S16.E04: Veto Competition #1

[Tara Ariano]

The Power of Veto competition is held.

[Maverick]

Caleb interrogating Amber over the girls alliance was creepy.  Creepier still was the way Amber acted.  It wasn't like two alliance mates talking strategy and and laughing off a failed counter alliance.  It was more like a pimp threatening to smack his ho if she didn't tell him who's trying to move in on his turf.

 

I give Joey credit for trying to form and all girls alliance because, well, she's right.  And they were too stupid to see it.  But she lost any credit she built up when she apologized to Devin for trying to form one.  Why did she have to apologize to him?  He's damn near as delusional as Caleb, but has a healthy dose of paranoia as well.   Great combo.

 

Unlike Cody, Caleb's glasses do not improve his looks and in fact make him look worse.  Also, he has no business calling himself metrosexual given most of his clothing choices.

 

Zach gets gayer each episode.  Has he discussed his orientation?  

 

Christine earned a snark point for her assessment of Donny in the Veto Comp.

 

Every time I see Nicole I think. "this is Felicity Smoalk's slow sister she never talks about"

 

 

Shallow notes:

 

The tile in the bathroom is fantastic

 

Kudos to whoever is doing the costumes.  Most of the hamsters looked really good in their 20's gear and Miami Vice suits.

 

Cody is impossibly cute.

[Thalia]

Well, damn.  Being put on the block for possible eviction is too good for Joey.  She tried to start an ALL-GIRL ALLIANCE!!  Isn't that grounds for summary execution? 

Edited July 3, 2014 by Thalia

[Skittl1321]

The amount of accusing and apologizing for forming an alliance was bizarre.

[Izzyboy]

I almost wish Donny wasn't on this season just because he has to be around all of these douchebags in sheep's clothing.  Of course, that's pretty much every season on Big Brother...

 

At least Frankie had enough sense to give a side eye to Devin and Caleb's paranoia fueled rantings on Donny's supposed super spy past.

[Stardancer Supreme]

 

I give Joey credit for trying to form and all girls alliance because, well, she's right.  And they were too stupid to see it.  But she lost any credit she built up when she apologized to Devin for trying to form one.

 

It annoys the living hell out of me when a person apologizes to someone for playing the game they are all participating in.  That sounded so stupid!  "How dare the girls do what we are doing, which is forming a single gender alliance!"  Are the majority of these hamsters stuck on stupid?  It especially burns my ass when men are all "This is MY house! You do what I say!" to women they do not know.

[Ananayel]

Why did Joey apologize?! Why!? I understand why Caleb was able to tell her it was too early to form an alliance with a straight face - he's a psycho, who creates his own reality. But man, she's really terrible at this game.

 

I was watching carefully, and they spelled Jocasta's name correctly in the credits this time.

 

Donny may be on track to be one of my favorite hamsters of all time. Not only does he seem like a genuinely sweet, good-hearted person, he's got the right attitude and the right approach to the competitions. What works for the others won't necessarily work for him, and he knows how to work with what he's got. It's going to be funny watching Caleb and Devin twist themselves in knots trying to figure out what his deal is. Soon they'll be thinking he's an actual ninja. And I hope they feel crazy stupid when they get out and watch the episodes.

[Katesus7]

Caleb and Devin can leave yesterday. What a couple of tools. Splitters. Heh. Take that, asshats! Donny is such a sweetheart, I feel so bad for him for believing Devin in the first place.

Watching Joey apologize to Caleb as he sat in that chair staring her down was creepy as hell. I am not getting a good vibe about this season so far. I can see a ramp up in the misogyny coming, and I am not interesting in watching that crap.

Love that the first person in Team America is on the chopping block. Yet another "huge" twist to possibly go bust. Grodner just needs to stop with the twists.

[ottoDbusdriver]

So Caleb has a really, really bad case of HOHitis.  Man is he in for a big surprise when he goes on the block -- dude will lost his shit.

 

Donny is the Pepe Lepew of the BB house -- takes his time, thinks things out and wins, while everyone else is scrambling.

Have these hamsters never played scrabble before ?  Even if you don't have the word you want, spell something with the letters you have so you don't come off looking like a complete imbecile (Caleb, Victoria, Pao-Pao) since you have no idea how dumb the rest of the competitors are.  Especially Pao-Pao since she was playing to get off the block as well.

 

Really liked Hayden's Death-metal/GWAR tribute to Pao-Pao's misspelled word.

[NYGirl]

Way to go Donny!!  Joey is such an idiot.  What's gonna happen to "America"  if Joey goes?  At this point either one of them could go and I wouldn't care.

[TexasChic]

Yeah, I'm thinking we had to have missed something with the whole 'Joey had the nerve to try to start an alliance' debacle. Nothing about that made sense. 

 

The part about Caleb and Devin thinking Donny was some super soldier was hilarious! Especially when it pans to him sitting there with his belly pooching out.

 

Donny is definitely my favorite now. 

[methodwriter85]

I think it's hilarious to watch Caleb and Devin come up with the crazy conspiracy theories about a simple, nice janitor from North Carolina.

 

So just remember, if a guy is missing hair on the lower half of his legs, that's CLEARLY because he was in the military and the boots rubbed off all his hair.

Edited July 3, 2014 by methodwriter85

[TexasChic]

Yeah, there's no way he could wear boots for any other reason. Like say... groundskeeping. 

[ally862]

Watching Joey apologize to Caleb as he sat in that chair staring her down was creepy as hell. I am not getting a good vibe about this season so far. I can see a ramp up in the misogyny coming, and I am not interesting in watching that crap.

Yes! Even though I find Joey annoying (getting a Miley Cyrus vibe with the short hair and annoying facial expressions) watching that made me so uncomfortable. Caleb seems like the type of guy I wouldn't want to be alone with. There's definitely something off with him.

I am in love with Donny though! Could he be any sweeter? I want a mini Donny I can sit on my monitor at work so he can say encouraging things to me all day.

[Kris117]

It annoys the living hell out of me when a person apologizes to someone for playing the game they are all participating in.  That sounded so stupid!  "How dare the girls do what we are doing, which is forming a single gender alliance!"  Are the majority of these hamsters stuck on stupid?  It especially burns my ass when men are all "This is MY house! You do what I say!" to women they do not know.

 

Oh, same here. Caleb was throwing his weight around as if he had won a five-year-war to gain his lofty position as HoH. He is creepy. On the other hand, Joey explaining that she was a feminist so an all-girl alliance really appealed to her was a waste of breath. Whatever the opposite of preaching to the choir is, that's what she was doing with Caleb. 

 

Really liked Hayden's Death-metal/GWAR tribute to Pao-Pao's misspelled word.

 

That was great! He nailed it. That's the first indication of any kind of personality I've seen in him yet. 

 

I was trying to figure out what Jocasta's costume was. After seeing the flamingos, I thought perhaps she was supposed to be a shrimp. But lice! Ew. She did look cute, though. 

 

I don't express my faith the way Jocasta does, but I thought she was pretty sweet when she prayed over Paola. She seems very sincere and not preachy, and her intent was to comfort Paola rather than proselytize.

 

I like some of these people, and find others of them obnoxious, but there's no one (except Caleb, maybe) who makes me cringe the way I did at so many of them last year. There are alliances and people on the outs, sure, but basically they all seem to be treating each other fairly decently. 

[Nashville]

I give Joey credit for trying to form and all girls alliance because, well, she's right.  And they were too stupid to see it.

 

I got a bit of a chuckle out of the various Bomb Squad members saying to Joey repeatedly, "What were you thinking? It's WAY too early in the game for a move like THAT...."

 

But she lost any credit she built up when she apologized to Devin for trying to form one.  Why did she have to apologize to him?

 

Simple rookie mistake. Transparency probably would have saved her butt in about any scenario OTHER than the BB House, where _any_ excuse can/will be used to validate a slam and reduce the blood splatter.

 

Christine earned a snark point for her assessment of Donny in the Veto Comp.

 

Yeah, but -10 considering he won the damn thing. On today's episode, Donny was the Tortoise in the midst of a pack of Hare-brains.

[methodwriter85]

If I was Joey, I just would've said that I tried starting a girl's alliance because someone said there was a guy's alliance, rather than an apology.

 

Caleb, you realize you won't be HOH next week, right? Just checking.

[mojoween]

I want Donny to make it to the end because his DR's are golden.

I'm such a nerd. First veto comp, I thought how much better it was when they could pick their own players because, even though it was a futile attempt in the long run, "No, I sealed your partner's fate" is and always will be one of my favorite moments in BB history. And I mean, that was season 6, and we're not on season 35 or whatever, and I'm still not over how much I love it. And then, when I saw what comp it was, I so wanted someone to spell "technotronic."

Hmpf. The tornado warning was in an entirely different county, so I don't know why my local news needed to interrupt the show for almost ten minutes at quarter to nine. The writing was on the wall from the beginning that Joey was going up though so apparently I didn't miss anything important.

Devin is...I just cannot figure that guy out. It's like whatever happened ten minutes before, he forgets. His astonishment of Joey's alliance just killed me, considering he went all rogue with the "Bomb Squad" about two days before.

Tonight was the first time I was amused by Frankie, when he was mocking Devin and Caleb's theory of Donny's SEAL past.

[Wandering Snark]

So the question: Is Donny a "great actor" or is Devin a "great asshole"? My choice would be option B.

[Ananayel]

Boo to whoever designed the little lice letter tiles. I couldn't see any of the letters, and I feel I was deprived of mockery fuel. I had to trust the narration. I wanted to see "caltoru," and I still don't know if Donny spelled "splitters" or "splinters."

 

Hayden could have a career as a death metal vocalist after this.

[regardez]

Awww Donny is the sweetest. He is also really hilarious in the DR.

 

Joey isn't a good player. She really bugged me in her intro (all she is liberal?) but she grew on me. 

 

Devon is an idiot. He makes the game amusing but he really annoys me. Frankie's reaction to him is hilarious though.

 

Christine cracked me up about how the bomb squad just wanted someone with a brain. Everyone was so stupid during the veto competition. Scrabble isn't about thinking of a word first off, it's about making a word out of the letters you get. D'oh!

 

Can't stand Caleb.

 

What happened to the first houseguests alliance?

 

I felt so uncomfortable watch Jacosta praying with Paola for... a big brother competition. Did that seem strange to anyone else?

[bagatelle]

I wonder what Devin will think of Donny now that he won the spelling veto. That he's a secret Harvard professor?

 

I can't get over how much charisma Frankie seems to have.  He gets along with everyone.

[Maharincess]

I really hope Jacosta and Paola had a conversation about religion and that Jacosta knew Paola was a christian before she started praying. I hope she didn't just assume that Paola believed the same as she does.

Just a pet peeve of mine.

If a nominee wins the Battle of the Block thing and come off the block, can they go back on the block if the veto is used or are they safe for that week?

I hope that made sense.

I agree with the poster who said that if they couldn't spell the word they originally wanted, they should have spelled something with their letters. Off the top of my head, I could think of at least 4 words out of each set of letters.

These people are some of the dumbest I've seen on the show.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Maharincess

[ottoDbusdriver]

If a nominee wins the Battle of the Block thing and come off the block, can they go back on the block if the veto is used or are they safe for that week?
I hope that made sense.

 

If they (since its teams of two) win the BotB, they are safe for the week.  Only the HoH that nominated them can be nominated to the block by use of the PoV.

[Maharincess]

I worded that wrong. I should have said can one of them go back up.

Thanks for answering my question.

[vb68]

 

So the question: Is Donny a "great actor" or is Devin a "great asshole"? My choice would be option B.

 

 

I don't think Devin could come off worse in his conversations with Donny if he tried.  Despite all his wild ideas about Donny, he comes off so patronizing and condescending whenever he talks to him.   I think Donny started picking up on it, too.  I loved the way he responded to all the military questions with, "even if you don't trust me, I'm still gonna trust you."   That was just perfect.

 

And Devin is certainly not a great actor.  I didn't buy that he was getting emotional over it in the DR for a second.

[Nashville]

I felt so uncomfortable watch Jacosta praying with Paola for... a big brother competition. Did that seem strange to anyone else?

I think the context was a little different. Paola was intimidated by the strength of the HGs she would have to compete against in the POV competition, and freaking out over it to a degree. Jocasta was praying not for a win, but for God to give Paola the strength she would need. Jocasta was (I believe) doing it to give Paola some comfort and settle her nerves, and that appeared to be the way Paola took it. My impression, anyway.

[DAngelus]

Caleb is so creepy interrogating the wimmen-folk, but at least he has some personality, like most BB Assholes from Jase to Willie Hantz have had.  Devin is just a big block of scowl.  I really can't stand him.

 

And then he goes in the DR and smiles that huge smile and turns on the sensitive eyes while speaking somewhat softly…and my gaydar starts pinging.  Very confusing.  (Don't get me wrong, his possible sexuality doesn't affect my opinion one way or the other; it's just that the DR pings are so different from the knuckle-dragger he comes off as in the house.)

 

On the one hand, I hate that Joey is getting tossed for "how dare you attempt strategy, woman!"  But OTOH, I remember S8, and there's a certain satisfaction in kicking the "Team America" plant out of the house before Grodner can use her to rig the game the same way Eric Stein had to grease Dickless's path.  Here's wishing the same fate to her successor, and may it be Caleb or Devin, please.

 

Also, Joey did the "girls alliance!" meeting in the worst way possible, just grabbing a random group and pitching them all at once, out in the open.  (The beehive room was right there, Jo.)  The first thing she should have done was gone to her alleged "El Cuatro" teammates, Nicole and Amber, asked if they were still good with the girls' alliance, and then ask them if they think it's a good idea to expand it to save Paola.  This way, she would have seen Amber wavering before the subject got out into the general house, and if the plan had gone forward, she could have gotten Nicole and Amber to do some of the work for her, and avoided being seen as "the boss".  That's especially important because Joey should know that her Team Producer "missions" might make her do things that would raise her profile, and so it would be extra-important for her to lay low otherwise.  Major fail. (Heck, she didn't even approach Brittany and Victoria at the same time [britt was there, but not Victoria] on the theory that working together to get off the block might have made them interested in working together in a larger alliance.)

 

And "transparency" is never the best option with your enemies; deny. deny, deny.  "I was told that you were trying to get the girls together."   "Well, who told you that and did you think about why they might say that?"  Sheesh.

 

And a very poor showing for the annual spelling competition, with only two people even managing to spell words.  Come on, hammies, if you don't get what you want, then adapt.  Can't find the "p" for "specialize", Caleb? Then how about an "o" for "socialize"?  Or an "r" for "realizes"?  (If you could get an "r" and a "t", you could do "sterilize", which would hopefully be a self-fulfilling prophecy…)  And Pao-Pao, you're on the block, spell something!  Even if it's just "coral" or "carol" or "oral" or "coal" or "tour" or…well, "or".  Get something on the board and who knows, maybe it will win, because "caltoru" is not a word.  Spell a word, Pao!  (Even if it's only "a".)  And I'm not sure why nobody even made a try for Brendon's two-time champion, "understanding".  Which can stretch as far as "misunderstandings" and which can easily adapt to "understated" or "understood".  And it doesn't depend on unlikely letters; get the one "u" and you're good to go.  But these geniuses probably think that "suffix" is the county at the end of Long Island, so thinking they'll use grammar as a strategy is probably futile.

 

And so so sorry to learn about the tragically hairless shins of our men in uniform.  I'll light a candle for their leg-hair on Veterans' Day, for sure.  War is heck, y'know.

[Sentient Meat]

I hate to say it, but Devin's move to include two women in the Bomb Squad proved (...accidental though it was) to be a stroke of genius.  Who's to say that Joey's attempt to build a women's alliance still would have worked but had he not included Amber, he wouldn't have the mole that alerted them to the whole scheme.

 

I don't think Joey felt like she was groveling at all for trying the women's alliance... the thing blew up in her face because of Devin's random stroke of luck and she simply tried what might work in the real world, which is to do damage control by telling the truth and hope that Caleb might have some compassion for her.  Unfortunately this is Big Brother and she would have been much better off either doing some hardcore aggressive flirting with Caleb or Devin or making up an outrageous lie to turn the two against each other.  Since she simply behaved like a decent human I fear she might be doomed.

 

So far this doesn't look like a good season for fans of the underdog.  The weaker players seem to be fractured and we might see a nerd pagonging of epic proportions since the alphas seem organized.  I had high hopes for the Christine/Nicole alliance but I'm not sure Christine, despite her high Big Brother IQ, has the leadership and charisma necessary to gather and galvanize a strong resistance alliance.  The only person I could see guiding any opposition might be Hayden but looking at all the diverse personalities of the non Bomb Squad members, I'm not sure anyone would be up to the task.  At this point, they have to hope that the less intelligent alliance mates  (Caleb or Devin) create an internal rift that the more intelligent players (Derrick, Frankie, maybe Cody) cannot fix.  If they don't implode or self destruct, I think the Bomb Squad will go a long way.

[Bubbacat]

Best part of the night? Donny's DRs, hands down. "They might start thinking I'm smarter than I seem. [long pause] 'Cause I'm not."

 

BWAHAHAHAHA! Oh, Donny Darlin'! That may be true, but you still beat the rest of the moronic hamsters in a spelling contest. And you're sweeter than all of them put together. Never change, Donny.

[Skittl1321]

I really like that everyone was waiting to see if splitters was a real word. I know I was.

[ProfCrash]

Back from vacation and finally caught up. So I have some first impressions as well as episode discussions.

 

Right now, I like Frankie. He is working on being manipulative and discussing it in the diary room, I am fine with that. He rolls with the punches pretty well which is something that he really needs given that he is in an alliance with Devin. He handled the HOH twist with a certain grace and smoothness. I am not sure that Caleb realizes that Frankie is handling him. I can see Frankie being a behind the scenes puppet master and most of the other hamsters not realizing it. He did misplay the Victoria thing. He should have told her he put her up knowing that he could protect her and to make it appear like there was nothing going on between them. After all, who would believe that he was in a final two alliance with someone he nominated in the first week?

 

Devin is a paranoid nut job. I am thinking Tony from Survivor paranoid but not nearly as entertaining or likeable. He was right to bring the women into his alliance, eight people means they control the vote and having two women in the alliance means that they get the scoop from a different part of the house. He was wrong to not discuss it with his other alliance mates before doing it. His timing, middle of the night when people were sleeping, was near perfect. I just hope his alliance gets tired of him and boots him.

 

Caleb is interesting. I am not sure what to make of him. He is intense, but most of the former military folks I know can be that way. It would be interesting to know what his specialization was. He is very sure of himself and that will back fire on him.

 

Amber and Christine (Barista) were right to jump on Devin's invitation but really need to see that they are not members of the alliance. They have an alliance with Devin and the other five will play along with them to protect the alliance but that is it. At least, for now. Amber telling them about Joey's attempt was important, it should tell them that she is loyal and that she can bring them important information but I don't buy that either one of the women are seen as full fledge members.

 

Donny, I don't know what to make of Donny. He is genuine but he annoys me. I guess I am not all that impressed by him and while I find his country whatever kind of charming, he is not someone I would spend time with. OK, most of the hamsters are not people I would spend time with but I cannot see having any conversation with Donny so I don't find him interesting. I am glad he won POV, mainly because it annoyed Caleb and Devin, but I don't think he is long for the house. I think people are going to get annoyed with him fast and he is going to find himself socially isolated and lonely.

 

Joey, nice thought awful execution. You had an alliance of four that was probably more of an illusion then a real alliance. You should have found a way to work with them to expand the alliance. The second wave ladies were looking at you like a nut job when you mentioned a woman's alliance. At least Jacosta had a decent explanation for why she thought it was a bad idea.  I don't have a problem with her telling people about her idea that backfired, I do have a problem with how she was doing it and the signals that she missed. Amber's reaction should have been sending massive signals that she was in a different alliance. Caleb saying it was too early in the game for alliances should have been a signal that he was in one. He wasn't scrambling because he was behind the curve trying to put an alliance together which shows that he was in an alliance. Probably with Amber who was panicking when you asked her to think about an alliance.

 

Jacosta's introduction annoyed me. I don't mind people who believe, I do mind over the top expression of faith. I am more a reflective, quiet, private person of faith. The more vocal, shouty stuff drives me crazy. It is a personal preference. That said, she has not been annoying on the show and I thought her prayer for Pao was fine. It is not how I pray but I liked that she prayed for strength and not for victory.

 

Pao is going to get on my last nerve

 

Now I am off to read the feeds thread to change my opinion on everything

[Gregg247]

Let me try to get Joey's line of reasoning straight:  She thinks an all guy alliance ("Bro's Before Ho's") is misogynistic and bigoted and hateful and WRONG, but an all female alliance ("Ho's Before Bro's") is empowering, uplifting, and the definition of feminism.  Hmmm, maybe she needs to head back to Seattle (?) and rethink that one.

 

I agree with other posters who thought the "inquisition" she went through when she admitted the alliance attempt was weird and off-putting.  Of course someone's going to come up with a new alliance.  Why act like she just poisoned the family pet?  Call her out on it and vote her out, but acting like she deserves the death penalty was odd.  Caleb and Devin are a scary couple of dudes.

 

The producers love these spelling challenges (I do, too) because you occasionally get a mis-spelled word ("Technotronics"), which becomes comedy gold.  I don't think they expected that 4 of the 6 contestants would fail to spell anything!  That was embarrassing (or it should have been!).

[ghoulina]

Donny is just the best, I love him! He is so sweet and so funny. He does seem to be one of the sharper ones in the house, but I think he might be easily fooled if he lets his emotions get in the way. When he told Devin, "if you don't trust me, I still trust you" - my heart broke just a little. Devin pisses me off, "calling BS" on Donny's tears. No, not everyone is fake, you asshat. 

 

Also, everyone's suspicions about Donny are so crazy. His "long, tall drink of water socks" is covering for the fact that he was really some sort of special forces and wore military boots? Oh, and no one in the south wears camo unless they're military? HA! Hahahahaha. Ha. Tell that to the redneck on every corner, because I've lived in the south and camo is a way of life. These people are whack-a-doo. 

 

I really don't think I've ever rooted for a character so hard this early on. Only one week in and I was on the edge of my seat during the Veto comp. The cheering that ensued when Donny won probably rivaled World Cup viewings at the local bar. Just. Love. Him. 

 

Christine is hilarious as well. She is so right that the Bomb Squad needs her brain. In fact, that entire comp was embarrassing. You can't even finish a word??? 

 

I hope Pao Pao goes home over Nicole. She can have a seat with all of her "it's not fair" whining. It's a game. Put on your big girl panties and deal with it. 

[ghoulina]

The amount of accusing and apologizing for forming an alliance was bizarre.

 

It was! I was so annoyed at Joey. Quit apologizing for playing the game!!! I noticed Caleb kept saying "we" when talking with her, and I guess he could have been referring to the house in general....but it really sounded like he was talking about HIS alliance. Why can HE form one so early but she can't? They way she capitulated was just really sad. 

[ShadowDenizen]

Wow!

So much for a season of "Girl-Power" and "Empowered Women".  :(

I was just so shocked at how the suppsoedly headstrong women just utterly kow-towed to that ginormous douche Caleb.

 

Between Pow-Pow being "Oh, I was so intimidated; I can't win this!" to the ridiculous girls who were afarid of ghosts, to Joey, who just folded like a house of cards on her suppsedly strong feminist beliefs, I was SO disappointed,

Moreover, WHY should ANYONE have to apologize for forming ANY alliance? Much less an all-girl one, which could have worked,

Was Zach TOTALLY channeling Dan Gheesling, or was it just me?

 

And Devin? Can get the hell off my TV screen anytime; he's becoming more and more douchey and toolish each episode.

Edited July 3, 2014 by ShadowDenizen

[ProfCrash]

I get Pao being intimidated leading into the competition. She was screwed if it was something physical because the men involved are in good shape. Toss in her dismal performance swinging during the BotB competition and she had good reason to be worried about anything physical. Based on her ability to make a word in the competition, she knew she was screwed with anything that involved spelling.

 

Joey's lame apologies for starting the alliance were annoying, alliances are a part of the game. I have no problem with the men listening to the apologies and lying about their lack of an alliance because that is also a part of the game. Joey was right, there is almost always a guys alliance and many times those alliances are successful. Trying to form a counter alliance made sense, she just sucked at how she sold it.

[dolphincorn]

 

I really like that everyone was waiting to see if splitters was a real word. I know I was.

 

I used to sell outdoor power equipment, including log splitters.  I knew it was no "technotronics."

[Primetimer]

Joey's attempt to launch a secret, all-girl alliance is missing one key item: better girls.

Read the story

[Wootini]

It's always amusing to me on BB when people act all horrified that someone would DARE to play the game that apparently only THEY are allowed to play. (see: Caleb/Devin) Frankie seems to be the only one who sees what a loose cannon Devin is, but unfortunately, he didn't get to remain HOH so he can't really say anything about it. Because obviously Caleb doesn't notice or care. But of COURSE only the boys are allowed to scheme and form an alliance. What WERE those girls thinking? Or at least the one girl. (I did find it weird that nobody else seemed interested in banding together against the super-strong guys…)

 

They're just so delusional and paranoid, targeting people who simply aren't threats. First the presumed ex-military super spy, and when that didn't work they go after the girl who FAILED to gather an alliance together. Oh yes, let's definitely go after the player who is basically alone in the game!

 

I'm really looking forward to a non-Bomb Squad HOH to see which way it goes. Because they'll either be too terrified to nominate Caleb and/or Devin, or they WILL and then we'll be subjected to a week of Caleb and/or Devin stalking around the house in a rage because how DARE someone ruin their game by nominating them for eviction! They're supposed to WIN, don't you know?!

[Tara Ariano]

Here's Jeff's post on the episode!

[peachmangosteen]

I really hope Jacosta and Paola had a conversation about religion and that Jacosta knew Paola was a christian before she started praying. I hope she didn't just assume that Paola believed the same as she does. Just a pet peeve of mine.

 

Same. I really hope there was something cut out of that scene, like Jocasta asking Poa if she'd like her to pray. Jocasta really rubbed me the wrong way in this ep, between this and her acting like a women's alliance was the dumbest thing she'd ever heard of.

Watching Joey apologize to Caleb as he sat in that chair staring her down was creepy as hell. I am not getting a good vibe about this season so far. I can see a ramp up in the misogyny coming, and I am not interesting in watching that crap.

 

It was annoying that Joey apologized, but I don't know how I'd react in that situation. Everyone treating you like some kind of evil idiot for thinking maybe the women should stick together since they guys are, you might start to feel like you really did do something wrong.

 

And also, yes, I'm worried about the misogyny that is gonna come out of this season. I mean, it's always there, but it seems like it has potential to be really bad this season. I just hope that if it does get very overtly horrible that something will happen in the press finally like it did with the racism last season.

Edited July 4, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[ghoulina]

And Devin? Can get the hell off my TV screen anytime; he's becoming more and more douchey and toolish each episode.

 

Indeed. I had high hopes for him in the first episode. I thought it was clever of him to try and work with Donny, because they were a bit of an unlikely duo. I always remember Danielle's and Jason's secret alliance in BB3, and I wish more people would try to go that route - instead of these giant, super-alliances. Yawn. Anyhow, Devin has gone straight downhill since then - with his paranoia, pompousness, and ignorance. 

[Stinger97]

I'm not thrilled with the formation of the Bomb Squad, however I will say that I always enjoy when the season starts off with a dominant (if we can call it that this early in the game) alliance that eventually ends up crumbling. I'm someone who consistently roots for the underdog, so I'm thrilled that the Bomb Squad is made up of players I'm not particularly fond of. I wouldn't bat an eyelash if Cody, Caleb, Frankie, Zach, or Devin went home tomorrow. I do hope that Amber jumps ship sooner rather than later, though.

[Wootini]

I don't think Amber is smart enough to jump ship. I mean, look at how she reacted to Joey: "I'm so confused." Basically anytime anyone in BB says they're "confused" it just means they're not clever enough to think up a good lie. Christine (I think that's Nerd Girl 2's name, right?) seems smart enough to get a side-alliance going for when the boys turn on her, but Amber is going to be a Bomb Squad victim sooner or later. (Unless the Bomb Squad self-destructs before then)

[Gregg247]

 

 Well, men aren't being treated like shit by society and having their basic human rights taken away, so misandry/sexism against men isn't really a thing. Also, Joey didn't say anything like this. She said there's a guy's alliance, so it only makes sense for the women to stick together or else they will be eliminated one by one, like what happens almost every other damn season.

 

I believe the Supreme Court ruled some time ago that the "He started it!" defense only works when you're in 3rd grade or younger.  If you want to create any kind of alliance at all in the BB house, I say go for it.  But saying an all guy alliance is wrong, but an all female alliance is right, because of some perceived societal/historic/current event biases is giving the House Hamsters WAY more credit/blame than they deserve.  

 

They want to start a girl vs. boy alliance, as someone tries to do almost every season.  Once everyone settles in and gets to know each other, more cross-gender alliances always spring up.  THOSE are the ones that generally last the longest in this game; alliances between people who have actual things in common in their lives other than what they happen to be born with.  I think the Brigade was the only alliance I remember that started right away as an all-guy alliance that lasted till the end (an that was because those guys sincerely got along with each other over the long-term).

 

Secondly, Joey stated upfront that as a feminist, she had wanted to start an all-girl alliance when she first arrived.  They showed her telling Devin that on last night's episode.

[resonance]

Well, men aren't being treated like shit by society and having their basic human rights taken away, so misandry/sexism against men isn't really a thing. Also, Joey didn't say anything like this. She said there's a guy's alliance, so it only makes sense for the women to stick together or else they will be eliminated one by one, like what happens almost every other damn season.

Misandry IS a thing. It probably wasn't a thing prior to the feminist movement; but, since then, men have been actively discriminated against by women. For example, in the Duke Lacrosse rape case, numerous Lacrosse players complained about being unfair treatment by female professors. In the end, the rape was all made up. Also #KillAllMen? The denial that misandry exists is pretty much a feminist thing too so it really all ties together. Just like racists deny that they are being racist. Also, affirmative action is now widely considered racist and is being eliminated in courts and women were not half as abused as African Americans. The "we were historically abused" card ran out for women at least more than a decade ago...

 

While I don't feel that Joey should have to apologize for attempting to start an all-girl alliance, I also don't feel that it is wrong for the men in the house to be offended, treat her poorly, or single her out after either. Clearly, she is detrimental to their game and it is a game. Also, I'd like to remark that the all female alliance, El Cuatro started first, the Bomb Squad admitted two women which is why Amber spilled the knitty-gritty details, and Joey was the one who decided to apologize. Since she decided to apologize, it does set the precedent that limits the response to the other person to 'accepting the apology' or 'rejecting it'. No one demanded an apology for her.

 

Overall, I think Joey let her feminist ideals get the best of her and acted unintelligently so she fully deserves what she got. Derrick made the point and Jocasta made the point and a number of other houseguests made the point as well. You can't have an 8 person alliance! (Let's just see how fast the Bomb Squad disintegrates.) Keeping tabs on 8 people is impossible and there is bound to be one person with a dissenting opinion. In this case, it was Amber. Having a girl alliance El Cuatro? Okay. Having an all girl alliance of every girl in the house? Funny, funny, funny...

Edited July 3, 2014 by resonance

[LGGirl]

Can't wait for the guys to turn on themselves. Devin's and Caleb's paranoia will make that happen sooner or later. I bet those two goons think Donny is a FBI secret agent or Mensa member after the POV win. At least Caleb appeared to be gracious about it. I'll give him that.

I'll give props to Joey for attempting on forming an all girl alliance. They could have dominated this season if executed properly. If these girls were smart, they'd save Joey and kick useless PowPow to the curb.

I agree with a post above that Frankie is pulling all the strings. I don't get the feeds but I bet he's probably playing the best game this week. But it can all change tomorrow.

Donny is the best. But I fear he is not long for this game.

[iMonrey]

 

"How dare the girls do what we are doing, which is forming a single gender alliance!"  Are the majority of these hamsters stuck on stupid?  It especially burns my ass when men are all "This is MY house! You do what I say!" to women they do not know.

 

Sing it. The arrogance of Caleb and Devin is already off-putting and we're only one week in. These are the two I'd like to see booted out of the house the most at this point, and unfortunately, I predict they will outlast most of the other HGs.

 

And yeah, Joey didn't go about this very well, but she correctly pointed out that they had the numbers to dominate the game at that point: with a man as HoH and one man on the block (at that time), they controlled the vote. I really don't understand the other women not jumping on this. Even Amber and Christine are too stupid to realize their bottom ranking positions on the "Bomb Squad" alliance. I didn't get Jocasta's "logic" either. "You can't have an alliance with seven other girls!!" Uh, why not? It's a numbers game. That was Joey's whole point. It seems like every season there's a bunch of muscle-headed jocks that form an alliance on Day 1 and every season the women are too dumb to see it or do anything about it. It drives me nuts.

 

I can't really jump on the Donny bandwagon either. He does seem like a sincerely nice person but his crying over people being nice to him made him seem kind of pathetic to me. And I can only take so much of his Duck Dynasty beard and Gomer Pyle accent. Way too much Donny this episode for my tastes.

 

[resonance]

Even Amber and Christine are too stupid to realize their bottom ranking positions on the "Bomb Squad" alliance. 

You realize what makes it on the air often isn't the actual situation in the house, right? Grodner and team work hard to contrive a story: conflicts, showmances, etc. that will entertain the audience. A lot of stuff doesn't make the cut. Sometimes, she even frames the story opposite of what is happening like the showmance between Ashley and Ian that abruptly soured.

 

Also, since it's an alliance of 8, Amber and Christine probably expect they'd float a couple of weeks and, hopefully, develop relationships with the other members. Even if they don't and assuming the Alliance remains fully intact to week 5 or 6 or whatever, by then the competitive Bomb Squad members may be more concerned with taking out each other rather than two players posing as floaters. So if Amber and Christine play it right and believe in the coherence of the Bomb Squad, they could go far. Easy top 6 at the very minimum.

 

I don't see the Bomb Squad surviving that long, though, just like the idea of an 8 person all girl alliance was DOA. I think, historically on Big Brother, 8 person alliances do have a tendency to crash and burn rather fast. I'm not an avid watcher, though, and because the alliances are usually so bad it gives even less reason for any of us to remember their names other than the fact that they floundered. 

Edited July 3, 2014 by resonance