S17.E40: Episode 40

[Sara2009]

They always ask each jury member one question. Maybe there were years where there were less jury members?

I think that poster was referring to the third part of the HOH competition.

[pennben]

It was clearly obvious that Vanessa's vote against Steve was nothing more than revenge.

 

Not clearly obvious at all to me.  She's been talking about wanting a woman to win as far back as I can remember this season. Now granted, there was a particular woman that she wanted to win:), but she was close to both Steve and Liz, so I could see why she could/would vote either way.

[backformore]

Longtime lurker, but I had to post this message.  I HATE Vanessa!  Sorry, I know she's a favorite on many boards, but I could not stand her all season long.  I think she might be my most hated Big Brother contestant -- even beating out Frankie Grande.  At least Frankie was fun to hate.  He was occasionally entertaining television, albeit unintentionally.  Vanessa was just a narcissistic, self-indulgent, stuttering bore. 

 

First, her game play was totally obvious.  I could see her lying a mile away.  I have no idea how she could be a poker player.  The reason why she was able to get so far was because most of the cast was either dumb, uninterested, or socially inept.  How many times did she pull the same stupid tricks (swearing on her mother, her girlfriend, her dog -- just pathetic) or crying those crocodile tears.

 

Second, she aligned with boring, white bread individuals, which leads me to my third point...

 

Her boring, neurotic ass controlled nearly the entire game, and as a result, the entire show.  So all of the people I liked or found interesting were kicked out early because of her.  Jackie, Becky, James, Day, JMac, etc. were the ones I wanted to watch -- NOT Vanessa!

 

And fourth, there was just something really weird and creepy about her.  James kind of nailed it when he said she played too hard.  He probably should have phrased it differently, but it was like she had absolutely NO LIFE except this game.  She rarely laughed or joked or talked politics and pop culture.  It was just constant game talk, game talk, game talk.  It wasn't like she needed the money.  It's like she needed to prove something to the world and this was her one and only vehicle to do it. 

 

By the way, she's also a BIG HYPOCRITE!  Throughout the entire game, she told the other house guests not to take it personally -- that it was purely game play.  She claimed to admire those who made big moves.  Yet she votes for Liz because she's such a sore loser and a phony.

 

Anyway, I'm glad Steve evicted her butt and her sourpuss face throughout the finale made my night.

you pretty much nailed it.  Vanessa manipulated others, which is the game after all, but when she followed the manipulations with CRYING and apologizing, asking people  to not be mad at her, she showed her true "strategy".  Make promises, go back on the promise, cry and ask for forgiveness, try to make people feel sorry for you.   The intensity that came across made me feel sympathy for those who had to live in the house with her.   Vanessa was so driven, she played the game every waking moment, probably had dreams about strategizing.  She was exhausting to watch on TV,  we can only imagine how exhausting it would be to actually be in a house with her 24/7.

 

Plus, I thought her final "reveal"  that she's a world class poker player, and mentioning (twice, I think)  how much money she's worth, reeked of "screw you guys, I just played for fun, it's not like I needed the money." 

[Katesus7]

I think that poster was referring to the third part of the HOH competition.

I know.  In the third part, they ask each jury member one A or B question. 

[Sara2009]

I know. In the third part, they ask each jury member one A or B question.

Oh okay. Sorry.

[Ceeg]

I just don't buy that Vanessa's vote is because she was bitter. The only thing that Steve did differently than Liz is that he was the one who evicted Vanessa. And actually, 3 out of his 4 HOH wins were flukes. He won 2 by accident, and Johnny Mac blatantly threw the puzzle comp to him when they were the only two left. His first HOH, he evicted Jackie. He was after Jackie due to information provided to him by Vanessa. His 2nd HOH, he originally wanted to put up the twins, which Vanessa talked him out of. Steve stayed in the game almost entirely due to Vanessa, for a long time. Before Austin was the main target of Week 5 (before Vanessa discovered The Lie), Jackie really was considering putting up and evicting Steve, which Vanessa was able to dissuade her from, especially after she found out about Austin. Vanessa had a lot of one-on-one conversations with Steve, where she'd fill him in on all the goings on, but when it came to strategy talks among all of Scamper Squad, Steve was never really part of that.

 

Vanessa's perspective of Steve and Liz is different from our own. She's talked up Girl Power this whole season. Liz was a number for Vanessa's alliance simply because Vanessa viewed Liz as a bigger target than herself, and Liz still made it to F2, despite having a twin and a showmance. She won 3 HOHs, by her own merits, she won a veto and a BotB single-handedly, and she was a loyal ally to Vanessa since the twin twist was revealed. She also knows that Liz has been playing this game since pretty much the beginning, much like Vanessa herself, while Steve took a backseat right up until the Final 6 (which he has openly admitted).

 

All of those things played into Vanessa's decision IMO. So to write off her vote as ~bitter, simply because Steve evicted her, is doing a disservice to Vanessa, both as a player and as a woman who wants other women to succeed in life. 

Edited September 24, 2015 by Ceeg

[MMLEsq]

And while Shelli quickly fell into a showmance, she was the brains of the duo, the most competitive of the duo, and he was the one who fell on his sword at the end. 

 

We also had a transgender woman.   And while she was rather crazy -  it had nothing to do with being transgender, the house seemed very accepting from day one, and at least one guy had the hots for her.

I was watching when the non-jury houseguests came out.  It looked to me like Shelli was smiling and trying to catch Clay's eye, while Clay was looking at Julie (or, basically, anywhere except at Shelli).  Did anyone else get that impression?  At the very end, it looked like she was standing sort of next to him, but his back was slightly turned to her.  I was kind of surprised that Julie asked neither Austin nor Clay about whether they thought their showmances would continue in the real world.  (If asked, I think Austin would have definitely said yes; Clay, I think might have caged his answer a bit.) 

 

One thing that I noticed throughout the game that I really think helped Steve win was his goodbye messages, which were always pure class.  I knew Becky was just waiting to vote for him after seeing hers.  Johnny even made a comment when he was evicted the first time that "Steve is freaking adorable".   I think it worked on Shelli too.  Just saying that was one strong aspect of his social game that I think got overlooked.  He really knew how to use those.

Was it ever revealed why Steve disliked Becky so much in the house?  I could swear I remember one scene -- around the middle of the summer -- where Steve made Johnny Mac promise that he (JM) would ask out Becky once they were both out of the house.  Did I make that up, or did that really happen?

 

I'm at least glad Steve won over Liz-- mainly because of the way so many of the houseguests treated him like a social leper except when they wanted his vote. However, I think his answers to the jury questions were either delusional or based on some self-serving revision of recent game history. He literally talked a good game, and perhaps a better game than he actually played.

Wonder why they didn't let Clay, Jace, and Jeff give any comments?

While it's pretty clear that Steve is socially awkward, most of the HGs seemed to genuinely like him.

 

Usually I think season finales of reality shows drag on too long (Dancing With The Stars is unbelievably padded with filler on the last two nights), I actually think Big Brother should have a 2-hour finale.  It would be nice to hear more from the evicted HGs (all of them!) and also maybe to see/hear more of the discussions when the winner and runner-up come out of the house.  I guess I'll have to track down some of the interviews they did afterwards. 

 

As I watched the finale, all I could think of was this: I watched this show since June 24th and all those viewing hours, ALL THOSE VIEWING HOURS, with all the intrigue and plotting was for this? This? What a sad disappointment the finale was. No big reveals, no surprises, just a de rigueur connect the dots step by step borefest. 

 

Maybe Vanessa and Mel will do the Amazing Race. 

With Big Brother, it's probably best to view it as:  "The journey itself is its own reward."  Enjoy the season for what it is and don't let a disappointing winner ruin it (if that was the case, a lot of us would have stopped watching years ago, I think!). 

 

I have no desire to see Vanessa and Mel on TAR (my absolute favorite show -- can't wait for Friday!).  Her skills in reading and manipulating people (which includes, IMO, simply wearing people down with long, drawn-on discussions on why whatever she wants is simply the only way to go) would really be of almost no use on TAR.  Yes, she's intelligent, but I really don't like to see mopey, weepy TAR contestants.  If I had to pick (gun to head) two HGs from this season's BB to go on TAR, I'd pick James and Meg.  Meg would be horrible at probably every physical task, but I'd bet they'd at least be good-natured about everything and would have fun.  

 

That was one of the bright spots of this episode! Once the winner became all-too-apparent, I was more invested in the various reactions, and one I was watching for was whether Clay would still appear into Shelli, so as the two sides approached each other at the end, Meg going in to glom on Clay was hilarious. And maybe I mis-saw it, but it really looked like he was NOT the initiator there, and in fact looked like he was trying to high-five her or something instead of hug. Meg and her judgment of other "players" remains both hilarious and pathetic.

Sorry, I think I might have screwed up the quote function here....   as I noted above, I too was more focused on the other HGs and what appeared to be going on in the background.  

 

Clay and Audrey have had a thing since he went home.

Um, WHAT?

 

I'm wondering if John answered that question honestly or if he was just being sarcastic. Meanwhile, Vanessa probably gave her answer based on thinking John would give a straight answer. In fact, that's the assumption that has to be made about all the questions. Next year if they use that game again I think the producers need to emphasize to the houseguests that they need to give honest, non-jokey answers since someone's game could be riding on it.

I respectfully disagree....trying to figure out whether someone gave a joke answer or a non-joke answer just adds another degree of difficulty to the game.  

 

I got the impression that Vanessa's vote for Liz was more of a girl power vote, and she probably already knew Steve would win anyway. It didn't come off as bitter to me. But I haven't heard any post-show interviews yet, and if she was asked about that.

I did too...  I think she was angry/disappointed/bitter, but was was more determined to cover it up than Austin was.  However, even if there was some bitterness, I think her vote for Liz was definitely a vote for a woman to win, not a vote against Steve.

 

I wish Julie had asked the jurors live on air how many of them would have voted for Vanessa over Steve and Vanessa over Liz.

Again, I really think it should be a 2-hour finale.  The spend the whole summer dragging things out, then rush through 3 HOH competitions, the final eviction, Dr. Will's interview with most of the jury, updates on the jury and non-jury HGs, questions to the 2 finalists, voting, the reveal of the votes, and the announcement of AFHg all in 90 minutes.

 

ETA:  Thanks CBS for having the last 30 seconds or so of Survivor spill into BB's time.  I was completely spoiled on what happened on Survivor (I could see which person clearly got voted out) because I decided to watch BB first.  ////end sarcasm.

Edited September 24, 2015 by MMLEsq

[candall]

Not taking into account individual Steve versus individual Liz, but as a general observation regarding the gender issue:

 

In a game where the women were dominant, stronger, better players, it's extremely disappointing a woman didn't win.  It just feels too familiar--reminiscent of a long history when superior women were relegated to subordinate roles.

 

Consider a hypothetical where nerdy mathletes dominate the entire game from the beginning, hold two of the last three seats and constitute a majority of the voters, but the homecoming king still walks away with the trophy.

 

That's not a happy ending movie you'd see on the big screen.

[Snaporaz]

I was playing along during part 3 of the HOH, and I missed the same questions Vanessa did.

While I'm disappointed Vanessa did not win, I was glad Steve won instead of Liz because...Austin. How pathetic and insecure is that ogre that he had to call Steve "boy" repeatedly? Austin would have viewed a Liz win as his own, so just no.

[Wings]

I am glad Jason talked to Vanessa about not owning her game. That had to be said and he articulated it well.  

[backformore]

I am glad Jason talked to Vanessa about not owning her game. That had to be said and he articulated it well.  

I agree.  And I wish he had stayed longer, he might have been among the favorites.  

I liked Jason, he was one of the few I liked right off the bat.

[Former Nun]

I wish Julie had asked the jurors live on air how many of them would have voted for Vanessa over Steve and Vanessa over Liz.

 

 

This is how my family feels when watching "Family Feud."  We learn what the Number One answer is.  We want to know what is NUMBER TWO???

[Former Nun]

First, her game play was totally obvious.  I could see her lying a mile away.  I have no idea how she could be a poker player.

 

 

I think the thing that probably works for her in poker is there's NO TALKING.  That means no fake-crying or carrying on.  Then...SUNGLASSES!   If she keeps her trap shut and her crazy eyes hidden, her brain can go to work.

Anyway, I'm glad Steve evicted her butt and her sourpuss face throughout the finale made my night.

 

I agree.  Great post, Plotpointer!

Edited September 24, 2015 by Former Nun

[Guest]

Re-watching the episode, y'all have to freeze the faces of Vanessa and Liz during Steve's speech to evict Vanessa. Vanessa's all "Yep, he's evicting me" while Liz is all, "-------" Just a blank expression on her face. Hilarious. By the way, dude, THAT's the speech you've rehearsed for two weeks? That was weak sauce.

 

It also shows just how unobservant Liz was that she was SO shocked that Steve evicted Vanessa. I mean, it was sweet to see her be so grateful to him for taking her, but come on, lady, it should not have been a shock. And it wasn't like he was doing it to be nice to you. 

I thought Steve's speech was fine but I was yelling "STOP APOLOGIZING!" after it.  

 

Liz's reaction was odd.  She really thought Steve was taking Vanessa?   How clueless was she? 

 

Clay and Audrey? Lol

Audrey did look distrubingly like Shelli at the finale.  The camera even jumped to Shelli after her first appearance, as if to confirm the eerie resemblance.  

[gunderda]

I wish Julie had asked the jurors live on air how many of them would have voted for Vanessa over Steve and Vanessa over Liz.

Jeff did and hands down Vanessa would have won no matter who she was against. 

 

 

I don't think the poster meant that Clay and Audrey are having a romantic relationship - just that they have become very good friends and are hanging out a lot. 

[bafleyanne]

Audrey did look distrubingly like Shelli at the finale.  The camera even jumped to Shelli after her first appearance, as if to confirm the eerie resemblance.  

I noticed that too. She has definitely lightened up her hair a LOT.

[gunderda]

SOOOOOOO happy that James won AFP!!!!!!

I was nervous that Johnny Mac would get it.

 

But those that are surprised that James got it - he has a HUGE fanbase.  Without him the feeds would have been crap for the most part.

[candall]

Regarding individual Steve versus individual Liz, I'm glad Vanessa threw her vote to Liz and made the tally 6-3.

 

In fact, I think a 5-4 vote would have been a better assessment of their respective gameplay.  For most of the season, those two were roughly equivalent as far as having more "weaknesses" than strengths, in an apples/oranges sort of way. 

 

I would, however, award Steve a one-vote winning margin for his end-days preparation and rehearsal.  You can tell Liz only prepped to the extent of coming up with a couple of key phrases and winging it from there.  Oh dear, the most acclaimed professional lecturer in the world wouldn't hang a half million dollar hat on an extemporaneous speech. 

Last ineptitude loses.

 

Ha, I have no doubt Vanessa could have composed a persuasive speech for Liz, but whether Liz could have been coached into selling it is another question.

 

 

 

 

[ketchuplover]

On another site someone pointed out that Steve answered "A" for every question

[BeatrixK]

One thing I will say - James was one of the most entertaining HG's, non-game wise.  Hiding out and playing pranks on people was fun, and a nice diversion from game talk 24/7.  He seemed to actually have fun while he was in the house, and not in a 'being mean to people' way.

 

I can see why he didn't rub too many people the wrong way and grab himself a fanbase.

[Sammich63]

I noticed there was no mention of any houseguest showing up on The Bold and the Beautiful. I did like this cast, but I preferred the group from last year, with the exception of Frankie.

I agree that 3 out of 4 HoHs Steve won were crapshoots, but still felt he should have won over Liz. Still bummed Vanessa didn't win. My husband can't stand her, but she had a hand in every eviction up to top 3.

I'm definitely in the minority who felt the pranks pulled by James were stupid. However, I do admit I don't like pranks at all, and would have been very pissed if he did it to me. I'm surprised Julie mentioned top 3 this year for AFH since it really was between James and JMac.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Sammich63

[candall]

I am glad Jason talked to Vanessa about not owning her game. That had to be said and he articulated it well.  

I've been thinking about this because I wanted to see Vanessa claim credit for some of her masterful gameplay, too.

 

But look how many people are thrilled Vanessa lost because they didn't like her behavior. 

 

I think if she'd "bathed in the blood," dropped the pretense and owned her strategy during the DR's, people would have said she was a huge bitch and then. . . would have been thrilled to see her lose because they didn't like her behavior.

 

.

[Wings]

Vanessa's sour and pinched face during the finale was borne from her insecurity, not losing.  Reading the room told her many had animosity and she was a tad freaked. 

I've been thinking about this because I wanted to see Vanessa claim credit for some of her masterful gameplay, too.

 

But look how many people are thrilled Vanessa lost because they didn't like her behavior. 

 

I think if she'd "bathed in the blood," dropped the pretense and owned her strategy during the DR's, people would have said she was a huge bitch and then. . . would have been thrilled to see her lose because they didn't like her behavior.

 

.

 

 

Owning her game is more about how she will be viewed in BB history.  Jeff's backyard poll said she would have won against either so her game play was recognized. 

[Guest]

Vanessa's sour and pinched face during the finale was borne from her insecurity, not losing.  Reading the room told her many had animosity and she was a tad freaked. 

Good observation.  I got that impression about Austin, too.  I wondered if hearing the third roar of applause for John drove it home that the edit may not have been what he thought. 

[kikaha]

Not taking into account individual Steve versus individual Liz, but as a general observation regarding the gender issue:

 

In a game where the women were dominant, stronger, better players, it's extremely disappointing a woman didn't win.  It just feels too familiar--reminiscent of a long history when superior women were relegated to subordinate roles.

 

.

 

I would say one woman was dominant.  The others were not all-stars, at least in my book.  And that dominant woman had some severe flaws -- both game and personality-wise -- that ended up costing her the game. 

 

You left out a critical piece of this puzzle.  The people doing all the voting the second half of the season were majority women.  In the finals they made up 2/3rds of the jury: 6 women, 3 men.  They had the power to decide who stayed, who went and in the end, who won. 

 

I personally don't believe they were relegated to subordinate roles of any kind, except what they themselves created for themselves.  They, after all, held the power as women -- if they chose to decide on that basis.  Thankfully they did not.  As a group they chose on merit.  

 

Everyone dragged Liz to the end, because she had next to no resume, made almost no decisions, and hid behind the huge shield of Vanessa/Austin the entire game.  How can it surprise anyone that she lost the game? 

I just remembered.  Did Steve ever reveal his big secret?  The show certainly gave a pretty strong hint this episode what it was. 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Upsetting The Balance
The scales tip in an unexpected direction before the jury picks the winner of Big Brother 17.

[ProfCrash]

Their final interviews are available on EW now. Steve couldn't remember who he was talking to at the end of the interview. It was kind of dorkably funny.

[Nashville]

Going into this finale, I knew it all hinged on who won the final HoH. And Vanessa knew she had to win it, too, because she knew there was no way Steve was taking her, and it was probably unlikely that Liz would, either, alliance be damned. Because if Vanessa was in the final two, she's winning. Hands down. It would probably even be unanimous. (Unless she was against Liz, in which case, Julia and Austin might still vote for Liz-uh.)

 

Which was precisely something Steve and Liz had already discussed (several days ago, in the House, while V was sleeping), so you're probably not far wrong there. :)

...although...

While Liz was a strong COMPETITION player and a strong SOCIAL player, she was not necessarily a strong STRATEGIC player (more on that later). So had the opportunity presented itself, it is entirely possible Liz would have taken Vanessa to F2 on the belief the Jury would have valued loyalty over strategy. Which never happens. But I won't fault Liz on it, because it speaks positively as to her character.

I thought it was hilarious looking at Liz's beaming, smiling face sitting next to Vanessa's sourpuss as Steve tried to give his speech without throwing up. So I was a little confused why Liz acted like she was so surprised Steve picked her to go with. Whatevs.

 

I don't think it was an act; Liz was genuinely surprised, and for the same reason I stated before. When Liz lost HoHr2 to Steve she was CERTAIN if Steve won HoHr3 he would take V to F2 because Liz saw only the loyalty aspect, and not the strategic - and when Steve did win HoHr3, Liz thought her game was DOA.

IMHO Liz's smiling and beaming was simply her best bid for Miss Congeniality - being a "good sport" and going out with her head held high. And when Steve made the only logical strategic play, Liz was about shocked out of her shoes.

I feel like Steve probably had the win all sewn up anyway, but Liz really blew it with the jury questioning. She basically gave the same answer to two separate questions, and sounded like a beauty pageant contestant, not a Big Brother player. Steve was the one giving reasoned responses explaining how he actually played the game, and Liz just smiled and kept saying how she deserved it because she survived the twin twist.

 

No argument there. Liz was generally a sweet girl, but she was TOTALLY unprepared to defend her game. I guess all Steve's late-night BY strolls for which everybody made fun of him finally paid off, eh? :>

  

I'm happy with the final result.  Good for Steve for not passing out, not even once!  Except that when he bolted right after the jury questions, I thought - oh no, hope he makes it back in time.

I know! I was *so* proud of Steve for not spewing on live TV. You just KNOW Production was sweating bullets over THAT possibility.

 And poor guy gets stopped in his tracks not once but twice because the audio is broken?  Stay classy, Big Brother.  SHEESH.

 

But look on the bright side! Viewers got an unexpected glimpse into some of what actually goes into making the TV magic - a mic check. :P

Liz actually made me a little bit angry after Vanessa was booted and she told Steve she had "nothing prepared."  Why on earth not, Liz?!  The minute you make the Final 3 is probably a good time to start thinking about what you want to say and how you want to say it.  Her answers to the questions showed just how little she prepared.  Steve, on the other hand, could give names, sequences of events, and strategy, talking just as fast as his brain could process words.

And Austin?  Go away.

 

Reference earlier comments. SURPRISE, LIZ!!! :D

And I hear Yemen is nice this time of year.

Was it ever revealed why Steve disliked Becky so much in the house?  I could swear I remember one scene -- around the middle of the summer -- where Steve made Johnny Mac promise that he (JM) would ask out Becky once they were both out of the house.  Did I make that up, or did that really happen?

 

Behind the scenes BBecky and Steve never really "clicked", and she was condescending as hell to him on a few occasions - but I think the whole "I hate Becky" thing was primarily Production trying to amp up some passion in Steve's DR sessions, and he wasn't giving them much else to work with. And no, you didn't imagine Steve's suggestion to JMac - I remember it as well.

 

With Big Brother, it's probably best to view it as:  "The journey itself is its own reward."  

Truer words were never spoken. :)

I respectfully disagree....trying to figure out whether someone gave a joke answer or a non-joke answer just adds another degree of difficulty to the game.  

 

The whole point behind this comp was "how well did you know your fellow HGs?" - and why anybody would think JMac would suddenly stop being contrary and answer straight is beyond me. :>

I did too...  I think she was angry/disappointed/bitter, but was was more determined to cover it up than Austin was.  However, even if there was some bitterness, I think her vote for Liz was definitely a vote for a woman to win, not a vote against Steve.

 

 

Equal parts, methinks.

Ha, I have no doubt Vanessa could have composed a persuasive speech for Liz, but whether Liz could have been coached into selling it is another question.

Doubtful, as I think V had EVERY intention of watching - and applauding - Liz's train wreck of a speech from the other F2 chair. ;>

[TexasChic]

So what was Steve's big secret, anyone know?

[Ceeg]

So what was Steve's big secret, anyone know?

Not something he wants the public to know.

[Guest]

Was there a lag between parts 2 and 3 of the final HOH comp?  Maybe Liz didn't prep any interview answers because she thought she was out of the running days ago?  I don't recall what was live.  

 

Where did Steve imply he had a secret?  The feeds?  

[Former Nun]

Audrey did look distrubingly like Shelli at the finale.  The camera even jumped to Shelli after her first appearance, as if to confirm the eerie resemblance.

 

 

Single White Female?

[Porterest]

Austin couldn't have been more disteresred during the questions if he tried. I have a feeling we can expect a passive tweet from him about not being in the Top 3 for AFP.

 

If Austin does tweet something, someone please post it in the Media thread! I don't want to follow him on Twitter. . . or get a Twitter account. 

 

Someone said above that two hours would be nice for the finale. I agree. Or at the very least, show Part 1 (also maybe Part 2) of the final HoH during Sunday's boring show. They could mix it with the clips. (Oh, remember how weird Audrey was? Play clips. Remember Part 1 of the final HoH? Play scene. Come back to house, etc.

 

Once again, thanks to the live feeds viewers for posting this year. Obviously, we know that something else had to happen during the final HoH that went so long; we have a grasp on it thanks to those brave watchers. As I watched the bloody mess, I could say to myself, "Maybe right before this is where Liz complained about her va-jay-jay. Or being dunked. Or everything."

 

I was glad to see Vanessa's mind tricks during the final HoH Part 1, but I was also glad to see that Liz at least saw what Vanessa was doing. ("Uh. Stop." I believe that's close to the exact quote. . .)

[fuzzed]

Their final interviews are available on EW now. Steve couldn't remember who he was talking to at the end of the interview. It was kind of dorkably funny.

 

Austin was at his absolute douchiest in his. What a tool.

[Guest]

How long were they on those balls, anyway?  

[Vixenstud]

(Bitch slaps self over and over)....WHY IN THE BLUEDILLY FUCK DID I TURN ON THE TALK TODAY?!  SHIT!  DOUBLE SHIT!  TREBLE SHIT!

 

I totally forgot that the winner would be mentioned as one of the guests, by the time I heard what Julie was about to say the remote was on the other side of the room and by then she had already said Steve's name.  I felt so good that I didn't know who won so far.  Dammit!

 

Rather annoyed that James won AFP....it is good for his daughter, but I never found his pranks funny and if someone put honey on my mouth while I was sleeping I'd machete their privates.

 

I will watch the finale anyway, just to see the slack-jawed look Vanessa gives when she's evicted by the 'boy' she emotionally bullied all season.

 

 

[AbsoluteShower]

I know he probably doesn't have it in him, but I really wish that Steve's last HOH speech had been "Vanessa, I did the math. You're evicted"

[LoneHaranguer]

 

I have a granddaughter and can honestly say I've never spoken to her about Big Brother but we have spoken about the female who is running for president and other women who are doing great things in today's world.

Actually, there are two females who are running for president and have been getting a lot of coverage in the media, so I guess it's not just a BB issue for a strong woman to not get respect.

 

 

I don't think that the final speeches influenced the vote, but Liz's speech was terrible. Second only to the terrible answers she gave during the interview.

She clearly expected Vanessa to march straight through to a win and had given no thought to the possibility that Steve could snag HOH. In fairness, I think the Q&A and speech aren't much more than a formality; the jurors have had way too much time to consider their votes based on their own experiences and whatever the producers have chosen to show them each week while in the jury house.

[ghoulina]

I've been thinking about this because I wanted to see Vanessa claim credit for some of her masterful gameplay, too.

But look how many people are thrilled Vanessa lost because they didn't like her behavior.

I think if she'd "bathed in the blood," dropped the pretense and owned her strategy during the DR's, people would have said she was a huge bitch and then. . . would have been thrilled to see her lose because they didn't like her behavior.

 

You make a good point. But I do think there can be a middle ground between swaggering through the house like an arrogant asshole and the constant crying/apologizing Vanessa did. 

[SuzE]

 

Liz's reaction was odd.  She really thought Steve was taking Vanessa?   How clueless was she?

I thought she was reacting to the fact that she just won $50,000. That's a lot of money and probably more than she thought she'd come out of the game with. She seemed grateful to Steve.

 

I didn't mind the 'crapshoot' last competition. I like the fact that they didn't have a strength or endurance competition that might favor a man. Another 'what happened when' or 'who said what' competition would have been OK too.

 

So glad Jason brought up Vanessa needing to own her game. I think a man playing her game with the tears and promises extracted and begging not to be blamed would have been evicted a lot sooner than she was.

[Dewey Decimate]

Oh, and not for nothing, but has Dr. Will been doing some work on himself? He looked like a creepy plastic Ken doll interviewing the jury… O.o

It's sad, I thought he was so rakishly handsome during his first season, and think a few wrinkles would look better than the fake, shiny baby-bottom look. Though I was more intrigued by his ladylove's sartorial choice while sitting in the audience. I kept imagining someone like Paul F. Tompkins seeing her and commenting, "Why, my dear lady, I believe you've forgotten your pants!"

[Maharincess]

I have a real soft spot for awkward nerds, so I was happy with Steve's win. IMO, it beats the past 2 seasons, which I still have an irrational hatred for Derrick. Vanessa could of had it but alas she lost the last part. Steve would have been a complete idiot if he would have taken her to F2. You could tell that this was his life long dream when Julie announced his win.

Also, happy that James won AFP!

Thanks guys for all the snarky comments, You all have provided me with many LOL moments this summer! See ya next summer!

ETA: Please for the love of God, TOTB, DO NOT bring back TOTB next year!!!!

What is TOTB? Edited September 24, 2015 by Maharincess

[RedheadZombie]

I don't think the poster meant that Clay and Audrey are having a romantic relationship - just that they have become very good friends and are hanging out a lot. 

 

On the feeds, Audrey picked on Clay relentlessly.  She was like a five year old with a crush.  Probably the funniest, was when Clay walked in eating out of a box, and talking to someone in the bed next to Audrey.  From a laying position, Audrey kicked the box right of his hands.  I have to give Clay credit, he was pretty patient with her.

 

Was there a lag between parts 2 and 3 of the final HOH comp?  Maybe Liz didn't prep any interview answers because she thought she was out of the running days ago?  I don't recall what was live.  

 

Where did Steve imply he had a secret?  The feeds?  

 

I believe part two was on Saturday, and part three was live last night.

 

Steve apparently whispered several times to Vanessa that he had a secret.  Speculation is that he's gay, but I think that's really just a guess.

[pennben]

 

What is TOTB?

 

I think it is BOTB, Battle of the Block.

[Nashville]

In fairness, I think the Q&A and speech aren't much more than a formality; the jurors have had way too much time to consider their votes based on their own experiences and whatever the producers have chosen to show them each week while in the jury house.

I'm sure that's true for SOME Jurors - but I also expect that for some others, they're missing one important piece of the puzzle: direct personal contact. These Jurors of which I speak won't be completely content with what TPTB have chosen to spoon-feed them; they want to see the finalists, hear THEIR answers, and - perhaps most importantly - gauge their reactions when asked the questions before making their final decision. And I also expect the longer you've been out of the House, the more you're going to want to see how well your past recollections jibe with current presentation.

  

So glad Jason brought up Vanessa needing to own her game. I think a man playing her game with the tears and promises extracted and begging not to be blamed would have been evicted a lot sooner than she was.

Apparently not. :)

Steve did his fair share of crying and "don't blame me "-ing too, remember?

Owning your game is only partly HOW you played - and the smallest part, IHMO. Much more important is the WHY - what strategy did you decide on, when did you decide on it, which strategic goal(s) were accomplished by such-and-such a move, etc.

You need to be able to articulate to the Jurors that you had a strategic plan, you executed that plan, and that execution is what got your ass sitting in that oh-so-comfortable F2 chair. These people are trying to decide whether or not they're handing you a $500K check, and I expect the majority of them would feel a heckuva lot better about the prospect if the had SOME assurance you didn't just stumble into that F2 chair by accident.

Plus, it REALLY REALLY helps when -as was the case last night - neither of the two butts in the F2 chairs belong to the person you expected to see sitting there.

[AbsoluteShower]

Steve apparently whispered several times to Vanessa that he had a secret.  Speculation is that he's gay, but I think that's really just a guess.

I've got it! He's also a professional poker player, except he plays on the Mexican Poker Libre circuit as "El Masked Trombonist"

[Wootini]

I had my suspicions about Steve, especially in the clip show where they showed his "bromance" with John. He leapt out of the cuddle with John pretty quickly, although then there was that clip where he asked "Have you ever made out with a guy?" and John was like, "Um, no, dude."

 

I would like to let Steve know that I have made out with guys, and it's pretty awesome, and I would be more than happy to show him how awesome it is. My husband wouldn't even mind. In fact, he'd be jealous! :)

[Joimiaroxeu]

The whole point behind this comp was "how well did you know your fellow HGs?" - and why anybody would think JMac would suddenly stop being contrary and answer straight is beyond me. :>

So what if the houseguests all lied in their answers? Should the F2 be required to have skills in determining on the fly how much of liar someone is?

 

Steve was just on The Talk claiming that had the situation been reversed he would've have voted for Vanessa instead of Liz. Not sure I believe that...

 

I'd bet cash money that Steve's secret is that he's still a virgin. Whatever, he'll probably have people throwing themselves at him now although he doesn't seem likely to want to "catch" anyone.

[LoneHaranguer]

 

These Jurors of which I speak won't be completely content with what TPTB have chosen to spoon-feed them; they want to see the finalists, hear THEIR answers, and - perhaps most importantly - gauge their reactions when asked the questions before making their final decision.

I can see that in theory, but just don't see something as brief as what's actually being done accomplishing anything but allow jurors to pick out support for what they've already decided and make them comfortable with their choices.

[iMonrey]

It was another, typical mess of a season finale. Everything is so rushed at the end, only five of the eight jurors get to ask questions, only three of the pre-jury evictees get to speak, little to no reaction from the ultimate winner. I miss the days when each jury member got to ask both finalists a question and really grill them. The last person evicted never has a chance to cool down and really consider their vote. I wish they'd go back to the old format.

 

The worst part is that final HoH comp. Honestly, after having worked so hard to win the first and second round of the HoH comp, to have it all come down to what's basically a coin toss? They might as well ask them to pick a number between one and ten. The "questions" are clearly something the writers posed to the jury members, possibly even the two choices, and are so generic with two equally plausible answers, it's a total crapshoot. There's no skill or ability whatsoever involved here. It's not as if one could know better than the other based on how well they knew their former housemates. It should at least be something they actually said, during their time in the house, not some lame thing the producers asked them after the fact.

 

Honestly, I was glad Vanessa didn't win, but that final HoH is anything but fair. She got to the end on skill and effort and then it ultimately comes down to chance. I'd be furious.