Episode 12 – July 24, 2013
Was I saying that this week is likely to be boring? I admit, I was! But yesterday’s episode showed me that there is plenty of game being played and the majority group is already starting to splinter. As Mr. Burns would say, “excellent….”
The MVP Twist This Week
I wasn’t too excited about the fact that America was going to be the MVP and decide who the third nominee was. Then it happened on this episode and I loved it. I especially loved that CBS did not tell the houseguests anything about that twist. Julie Chen basically DID give them a warning shot across the bow in that they needed to expect something unexpected. And it seemed Helen was pretty savvy and understood what was likely happening, even sussing out the likely rules of the vote. Yet when the third nominee was revealed, all of that speculation went out the window.
Seriously, the houseguests lost their damn minds. That made for some fascinating dynamics in the house though as when Elissa was revealed as the 3rd nominee, everyone was in shock. My absolute favorite theory was that Elissa was still the MVP but putting on an act and nominating herself so it would take the spotlight off her for a little bit. Ha! Even if Elissa were that clever, it would be the most idiotic move ever to nominate yourself. You have no way of guaranteeing yourself a Power of Veto win and being on the block is a bad, bad thing. And yeah, once again, Elissa is nowhere even half that clever.
Elissa v. Amanda
Remember what I was saying about cracks? And that I expected the majority alliance to eventually splinter and turn on itself? This episode had plenty of that, but the most erratically dramatic of it last night was Elissa’s mean-girl act towards Amanda. When the whole house decided to celebrate McCrae’s birthday, everyone also thought Amanda should get all sexy and spank him 24 times. Everyone except Elissa. Her shock at Amanda’s one-piece dominatrix outfit/swimsuit (“who wears a one-piece….?”) and then her blatant dissing of her in FRONT OF EVERYONE up in the HoH room were master classes in the Art of Bitchitude. Perhaps something set Elissa off (besides being nominated) but in the edit we got, it certainly seemed out of place. And even the formerly unflappable Amanda ended up leaving the room so she could cry in the bathroom, although still putting up a pretty damn nice facade in public. This crack will only spread and widen in the future, and I am totally Team Amanda.
It’s hilarious how quickly Elissa deteriorated when she realized that not only was she not MVP but also now the 3rd nominee. Her snapping at GinaMarie was hilarious, as in this case, GinaMarie was being super nice and empathetic! Unfortunately for Elissa, her reaction to GinaMarie ended up being a catalyst for another crack to occur….
Meet the Ants Alliance
The Moving Company is Dead! Long Live the Ants Alliance! I know that’s not how that is normally phrased, but it’s basically what is happening. The remaining members of the Moving Alliance (sans McCrae), GinaMarie, Kaitlin, and Judd have formed an “Ants” alliance to combat the Grasshoppers (Helen, Elissa, Amanda, and McCrae). The Ants wisely figured out that Amanda and Helen are running the game at the moment and it’s only a matter of time before the Ants get killed. It’s smart because it’s true. Do I necessarily want the Ants to win? Not really, as I do love Amanda and Helen. Yet I give massive props to Howard and Spencer for rousing out of their slumber and doing something about their situation. I knew that Kaitlin had it in her and I anticipate she will be going far.
Do I think that the Ants have a chance at victory? Perhaps. Already Amanda is sick of Elissa and likely vice versa. But let’s not forget that the Grasshoppers likely control Andy, Jessie and possibly Candice, so they still have numbers. I think it’s possible Judd is still aligned with the Grasshoppers too but is playing it cool with the Ants, because that’s a smart move. Elissa can easily be sacrificed and the Grasshoppers still keep trucking along. Candice looks to be quite canoodly still with Howard but it didn’t seem like he included her in his Ants Alliance. Very interesting. I’m just glad there’s something going on that allows for debate, as I was resigned to a few weeks of easy picking-offs. Now? Maybe not.
Power of Veto
In the only time that Judd has looked really cute, it’s when they dress him up to look less like a goober and more like a prepster. The nice pants, button-up shirt and tie did WONDERS for Judd. He needs to think about ditching that fucking bandanna on his head as that is getting tired. Anyway, the Power of Veto competition involved prepped-up contestants having to collect the highest number of votes, which were of course hidden within a mud pond. It was a great competition and there were even some secret prizes to be found, some at an additional cost. It looked like Elissa was going to lose but her total was revealed last and she ended up winning by having the most votes.
Other interesting penalties/prizes: McCrae got $5000 for a 0 Vote card; Judd got 18 votes but had to go into a Snooze Alarm solitary which was unbearably awful, having to turn off a snooze alarm every 9 minutes for 24 hours; Helen got 10 votes but has to go to bed at 8pm for the next 2 nights – it’s bad because everyone in that house stays up till dawn; and finally, Elissa got a 20-vote card but can’t compete in the next Veto comp – this could really be a problem for her, but that of course remains to be seen.
In the meantime though, Elissa of course removed herself from the block. Since we know the MVP was chosen by America but the houseguests don’t, it was then interesting to see them speculate on who would go up in her place. Aaryn rightly figured that she looked like the MVP since Elissa was her biggest nemesis; Helen also figured if Elissa went up, Helen would be the likely replacement if it was true that Aaryn was MVP. Absolutely no one knew what was going to happen, including us, but in the end, apparently the next vote-getter was the charming GinaMarie.
Who’s Going Home?
With all the nominees being part of the former Mean Girl alliance, and some of them part of the Ants alliance, it’s interesting to speculate on what happens next. If Aaryn leaves, it’s really not a big shakeup as she’s not part of any alliance currently. Everyone just loses a perfect goat to take to the end. I’d be surprised if Kaitlin leaves though, as she definitely is here to play the game now that Jeremy is gone. I actually like her more now that she’s not curled up with that sleazeball. GinaMarie isn’t a great loss to anyone but the problem with her or Kaitlin leaving is that the Ants are immediately down a member and I don’t think they can afford that just yet. Guess we’ll see what happens tonight!