Another week of Grrlpwerrr.
Vanessa and Jackie share the dais for a couple of days, What kind of mayhem can they bequeath?
Let's talk about it, shall we?

• RE: BB17 | Live Feeds and Spoilers | Week 5,kingfish, 09:49 AM, 07-24-15
• Noms and BOB,Jims03, 01:09 AM, 07-25-15
  • RE: Noms and BOB,michel2, 02:34 AM, 07-25-15
    • RE: Noms and BOB,Jims03, 01:53 AM, 07-26-15
• Veto,Jims03, 01:56 AM, 07-26-15
  • RE: Veto,Jims03, 05:58 PM, 07-26-15
    • RE: Veto,michel2, 07:55 PM, 07-26-15
      • RE: Veto,Jims03, 10:08 PM, 07-26-15
• Veto over,Jims03, 11:18 PM, 07-27-15
  • RE: Veto over,michel2, 06:54 AM, 07-28-15
    • RE: Veto over,kingfish, 03:51 PM, 07-28-15
      • RE: Veto over,Tkit, 04:18 PM, 07-28-15
        • RE: Veto over,michel2, 06:04 PM, 07-28-15
          • RE: Veto over,kingfish, 08:34 AM, 07-29-15
• RE: BB17 | Live Feeds and Spoilers | Week 5,kingfish, 08:35 AM, 07-29-15
  • RE: BB17 | Live Feeds and Spoilers | Week 5,tribephyl, 09:14 PM, 07-29-15
• Question,michel2, 06:51 AM, 07-30-15
  • RE: Question,Jims03, 08:29 AM, 07-30-15
    • RE: Question,kingfish, 08:40 AM, 07-30-15
    • RE: Question,michel2, 05:30 PM, 07-30-15
• Thursday Eviction,tribephyl, 10:08 PM, 07-30-15
• New HOH,Puffy, 00:58 AM, 07-31-15
  • RE: New HOH,suzzee, 03:44 PM, 07-31-15

Prediction:
Vanessa will run the house this week, and somehow Jackie will take the blame - just once I'd like to see the HoH who loses the BoB get named as a Veto replacement. Vanessa will somehow get Austin involved and make him think it was his idea all along.

Vanessa's reads and play are flawless so far, except that maybe she is too good, because if Brittney and especially the hibernating Audrey are impressed, then it isn't being lost on the others either.

Hope:
Britney continues to be part of the game this week. Even though she had babies with someone other than me, I am still a fan. Maybe with what some would say is an unhealthy level of attraction (don't listen to those doubters, Brit, they don't know), and maybe I am a bit of a stalker (I have to in order to admire you as you deserve to be admired, my Princess), but Britney, you're still my girl.

(Don't worry Janelle, if you are reading this, you are still my girl too. Call me).

.

LAST EDITED ON 07-25-15 AT 01:12 AM (EST)

Okay, so this a funny story.

Jackie and Vanessa have somehow conspired together and decided their target is Austin this week (with Steve as an alternate). Supposedly, Austin threw Julia under the bus and Vanessa/Shelli/Clay are mad (and are also creeped out by his Liz obsession). So they want to backdoor him.

Jackie nominates: Liz & James
Vanessa nominates: Clay & Becky

Jackie and Vanessa started a supergroup alliance of Vanessa/Shelli/Clay/Jason/Meg/James/Jackie/John(?). Don't know how genuine it is, but they're all working together for now. The plan is for James to throw the BOB so that Jackie can stay HOH and they can proceed to backdoor Austin.

Somehow, Liz & James wins BOB (despite James throwing it). Vanessa is now the sole HOH.

Barring an Austin veto win, Vanessa now has to figure out a way to backdoor one of her allies without him exploding. She's gone too far down the rabbit hole to change her mind. Everyone is expecting her to do it now.

I don't think Austin going home this week helps Vanessa's game at all, but she's been backed into a corner. Had to go for HOH because of Jackie, tried to get rid of power for the Austin backstab. It's an awful week for her to be HOH.

> It's
>an awful week for her
>to be HOH.

Well it seems it's an awful week only because she put the target on Austin. That's what happens when you win HOH though: It forces you to make decisions that aren't good for your game. It would have been a good time to go after one of the numerous floaters or even Jason, not after an ally. Even Shelli going after Audrey last week served no purpose for her personal game.

I don't want to get in trouble like Colin Cowherd but BB (and Survivor) are very simple games. Even idiots like Jordan, Adam, Rachel and Fabio can win so players should follow the KISS rule: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I tend to be a Vanessa fan because I liked her as a poker player going into the house... But honestly, she drives me a little crazy sometimes with her Big Brother play. Like, there is a good strategist somewhere in there, but she just can't leave it alone.

It seems clear that Vanessa (as a poker player), is really intent on building a good "table image" for herself... By establishing herself as someone who is trustworthy that YOU SHOULD NOT LIE TO. She did a really good job with the whole Audrey/Da'Vonne situation, for example.

But the way she just goes in circles to try to justify every single decision she makes... Is agonizing. It keeps people from questioning her ulterior game motives, but it makes her seem moody and temperamental. I don't think I would want to align with her because I wouldn't want her to freak out after hearing one story.

I get why going after Jason is problematic for her because she risks becoming Target #1 in a powershift next week. But she should've just settled on sacrificing Steve (not ideal but a minor loss) or someone pointless like Becky this week.

Clay won. He's taking himself off the block.

Austin has found out that he is the backdoor target now (I think Vanessa might've told him in HOH). He is basically profusely apologizing and asking for forgiveness. Vanessa and Clay and Shelli are floating the idea of using Austin's indebtedness against him and thinking he won't stray again after this whole situation. Think they're still leaning toward backdooring him. They might float the idea of dumping Becky to Jason and Meg.

We'll see. Like I said, it's Vanessa, so we can expect a ton of back and forth.

LAST EDITED ON 07-26-15 AT 06:17 PM (EST)

Hahahahahahahahahaha, now Jason is the target.

I'm not laughing because I want Jason gone. I actually like Jason on the show. But it is just ridiculously hilarious how many times Vanessa goes around the Circle of Paranoid Logic.

I was rooting for Vanessa because I liked her as a poker player.
Now I'm rooting for her because she's such a paranoid trainwreck.

I am going to laugh sooooooooo hard if she gets away with this HOH week again (like after the Jeff week). She really should be done next week. It would just be silly if she slid through again after what she is pulling. I mean, Austin going this week wouldn't have helped her game and she probably eventually is coming to a better boot (or the right idea). But the way she has run around, calling out every side of the house, I don't see how anyone can feel safe around Vanessa anymore.

(Also, when are people in the house going to finally realize that Shelli is single-handedly running this game?)

>(Also, when are people in the
>house going to finally realize
>that Shelli is single-handedly running
>this game?)

Interesting. Not watching the feed, I hadn't realized it. I know she's got Clay wrapped around her finger, using him as her messenger boy and that players like Jackie and Jason are confiding in her so maybe that should have been enough for me to realize this. Do you have other examples?

LAST EDITED ON 07-26-15 AT 10:15 PM (EST)

Interesting. Not watching the feed, I hadn't realized it. I know she's got Clay wrapped around her finger, using him as her messenger boy and that players like Jackie and Jason are confiding in her so maybe that should have been enough for me to realize this. Do you have other examples?

That's basically the lynchpin, though. Vanessa trusts Shelli/Clay implicitly, so everything about her HOH has gone through them. She's using Vanessa to get a stranglehold on the Austin/Liz/Julia situation. Those three somehow became the big target of people like Jackie and Jason. The Jason/Meg/James trio think they have an in with Shelli, and by extension, people like Jackie and John seem okay with them. It's a really good bit of stage direction on their part this week.

They're pointing Jason's people at Austin this week. Now they're pointing Vanessa back at Jason again while trying to make nice with people like John, Becky, and Jackie. And, if the other side of the house somehow gets power, they'll go after Vanessa/Austin/Liz/Julia before them. Shelli and Clay just kinda sit in the middle, watching the two sides point fingers at each other.

Before all of this, Vanessa probably didn't have anything to worry about, because conventional wisdom says the other side would go after Austin/Liz or Shelli/Clay first. But they way Shelli setup Vanessa as her meatshield, they probably don't have to worry about that for now. Vanessa gets all the blood, Shelli gets to hide in the shadows.

I prefer Shelli as the mastermind over Clay because Shelli is the one who seems to have more sway over Vanessa's HOH's. And Clay's the one who is always all-to-willing to be the pawn on the block. Shelli just plays nice with everyone. She would probably be a master strategist if she were less empathetic. Shelli's problem is that she cares too much.

LAST EDITED ON 07-27-15 AT 11:25 PM (EST)

(I don't know why I'm taking up the mantle of updates on this site, but these past two weeks have been fun to narrate. Describing Shelli and Vanessa's HOH reigns is like outlining the plot of a Coen Bros. movie. I suspect everyone in the house is going to spontaneously combust and John will be left at the end, at this rate.)

So Clay used the Veto on himself.
Vanessa put up Jason.

The fun part is that Shelli and Clay, in typical Shelli and Clay fashion, deny that they knew about the backdoor plan when questioned by Jason and Meg. Because they're supposed to deny, deny, deny, and stay in the shadows.

Well, Vanessa was having none of that and basically told Meg that Shelli and Clay knew. Honestly, I don't blame Vanessa at this point. She can't let Shelli and Clay get away with this stage manipulation and become the fall guy. So now Jason/Meg/James are positively furious with those two and can barely even hold a conversation with Shelli anymore. Don't know how annoyed Shelli/Clay is with Vanessa (even though it was the truth), but they don't really have anywhere else to go now. They'll all probably backpedal and play nice to each others' faces, but everyone knows what's up now. Their alliance drew the line in the sand this week.

So when I asked how long it would be until people realize those two were running the house? The answer was "after the Veto ceremony."

Keep up the good work, Jims. I'm enjoying these a lot. Wouldn't it have been so hard for Vanessa and Shelli to present a united front and tell the others that Jason did something to deserve this nomination?

I enjoy it also. The AD helps a little to see thru the primetime editing.

I am enjoying your recaps as well!

I have a friend who so wants James to win. I want to ask her why. So we can see him stuff his face and lust after Vanessa's mom for the next two months? No thanks.

I don't think James will lust after Vanessa's mom for two more months. There is bound to be another hot mom to show up in pictures before then for him to swoon over. Or maybe he'll develop a thing for the zingbot...

A normal, healthy, growing (hopefully) young man. With an thing for older, taller women.

And another thanks to you too, Tribe, for your sleepless nights.

Aww...thanks.

Sadly, those sleepless nights aren't typically filled with productivity.
Mostly staring at a wall, eyelids twitching, counting microscopic paint dimples. Infrequent shocks of brilliance that vaporize in seconds for fear of losing my count.
Resulting in loosely grammatical strings of non-thought-provoking gibberish. And perhaps an emoticon or two. But I thank you anyways.

What did Becky do to Steve for him to hate her so much?

I think it was because Becky nominated Steve during Week 2.

To be honest, Steve doesn't really talk game much with people (outside of occasional chats with Vanessa) and doesn't really join social conversations much either. It could just be a personality thing, but I have no idea how someone as inoffensive as Becky could be hated that much.

I thought the confessional was really funny, though, if only for how random it was. We are suddenly learning that Pointless Houseguest #1 hates Pointless Houseguest #2.

He did have that heart to heart with the camera. Either he has a sense of humor, or he has deep-seated problems.

Reminded me of that classic Pixar cartoon short with the desk lamp.

Of all the people in the house, Becky is the only one that he has any reason to resent. So, until he learns what hate really is, that is his only focus of emotion.

Thank you, Jims. With so many nominations, BOBs, and backdoor plans, I had forgotten that Becky had even won an HoH comp.

Live vote between Jason and Becky...
Vanessa can't vote.
Austin: Jason
Meg: Becky
Liz: Jason
James: Becky
Steve: Jason
Jackie: ...Jason
Shelli: Jason
It's official, Jason is a goner, but let's see the rest...
Clay: Jason
John: Jason

Vote of 7 to 2... Jason is evicted.
Oh Mylanta!

Julie decides to reveal the twin twist fully.
Julia finds out if Liz was evicted or not.
Julia finds out Liz is safe and now Julia gets to enter the house.
Julie tells the hamsters Julia is about to enter.
Julia enters.
Julie informs the hamsters that the game is now reset. Meaning that, BotB is over! Meaning that only 1 HOH will nominate only 2 people.

Grueling battle of endurance for the 1st "solo" HOH, coming up next...

Hanging on to a "cliff" (a tilting wall) while standing on a ledge and having access to assorted hand-holds.
Then, Julie teases the hamsters that a storm is brewing, cue sprinklers full of cold "rain".
Julie then teases angry locals, cue hard foam "screeching eagle" battering-rams. All positioned to give a light punch to hamster chests every so often.
We leave the hamsters as they again are tilted forward and hear Meg, Austin and James claim they won't last long.

Which means that the newest HOH will be revealed MUCH later than I will be able to stay awake tonight.
So maybe tomorrow morning?
Good Luck, hamsters!

New HOH is James.

James wants to make "big moves". He's thinking (today anyway) of putting up Shelli & Clay right from the start. No pawns

Although James has in the course of last evening promised everyone safety.