S26.E08: AI Arena #2, Eviction #2

[Rodney]

The three nominees compete in the second AI Arena Competition.  The winner is safe from eviction.  One of the remaining two houseguests is evicted.

[dizzyd]

Just want to say that after 2 weeks, I’m liking this cast. Some of them are like to hate but that’s still leagues better than last year. The only one I don’t care much for is Cam because he’s so boring. 

[Skooma]

LOL, another week of Chaos Angela.  Love it if only because I couldn't remember who was Leah and who was Lisa. 

And Lisa's reactions looked like she was in some weird trance at the end.  So, back to the House for another week of hilarious ... CHAOS!  (Albeit without glitter).

Loved that Tucker was saying he knew body language because something about studying it for 10 years to become a CIA agent.  😂 🤣

"Agent Tucker to HQ.  I've discovered that Switzerland has a Super Secret Power for world domination called NEUTRALITY!"

[dizzyd]

1 minute ago, Skooma said:

Albeit without glitter

Trust me, that glitter is still there. It will be there after the season ends.

[ChiCricket]

It'll be glittered ants all over.

[DEL901]

But…but Lisa manifested that she would stay!   What on earth could have gone wrong?!?!  LOL

[dizzyd]

15 minutes ago, DEL901 said:

But…but Lisa manifested that she would stay!   What on earth could have gone wrong?!?!  LOL

She forgot to check the expiration date in the magic pixie dust.

[TimWil]

Hey, Lisa, if you end up reading this:

It’s “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” not “Imitation is the best form of flattery.” Oscar Wilde came up with that.

and here’s another quote from the olden times you might want to investigate:

”All that glitters is not gold.” William Shakespeare came up with that.

Namaste, O Magical Goddess, She Who Puts Her Dirty Bare Feet on the Counter of the Storage Room

[Halting Hex]

Angela is a narcissistic piece of [twit].  Hold off on the Heaving Sobs of Gratitude until after Lisa leaves the house, you attention [seeker]!  This is her moment, not yours.  Show some class, ass.

I mean, Lisa obviously didn't connect well to the HGs.  Nobody bothered to tell her she was going (I think I heard her asking Kenney about it and him saying he wanted to, but was overruled), and her exit was notably free from the standard "Give our best to [Friend]! We'll see you at [place] after the show!" farewells, not even insincere ones.  

But still.  Don't dance on Lisa's grave before they throw the dirt on it.  

And when Angela was thanking all them and telling them how grateful she was that they had kept her, I did not see a notable amount of warmth on the faces taking it.  Even Tucker (who hates Lisa and has never said he has an issue with Angela) was looking at her like he wished he could hit her with a rolling pin.

I guess she's being kept as a Perpetual Pawn.  I have zero desire to see Angela become the new Spencer (S15), even if she is not a Nazi apologist or any of his other odious traits.

I've seen people seeing they want her to stay for the drama.  Personally, I prefer Game-driven Conflict Drama to Obnoxious Toxic Person Drama.  But JMO.

1 hour ago, Skooma said:

(Albeit without glitter)

After Lisa left, Leah was telling somebody that Lisa had left her custody of the glitter.  Aren't you excited?

Edited August 2 by Halting Hex

[Rodney]

40 minutes ago, Halting Hex said:

I've seen people seeing they want her to stay for the drama.  Personally, I prefer Game-driven Conflict Drama to Obnoxious Toxic Person Drama.  But JMO.

And just how is Angela "toxic?"  I'm dying to know, because I just don't see it.  Annoying and paranoid, but certainly not "toxic."

[North of Eden]

Never mind Of Mice and Men...this was Of Twits and Goddesses.

Lisa...oh my god.... the ultimate SNOWFLAKE even retreating to the fabled "safe space" which in this case is the corner of the storeroom!

She is a complete Jeckyl and Hyde. From a wingnut in the storeroom to a stone cold badass when she was talking with Julie holding in her rage.

Anyway...Production's fingerprints were ALL over that vote. They don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg aka Angela generating what little buzz this season has. Confirmed by Quinn saying he was voting Lisa out 'for some reason' and T'Kor saying she did not want to vote the way she did.

Also have they ever ignored the bootee for so long to focus in on the survivor's reaction at being saved? She's their star and CBS knows it.

Julie angrily throwing shade as for the second week in a row the "scramble to separate rooms" fizzled like most twists are known to do. Just give it up Julie...its not going to happen. You'll need to find some other footage to pad out Sunday night like a Have Not comp.

To the few people still left here-barring production manipulation buckle yourself in for a month-long slog of predictable boots of the following three people in whatever order MJ, Leah and Angela with Kenny playing the perpetual pawn.

There is something cringe about the blatant hatred shown when they learn who survives the AI challenge. Speaking of which Tucker's strutting and preening triggered Boogie level hate in me.

Edited August 2 by North of Eden

[Halting Hex]

26 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

Anyway...Production's fingerprints were ALL over that vote. They don't want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg aka Angela generating what little buzz this season has. Confirmed by Quinn saying he was voting Lisa out 'for some reason' and T'Kor saying she did not want to vote the way she did.

Holy shit on a stick, I never even thought of that.  (I thought Quinn was feigning insouciance and T'Kor was "voting with the House".)  Are they really going to rig the show to keep Mama July in the game?  That's a damn good way to lose viewers…quite possibly starting with me.

Quote

Also have they ever ignored the bootee for so long to focus in on the survivor's reaction at being saved? She's their star and CBS knows it.

To be fair to the director, I thought they did a pretty good job of sticking with Lisa, despite Angela's caterwauling for attention.

But still…that's just disgusting if true.

Edited August 2 by Halting Hex

[Cotypubby]

And yet again Angela shows just what a nasty toxic person she is.

She is not the fun type of drama. She’s simply a bully and she is not fun to watch.

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, dizzyd said:

Trust me, that glitter is still there. It will be there after the season ends.

So long as the glitter doesn’t hurt the ants….

2 hours ago, ChiCricket said:

It'll be glittered ants all over.

Damn - beat me to it.

[tinkerbell]

I'll never understand the tearful hugs  when someone gets voted out. Lisa, they voted that they would rather put up with Angela another week.  Stop with the hugs!

[Rosebud1970]

What on earth is wrong with these people? Why vote to keep the Drama Queen? Unless…

Production wants her kept on for…oh, wait. Drama!

My hatred for this Tucker person knows no boundaries. He studied for the CIA for 10 years?! Right. And I’m the Queen of Romania.

[dancingdreamer]

I'm still disliking bully Angela,  Quinn will when she exposes his plan to the whole house. He voted for Lisa, for some reason,he said. I loathe this voting with  the house. 

Tucker is a bit OTT fot my liking. I still have no favourite. 

 

[Blissfool]

Do you all think that that Lisa went home mad because she's the only hg that knows that Tucker studied with the CIA and that AI competition was clearly CIA-coded? /s

And he like puzzles!

[Alice Mudgarden]

When Lisa said "and the rest is still unwritten" my brain zoomed right to The Hills 🤣

[30 Helens]

It’s official: BB hates Goddesses.

I believe Lisa left her parting gift for the house’s most vulnerable and loyal creatures, the ants. “Let them eat glitter!”

It’s kind of hilarious to hear the desperation in Julie’s voice as she cajoles them to break into pre-vote discussions. And then scolds them when they don’t. (“So you don’t even need to talk? You must be PRETTY CONFIDENT!”) Honestly, what amount of convincing can they do in 30 seconds that they couldn’t have done in the last few days? But just like Fetch, Julie is determined to make it happen.

[30 Helens]

6 minutes ago, Alice Mudgarden said:

When Lisa said "and the rest is still unwritten" my brain zoomed right to The Hills 🤣

That literally made me laugh out loud. And sing a little.

10 minutes ago, Blissfool said:

And he like puzzles!

Really? I had no idea!

 

42 minutes ago, tinkerbell said:

Stop with the hugs!

Angela: “Can we do a group hug?” Everyone else: <turn backs, pretend not to hear> 🤣🤣

[Blissfool]

Apparently Tkor fell/fainted. That's why there was a shot of Leah and Quinn bending down (to help her) when the AI competitors were coming down the stairs.

[DEL901]

5 hours ago, Rosebud1970 said:

My hatred for this Tucker person knows no boundaries. He studied for the CIA for 10 years?! Right. And I’m the Queen of Romania.

Hey, maybe he is a slow reader and it took that long to finish the Jack Ryan books?

[Gummo]

I hate when this show empowers bullies, so I'm out until Angela's given the heave-ho. She's the most vile contestant since "Friendship" Paul. 

Question: Where is everyone going when our beloved, lamented Primetimer closes its doors for good?

[laurakaye]

After Lisa was voted out and I heard sobbing, I kept looking at Lisa's face and thought - she doesn't look sad, she looks pissed off, so who's making all that noise...and then I got mad at myself because of course, it was Angela's mike pack turned up to 11 so we could here her dramatic rendition of "OMG, I'm Still Here!!" 

I don't know how much "scrambling" can be done on live tv with only 30 - 60 seconds before Julie scolds everyone and sits them down for the vote.  The houseguests are all going to be reacting to whoever won the AI comp, so how are the HG's on the block expected to cut through the noise and chaos to pull someone aside and beg for a vote?  Please fix this, Ainsley.

Also did I miss why the evited HG's aren't getting their goodbye messages anymore?

[Neveragain]

8 hours ago, Rosebud1970 said:

My hatred for this Tucker person knows no boundaries. He studied for the CIA for 10 years?! Right. And I’m the Queen of Romania.

I very much agree with you about Tucker but I’m writing to tell you that this Dorothy Parker reference made so happy!  To this day I quote bits of that poem when needed 

[Gregg247]

If Julie really wants the nominated HGs to campaign for votes, they should announce the winner of the BB AI Arena before the commercial break, giving them some time to settle down.  Plus, if the contestants know they're not on live TV, they'll shut up quickly and allow for some strategizing.

I'm glad Angela survived the Block this week.  She's the kind of paranoid-crazy, deluded, self-centered "twit"  that works perfectly for this phase of the game.  Right now, we're between the portion of the game where we first get to know the contestants and figure out who we like and who we don't, and the portion where "real" alliances start to form and solid gameplay takes over.  Having Angela around to irritate everyone in the house is great - for now.

[Skooma]

10 hours ago, Rosebud1970 said:

What on earth is wrong with these people? Why vote to keep the Drama Queen? Unless…

Production wants her kept on for…oh, wait. Drama!

My hatred for this Tucker person knows no boundaries. He studied for the CIA for 10 years?! Right. And I’m the Queen of Romania.

Production?  No, she is both a perfect shield and pawn for the House Guests at this stage of the game.  It would be stupid to get rid of her this early.  You vote people out for strategy or at least should.  Not because you can't stand them personally because it is indeed a game and for lots of money too.

The only person that had any "strategic" reason to vote her out was Quinn because he told her about his secret power for no earthly reason other than he was an idiot and a total blabbermouth.  But the others wanted her to stay so he felt he had to vote with them "for reasons" so as not to stick out like a sore thumb.

As for Tucker, he is comedy gold.  Not since Philip on Survivor have I laughed so hard.  No hate here.  Just appreciation for his antics.  I want him to last a long time in the game.  He is one of the few fun characters this season and not part of yet another boring mega-alliance.

[iMonrey]

12 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

I've seen people seeing they want her to stay for the drama.  Personally, I prefer Game-driven Conflict Drama to Obnoxious Toxic Person Drama.  But JMO.

If you think it's fun to watch someone so mentally unstable you should definitely watch Baby Reindeer on Netflix. Angela's family is either so embarrassed by her or else they're just so glad of the break from her they don't care.

11 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Julie angrily throwing shade as for the second week in a row the "scramble to separate rooms" fizzled like most twists are known to do. Just give it up Julie...its not going to happen. You'll need to find some other footage to pad out Sunday night like a Have Not comp.

She keeps doing this but only gives them like 30 seconds! They still haven't gotten the timing right for this format.

With her hair pulled back in a ponytail it struck me for the first time how much Lisa looked like Tonya Harding.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

3 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Also did I miss why the evicted HG's aren't getting their goodbye messages anymore?

The extra time for the AI challenge has to come from somewhere. Between a very brief recap, the AI challenge, going through 12 votes, the announcement, and Julie talking with the evictee, there's no time for goodbye messages in the 42 minutes (minus commercials) allotted.

 

10 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Angela: “Can we do a group hug?” Everyone else: <turn backs, pretend not to hear> 🤣🤣

When she was tearfully thanking everyone, I noticed a lot of averted glances and stone faces. They didn't save Angela because they loved or even liked her, but rather because they found Lisa's constant drama even more annoying. Angela's whininess and petty insults can be brushed off. Lisa's drama is emotionally draining.

Look at the "Twit" exchange. Angela calling Lisa a "twit" was insulting and inappropriate, but Lisa running off to a corner of the pantry and collapsing in tears was just ridiculous. If this was Lisa's response to every slight (real or perceived), I'd have voted her out too. BB is emotionally stressful enough without having to cosplay Jennifer Melfi or Bob Hartley 24/7.

 

13 hours ago, Rodney said:

And just how is Angela "toxic?"  I'm dying to know, because I just don't see it.  Annoying and paranoid, but certainly not "toxic."

Calling someone a "twit" for no reason, and when you see they actively took offense to it, doubling down? Toxic.

 

Edited August 2 by Sir RaiderDuck OMS

[tinkerbell]

The final moments of the episode, Julie says let's drop in on the houseguests.  And all we see is close-ups of Angela. Yeah, the producers see this as the Angela show, don't they?

[North of Eden]

3 hours ago, Gummo said:

Question: Where is everyone going when our beloved, lamented Primetimer closes its doors for good?

I will admit that its very stressful to think of logging in one day to find the forums gone. Do we know for sure it's definitely closing?

Half the fun of watching the shows is to come here and dish, rant or rave about what we just saw. I would hate to lose that and would miss you all as I see you on the TAR and SURVIVOR boards as well.

We as a community should plan ahead and pick the closest facsimile to this board in advance and agree to show up there if this goes dark. If anyone knows a Primetimer "clone" now is the time to speak up.

[30 Helens]

4 hours ago, laurakaye said:

Also did I miss why the evited HG's aren't getting their goodbye messages anymore?

 

2 hours ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

The extra time for the AI challenge has to come from somewhere.

How about from the time when Julie is barking at people to go campaign and everyone is ignoring her? Those two minutes could be much better spent on goodbye messages.

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

Just now, 30 Helens said:

How about from the time when Julie is barking at people to go campaign and everyone is ignoring her? Those two minutes could be much better spent on goodbye messages.

Theoretically, yes. But Julie has a need to insert herself into as much of each episode as possible, and just does weird things. Remember during the COVID season when she made the evicted houseguests wear masks, even though Julie should have been the one wearing a mask?

[DEL901]

Lisa is only 32?   Anyone but me shocked?

[Nashville]

12 hours ago, Blissfool said:

Apparently Tkor fell/fainted. That's why there was a shot of Leah and Quinn bending down (to help her) when the AI competitors were coming down the stairs.

Yeah, I spotted that; I think Tk got the toe of at least one shoe hung on the inside cuff of one of her own (IMHO ridiculously oversized) pants legs.

[Ivana Tinkle]

Who the hell was Lisa talking about when she was talking about "those who we represent"? Like, I'm sure the glitter wielding maniacs of the world don't want you to be their spokesperson Lisa.

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, 30 Helens said:

How about from the time when Julie is barking at people to go campaign and everyone is ignoring her? Those two minutes could be much better spent on goodbye messages.

Also, do we really need 2-minute recaps at the top of each and every episode? Do they really think people are tuning in for the first time ever?

[Rosebud1970]

12 hours ago, Neveragain said:

I very much agree with you about Tucker but I’m writing to tell you that this Dorothy Parker reference made so happy!  To this day I quote bits of that poem when needed 

I flove Dorothy Parker. To me, she is the epitome of wit and sophistication. So happy you picked up on it.