Big Brother 19 - Episodes 25 and 26: The Clip Show and The Big Show

First, let’s briefly talk about Friday’s show.  I wasn’t expecting a clip show this early, so I wasn’t too enthused with it.  It was nice to see #BBDerrick (sorry I spelled your name wrong in my last post!), and I assumed correctly that he was there to host the HoH.  Reminiscing about events so far in the house was fun, but there wasn’t much we didn’t already know.  I was shocked to see the blow-up after Jessica confronted Cody about his plan to have Jason and Alex take out her and Raven week one.  Man, Cody lost ALL of his collective shit.  I get where his “thinking” was, that the first week was “so long ago” in Big Brother days, and the game has changed so much since then, but that’s LITERALLY all he had to say.  For him to go off on her and basically say “fuck you, I don’t need this” was just a testament to his temper and how he acts (and reacts) outside of the house.  I wish them well, but I’ll be curious to see how long that relationship lasts. 

I was mistaken regarding Jason's nomination speech.  Because they showed Jason from behind, I couldn't tell that he was motioning to Paul when he referenced the "big move" Mark was referring to.  Paul confronts him regarding this, and Mark owns up to it as he should.  Mark knows that trying to make big moves can sometimes backfire, and I'm glad he owned up to it.  There was no way e was going to win a he-said he-said match with Jason.  Nothing else sticks out at me from that episode (HOLLAAA!), so we’ll move on to Sunday.

It was once again a night where I didn’t take copious notes, so please bear with me.  The HoH game was all about who could get the correct answer first.  The HGs went head-to-head to decrypt a code that they would have to give the answer to.  The answer was one of the previously evicted HGs.  After two rounds, the winners would face off for HoH.  In the first round, Raven beat Mark (to ROUNDS of applause..let’s let Mark know exactly where he stands, shall we?), Josh beat Matt, Paul beat Alex and Christmas beat Kevin.  In round two, Paul beat Raven and Christmas beat Josh.  In the final round, it was Paul vs. Christmas.  Paul decided to throw the comp to Christmas, figuring he would be safe this week with her win, and he could compete next week.  Christmas couldn’t decipher the clue, and it was becoming painfully obvious that Paul was throwing it to her.  He finally hit Cameron for his answer, knowing that the answer would be incorrect.  He could always spin it and say that she hasn’t been able to compete in everything, and he wanted her to have a chance at power.  Christmas could’ve looked at him throwing the comp to her as Paul knowing he’s safe with her.  I wouldn’t exude that type of confidence with anyone but a ride-or-die.  Christmas could say “ok, you think you’re so safe?  Well, you’re goin’ up, buddy!” If it were me, I would’ve pretended to rush to hit the answer, hitting the one right next to the right answer (which was Jessica) and then acted upset that I’d hit the wrong button, but happy for my good friend Christmas to get the HoH.  It keeps egos intact.

Side Note: I almost forgot, we did learn via Jason’s HoH letter that his wife is having another baby.  Awwwwww!

There are three power couples in the house: Alex and Jason, Matt and Raven, and Christmas and Josh.  Paul knows this, and has effectively attached himself as a third wheel to all of them.  There’s minimal risk of the couples talking game with each other in a way that will expose Paul, so he can pretty much ride anything out.  If one of the members of a power couple gets evicted, Paul can slide right into a final two deal.  He’s become a mastermind in this game, and I love it! 

Christmas wants to make big moves in the game, but she hasn’t held power, so she’s never had the chance.  She wants to back-door Mark, and put up two pawns from the power couples in the house…Matt, because he’s a better competitor than Raven, and Jason.  Jason’s nomination speech during the double eviction rubbed Josh the wrong way, and he voiced his opinion to Christmas.  Jason saying he was “on the fence” about evictions and eluding to the fact that he had a conversation with Mark regarding getting Paul out of the house didn’t sit well with him.  Because of this, he believes there could be some truth to what Cody said when he left about Alex and Jason trying to flip the house.  That was a complete lie of course, but as I’ve said before, paranoia runs through that house like Usain Bolt sometimes.

If Christmas can get Mark out, it’s great.  If he plays and wins Veto, getting out a member of another power couple wouldn’t be a bad HoH at all.  Jason seems to be second in line, given what is being perceived as “sketchiness” with him and Alex.

We also saw Kevin’s claws come out this week.  Alex doesn’t want Jason talking to Kevin, because of his trying to save Cody when he was on the block.  Jason doesn’t listen, of course.  Not only does he talk to Kevin, he tells Kevin that Amex doesn’t trust him anymore and they need to figure it out.  Kevin swears he “never did nothin’ to nobody” and says “fuck both of y’all” to Jason.  Jason is able to calm him down, but when he tells Alex what he did, she blows up at him.  Kevin walks in on them in the storage room, and Alex makes up a story about being sick and tired of Kevin asking her “what should I eat” all of the time.  Kevin buys it (I think) and they “make up.”  Jason’s going to be a problem if he can’t even respect the wishes of his ride-or-die.

Another big item introduced into the game is the Tree of Temptation. For three weeks, this tree with low-ish hanging fruit will turn red.  When it does, the first HG to go to the DR and say they'd like to pick an apple gets the chance to do so.  The apple will hold either a punishment or a reward that could greatly help them in the game.  The reward or punishment must be carried out within that week and cannot be carried into future weeks.  Mark, knowing his ass is on the line, requests to pick an apple as soon as the tree turns red.  It is revealed that he gets the Save a Friend reward.  He uses this to leverage with Christmas.  During his talk with her, he reasons that he and Elena have been broken up, so he's alone in the house.  Two power couples can now be broken up, and he will be on Josh & Christmas' side to make that happen.  He also said he would use his Save A Friend however they'd like him to if necessary.

Before nominations, Chrismas had to ask Mark to indicate whom he was going to save for the week.  He chose Paul, saying that when Paul gave him friendship on day one, he promised he would return the favor if ever given the opportunity.  He's trying to show that he can be a man of his word and be loyal.  He's without a tribe now, so Paul would be the ideal wagon to hitch to, but Mark's days are numbered.

Christmas nominated Jason and Matt, but addressed neither.  She looked to Mark and told him that he aligned with the wrong people, and he has to face the consequences.  As of right now, Mark is the back-door plan, but you should always expect the unexpected in this game.  If he wins the Veto, which he's proven time and again he can do when his safety is on the line, Jason is gone.  Even if Mark doesn't win Veto, someone could persuade Christmas and Josh to keep him for another week.  What do you think?  Should they get Mark out now, or go for Jason? Jason has a better social game, in my opinion.  That's definitely an aspect that should be taken into consideration.  I can't wait to see