shelli is the leader of the Shelli, Clay, Vanessa trio. She may not overtly understand it, but subconsciously she knows. So - as I said, water under the bridge because that's not how the houseguests see it. You can hide a lot of things under a pretty smile and a friendly disposition.

I completely agree. 100% My recollection is that Shelli was upset that people didn't get more excited about Clay winning veto and that made her want to turn against the other side. At the very moment Shelli and Vanessa were talking about it, Austin walked in the room. He was still in the dark about being the backdoor target. He mentioned that the target they were going for (can't remember who it was) would be a number for their side. That, plus how they acted when Clay won, made it clear to Shelli that the other side should be targeted instead of their 'supposed' target (cause Austin was still in the room). At the time, the 'other' side was Jason, Meg, and Jackie. Since Vanessa had told Jackie she wouldn't backdoor her, and Meg wasn't thought to be a threat, that left Jason. It wasn't that Vanessa wanted Jason to go particularly. I thought it was because Austin and Shelli started worrying about numbers, and Vanessa was forced to choose. I'm going to look up that conversation and see if I remember correctly.

I'm feeling terrible for Vanessa today. It's sad to see the whole house turning against her - some more vociferously than others - and her "friends" aren't giving her any hint or heads up that she needs to be concerned. I know in this context it's different than real life, so I shouldn't expect they would. It's just difficult to watch. I wish she would have relaxed a bit more so she could have some true connections with the other Houseguests. Most of her interactions have been retelling of comps or game strategy. I wonder if hiding this big secret about her real life is keeping her from being more real, which comes through and people can sense it which makes them more inclined to distrust her. Even when she was leading the house they didn't trust her...she just had power so they went along with it. She and Jackie could have bonded during their 24 hours together, but that never happened. Missed opportunity. I still think she was misunderstood for the most part - her intentions got lost in all the plans and the drama. I don't remember how she got in so thick and heavy with Shelli and Clay. I wonder if that was her big mistake...they don't seem like people who think like her. And definitely it was their influence which caused her to switch from Austin. She put her loyalty to Shelli and Clay above everything, to her own detriment. She should have stuck with her gut when she saw Austin had voted the wrong way without mentioning it to his alliance. It occurs to me, she's mentioned that she's been cheated on three times in relationships and it really wrecked her. That probably explains her excessive questioning and checking in, and it also makes me feel even worse for her when she finds out she' s been 'cheated on' in this game as well. Oh man - let's hope she doesn't take this game as seriously as I do!!!!! :) it's definitely a game and she's more used to high pressure competitions than I am, so I'm sure she'll get out of the house, see her mistakes and move on to a happy and healthy life!!!! I, on the other hand, will never apply to be on Big Brother. :) Kudos to Steve for having had the courage to see this through even though he was uncomfortable. And smart of him to recognize it's not for him. Thanks for letting me get this off my chest! By the way - I love all the analysis 'y'all' have been writing...pretty spot on I'd say. I've gotten too caught up in how everyone FEELS. Crazy.

I like your positive attitude - I was about to give up, but I'm going to have hope again!!! Go Vanessa!

Sigh...not looking good for Vanessa. My only hope is that she doesn't create negative energy in the next few days.

In his efforts to convince Steve last night of Vanessa's duplicity, Johnny Mac shared with Steve that Vanessa had told both Steve AND Shelli to choose her for Houseguest's Choice and she would pull that one off. Johnny Mac also told each of them to choose him for Houseguests Choice. The difference, and he was clear to say that this is what made him more trustworthy than Vanessa, is that Johnny Mac told both Steve and Shelli he'd use the veto to save Shelli. See how honest he is? It's the exact kind of thing Vanessa would do. ***** I'm sad to see Shelli not trust Vanessa anymore when the reason Vanessa's had to do the crazy things that made her the pariah in the house are because of the stupid things that Clay and Shelli did to themselves. That's the way I see it. I agree that she's the one who thought of the crazy things and maybe if she'd followed her own advice with Austin (tell the alliance when you're going to do something 'hinky') then as a group they might have come up with a better strategy. I think Vanessa really feels like she's been loyal to her people, and they don't have her back anymore. Sad. On the other hand, I don't think Vanessa will be bitter or angry when/if she's voted out, which I like. It's a game. And, if Johnny Mac rises up and becomes a strategist, I'll be happy with that as well! (It's hard to be a fan of a player and watch their game take a wrong turn and still hope they'll find the objectivity to rethink and recover)

It's really exhausting getting too caught up in this game! I have to remind myself they'll all be friends when this is over and I'll be left with nothing but my frustration and anger if I'm not careful! It's fun up to a point and then I have to catch myself before I go over the edge!

Looks like it was a good play...Steve seems to have decided he'll pick Johnny Mac if he gets Houseguest's Choice and throw the veto competition. Good play for Steve?

I'm watching a conversation between Steve and Johnny Mac and it's blowing my mind! Aren't these two supposed to be masterminds of the game? This is like a "Who's on First?" routine. There's so much miscommunication and repeating of wrong information! I haven't been paying enough attention to these two...I had a whole different view of them.

Yay! A kindred spirit!!! :)

Isn't she just trying to protect her and her people? It's the Anyone But One of Us strategy. I'm sorry she hasn't yet realized her power of persuasion isn't very powerful anymore - that's where she's losing it. That and her frustration that people aren't thinking about the game like she does. But, whatever her strategy, the goal is to keep herself in a large group.. She knows if she can keep her Sixth Sense alliance together that she's protected and they have numbers.

I'm still a fan of Vanessa's game, though I recognize she's made some obvious mistakes and she may have dug herself quite a hole. I honestly think Vanessa has been very loyal to her group. She hasn't always told the truth, but she's made sure her Sixth Sense group has stayed together. She's gone out of her way to save Austin and make the best of situations that either Austin or Shelli/Clay got themselves into. So, when she says she's loyal - I agree with her. I'm sick of Jackie's constant bashing of Vanessa...it's kind of obsessive. This is a game after all. And why are those three always isolating themselves? No matter what the configuration of their group they always seem to isolate themselves - either now in the Have Not room, or when Jason was around in the smoking area. I'm glad James suggested they talk about other stuff - their personal stories, etc.

I think it was less than an hour between the time Becky told Meg, Jackie, and James that they should never whisper the V word and when Becky told (or strongly implied) Johnny Mac, Shelli, and Steve that Vanessa is the main target. So, Vanessa really IS isolated in the game, right? Vanessa overplayed things this afternoon, and she often is more transparent than she might know. But, hasn't she mostly created all these elaborate plans to keep her people safe - Shelli, the twins, Austin, and Steve? I understand it's self-serving as well, and I don't watch the feeds 24 hours so maybe I've missed some times when she sold people out - but only when they were selling her out first, right? I'll be interested to see if Vanessa can shift her strategy and save herself this week. Given the current feelings in the house, that will be quite a feat if she can make it happen - especially since Becky's worked Black Friday, and all.

I've noticed Vanessa has used the 'R word' a couple times and she corrects herself as soon as she says it and apologizes. That tells me she's always thinking, always on alert. People using inappropriate language often do it when they turn their mind off; they relax, forget where they are, aren't paying attention, or feel tired and emotional. Vanessa always knows she's playing the Big Brother game and is on television. I respect that she's mindful of where she is and what she's doing. As we've seen, most players aren't mindful. (of course, I'd REALLY like it if that wasn't a word she used)

Whether Vanessa will have the same success as Derrick remains to be seen, but the similarity I see in both their games is that they're persuasive. They don't tell people what to do (mostly), but they persuade people it's in their best interest to do what Vanessa or Derrick want them to do. They say lots of stuff so in a later conversation they can say "Remember when I told you that yesterday. You can see I was looking out for your even then." It's like a backward alliance. That's why I like to watch Vanessa play. She has a lot of different strategies for talking with different people but in most cases it's a conversation rather than a directive. Steve doesn't think he's a floater because Vanessa made sure to ask for his opinion, even when she already knew what she was doing. When he balked at the idea that he was a 'floater', she switched the implied definition of floater to be someone who hasn't won HOH. My concern for Vanessa is that she isn't as friendly with the rest of the houseguests. I expected a lot of conversation when she was Jackie's squire - that these two might get to know each other and find some common ground for going forward together. But whenever I saw them they weren't talking. Her most animated conversations are game related. Also, when they're in a group, Vanessa is pretty quiet. It's like her F&G persona is showing, where she's not naturally comfortable in a group the way Shelli or Meg are. I worry some of the houseguests (future jury) will respond more favorably to Shelli's ease in personal interactions and social groups...once time has lessened the pain of Shelli's 'betrayal', of course. Maybe I'm projecting my own discomfort with social interactions in a group!!! :)

If I were in charge of the vote this week I'd vote for Clay to be evicted. I'd like to see Vanessa and Shelli work together without Clay's input.

Wow...upstairs, Vanessa is being blamed by James and Meg as the person who told Clay and Shelli they were going up, and downstairs Vanessa is being blamed by Johnny Mac for NOT telling Clay and Shelli they're being put up. Where is Vanessa? She's not even in the mix tonight.