S16.E29: Live Eviction #11 / HoH Comp #12

[UniqBlue69]

 

Donny said it himself: his strategy was to make it through the first week, and be a person who could befriend others, presumably with the goal of establishing a rapport with them. Not a bad strategy - but not one likely to work in a House with a preponderance of Mean Girls.

So, basically, he was never going to win Big Brother. Dude shouldn't have bothered of applying then. I'm sick of people saying that Donnie never had a chance with this cast when this was the most innocuous cast in years. He should thank his lucky stars because he would've been eaten alive in seasons past with much more ruthless casts than this year's. You couldn't adapt? Too bad, so sad. Then, you're not good enough to win Big Brother!

[Scout Finch]

In his goodbye to Donny video, the way Derrick's ears stuck out under his hat made him look more porcine than ever.

[HurricaneVal]

Yup. Donny did work to befriend others in the house. But...his innate sense of niceness made him befriend the wrong people. The oddballs. The outcasts. The sad sacks. The pariahs on the block. If he could have sucked it up, swallowed his conscience, and made friends with the "mean girl" power players, he could have been pulling the strings like Derrick.

But Donny's too much of a good guy for that, and by the time he figured it out it was too late. The snowball was already rolling down the mountain.

I'll bet his warm, compassionate, and understanding nature makes him pretty popular with the school kids.

[Guest]

I think with these shows a lot of it is just luck, and Donny didn't fall in with the right people.  Given his age and look, it was probably an uphill battle from the start.  And he should've known it would be.  

 

I'm really surprised Christine was pulled into the Detonators, given her demographic differences from them.  I don't think she's played that well, as much as she's been lucky to be in with the power alliance.  Though I assume she's low man on the totem pole.  It doesn't seem very smart to be insulting jurors on their way out the door, at least.  And her bad acting while throwing the comp-- not even considering that Donny might pull off the win... not a great idea.  

 

Did Donny win that much?  Dang, I don't even remember him pulling off wins.  He hasn't been HOH since very early on, right?

[TexasChic]

I think a lot of different things contributed to Donny getting voted out – some his fault, some not. Hayden had a great social game, and he still got voted out before Donny. What I think happened is the rest of the house guests saw that he was intelligent, could win comps, and was liked well enough that he would likely beat any of them if he made it to the end. They saw him as a major player that they needed to get out before it was too late. Well, when I say "they" I mean Derrick. Derrick knew Donny was the one person who could beat him, so he got him out when he could. That's my take on it anyway.

Did Donny win that much?  Dang, I don't even remember him pulling off wins.  He hasn't been HOH since very early on, right?

Not only did he pull off a good amount of wins, but he also came in as a close second a number of times.

[UniqBlue69]

Derrick knew Donny was the one person who could beat him, so he got him out when he could.

 

Donny saw Derrick as his biggest threat and called him out on it, which is what got him voted out. I don't know if you watched season 14 but Frank was Dan's biggest opponent and he saw that, which is why he orchestrated "Funeral Week" to turn that all around. That's what makes a great Big Brother player. I just don't want fans losing sight of what makes a great game because they're rooting over certain personalities over others.

Edited August 30, 2014 by UniqBlue69

[TexasChic]

That's very true. Donny just wasn't able to turn it around. I think that's why everyone gets voted out eventually. The winner is one who was able to juggle each situation and turn it to their advantage. I do think some luck is involved as well though.

[RedheadZombie]

While I do think Derrick cares about fan approval, I don't think that's the main reason he's being dishonest in his DRs. Just going by his gameplay, how he's very careful about what he says to his targets, I think he's playing it safe in case there is a twist that allows the jury to watch the Final 2's DR sessions. Hence all the "lies" to the houseguests and in the DR about how much he really likes/dislikes/wanted to save someone. I certainly would be doing the same thing. Which is why I don't get the outrage about all his EVIL LYING. To me he' s covering all bases and I think it's good gameplay.

Derrick is my favorite and I'm rooting for him to win but I do think he went into this game with a clear and heavy advantage. His undercover work experience has given him chameleon and manipulation skills very few contestants will ever have in this game. Yes they get wannabe actors in this game, but let's face it, most of them are terrible actors. Coming from a forensic psychology background, I can attest it's nothing like undercover work, where your life can depend on your acting-- you have to completely immerse yourself into your role and commit yourself to the goal. I found his smooth and easy physical transformation impressive and amusing. He could have easily stayed in the DAD role and found himself alienated by the younger houseguests. Instead, he's one of the frathouse "bros".

Derrick is clearly a ringer. LOL

I've had a different take on why Derrick lies in the DR. He knows that production likes to screw with their gameplay, and he isn't going to make their job easier by spelling out his strategy. I think it's clever and it doesn't enrage me.

I'm rooting for Derrick to win. If he wins, it's not because the house was full of idiots. Donny was smart, yet couldn't manipulate the dummies. Derrick had a gameplan, it was well thought out, and it's working. I like that he's a regular guy with a real job. He's not an actor/model wannabe famewhore. I don't think we'll see him on other reality shows, but I wouldn't mind seeing him again.

[pennben]

ETA:  whoops, I think I'm in the wrong thread to discuss these things.

Edited August 30, 2014 by pennben

[TexasChic]

I was thinking something similar. I'm wondering if maybe he thinks they won't reveal on the show that he is lying, and if he gives certain DRs they will make it look like that is the way it happened. He must realize people who watch the feeds will know what's really going on, but probably figures that wouldn't effect the final outcome (i.e. going on the assumption he thinks there's more people who only watch the shows). I don't know, I'm just speculating here.

Edited August 30, 2014 by TexasChic

[Nashville]

But if we see it all, don't they? 

 

Yep.  And they have to be wondering the same things as us - if Derrick's DRs are fake, what is he really thinking and planning?

 

In that respect we and Production are in the same boat.  The difference comes in at the response level.  We can spitball and guess here all day long, and it doesn't cost us anything but time.  If Production (a) guesses Derrick's real motivations lie in a different direction than what is stated in his DRs, (b)  commits resources based upon that guess, and (c ) guesses wrong - well, do that more than once or twice, and you'll probably end up with plenty of at-home time to devote to  refreshing your resume.

[Catronia]

 

Did the others alienate Donny or did Donny seclude himself? From the beginning he's made snarky comments about the other HG's which I, admittedly, appreciated as a viewer so I liked him. He didn't bother making an effort and seemed to just feel that because he's a "good person" he deserved to go far in the game, that's when he lost me. I agree that Donny made himself a victim and did not play the game. I feel that if I were participating in the show and I was making an effort to be friendly, make alliances and overall get to know people that if there was someone that seemed to think he was better than me and would leave and not talk as much in group settings then I would want him out too, especially if he would go and talk to the people one on one that I had taken the time to get to know and build relationships with and try to get them to turn on me. Good person? Maybe, time will ultimately tell (I'm not too fond of when people call themselves good people and others bad so that's kind of holding me back). Good player? No, good at competitions but ignored the real important social aspect.

 

I agree!  I really liked Donny throughout the game, and still like him, but, dude, you can't have it both ways.  He sounded pretty judgy to me when he was talking about how he had "nothing in common with these people," so there was no reason to stay up at night.  He said his feelings were hurt because he was excluded, but he has "an art of making friends," and "everyone loved him."  Well, both of these things can't really co-exist.

 

I don't doubt his honesty, but it seems to me that he likes to be "emotional" and self-pitying and possibly superior to these tacky kids.  I was in a similar position recently (about twice the age of most of the people around me and from a different cultural background), and initially felt a little isolated, but instead of judging them or deciding we had nothing in common, I went to the effort of getting to know them, and found things in common.  One of the most influential kids had a 80s nostalgia thing, another was a big "Lost" fan, yada yada yada and there was plenty in common.

[DAngelus]

 

Nicole has made some mistakes in this game, but chunky thighs? They're not model long and slim, or athletically toned, but there's a big range between that and chunky, and she's somewhere in there. She just looks average to me.

 

With regard to this (and other similar comments on my "chunky thighs, clunky brains" anti-Nicole t-shirt idea), I just want to say that "chunky thighs" is Nicole's own self-castigation; she said it to Christine in episode 2, when they were bonding in the backyard about how they didn't have the model-thin bodies of Brittany and Amber.  (One of whom was doing a handstand at the time.) Since she put it out there, I figured it was fair game to play with.  Personally, I find Nicole quite attractive (IMO second only to Brittany in this season's female cast) and the fact that her thighs are, in fact, considerably larger than Amber's isn't really an issue.  But I do think her resentment of the "hottie" female recruits has factored into her game play, which is another reason why the slap might fit.  But JMO.

[JudyObscure]

I thought Christine's Tim looked like Roy Orbison. Maybe he can sing. Maybe he can find someone who respects his feelings enough not to make him look like a sucker on national TV. Then again, if Christine was my daughter I would have been all, "She's just affectionate with everyone, people are taking it the wrong way, it doesn't mean anything, yada yada." They can yell at her after she gets home.

I think Donny's biggest "mistake," was not being in the HOH room when Devin declared everyone there an alliance. I think BB Advice #1 should be: Be everywhere during the first few weeks.

If Donny has watched BB all these years he must have noticed that the winners are not usually the nicest people. I'm always surprised when people get this far in the game and then expect to get to stay based on "I didn't do nuthin' to them." Donny has cast quite a few votes to evict by now and most of those people didn't do nothin' to him.

[iMonrey]

 

Ew. Christine's husband is kind of...ew, he also acted like a hyper, nerdy 7th grader. I think she's kind of ew too so they make a good couple. I'm trying to imagine what their kids would look like.

 

Ew.

 

I don't dislike Donny but I don't feel sorry for him either. First he tells Julie he knew his age and look would make it hard for him to blend in, but his strategy would be to make friends because he "has an art" for it. Then when she asks him why he went to bed early instead of staying up and trying to bond with the others, he says it's because he had nothing in common with them and wouldn't know what to say. So - what exactly is this "art" he has for making friends?

 

I also have a hard time believing he's so smart when he says things like "My feelings was hurt." Then Julie asked him who hurt his feelings and he says "no one in particular." WTH?

 

I guess I'd be more impressed with him if he showed some awareness of what actually went down. There was a majority alliance he couldn't break into, run by Derrick, and Derrick called all the shots. Derrick decided he wanted Donny out, so out Donny went. If he'd said that to Julie, I would have been impressed. Instead all we got was "I never did nothing to none of those people" and "my feelings was hurt."

 

I know emotions run high, when you're on a reality show (?) with people you don't know that well, but if I live to be a hundred I will never understand grown-ass men bursting into tears at the mere sight of their daddy. There's close, and then there's whatever the hell Cody and his father are.

[Guest]

Just from seeing the over-emotional reactions to seeing family letters or videos on Survivor, I can almost understand Cody's tears.  

 

I didn't really get Donny's tears at being evicted.  I would think it'd almost be a relief after all his weeks on the block and his not being able to chip into any alliance that mattered.  And if you're really hurt, can't you put on a brave face for the 20 seconds with Julie and act like a good sport with a sense of humor, and cry later off camera?  

 

I sound like I'm bashing him.  I'm not, I like him.  I just feel like the 'poor, sweet Donny' thing is an act designed to get him future invites to do reality shows or anything new.  I felt the same about the zany Zak act.  I feel like production tells them just what role to play.  

[willpwr]

I think he's smart but is playing the role he was cast in which is a good ol', blue collar, hard working country boy that does "nuthin' to nobody" and thereby is a very likable outcast. I don't think the way he speaks says anything about his intelligence and his answer about his feelings being hurt are because he's playing an emotional game so that everyone feels sorry for him. IMO he chose to be alone so that people would not view him as a threat and take him to F2 where he knew he'd win because "everybody liked him", yes, all those mean people that "hurt his feelings" liked him and would vote for him to win.

[watch2much]

I can see Donny trying to stay up but some of those conversations were disgusting....I wouldn't want to listen to Frankie talking about explicit sexual acts...and if they stay up all night and sleep thru the day, Donny didn't have time to strike up conversations with them about what they may have had in common.  Still, it's too bad the outcasts didn't get together and form their own alliance and do something before it was too late.

[nono]

In a house where the primary social game has been to keep your head down and hope you fit into the right demographic, it's hard to fault Donny too much. He kept his head down.

 

Once he missed out on the one and only alliance, he may have preferred to float by as a ghost like Victoria, as the "harmless kindly old guy".

 

His biggest problem may have been his modesty. He wasn't just being nice, he meant to disarm people, but I don't think he expected to be mistaken for ex-military or a genius savant. Others see Donny differently than he sees himself.

He could have fared better in a stronger, bolder household, where his strengths ( skilled competitor, loyal, experienced) could have made him more of an ally than a threat.

 

 

[kikaha]

 

Donny is too good for the scumbags (sans Nicole) still in the house.

 

Perhaps, but that's why I was glad to get rid of him.  He barely strategized.  He barely made alliances.  He didn't talk or socialize with the others much (his own words)... in fact he barely did anything in the house those many weeks he was there. 

 

The people still there, other than Victoria, are playing the game.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the season, even more so that Donny is gone. 

 

btw, I don't like the twist that brought Nicole back.  Out should mean out IMO.    

[mertensia]

Harperlee Tucson's metropolitan population is about a million. Not that small.

[Sara2009]

Donny DID socialize with several of the houseguests. Unfortunately for him, most of them got booted early on.

[AuntieDiane6]

 

I had never seen more than a still photo of Tim before.  While I agree he seems like a nice guy who deserves better, I’m concluding that she married her childhood gay friend to get both their families off their backs and get out into her own place so she could be her "edgy" self.  He probably doesn’t care who she messes around with at Starbucks (assuming she can find any takers), and he doesn’t particularly mind the behavior with Cody, either, except that as her heterosexualhusbandwho lovesherverymuch he SHOULD be offended, so he has to act like he is, meanwhile his frightened eyes seem to be telegraphing “don’t out me to my parents – they think I’m just artistic!”

 

Exactly.  Since Tim seems to be Christine's first and only "love," attention from a straight male is probably quite new and exciting to her.  Hey, I wouldn't be surprised if she was still a virgin.

[goodogcarl]

I don't watch the live feeds, so I had no idea that he would basically just go to bed at a normal hour while everyone else was up and chattering away because what else was he going to do? That's sad.

 

Yeah, he said he'd stay up until midnight.

 

He (Donny) could model overalls

 

Not after they saw Caleb in aforementioned overalls.

I don't get the whole huge earring thing.

 

I wish i had a way of getting this picture posted.  I saw a picture of a kid who had those kinds of earrings that were quite large and were clear plastic. He also had them in his cheeks that were also clear plastic so you could see the workings of the inside of his mouth!

On a different note, did anyone else notice Derrick's little girl had his nose? Don't get me wrong, she was beyond adorable and I'm not saying anything is wrong with his nose, but he does have a distinctive one, and I found it humorous and cute to see she had the same one, only little-bity. 

Is "porcine" the word you're looking for?

[EscapeGoat]

With regard to this (and other similar comments on my "chunky thighs, clunky brains" anti-Nicole t-shirt idea), I just want to say that "chunky thighs" is Nicole's own self-castigation; she said it to Christine in episode 2, when they were bonding in the backyard about how they didn't have the model-thin bodies of Brittany and Amber.  (One of whom was doing a handstand at the time.) Since she put it out there, I figured it was fair game to play with.

 

Thank you for clarifying!  I don't remember that particular exchange and was really confused!