Jokers has posted an update of the endurance competition. While they don't say who still remains on the wall, they report the following:

Victor is last of Jury members standing, and will re-enter the game. HOH continues...

• RE: BB18 | Live Feeds and Spoilers | Week 10,michel2, 11:32 PM, 08-25-16
• And the new HoH is...,michel2, 00:06 AM, 08-26-16
  • RE: And the new HoH is...,kingfish, 08:31 AM, 08-26-16
    • RE: And the new HoH is...,michel2, 10:25 AM, 08-26-16
      • RE: And the new HoH is...,kingfish, 03:16 PM, 08-26-16
        • RE: And the new HoH is...,michel2, 05:09 PM, 08-26-16
          • RE: And the new HoH is...,kingfish, 06:05 PM, 08-26-16
            • RE: And the new HoH is...,michel2, 09:05 PM, 08-26-16
              • RE: And the new HoH is...,kingfish, 09:30 PM, 08-26-16
• Last Care Package,michel2, 05:14 PM, 08-26-16
• Nominations and update:,michel2, 09:24 PM, 08-26-16
  • RE: Nominations and update:,kingfish, 09:32 PM, 08-26-16
• Veto,michel2, 11:14 AM, 08-28-16
  • RE: Veto,tribephyl, 01:11 AM, 08-29-16
    • RE: Veto,michel2, 03:23 AM, 08-29-16
      • RE: Veto,tribephyl, 02:23 AM, 08-30-16
        • RE: Veto,michel2, 07:58 AM, 08-30-16
• Veto Ceremony,michel2, 08:00 AM, 08-30-16
  • RE: Veto Ceremony,kingfish, 08:24 AM, 08-30-16

Now I see that Corey and Victor are out. That would leave James, Nicole and Paul for HoH.

...Nicole!

I'm guessing she made a deal with James once Paul dropped because that comp was made for him.

Nominations have to be Paul with either Victor or Michelle.

So 'your boy' is going up again. I'm guessing Victor Caliente too if Nicole keeps the promise to James that she may have made. Leaving Meech as the replacement candidate (Please don't let them call this a backdoor).

And James, Corey, Nat, and either Victor or Michelle as voters.

James and Nat will vote Paul to go, and Meech is loosely aligned with them. So, at this point, with a week to go, and no more returnee twists (hex sign), and due principally to Couple's Bloc Power, Paul is in the cross hairs once again. Kudos to Paul (the brain) on his strategy to keep Victor Caliente (the minion. Not the Brawn. He could be, but this week he was just a loyal minion). Didn't work because James isn't an idiot, but well done nonetheless.

Also, if James did do a deal with Nicole, additional Kudos to him for doing the math and avoiding HoH. That is, if Nicole keeps her word in a game where Out-Lie, Out-Deal-Break, and Out-Backstab is the motto. James will be holding his breath for a couple of days.

Despite recent events, James is still an idiot. The ideal way to play this game is to avoid being HoH but have enough social skills to be an influence on the current HoH no matter who that person is. So how did James fare?

Natalie was HoH and yet we all heard James say that he didn't want to tell her what to do. An 80 day showmance should have told him that he could indeed influence her. Luckily for him, Paul was a bigger idiot and he usurped the HoH bedroom, flipping Natalie back against him in the process.

In other words, we all thought Corey was an idiot but he's level with everyone else. Maybe he's even smarter because he's cuddling with Nicole instead of a rubber ducky.

No offense, but you can't really believe everything they tell the camera or the other HGs? There is no way anyone can think that he had no influence on Nat, he can etch it on Mount Rushmore, but it still wouldn't be true.

I hope we're not understanding 'influence' to mean 'control' because there's no doubt that he has influence or that he wouldn't try and use it if he disagreed with the way she was leaning, just as there's little likelihood that he actually controls her decisions.

I read somewhere a post that detailed 11 instances where Corey in the last episode showed that, yes, he's an idiot. I think it was in Jokers, but I can't bring it up right now. Funny.

I saw that Corey montage on Jokers and it is hilarious. I have to say that Corey is still a few lengths in front of everyone in the race to stupid. However, we saw that James remained quiet when Natalie said she had made a mistake in nominating Paul. That was dumb. He was lucky that she came around on her own.

BTW, weren't you saying just yesterday that James would be smart to boot Corey?

LAST EDITED ON 08-26-16 AT 08:15 PM (EST)

I think getting rid of Corey then would have been his smartest move. And yes, he did vote to evict Victor. You and he are apparently on some telepathic communication level. And honestly, it was a choice that he couldn't go wrong with. It would have been better to let Corey go, IMO, but it was win win for him anyway.

As far as Natalie goes, that was wise of James to not overplay his hand. I'm convinced that (and he said as much to the camera - yeah, I know) had she not come around on her own he would have thrown his two cents in. He was happy to not have had to. As it was, he was pretty quick to reinforce her decision to nom. Paul. I'd call that very adroit.

>I think getting rid of Corey
>then would have been his
>smartest move. And yes, he
>did vote to evict Victor.
>You and he are apparently
>on some telepathic communication level.
>And honestly, it was a
>choice that he couldn't go
>wrong with. It would have
>been better to let Corey
>go, IMO, but it was
>win win for him anyway.

No, actually, it became a winning move only when Nicole won HoH. I'm sure that Vegas would have given Paul much better odds of winning that comp than Nicole who is notoriously bad in comps. So, this establishes a parallel between James's game intelligence and Nicole's challenge skills!!

>As far as Natalie goes, that
>was wise of James to
>not overplay his hand. I'm
>convinced that (and he said
>as much to the camera
>- yeah, I know) had
>she not come around on
>her own he would have
>thrown his two cents in.
>He was happy to not
>have had to. As it
>was, he was pretty quick
>to reinforce her decision to
>nom. Paul. I'd call that
>very adroit.

He let Paul and Victor campaign freely to the HoH and that isn't smart.

We can't say what the winning moves are yet, that can only be determined at the end of the game. But you can't reasonably argue that breaking up an established couple and opposing power bloc wouldn't have been a smart move. As aligned as Victor and Paul are, they do not have the adhesion Corey and his canoodle have. Unless we have been deceived about both of their predilections.

In hindsight, I'm willing to admit that evicting Victor was a pretty good idea too, mainly because it frustrated Paul's efforts. That and Paul's atrocious mistake of preempting the HoH bed and going as hard as he did against Meech, Nat, and Nicole has sealed his fate unless he goes on a challenge binge, or unless he uses the fact that once he's gone Meech will be dangling, the only other uncoupled HG left. And by now we all know there's no way Paul won't see that.

So, I see that as win-win for James. There was no blood to speak of, nor any reasonablly foreseeable negative outcome at the time. We'll just have to disagree on that.

The care package gives $5K to a house guest in order to bribe another. Corey received it. (It really shows that there are many Nicole fantards voting!) Since he won't need to bribe Nicole for the nominations, he'll be able to bribe someone for their vote. Although, he'll probably give the $5K to Nicole and they'll pretend it was a bribe. I other words, that's just another stupid twist.

Nicole nominated Paul and Michelle.

From Jokers: Nicole and James were the last two standing and Nicole started begging to be HoH. James gave in even if he really wanted to win his 4th wall challenge when Nicole promised that he and Natalie were safe.

Later, she and Corey made a Final 4 deal with Paul and Victor so there may be a plan to backdoor James which would be his karmic fruit. However, Nicole really wants Michelle out of the House.

So, Nicole really is a snake. Who would have guessed? Actually, is there anyone that didn't think that.

Nicole won the power of Veto. (Go figure!)

On another note, Victor and Corey are the have-nots so I guess that means Corey can't share the HoH bed with Nicole!

Wow. So Nicole finally steps up...again. Making 1st HOH and now this F7, "semi-integral", one, it's clear her game has definitely changed from last time she was on. Sadly, for her, I just don't think she can get to the finals. But she's is doing quite well for herself. (My gut feeling at the very beginning of the game, was that Paul would win. Then after watching the first few weeks of him I thought he didn't stand a chance. But now, even though he's sitting in a nom chair... again... I'm thinking I should have stuck to my guns.)

So entering this vote; Corey, Victor, James and Natalie are the deciders. Nicole will have last say, if dare a tie shows itself, but I'm pretty sure Michelle is a goner.
Is that the right read?

Pretty much. Nicole hasn't used the veto yet but there are only 3 possibilities, 2 of which lead to Michelle's eviction:

1- Nicole keeps the noms the same - If so, Victor obviously votes to save Paul and Corey votes along Nicole's wishes so, even if James and Nat vote against Paul, Nicole gets to break the tie and she sends Michelle to jury. She would thus clearly show loyalty to Paul.

2- Nicole saves Paul and puts up one of James or Nat: She could tell James and Nat that Michelle is her target but that she doesn't trust Victor so, if she replaces Paul with say James, then she's assures herself that Michelle is evicted because Nat and Corey would vote for her. That would be the devious way to show loyalty to the new F4.

3- Nicole saves Paul in order to backdoor either James or Nat. That would be the interesting option but does Nicole have the guts to pull it off?

Nicole saves Paul in order to backdoor either James or Nat. That would be the interesting option but does Nicole have the guts to pull it off?

Doubtful.
BUT... it IS something that either James or Nicole HAS to do to the other. So which one gets the other first? If Nicole doesn't do it this week then James will do it to her the next time he's in power.

James is under the firm impression that Nicole has his back so why would he go after her instead of Paul (and Victor)?

Jokers reports that Nicole didn't use the veto so Paul and Michelle remain on the Block.

No word on Corey's bribe. He should use it to bribe someone, (James?) to throw the next HoH com^p.

LAST EDITED ON 08-30-16 AT 08:39 AM (EST)

Ironically, Corey's the only one dumb enough to accept it unless it's to do something they were going to do anyway. I can't see it working even to get someone to throw a Veto comp.

I predict a hard charge in the DR to try and get someone (Victor?) to accept it.