Wait, did that just really happen or is this some sort of elaborate prank? Man, over the course of this season, the last 24 hours before the Live Show have been tumultuous, to say the least, but this week’s surprise last-minute vote-flip takes the cake. We all know the Big Brother saying that “pawns go home” but with the game’s biggest target on the block this past week, it was going to take a legit miracle for things to shift, but as we witnessed, the universe works in mysterious ways.
I’ll try to avoid spoilers above the warning label, but as I do at the beginning of every one of my Survivor recaps, please heed the following: Remember that this recap assumes that you are caught up on all of the aired episodes of Big Brother 21. If you are not and don’t want to be spoiled, please come back later! It’s important to add that while we WILL hit on all of the important developments since the last recap, so if you need to go further back please click on the “Big Brother” Topic on this page to access past recaps…also, this is not a linear “blow-by-blow” recap, but is more of a discussion and reaction of what we just witnessed together.
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE, AND THIS IS YOUR LAST *SPOILER* WARNING!
Somehow, someway, Christie remains in the game. Talk about the unexpected! She has been this season’s power-player, and one of the most divisive players of the season, with many respecting her strategic game-play while others have tired of her continuous overflow of emotions. Michie targeted her right from the start of his HOH and never wavered, and after he secured the POV it seemed like it was only a matter of time before Christie would be sent to the jury house tonight.
But then Taco Tuesday happened. In Big Brother lore, “Taco Tuesday” will now be referenced in the same way that Dan Gheesling‘s “Funeral” is, as one of the biggest game-changing/vote-shifting, contestant-created events ever to happen within the game of Big Brother. Christie – who was Public Enemy #1 by leaps and bounds – not only stays in the game, but she has completely shifted the house at targeting Nick, who up until that “spicy” Taco Tuesday, was sitting pretty right smack-dab in the middle of the house. It was a move made in desperation, but even Christie probably couldn’t imagine that it would work as well as it seems to have worked. How again is Christie in the game? And does Michie and Holly really think they’re going to go to the end without removing Christie from their path? I’m just absolutely shell-shocked.
Christie‘s not wrong, by the way. As Holly and Michie both stated, she brings up a lot of valid points about Nick‘s game and how he has a clear path to the end. But where Christie is wrong is when she refers to Nick’s loyalty in the game. Nick has had a major bum rap this season. He was uber-loyal to his Gr8ful alliance members, even when others in the house whispered that some were plotting against Nick. But Nick stayed loyal, only to have his allies betray him by voting out his girlfriend, Bella. Nick somehow had the good game-play awareness to allow this betrayal to roll off of his back, and within a few weeks found himself working with his old allies yet again. But then again, his name was discussed and his so-called “allies” began to doubt him. I mean really, when has Nick not been loyal? The most interesting point about the Taco Tuesday fiasco was that both parties were right: Christie was right in pointing out that Nick should be a much bigger target than he is, but Nick had every right to be upset that people keep calling his loyalty into question…even though he probably regrets letting his frustration get the best of him.
So was Michie‘s HOH a success, in that it got rid of Sis? I think it will be seen as a horrendous mistake looking back at this season. Sure, Sis might have floated on by up to the end, but was she really a threat to win? And will Michie and Holly (and the rest of the house) get another clear shot at Christie? Christie stays in the game unscathed and perhaps in an even stronger position of power, being that she still have Tommy and also Jessica, who has been as clueless a player as the game has ever seen but who seems incredibly loyal to Christie. There are only eight players left in the game, and if Nick is targeted this week and goes home, that means we are down to seven, and all Christie would need to have happen is for her, Tommy or Jessica to win that next HOH competition…in doing so, they could put Holly and Michie up on the block and that duo would not have enough votes to save themselves, even if one of them came off the block. Truly, Michie and Holly’s path to the end just came down to needing to win some comps, but the good news is, they are on quite a dominant streak at the moment.
As we saw in the Live Show, Holly is the new HOH and if tonight’s episode was any indication, it’s probably clear that she’s going to target Nick. She’d be hard-pressed to put up Christie, because the whole point of keeping Christie around supposedly was to have her go after Nick, so they will want to keep Christie’s vote in the pool of active voters. So we could see a Nick and Nicole, or a Nick and Cliff on the block this week, and already the power is shifting away from Michie and Holly.
This is of course, not factoring in that we have begun “Prank Week,” the latest Big Brother twist. Who will America vote for to be “America’s Prankster”? Holly will only get to see one of her nominations find the block, as this special power will give someone else the ability to name someone to the block. We’ll have to see on Sunday how this power plays out, but if America is looking to keep things safe, they might vote for Michie. If they’re looking to create some chaos, then I’d say to start voting for Nick.
I’m floored that Sis was sent home over Christie, but thrilled from the perspective of entertainment value that the game is beginning to trim some of the fat…all of the season’s best strategic players are still in the game. Will Taco Tuesday live in Big Brother infamy? Only time will tell.
Quick Recap of the (past) Week
HOH: Michie
Original Nominations: Christie and Sis
POV Winner: Michie, who did not use it
Final Nominations: Christie and Sis
Evicted: Sis, in a vote of 5-1 (everyone voted for Sis except for Nick)
New HOH for upcoming week: Holly
Upcoming Big Brother Episode Schedule
- Sunday, 8/25 – See who America votes as “America’s Prankster,” and which two house guests are nominated for eviction
- Wednesday, 8/28 – POV competition and ceremony, and Zingbot!
- Thursday, 8/29 – Next Live Eviction
This Season: You can count on at least one of these Recaps each week, usually following the Eviction. That means that I’ll be back with a Recap following next Thursday’s episode. I’ll discuss everything that happened over the course of these three episodes (above). In the meantime, if you have comments or are dying to discuss the show, use the comment section of this article (below) as a sounding board! Here’s looking forward to a fun-filled Summer full of “unexpected” twists, as we look to cover everything going on in the Big Brother House, from A to Zingbot.
See you next week!
TELL US – WERE YOU SHOCKED THAT SIS WAS EVICTED OVER CHRISTIE? WAS THIS A GOOD OR BAD MOVE FOR THE HOUSE? AND WHO ARE YOU ROOTING FOR AT THIS POINT?
[Photo Credits: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2019 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved]
