North of Eden

I will admit I am very nervous that everything is on Jackie's shoulders in order to keep the Sixth Sense creeps from dominating the game once again. The ONLY hope I have is that she looks athletic and she's a dancer so hopefully she is agile and has stamina. If not she and James are getting KO'ed in the double eviction next week. I could have gone my whole life without looking at the smug pair of "Hitmen" who managed to zap 99% of any suspense or enjoyment out of last summer's BIG BROTHER. I hope we NEVER see a player like Derrick again because he had no kryptonite...what fun is that. Also to add insult to injury we had to see that spineless wuss Cody trot out "daddy dearest" to the BBQ. Something just aint right with that boy. I assume Sunday we will see in flashbacks why Meg and Jackie would vote to keep Clay. I actually cheered out loud when Jackie pegged Vanessa as being shady and untrustworthy trying to steer the vote. And if we lose the SS opposition in a double eviction...I am starting to develop this feeling in the pit of my stomach that at the end of this game in September we could stand a chance of having any combination of Steve, Becky and Johnny Mac in the final two...in other words people that showed up not to play the game and were just carried along as the big guns do each other in....any of those winning would be a horrific end to a fairly good season so far.

Thread confusion tonight....this belongs here: Oh, my heck! What was that bizarre segment with Meg and Clay?! The only thing I can take away from it is that despite his professed bond with Shelli...he's perfectly happy to leave the house and get busy with other chicks....I mean if he was willing to nuzzle all over Meg when Shelli is in the DR....what will he do back in the real world. I don't like the pair but I do feel a tiny flash of sympathy that they can't at least spend part of the summer together in the jury house...absolutly worst timing ever for one of them to go I would agree. James is on the awesome train but he could get derailed if he doesn't get rid of Shelli because she will immediatly woo Vanessa back to her side and they will team up to send him to be the first jury member if they come into power. For the first time this season Liz and Julia were just background characters. I don't know if Becky throwing that comp could be more obvious than it was...but I still wish the Three Amigos wouldn't include her in their discussions...she a sneaky snake floating about the house. Don't trust her! Jackie is sex on a stick....so i'll be shallow and say I'm sorry to see her buried in that armortard. Steve=the new Victoria and Jason continues to have a bigger impact on the game by being at home!

Oh, my heck! What was that bizarre segment with Meg and Clay?! The only thing I can take away from it is that despite his professed bond with Shelli...he's perfectly happy to leave the house and get busy with other chicks....I mean if he was willing to nuzzle all over Meg when Shelli is in the DR....what will he do back in the real world. I don't like the pair but I do feel a tiny flash of sympathy that they can't at least spend part of the summer together in the jury house...absolutly worst timing ever for one of them to go I would agree. James is on the awesome train but he could get derailed if he doesn't get rid of Shelli because she will immediatly woo Vanessa back to her side and they will team up to send him to be the first jury member if they come into power. For the first time this season Liz and Julia were just background characters. I don't know if Becky throwing that comp could be more obvious than it was...but I still wish the Three Amigos wouldn't include her in their discussions...she a sneaky snake floating about the house. Don't trust her! Jackie is sex on a stick....so i'll be shallow and say I'm sorry to see her buried in that armortard. Steve=the new Victoria and Jason continues to have a bigger impact on the game by being at home!

Well, it took the entire month of July for a much welcome power shift but it was worth the wait. James is my favorite player this season and I was happy to see him dispense with the usual pawns BS and go in for the kill. With that said though I think he's doomed his game. Whoever survives these noms are going to be gunning for him next week when he can't be HOH...but the good news at least he will make the jury house and not have the ignomy of having to watch the game from home for the rest of the summer. Austin truly is creep isn't he...the way he was taking advantage of Liz being cold to rub her down. He's just kind of vile really. I 'm glad that Julia has his number. Meanwhile when I saw Becky up with the Three Amigos I had a gut instinct not to trust her...to me she looked like she didn't belong there and sure enough. Becky is a no good rat AND the snake...who reeks of being the ultimate floater of the season.

My theory I have come up with about the computer communication at the end is the dome IS doing a big fake out and to t h e outside world the dome probably now appears opaque as it has before and that is why someone is trying to reach the science team.

Oh, snap it certainly appeared real and not an illusion...however that last bit with the computer gives a slender thread of hope that perhaps in the season finale it will be revealed to be a big fake out otherwise.... Who knew the end of the world would be such a nonchalant happening for our "heroes"...even Joe doesn't seem remotly troubled by the notion that his parents on the other side of the dome had to be flash fried somewhere in the catastrophe but then again he barely blinked when his best friend Ben died and yet he's all about Angie's death. And when the computer wiz was screaming he wanted to die and was about to slice his wrists I was like "let him do it already!" It was really getting annoying.

Raise your hand if you would give a weeks pay to see Austin's eagle do an out of control pile drive into his nuts. LOL @ the completley gratuitous shot of one of the twin's you know what's standing at attention from the cold. If you told me after viewing episode one that I would be sorry to see Jason go I would have thought you were crazy as I hated him immediatly but after he toned down the whole over the top playing for the camera he became likable and probably the best hope to foil the Sixth Sense...alas. Also I thunder struck that Allison and Production did not work over time manufacturing a twist to save him as he was the best hope as said to shake things up...and clearly they hate Becky because she gets no screen time when she's not HOH or on the block. Jackie was my fave on TAR but she dissapointed me tonight be voting with the house and Steve is a pussy. I hate people with NO convictions. He hates Becky but votes with the house. Man up son. On Rob has a podcast someone speculated that Austin will quickly become jealous of Julia monopolizing Liz's time. I TOTALLY see that coming as well. Remember how threatened he was by Jeff. At least that is something to look forward too. Hopefully it will be the undoing of the repulsive dude who is only a couple wresting moves away from being rapey towards his "love". Thanks for production for the Johnny Mac segment. It gave me time to speed tonights episode along on my DVR as I have zero interest in anything related to this manchild and his family. Okay BOB is gone...(I don't think it will ever be back because even production has to realize all it does is damage the game by giving one faction too many chances to be in power all summer...just like last year. Hopefully they have learned) so now let's see something intersting happen...something so crazy and unpredictable...I'd love to see a Julia/James showmance that would be spectacle to behold.

Before this airs...I am hoping what is seen in the previews turns out to be some sort of illusion created by the dome...because if it is legit then the writers will have painted themselves into a corner for any future seasons. *The narrative drive would be lost....there would be no point in trying to escape the Dome...it would be like Star Trek Voyager if the ship had no reason to try and get home again, the castaways on LOST or GILLIGAN's ISLAND for that matter no longer having any reason to try and get off the islands....a big DEAD END. * Also no more cheating bringing in characters from outside the dome to freshen things up...that avenue cut off forever. This is a terrible idea if that is what they do tonight.

LOL @ Vanessa! I love it when a plan DOESN'T come together. And yes ASKING someone to be on the block is lame.

Dear Brittany: Who doesn't love Johnny Mac? Me. I think he's an imbecile who could lose some of his patients after watching his behavior in the house...but I guess every village needs and idiot. Also you looked like a pathetic "mean girl" along with Julie Chen cackling about Jackie. Brit you aren't the sharpest tool in the shed getting hoodwinked all season by a trio of goons. Well, Audrey got the grand send off...the first half hour a special package devoted to her. Best part...her friend calling the houseguests "Ruthless Savages" which for some reason I found hysterical. Darn it...I was hoping for a total six sense shut out! Best case scenario at this point is Vanessa gets dethroned and Clay and Shelli are Jackie's nominees...though it is likely that Liz will be in Jackie's crosshairs with turnabout being fair play after all.

Finally an episode that I liked because my two favorite players James and Jackie are completly safe! Meanwhile Liz is a dipstick with her "Jackie has never talked any game with me":uh...hey dimbulb is there some reason YOU can't talk game with Jackie? What makes you all high and might before your HOH win that you can't approach her? Audrey dumbfounds me in that just when she is sitting pretty again she continually can't keep her mouth shut and talks her way BACK into trouble. She did the same thing with Clay last week! What the heck is everyone outside of the Six Sense playing the game like they are Islands? Jason and Jackie both said they were alone. Becky appears to be alone. Steve certainly is as he's talking to himself. I keep wanting James and Meg to form a tight alliance but no evidence of that yet either. What is going on?! I'm glad Austin is on the radar as a being not so trustworthy. I hope he is the first SS member to get the heave ho. Early one it appeared the houseguests might not have the same old same old nominees but sure enough...

Jeff may have appeared clueless during the game but he sure had Austin's number allrighit...they guy is creepy and the psycho vibes wafting off of him can probably be sensed all the way to Tejuana. At least it was made clear tonight that all of Austin's postering about Jeff being a big threat was just a smoke screen to eliminate a romantic rival. G-Damn...he was even jealous of Steve at one point! It's sad..very sad that the Sixth Sense is once more the HOH. Their stranglehold on the game is starting to rival Derrick's last summer and that completly ruined BIG BROTHER 16. Let me guess...Meg,Johnny Mac and Jason will be put on the block along with James who is the target. Johnny Mac will be convinced to throw the competition which he will. There will be more half hearted discussions about back dooring Audrey-James goes home next week. Wash rinse and repeat until Jason, Meg,Jackie and Steve are gone is some order. HO HUM. But thank you BB for sparing us the Johnny Mac show tonight. BY necessity Jeff's nomination forced them to give Jackie screen time or else we would have heard nothing from her tonight. Even Julie Chen wants to throw shade on her invisibility. Blame AG and her editors for giving everyone's screen time to Johnny Mac and the Six Sense cretins. LOL as Julie was channeling Phil's desperate attempts at the TAR mat to probe for a love connection from team JJ....the bust of that concept nearly echos the Family Edition.

Allison Grodner's favoritism is always one of the most blatantly obvious realities of BIG BROTHER...after what a month now its all crystal clear who they are...Audrey was a given (she's going to skate her way to jury and maybe even the end) but the emergence of Johnny Mac as producer's favorite can't be missed. Why do 90% of the Diary Room confessionals have to feature Johnny Mac playing his character. God forbid we get any sort of idea what Steve or Becky are thinking. Not only do they not get confessionals....they can't even get air time other the players in a crowd scene...whilie Johnny Mac and Austin are trowled onto the viewers. Austin and Vanessa are a pair of creeps...what they did to Jeff was just so underhanded and repulsive to watch. I LOVED when Jason called out Austin had lying eyes...to bad Six Sense Stooge Clay had to be right there. Oh, and Shelli is a bad actor...her "Jeff what the hell?" sounded so lame and scripted. Not being a feed watcher I could be wrong...the the general problem here is you've got the Six Sense scumbags as a power faction but the rest of the house don't really appear to be an alliance...a loose affiliation at best. I hope a non SS person wins HOH Thursday and they start building some coalition. And enough with people throwing competitions. It's not cheating of course but some how it violates the spirit of the game if people aren't really trying to win things..

F-this episode and F-The Battle of the Block The first 30 minutes was the Six Senth A-holes prancing about self congratulating themselves on how wonderful they are and how great they are positioning themselves. Shelli and Clay continuing to be in power with the help of this vile new pair of HOH's is just miserable. We spent last summer with one faction of the house led by Derrick controlling everything...please tell me we aren't in for that again! As for The Battle of the Block...what a lame thing to bring back. Half way through I Fast Forwarded it...what is the point of the whole thing if the trend from now on is John throwing the comps at someone';s request....that is not good television production...it is boring because of the foregone conclusion. And screw John for being complicit in the whole thing...I'm sick of the "character" he is playing in the Diary Room. You don't really see him acting like that outside of the DR's. Becky gets the invisible edit of the night. Did she appear as the BOB went on? If so that was it. And why is Jackie regulated to only one scene. You would think the production would shamelessly be putting in bikini shots from the back yard but their idea of filler was Steve and the hammock. (Steve's only significant appearance by the way)...and the whole segment reaked of something probably shot days or weeks ago and just randomly stuck in there. The only thing I liked about tonight was the brief instant when Meg dropped the "wacky next door neighbor sitcom" schtick she's been playing and became emotional about getting nominated yet again.. P.S. to Meg....America';s Team did put on a play to much...UN-acclaim. James is my favorite player. I hope he survives.

Well, you have to give production credit. It was an admirable attempt to rig the game to keep Da'Vonne in the house to make war on Barbie and Ken Cowards but alas to no avail. I actually wouldn't have minded it if they'd pulled it off as I like Da'Vonne. I've got a bad feeling that we are going to have a BB1 scenario where all the interesting people who make good television are going to be weeded out first and by the end of August we will be treated to a house of boring dullards like Becky, John and Vanessa. Underwhelming HOH again this week! Two more non-entities in power. I wanted to see James get it so we could have a counter attack against Clay, Shelli and their minions. Very dissapointing. Julie Chen DID have programming in her ear this week and it was telling her to keep fishing with Da'Vonne until Day admitted she should have kept her knowledge of the twins to herself. However Julie should have asked why Day didn't sit Clay out of the vote. Looks like almost nobody knew who this Gronk character was in the house as I as sure as hell have never heard of him either. Jeers to the cowards TM who were blatantly throwing the HOH by not even trying to get their balls in the buckets.

Are you sure...there was a changing screen in the DR.

Of course tools Shelli and Clay would actually have the hutzpah to try and get John not to use the veto...does his name look like Marcellus? I don't particuarly like John but I was cheering him not being cowed into stupidity. Audrey nearly talking herself onto the block was a sight to behold...she is crazy cakes but the segment when she was fixing her hair I was all "Damn she's hot. I can't believe she use to be a dude!" I would like to have seen the diary room where production planted the idea into Austin's head to try and get Liz saved. He was heretofore INVISIBLE previously for the entire episode until he was "needed": to help save the twin twist. Speaking of production...no doubt they will manipulate the last laugh for Da'Vonne to stay in the house in order to make war on Ken and Barbie...losing Meg is a character BB can afford to lose. Random moment of the night was Liz leaning over James playing with his shirt. We all know he LOVED that. Becky is so damn wishy washy that she didn't even care she had been played for a fool about the backdooring Audrey,

I posted this over on IMDB too...because the sloppy writing just bugs the heck out of me: Last season in the Family Visits the Dome episode Ben Drake revealed he had no one to meet at the dome as his family was with him under the dome. So now he's dead...and even if his family was aware of it in the alternate reality when he died at the memorial...once back in reality we should have seen distraught parents looking for his body...nothing. If they didn't want to hire actors for the Drakes then at least Joe could have been searching...still no. They didn't even have Joe mention him! All be get was Barbie stumbling on him by accident and while he took time to bury his family for all we know he has left Ben lying there in the tunnels. It's like the writers aren't even trying as this is just sloppy as hell.

Johnny Mac is a chump and a fool. He has the chance to do the right thing AND be SAFE by 100% and he passes on it so as not to anger people that are in power who may very well be OUT of power next week. It's time for someone to notice that its time to split up a power duo that Clay and Shelli are becoming. This should be done at the first opportunity. Shelli is just a catty witch....Clay she's not interested in your opinion..she interested in your d@*k. Typical BIG BROTHER..the one person who should be going out appears on the verge of reprieve. Also typical BATTLE OF THE BLOCK...same nominees every week. This year it will be John and Steve I guess. Why did they bring this back now? No hint of the twin shennanigans. Save Da'Vonne!

So, Becky went from the invisible edit to HOH....I have to admit I am concerned about two "non entities" in the game so far being in charge, I'd prefer it were some of the prominent people because clearly they are the more interesting ones and get air time and I would hate to lose any of them. Andy and Frankie...UGH! I could have gone my whole life without seeing either one of them but there they were...Frankie looking like a damn fool with that hair cut in the front row no less and a picture of slimy Andy. Speaking of Frankie..if there was proof positive Jace deserved to go it was his over the top excitement of seeing Frankie in the audience...enough said. All hail Live TV! Julie Chen nervously repeating she has no programming in her earbud,...while the houseguests cavort in complete silence was priceless. If Kathy Griffin were worth her salt as a commedienne she would have improvised some joke around the technical difficulties. Lastly I would LOVE to be privy to the backstage gyrations Grodner will be going through to ensure that the seventh call from Kathy is made precisely at the moment the houseguest she wants to save or one of their alliance mates is walking past the phone to make sure she can rig the next eviction in production's favor,

Sad...I liked Audrey until she was immediatly plotting to get rid of close alliance mate Da'Vonne. That's pretty shady and all this was before she went spinning off into the "5AM Round up". Playing too hard this early in the game is a recipe for winding up at home watching the rest of the season from home. The houseguests questioning her antics at least seems to explode the theories I've read that they won't target her based on her orientation...that's actually progressive in a way. Day is my favorite right now but I do hope she can reign in going on the "Chima Like" emotional jags. That can be another quick game ender. OMG...Clay looks just like Zach Morris...I guess Steve could be his Screech. Jeff & Meg?! Didn't see that coming! He was okay on TAR but on this show he is coming off a little tool-ish. As predicted Jill continues to stray further and further away from the first night girl's alliance. What an imbalence this year..90% of the women like Jackie and Beck etc are smoking hot and on the men's side the best they can muster up is Clay and to a much lesser degree Jeff. I thought Grodner was pro-showmances...not good odds here.

So A slam is the new Behrooz from 24 whose fate will forever be unresolved. Her running out on him was a really crappy thing to do.

Oh,no...I would hate to lose Jackie...she was my fave from TAR....and she clearly won the genetic lottery...she's about as perfect as a woman can be. Best part about tonight was Becky saying she wouldn't hesitate to put Jason on the block if s he gets HOH because man its going to be a long summer if he's around to the bitter end mugging for the camera the whole way. Steve trying to make Dayonne his "Danielle" was gold...but dammit the kid did have a good idea there...it would be a great and unlikely secret alliance. Shelltown can go to Helltown. I knew Shelli would be fickle to her alliance if it meant a chance to jump Clay. It's only a matter of time before she abandons her first night alliance for some testosterone.

Tonight's batch did prove to be as underwhelming as they appeared in the preview at the end of last nights episode. Liz is cute until she opens her mouth, Vanessa brings to mind an old saying "Rode hard and put away wet." The only standout is Becky. She seems to be a nice normal person on first glance. Jackie! (and Jeff)...now that was a treat! She was my favorite Racer from last season and I was not thrilled when they got lost in Monaco and knocked out of the race leaving me no one to root for. (Was she wearing the same red dress from her final episode?). Jeff and Jackie was TAR's best hope of romance coming out of the near universally dislike Blind Date season and that epic fizzle continues to echo here as it is repeatedly emphasized they are just "good friend" and "no passion". I'm happy to see them but an a bit annoyed that Julie and Phil didn't make it clear if they are just here for one week or the rest of the summer. Which it is I have no idea...anyone know? Oh, and that clip of them was a complete HATCHET JOB. That was the one and only episode where they had a fight. The rest of the time they got along famously. Speaking of TAR..I don't understand why they can find men who just happen to be gay like the boy band member and his partner last season and the late Caleb from SURVIVOR as well but BIG BROTHER always has to head straight to Central Casting for the stereotypical and flameboyant gay male a/k/a Jason. It is so beyond tired at this point. Also Allison Grodner lives in an alternate universe where not only did the Twin Twist never happen before but Allison and her boyfriend Donnie never went on THE AMAZING RACE.

An Asian Hillbilly....I love it! Finally something we haven't seen before on BIG BROTHER. With that said despite the HOH win I think he is ultimatly doomed...as some may have noticed you didn't really see him in any bonding sessions with other Houseguests...and Meg had a distinct lack of camera time...she will be an early out. Woe to anyone entering into an alliance with Shelly....she'll ditch you at the first chance to latch onto the nearest stud. Dayvonne...please don't let me down. If you a scholar of the game please don't do the things that have lead to the self destruction of so many black women houseguests in the past. Audrey seems a little insecure. She's trying a bit to hard with the whole girl power thing...constantly emphasizing the girl part to drive home that she's now a woman. Battle of the Block...get ready for a whole summer of HOH's saying that the people they are nominating are worthy competitiors and they are "giving them a a chance to win their way off the block"...how many times did we hear that last year. Ahh...the Takeover twist....at long last after all these years Allison Grodner has found a way to protect whoever her favorites might be by conviently tailoring a twist that will save them. Mark my words. The next group at first glance look really lame compared to tonights batch. Lastly lets say a pray that there isn't another Derrick (or what ever his name was) the cop who ruined last summer by calling almost ever damn shot week in and week out. His stranglehold on the game made it one of the worst seasons ever (well, that and the insufferable Frankie Grande).