Experience vs. Inexperience

In the weeks and months to come, it will either be considered extremely inspired casting or the worst debacle in the history of "Survivor."

Old vs. Young, or as I like to think of it, "Experience vs. Inexperience."

"Survivor" is the powerhouse of reality TV series. Other shows attempt to emulate it, but Mark Burnett's ability to periodically reinvent the show is what makes it among the most entertaining on television.

After 20 seasons, it was time for a change, and that change came in many forms. Lulled into a sense of pre-storm calm, the players arrived to meet Jeff in what they assumed would be their teams. On Jeff's go, they scattered in search of the game changing power. Working together with who they assumed were teammates, the power was quickly found and returned to Jeff, who in turn dropped the bombshell. The teams were split by age with more than a 10 year gap between the oldest of the young and the youngest of the old.

The disappointment of the older team was apparent. The younger group celebrated as they looked across at the older team they expected to roll through on their way to the merge.

As the teams made their way to the camp, personalities started to emerge, jealousies and other emotions were evident. On the older tribe, Jimmy Johnson, former NFL coach and present day commentator, made a splash but was not nearly the welcome character I assumed he would be. Jimmy T. and Marty took immediate offense at his presence, and began plotting his demise.

On the younger team, Jud, nicknamed Fabio, provided some much needed comic relief; however, his teammates were not as amused. Kelly B. has an artificial leg which her teammates reveal is a reason to get rid of her early on — not because of her physical disadvantage but because she's a threat later in the game based on pity. NaOnka is the most confrontational, taking on pretty much everyone in camp.

A benefit of having Jimmy Johnson on your team is that he's accustomed to motivating teams. He maintained that he would not be a threat at the end game, but I kind of think he would be if he made it to the end. His speech to his fellow teammates was awesome!

The older team blew the first Immunity/Reward Challenge by choosing not to use their power, but they may not have been able to sustain in the puzzle phase either.

Back at camp, Jimmy J. uses an interesting strategy while discussing who should be eliminated. The weakest team member should go: either Wendy or himself. What? Jimmy J. being among the weakest? He is the oldest, and he was the sickest, but weakest? His words.

During Tribal Council, the seemingly quiet Wendy took the opportunity to speak out and seal her own fate by talking too much. She also turned her husband's words about being the first voted out into a self-fulfilling prophecy.

This season has potential to be among the most interesting based on the first impressions of the personalities in the tribe.

And the Winner Is ..

Color me surprised that the final segment of the HOH competition went to a tie-breaker!

Frankly, I was sure that Hayden would blow Lane out of the water during this comp, and was kind of surprised that he did not. I also think that the tie-breaker question was ridiculously stupid and lacked imagination on the part of the producers and the show's creative team. Keep the questions coming until one of them misses.

Was it really that hard to come up with question ideas for the jury? How about asking Britney what was more annoying: the pranks of the saboteur or Brendon falling for Rachel? Or, Ragan's second round could have been his most disappointing moment in the house: his eviction or Matt throwing him under the bus?

Come on, time to switch things up and make the show interesting again.

It was no surprise that Hayden chose to face Lane in the final two, but it was a bit surprising to learn that the jury was fairly evenly split. To be honest, though, Brendon's rationale about the social game kind of smacked of sour grapes. Maybe he was still bitter that Hayden had a hand in evicting him.

In the Hands of the Jury ...

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The jury house once again stole the show as Britney made her entrance wearing her "Bra-Gade" shirt. I mentally noted the spelling and wondered if Enzo truly meant his "history-making alliance" to have a meaningless misspelled name. Brigade, now that I understand, Bragade, not so much.

Poor Ragan was shocked again that Matt lied to him about the "boy alliance." Heads-up Ragan, Matt took lying to an art form in the BB house, complete with his gender re-identification for his "showmance." Why do you think he would have told you about the Brigade?

During the jury discussion, Britney lectured the rest of the house guests about why each one deserved the vote. It really seemed like her opinion was the only opinion that counted, and maybe it was because she considered herself the "uber fan" and BB goddess.

But really, two others made a lot of sense. First, Rachel was right that the Brigade did not control the entire game. Hayden was manipulated to put Annie up first week and keep Rachel, which was a dumb game move. Annie was essentially a non-player at that point. Rachel's HOH ended with the nomination of Monet and Matt but it was hardly a game changing move to save Matt that week when no one really cared whether Monet stayed or left. And so on ...

The second person who made sense during the deliberation was Ragan. Yes, the game is a social one, but one must also consider the competitive skills as well. To base a vote purely on the social game is ludicrous!

Enzo's Strategy!

But back to the house, where Enzo intended to "brainwash" his alliance members into taking him to the finals. It was a given that Lane would take Enzo to the final two, but Hayden was less pliable. Enzo did have a great social game but his competitive skills were lacking. Still, his ability to talk would be an asset in the final two.

The problem with Enzo is that he relied on his alliance to win. Time and again, he was first one out. His fate was definitely in his own hands during the final HOH, and he should have clung to that rope like a monkey. Instead, he dropped after only 19 minutes. Competitions were his achilles heel, or was it his strategy? Did he hope to get to the end of the game and say, "Yo, none of yous are there cuz I put you out. I loved you all and by the way, I started this alliance day two. Day two. Amazing"?

Jury Question Turn into a Formality!

The jurors questions were lame, and I think they need to return to the old format that was blocked from viewers and did not include canned questions. Lane's answers lacked any defining quality and in the end, no one, not even Lane, knew for sure what he had said.

Hayden did a pretty good job campaigning in the end, but he had a bit of a problem with his math. He did not win three back-to-back HOH comps, but only two as the final HOH included three separate parts, but is only credited as a single win. Altogether, Hayden won four HOH comps and a pov, and conveniently avoided crediting Lane with his part 2 win. If he's going to count his as two separate HOH wins, he should have at least credited Lane with his win.

Sour Grapes for the Jury!

Little surprise that the jury had a bit of bitterness. I would guess it's not a pleasant task to award a half-million dollars to someone whose game you might not have respected. Matt, however, was surprising laid back and seemed as if he had gotten his meds and was feeling no pain! He was casual and funny, and even managed to put Hayden on the spot a bit about his loyalty.

In contrast, Monet came across as brittle and unbending. What's up with that? Did she really think her game would allow her to make it to the end? She should be happy she won $10,000 for her two week stint! I thought it a bit tacky to include her Rachel comments in her flashback. Not a fan of Rachel, but imagine seeing those clips of Monet bashing her and calling her a skank during the finale. Then, the followup by Julie made me embarrassed for Rachel, and feel a little sorry for her. "I don't think I'm a skank. ..."

Another embarrassing moment was during Kristen's segment. The jury was shocked at Kristen and Hayden's relationship, and it seemed like even Hayden squirmed a bit. Julie followed up with a question about Kristen's bf before the show, and Kristen basically regressed into "Dating Game" mode to sell herself to a seemingly under-impressed Hayden who said he might take her out to pizza.

It's understandable on Hayden's part that he might be a bit leary of a relationship that escalated in four weeks. He might also have been forward thinking enough to consider the implications of being too enthusiastic in the face of what he considered a certain win.

The saboteur had to be mentioned of course, and of course, they had to replay Ragan's one and only in-house task. I can imagine what Rachel must have thought since she only took home $5,000!

But the stunner of the night was Britney who shook her head in disgust at Rachel's declaration about moving to LA to be close to Brendon. Britney labors under the delusion that her opinion is the only one that counts, and it's time she realizes that, while Brendon and Rachel may not be her cup of tea, her opinion doesn't count. I liked Britney better before she became so full of herself.

Hayden Wins By a Hair!

Counting the votes provided just a bit of tension as it came down to a three-three tie, and Enzo casting the deciding vote. Fitting perhaps, that Enzo cast the vote and based his decision on who needed a haircut and who needed a shave. Congratulations, Hayden! Who knew your hair would be the deciding factor?

Hayden for the Win!

The "Big Brother" finale is just hours away, and if everything goes as it should, Hayden will walk out as the winner of BB12.

But things rarely goes as they should ... at least not in the Big Brother house.

Of the three remaining house guests, Hayden deserves to win. He took home three HOHs, a POV, and played a great social game. And that's what it's all about! A great social game.

But for Hayden to win the season, he needs to complete the task, which is to win the final part of the HOH competition. He needs to control his own destiny because if Lane wins, he will probably not take Hayden to the end with him. Why would he? It would be stupid strategy to take someone like Hayden to final two when he knows that Hayden is both well liked by the jury, and is considered a competitor as well. Who would take an obvious double whammy to the final two?

If Lane wins, he will most likely take Enzo to the final two where at least he would have a better shot at winning the $500,000 prize. What Lane does not realize is that he is probably playing for second place no matter what! The vote breakdown of a Lane/Enzo finish might look something like this: Rachel - Enzo, Kathy - Enzo, Matt - ?, Brendon - Enzo, Ragan - Enzo, Britney - Lane, Hayden - Enzo.

The only vote that is in question is Matt's simply because he might view Enzo as the reason he left the game early. Some of the votes depend on how much credit Enzo takes for the Brigade (which will be a lot, knowing Enzo). Rachel and Brendon will appreciate his game play. Hayden will probably be too upset over his eviction to vote for Lane, and Kathy will probably give it to Enzo because of his underdog qualities.

On the other hand, if Hayden pulls out a win, which he should but who knows, he will more than likely take Lane to the end of the game with him. Why? Because Lane is such an easy target. No wife or family, no competitive drive in the game, and his family is wealthy. Add them up, and Lane is the best patsy of the group no matter who he sits beside.

But so much hinges on the final HOH. If ... Hayden does not win, then game over for him.

There's a growing sentiment that Hayden does not deserve to win. Maybe there's a feeling that he does not deserve to win since he's not a longtime fan of the show. Whatever! Bottom line is Hayden did play an outstanding game and does deserve it. Hope the producers see it the same way!

Bring On the Jury!

The best part of the recent "Big Brother" live shows is not the live evictions or the competitions, it's the jury house!

Arts and Crafts, Pajamas and Competitors!

The jury house segment opens with Brendon, Rachel, Kathy and Matt painting. Painting? Yes, the four are doing some sort of arts and crafts project. Now obviously, the camera crew was on hand, and they must have know they were filming for the show, but Matt is sitting in his pajamas. Really, his pajamas? Is he that depressed?

The four discuss who might be entering the house next and think it will be one of the competitors left in the house. For reasons, I can't fathom, Kathy immediately deduces that Ragan will be next if they are going after competitors. Ragan, a competitor, really?

Moments later, Ragan enters the house with his exclamation that another showmance has entered the house. Showmance? Really? Okay, so the jury house lacks some sense of reality but it is fun to watch the interaction of these former players.

First up on the agenda, the DVD which Ragan introduces with a flourish. The jury members take some satisfaction in the fact that Ragan's CD bounces off OTEV and hits Enzo in the head. During the eviction section, Ragan announces how difficult it is to watch. Pretty typical stuff.

The Lie or the Truth ...

Until ... Matt asks for a word alone with Ragan. The other house guests caution Ragan to bring his drink and then proceed to spy on the pair who have moved to the patio. Cutting directly to the chase, Matt informs Ragan of his lie about his wife's illness. Now, you would think that Matt would be smart enough to have learned from his previous exposure of his lie that he needs to proceed more delicately.

Ragan digests the information and then asks to be left alone. It's hard to say why the reaction of the jury members has been so bitter. Maybe it's because he's openly admitting to a lie when everyone else is still covering their tracks. Maybe it's Matt's approach to revealing his lie? Maybe it's the fact that Matt involved his wife in a ploy to gain sympathy. I understand Kathy's reaction because she's recovering from breast cancer albeit she continues to smoke but whatever. I also understand Ragan's reaction because he felt he was Matt's bff. But I still don't understand why Brendon and Rachel are so bent.

The only possible explanation is that Rachel just enjoys the fact that she can be upset with Matt for something other than her eviction. As for Brendon, his explanation that he's going into the medical field is lame. He's likely just siding with Rachel.

The problem I have with Matt's lie is that it was totally unnecessary. If he wanted to make up a story, he could have done so with his own life but he effectively set himself up to take the title of "Most Hated Player of BB12".

But back to Ragan, who has been joined by the other members of the jury, and Matt. Ragan decides to reveal his lie that he is actually a communication professor. Within minutes, the conversation descends into an another Rachel/Ragan confrontation. Ragan accuses Rachel of being at the heart of every argument in the house which is only partially true. That, of course, causes Rachel to react. Since he's a communication professor, I can't help but wonder why Ragan insists on pushing Rachel's buttons. Best line of the night belongs to Ragan when he calmly tells Rachel that the two of them do not share a common reality!

All this being said, Matt's lie has got me thinking about whether or not he really wanted to reveal it or if he bowed to pressure from the producers to expose it. My feelings are that Matt likely was pressured to reveal it because he does not seem like the kind of guy who is too interested in his fellow house guests getting to know the "real Matt." Of course, it was bound to create some drama for the weekly shows which is a commodity seriously lacking this season.

Personally, I would rather have a choice of watching the live feeds in the house or in the jury house. As the numbers in the house dwindle, the jury house has got to be a more exciting place, and feed viewers should be given the option.

Whatever Happened to Real Endurance?

The recap of the first round of the HOH lacked the drama that usually accompanies this round of the competition. After a mere 19 minutes of swinging back and forth, Enzo is the first out. Shocked? Not really. He's hardly shown any competitive skills. Maybe it was surprising that he lasted 19 minutes?

Probably the most significant thing to come out of this competition was the fact that none of the Brigade trusts each other. Hayden looks at Lane. Lane looks at Hayden, and both decide that neither can be trusted.

As they ride back and forth under the cold water, Hayden and Lane begin to wonder where Enzo has disappeared. Turns out, Enzo is in the kitchen making soup and pizza because he "deserves it." Deserves it? Ummm .... okay. Enzo then proceeds outside to eat in front of his freezing alliance members. Great move if you are hoping to make it to the final two.

Lane's leg is numb but he's a football player who can block out pain. He says something stupid about his testicles during his diary room but assures that he's going to push through the pain. Meanwhile, my money's on Hayden, who is a football player himself, but has shown more intestinal fortitude than his Brigade partner.

Finally, after a little more than two hours, Lane drops leaving Hayden the winner of round one. Hayden calls it luck but in truth, he showed more personal strength than either Lane or Enzo. Lane, for his part, recognizes that falling off after two hours is really no different than falling off after 19 minutes.

Morph as HOH Comp?

The second part of the HOH competition features a morph competition which has traditionally been a veto comp. The unfortunate thing about this comp is that it was so easy most of the portraits were identifiable as soon as they were revealed. Lane, though, had the best strategy as he revealed all the portraits at the start of the competition. He correctly identified all five morphs in just 1:13. Enzo took the stage and spent a lot of time talking to himself managing to guess all five correct but in a longer amount of time.

Tuesday's show will include the face-off between Hayden and Lane, the final eviction, and the jury questions. Once again, the finale will be a two hour show which is an improvement over the one hour finales which always seemed rushed. In addition to the winner, the $25,000 prize is up for grabs. My vote is a little up in the air, but I think Brendon might be the deserving player this year.

Three Stooges Make the Final Three!

After more than two months, the "Brigade" finally outed themselves, and the fallout could be rather interesting as Britney heads to the jury house.

It's Time for the POV!

Once again this season, "Big Brother" hosted an all-to-easy POV comp with cards that featured the faces of two players. Their task was to match the right card with the two clues. Whatever happened to difficult competitions like they used to have during the final four? One season featured a competition of choosing the right house guest photo to match a clue. The photo also included a number which was used to determine the total number of seconds they had been in the house! Now that was a competition!

The two-faced cards were dead give-away clues to the right answers. Who wore a wiener suit? Ummm... that's pretty tough. At that point they only had to place all of the photos with Andrew in them in a pile and then narrow down the other clue.


I fully expected Britney to pull out the win on this one simply because of her constant bragging on the feeds about how much she knew about BB. Instead, Hayden took the victory. No surprise that Enzo and Lane failed to even make a good showing in this comp.

It does seem that the producers have been angling for a Brigade win for some time now with their choices of competitions that have required less and less skill.

"Bra-Gade" Revealed

As a result of Hayden's win, Enzo decided to "out" the alliance to her. He's been wanting to do it for awhile because he wanted the credit for forming what he considers to be the best alliance in BB history. For obvious reasons, Lane did not want the alliance disclosed and Hayden was a bit more non-committal but leave it to Enzo to get the ball rolling. While sitting with Lane and Britney in the HOH room, Enzo began by discussing alliances in the house and whether or not he was in one. In a half-teasing way, he narrowed his alliance to Lane, Hayden and Matt.

Initially, Brit's reaction was calm and she hardly reacted to the news. In fairness, it should not have been a huge surprise to her because Ragan figured it out weeks before, as did Kristen. The fact that she managed to stay in the house until the final four, and considering that she viewed herself as one of the shrewdest players in the history of the game, Britney should have been aware of the undercurrents between the three remaining men.

Once Hayden arrived, the discussion took a downward spiral. Hayden seemed disappointed that Enzo and Lane took it upon themselves to tell Brit without him present. As for Brit, the lights finally came on and she realized as Hayden told her he did not plan to use the veto, that she was, in fact, going home.

Eleven previous times, someone has gotten as far as the final four and realized that their game was over. It's a sucky position but again, did Brit really think she had broken the "boy code" in the house? Brit's reaction was predictable dissolving into a fit of tears and complaining that her entire summer was wasted. Unfortunately, the summer is wasted from about the fifth person through the 11th person evicted.

Personally, I think Britney enjoyed the fact that she was the last woman standing. It was kind of a point of honor with her. Had Enzo won HOH instead of Lane, she would probably have left before Ragan, so at least she had another week.

Enzo, who prides himself in taking over the role of the "Brains" of the "Brigade" may have altered the final outcome based on the spin Brit puts on it when she reveals it to the jury. Will the jury feel it was great game play? Or will they feel betrayed and vote personal? Really hard to predict with this group.

Enter Dumb and Dumber!

"Big Brother" is one of the few shows that can get by with airing footage totally random and out of sequence. The entire point of airing these clips is to provide insight into the "characters." So, the viewers are transitioned to the back yard where Lane is seen attempting to light the grill. Britney mistakenly assumed that the clicking of the ignition switch is allowing more gas into the grill; however, Lane had already taken care of the gas situation by turning the burners on.

After several failed attempts, Dumb is joined by Dumber and the two put their heads together to figure out why the grill won't light. Lane adjusts the burners and closes the lid presumably to keep the wind from hitting the flame. Closes the lid? Dumb move! The gas builds up under the hood and a mini-explosion follows the lighting of the grill. Lane exclaims that the fire singed the front of his pants, ignoring the fact that a little more force would have probably assured the no "little Lanes" would grace the future.

The message to viewers: These boys are not the sharpest tools in the shed!

Psuedo Live Eviction

In a turn of events, the POV was held during the fake live show. Lane and Britney give their speeches and both gush about the great experience and getting to know everyone. Each gives a shout out to their families (not sure, but I think this is the first year they have been able to give shout outs). Predictably, Hayden chooses not to use the use the veto, and Enzo votes to evict Britney, adding what a great girl she is.


No surprise that Britney did some Rachel bashing during her interview with Julie. She also said she forgave the Brigade and even deemed it great game play. It's probably hard to admit that you were played by this threesome, but to call it great game play?

As Britney left, the three remaining embarked on the final HOH. Unless they were sitting on replicas of their keys, this competition was a departure from past final three comps where the key factored into the challenge. Instead, the guys sat on swings which swung between two walls causing them to hit both walls. It was a variation of a season 10 comp when Dan won his first HOH.

As the show ended, the three were careening across the back yard. Would this be the first true endurance competition with all the house guests putting in their greatest effort? Or, would they fall in a pre-determined order?

Best Alliance in the History of Big Brother?

I can't remember another season of "Big Brother" where the players talked more about their greatness — individually or in alliances — than BB12.

What's up with these people? Enzo has gone on and on about the Brigade, and its greatness in relation to alliances from other seasons.

Past Season Alliance Standouts!

I know a lot of people might say that season two's Chilltown alliance was great, but only Will made it far in the game. Boogie and Shannon were eliminated early, and their inclusion on the jury helped to solidify his win. During All Stars, the most consistent rumor was that Will only agreed to do the show if his friend and business partner, Boogie, was included. During that season, Will openly dared people to vote him out which effectively took the fun out of voting him out. Eventually, he made it to final four and Boogie went on to win, so kudos to the maturation of that alliance.

Looking back, there have been some really great alliances. Any true fan of the show will tell you that one of the best alliances in the early years was Jason and Danielle during season three. No one even suspected they were working together, which made their alliance so effective. Together, they made it all the way to the final three.

Season four saw a number of alliances including Jun and her ex, Jee. She used him to navigate her way to the end of the game and $500,000.

The "Four Horseman" rode into season five and was effectively taken down by Nakomis and her six finger plan. Jase and Scott both fell victim to better game play, but Cowboy and Drew survived to the final two, with Drew the eventual winner.

Season six gave us the "Nerd Herd" which was hardly among the most liked alliance in the history of the game but it was one that sustained to the very end to crown Maggie as the winner. Both final two players were members of the "Nerd Herd."

"Team Christ" lead the pack in Season 9. Natalie, Ryan, Shelia and Adam survived far into the game, until they, like the Brigade, cannibalized their own team. Still, the final three was Ryan, Shelia and Adam.

Who can forget the "Renegades," Dan and Memphis, from season 10? Dan has been hailed as one of the best players and on par Dr. Will, who some believe is the best player of all time.

Best Alliance in the History of BB!

In my opinion, however, the best alliance in the history of the game, was between father/daughter team, Dick and Daniele during season 8. A day one alliance, the pair was openly targeted from early in the game. Together, they made three appearances on the block, each time winning when they needed to remove one or the other. Daniele earned five POVs and two HOHs, while Dick won three HOHs and one POV.

To date, Daniele is tied with Janelle for the most POVs in a single season. Great accomplishment. The pair dominated their season!

Get Their Heads Out of the Clouds!

Enzo, of course, labors under the delusion that the "Brigade" is the best alliance in the history of the game. Julie Chen seems to be feeding that theory with her words about Brigade having a hand in every departure. More like having a vote and going with the house. They stayed under the radar because of their poor competitive skills, and it was not until the field was considerably narrowed that they began to win consistently.

To make matters worse, the three assume that BB is going to bring them instant fame, but if the past is any indication, they will likely return to their previous lives soon after the show ends. True, Jeff and Jordan attained some continued fame with their appearance on "The Amazing Race" but for the most part turning BB into a larger gig takes a lot of work.

There is also an assumption that the three of them will be asked to return for All Stars, but as things stand, I think the only member of the Brigade likely to return for AS will be Hayden.

I really have to wonder what past house guests feel about the ego of these players!

One Episode Closer to the End!

Which "Show" is the Real Show?

Every season, there's at least three versions of "Big Brother." There is, of course, the network show which pretty much every BB fan watches. Then there are the live feeds which are more like delayed feeds but they offer another perspective. Finally, there's the live feed updates which give a view of the house filtered by whoever is doing the reporting.

The network shows rarely parallel what is happening on the live feeds. Oh sure, there's the obvious story lines: the showmances, the alliances, and so forth but many times events are taken out of sequence and edited in a way that completely alters the original event.

Several weeks ago, when Matt was on the block against Monet, there was a house meeting. On the feeds, Matt talked circles around the others, but on televised show, it seemed like Matt was backed into a corner. Creative editing!

It is their prerogative but it does change the "reality" of the show. So where is all this leading?

Same Old, Same Old!

Every live show is the same. There's a recap of the previous few shows, followed by the in-house scrambling which leads to the "suspense" of: will the obvious evictee somehow pull off a miracle and stay in the house? Then the prearranged order of votes as Julie informs the viewers of their alliances, friendships and animosities. It makes for a good show if you merely watch the shows.

However, a good many fans are also feed viewers, or at least live feed update readers and are already aware of who's voting for whom. As a result, the live evictions offer little suspense.

All that being said, Ragan actually did make some compelling arguments to stay over Hayden. If Lane really listened, he would have heard and understood the underlying statements Ragan was making. He basically pointed out to Lane that, in his opinion, had done nothing to deserve the win and he would not vote for someone whose game play he did not respect. Lane should have heard that he was about to send a very disgruntled person to the jury. Ragan was also right that he is about the only person Lane stands a chance of winning against.

No surprise though, that Enzo and Brit voted Ragan out. The focus of the remaining four players is so narrow that it's not even registering with them yet that there will be only one winner. They will have to turn on each other, and they will have to look out for their own game. Brit is not facing an up hill battle to reach the final two. She needs to win the HOH or the POV to stay in the game!

Ragan's eviction speech could have been so much more. Instead, he chose to give a "what a great group of people" speech. He could have at least "outed" the "boys" in the house, even if they denied it to Brit, it might have really made her think about the pecking order a little more. Of course, Ragan did tell Brit about the alliance but Brit still thinks her relationship with Lane will save her. It's kind of like a "redoux" of season 5 when Diane was pretty sure Drew would take her to the final two.

Jury House: Where the Game is Still Being Played!

The real story during the live show was the jury house. The synopsis of their activities gave some insight into how these people view the game. The cameras rolled as Rachel is joined by Kathy, and then by Matt. The threesome watched the DVD and to the chagrin of Matt, Rachel of all people points out his arrogance at throwing the HOH. Matt took a moment to call Brit evil, but at the same time, forgot that he threw his best friend in the house under the bus on a few occasions.

Best part of the show, though, was when Matt revealed his lie about his wife's supposed debilitating disease. It's all in the approach. Since Matt wanted to come clean, it probably would have been better to be a bit more contrite when questioned. Kathy, of course, took it the hardest because of her battle with cancer. Matt's refusal to back down and simply admit he was wrong, and apologize without reservation made me question his reasoning for the lie.

A lot of people lie during reality show for a variety of reasons, most of them to get ahead. Both Ragan and Andrew misled their house mates about their true professions. Choosing to make your spouse the object of the lie is not necessarily new, just a variation. Johnny Fairplay theoretically killed off his grandma to further himself in "Survivor." Still, both Matt and his wife maintained and furthered the lie in the house.

So what was the big deal? Matt would have been better off waiting until the show ended before he actually revealed it was the lie. Or maybe he could have simply quit talking about it and let it dissipate before he revealed the truth. The problem is, and this is something for future contestants to consider, the lie actually worried his fellow Brigade members that he would win the sympathy vote.

In the long run, Matt's lie to turned out to be an unnecessary fabrication. He did not get him ahead and has presumably turned him into an outcast in the jury house. Matt's treading dangerously close to be the least liked member of the cast because of it.

Final Four HOH Comp?

Another non-skill comp for the HOH? If this season of BB makes history for any reason, it's going to be for the "simple" comps that have been held to determine the winner of the HOH. There were more "endurance" comps this year than previously, but decorating the Christmas tree takes the cake. Something similar was done last year for veto using eggs, but this competition was so frivolous.

Each house guest was given glass ornaments to manipulate up a mesh of chicken wire to a small cup to decorate their tree. Early in the game, Britney was breaking or dropping more bulbs than the other two players. Hayden was in the lead and appeared destined to win.

Whatever happened to questions that tested the players knowledge of the game? Or looking at photos of various comps and being asked questions about them? Why not make a variation of the "Before and After" comp using photos from the house? How about arranging the house guest photos in order by age or placement in the first HOH comp?

If the producers are tired of coming up with new ideas, ask viewers to send comp ideas to them via email. They also need to bring back the food comps where they play for various food items rather than the "Have Not" room that is a tired plot line two or three weeks into the season.

"Big Brother" definitely needs to hit the "refresh" button!

Brigade Breakdown!

If the boys on "Big Brother" were really smart, they would have gotten rid of Britney early in the game.

Man vs. Woman

I know that no woman has ever won against a man in the final two but how many times has it actually happened that a man and woman have faced off against each other? It's only happened three times in the previous 11 seasons — Season 2: Will and Nicole, Season 7: Boogie and Ericka, and Season 8: Daniele and Dick. Of those, only Daniele deserved to win, and America's Player, Eric, played a huge role in her loss. Jen and Jameka voted for her. Before Eric began lobbying, Dustin was not going to vote for Dick, and Amber would have followed Dustin's lead no matter what. Without the influence of AP, Daniele would have won.

As things stand, Britney probably is the odds on favorite to win against almost anyone but Hayden. She should easily take the game from Ragan, Lane or Enzo, if she faces them in the final two. Of course, if Hayden makes it to the end of the game, he will take it all. Lane and Enzo are playing for second place if either Britney or Hayden survive to the final two.

Hayden's Gotta Go!

So, Lane's revelation that he wants to be sitting next to Brit at the end of the game is not the boldest move of the game but maybe the stupidest on his part. If I were him, I would be campaigning for Hayden's departure this week, and then hope Enzo wins and takes out Britney because his only chance of winning this game is to face either Enzo or Ragan in the final two.

Orchestrating the eviction of a fellow Brigade member? Sounds brutal, but I think he could convince Enzo that Hayden was too well liked and also a physical threat at the end of the game. He could also drop a hint that he and Hayden struck a final two deal which would send Enzo into another dimension of paranoia. Lane could effectively get rid of Hayden and have little blood on his hands if both Enzo and Brit vote him out.

The Reintroduction of Otev

Ragan's biggest mistake of the game was his endless verbal reviewing of tiny details. Not saying he should not have taken in the details, but talking about them incessantly was a huge tip off to BB that he was more than ready for any challenge that would have involved minute details. By now, it's apparent that the producers definitely skew the game through the comps.

So instead of the morph comp that would normally have come at the 5/6 house count, we get another version of Otev, which rocket scientist, Hayden, revealed is "Veto" backwards. Like I said recently, BB has a habit of taking a good idea and pounding it into the ground. Otev is definitely over-used but they put a slightly different spin on it this season.

The songs were at least a new twist to this old game, and combining two house guest names made it a little more challenging. The clues, on the other hand, were amazingly simple. I guess they had to be considering the makeup of the final five.

Lane has moments of surprising clarity but the first round of the veto comp unfortunately was not among them. He arrived on his platform with the wrong answer clutched in his hand. The answer was obviously Monet/Matt or "Monatt" but Lane selected "Mochel" as his answer. Embarrassed much?

Hayden was out next as he was edged on a question about Kristen. Next out was Britney, leaving only Ragan and Enzo. The final round was one of the best of the season. Who wants it more? Enzo. For the first time, he showed some true competitive spirit, but it will likely be too little too late in the eyes of the jury.

Shunning Enzo!

Seeing Enzo as a winner though, made me glad he was not a big winner this season. There's a fine line between being happy to win, and rubbing the other player's nose in the victory. Enzo is one of the most obnoxious winners in the history of the game, and is probably only edged by fellow BB12 house guest, Rachel.

Maybe it's just that Enzo bothers me in general. I've never been a fan of the "Meow Meow." The "shunning of the penguin suit" was a ridiculous ceremony that made no sense. Shunning something means to turn your back on it,not whatever it was that Enzo did.

At any rate, Hayden and Enzo should have their eyes wide open as two nomination opportunities have passed and Britney was not among Lane's choices. Hayden needs to consider that $500,000 holds more influence on this game than friendships or alliances.

Finally! Five!

What this season of "Big Brother" lacks in talented players, it makes up for in ... ummmm ... well ... pretty much nothing!

Among the final five, only one true competitor remains, and her days are numbered unless she wins the next two HOHs. Hayden has won two HOH competitions but it's debatable whether either were truly earned or just lucky. Ragan has won only a single POV, and needs a win to stay in the game.

Now, Lane has won an HOH, but so far the Brigade's remaining three members have hardly turned in stellar performances worthy of their "history making" ambitions. Personally, I found Lane's logic regarding Enzo's lack of accomplishments a little ironic given the fact that he too, had not won until this week!

It's Like Watching a Rerun!

Sunday's episode began with an interminably long, boring recap of the previous week. Come on! Matt was evicted, Hayden won HOH, Brendon and Ragan were nominated, Ragan won POV, Brit was put up as the replacement nom, Brendon is gone. End of story!

Instead of an abridged version of events, we were treated to the player analysis of the events "as" they unfolded — Hayden shouted about the need to win the HOH, Enzo cheered himself on to another non-victory, and Lane expressed happiness that his "boy, Hayden" won the HOH. Definitely no surprises or insight into their strategy. Of course, maybe that is the extent of their strategy.

BB intros are like watching 15 minutes of reruns on every show!

History Making Season?

After the live show ended, the final five celebrated. I know it's an accomplishment but it speaks more to the fact that the better players could not survive without the numbers. Enzo, Lane and Hayden should be thanking Matt for his role in cementing the placement of the "Brigade" at this point of the game but they are too busy patting themselves on the back as the best competitors EVER in the history of the game!

Note to future BB players: Spend less time worrying about the perception of your game play and more time actually playing the game!

Enzo has a habit of working himself into a frenzy about the upcoming competitions. He talks a lot of crap about the other players' competitive skills but he certainly has not brought his "A" game to any of them — yet! As he promises to "bring it," he states firmly that his targets are Britney and Ragan.

Being no dummy, Lane quickly realizes he needs to throw the comp directly to Enzo. Wait, maybe that is the dumb move. It's Enzo for crying out loud — Mr. "Why Can't I Win Anything!" Lane is smart enough to realize that, if he wins, he will be between a rock and a hard place with nominations, so he would prefer that Enzo be the one to nominate Britney. Still, seems rather ambitious to trust Enzo's game skills.

Blackjack BB-Style!

Hayden emerges from the diary room and yells, "It's time for the HOH competition!" So, the four troop to the backyard where they encounter a game of "21" unlike any other in the history of the BB game. Instead of relying on the smarts of the players for a traditional game of Blackjack, it becomes more of a game of chance and a little skill. If this year's BB makes history in any category, it will be for the simplistic HOH competitions.

Britney is out first managing to score only an ace in the first round. She berates herself having already won three POVs and an HOH. But she forgets that luck factored into several of her previous wins. Of course, Mr. All Talk and No Show, Enzo, bombs round two much to the chagrin of Lane and Hayden. Enzo should have left the game a long time ago, and the fact that he remains is an embarrassment to better players that left before.

So Lane realizes it's up to him to take one for the team and knock Ragan out of contention. It was a bit of a nail biter in the third and final round though, and I was halfway hoping Lane would blow it so that Ragan could nominate two of the Brigade members because none of the remaining Brigade members have played well enough to be in the position they are in.

Lane pulled out the victory though, and then lamented Enzo's performance. Unfortunately for Britney, she continues to labor under the delusion that Lane has her back. His Diary Rooms show that his real allegiance is to the Brigade, and Britney probably is beginning to catch on that Lane is super close to Hayden.

How to Ruin a Good Gimmick!

If there's one thing to be said about BB, it's that when the producers find something they like, they stick to it. Take Pandora's Box for instance, last year, it was actually fun when money started raining down in the backyard and Kevin was caught with his hand in the box. It was mildly entertaining to watch an awkward proposal and equally awkward acceptance with Natalie and her boyfriend.

This year, however, the box seems like an albatross. Everyone is opening it without regard to their fell house mates and suffering the consequences. The first PB was intriguing. Who would have turned down the Diamond Power of Veto? But the boxes went downhill from there. Rachel and Jessie were gimmicky and really made me glad that those moments were shielded from the live feed viewers.

Lane's PB was simply ridiculous and had I been him, I would have asked for a reveal of which envelopes contained the amounts necessary to get to $10,000. He personified the old song lyrics, "If I had no bad luck, I'd have no luck at all." The end result, he traded $91.17 for three punishments.

First punishment, no utensils or drinking cups for the week. It's moderately funny to see Britney swigging directly from the two liter bottle, but aside from that, I guess you would have to be there!

A Bird? A Plane? No Enzo in a Penguin Suit!

Enzo's best moment of the game is when he left reality behind for the imaginary world of space flights. I was halfway hoping that he would find an actual wormhole and escape into another dimension.

Obviously boredom has overtaken the house guests, when someone can see a spacecraft in a weight bench, climb aboard and pretend to ride it out of the house.

Question of the day: Does Enzo know the meaning of "shun"?

Lane's Moment of Truth

Eventually, however, the moment of truth came for Lane. His choices of pawn were limited. Put up a Brigade member or put up his bff Britney. Hayden actually provided him with the reasoning necessary to place Enzo on the block — Enzo has not won anything. Lucky for Lane, he did win something, or he might be on the block this week.

Of course, no one WANTS to be on the block, but somebody has got to be. Enzo stays true to form and acts like a big baby about going up against Ragan. If he trusts his alliance, it should not be a problem. The big question though, is can you really trust two guys who shafted their one time leader?

Matt and Brendon: The One-Two Punch

OMG! This season is just dragging by! Even a double eviction failed to muster any excitement among the house guests or for that matter, the viewers.

The house guests were prepped and ready for the double eviction and didn't even flinch when Julie announced it to them. Maybe it's time to rethink the DE as a tactic of throwing off the house guests. Overused and anticipated, the DE has really lost its punch.

Strike Three for Matt

It was a given that Matt was going home this week. At some point in the future, I hope that Matt sees it was his own arrogance that lead to his downfall. Feeling safe, he threw the HOH competition and then proceeded to push for Enzo to go on the block.

After Brendon won the POV, Matt shifted gears and began suggesting Britney put his "best friend" in the house, Ragan, on the block. Why? Because the Brigade is so loyal? Matt knew that the Brigade was falling apart, so why the sudden loyalty to them? At the very least, Matt must have known that his words would get back to Ragan.

Once on the block, Matt noticed that Ragan was acting differently, so he approached Britney about Ragan. While Britney fed Matt BS about the situation, he realized that Britney had told Ragan that he threw him under the bus. Duh, Matt, of course she's going to tell him.

So, Matt's idea of damage control? Talk more crap about Ragan to the "Brigade." Stupid strategy from someone who thinks he's the best player in the history of the game and is the self-proclaimed, "super genius."

Matt could have turned Ragan's moment of revelation about the Brigade into a positive for himself by saying something like, "Yeah, we were in an alliance but not anymore. They were gonna dump me last week for Lane, so I'm 100 percent a free agent." Instead, he runs to Hayden and Lane and tells them Ragan knows about their alliance.

Matt's biggest flaw in the game is trying to think for the rest of the house. He tried to turn things by making Ragan seem like the biggest threat to the Brigade. Did he really think Hayden and Lane would vote to keep him over Enzo because Ragan was supposedly coming after them?

Ragan's Light Bulb Moment

Ragan's "ah-ha" moment was great, and Matt's reaction to it was priceless. He has some interesting "tells" when on the spot. Matt looked away immediately and maintained a half-smile that made everything he said seem insincere. Ragan actually handed him a golden rope to save himself, and Matt threw it back in his face.

Matt should have confirmed it and then told Ragan that he could not out them because they would deny. He could have suggested that Ragan tell Brit and Brendon about Enzo's slip about splitting the votes, and his theory they were in an alliance. Who knows what might have happened.

Instead, Matt walked out the door. He should have worked the situation to his advantage because the only one close to being loyal to him was Ragan.

Awwwwkward!

Matt's interview with Julie was uncomfortable. Part way through, it occurred to me that Matt really wanted the "full" BB experience, and in his mind that experience included a showmance. Being married, a showmance with a woman was out of the question, so he opted for the gay member of the cast instead. Why else would he call it a showmance during the interview? I think he thought it made him cool or something.

He's still in denial about the condition of the Brigade. Matt would have been better off choosing a side and sticking to it rather than playing both sides against the middle which seemed to be the way he explained his strategy.

The worst part of the interview was how cool he tried to act with Julie. It never works for a nerdy guy to try to act cool. In fact, Andrew had one of the best after interviews of the season and came off way cooler by simply being himself.

Production Working Overtime On the "KISS" Philosophy

The HOH competition was ridiculously simple. One question and a race? Come on. Well, at least Hayden played to win but the competitions this year have sucked in determining the best player.

I would love to be a fly on the wall of a production meeting. "Hey, we've got five boys playing in the HOH this week. We need a fast, SIMPLE competition that someone will win without it going to a tie breaker." So, they toss a few ideas around, remember the leftover boxes and packing chips in the basement, and presto, they have a comp that even Enzo could potentially win!

My big question: Why didn't Enzo have to wear the penguin suit? Every other player has had to wear their costume through the entire live show and up to a few hours afterward. So why not Enzo? He eats when he's on slop, does not have to wear his costume the entire time, and generally disregards the rules. Yet still no penalty nom or vote? Would a penguin suit really have hampered his ability to play in the HOH?

Through the years, I've wondered about certain things. For instance, during BB8, I wondered if Eric's name was really in the bag when they drew for veto. Or last week, I wondered if everyone's buzzer actually worked during the veto competition. But during the HOH comp, I really wondered if Enzo had any names at all in his boxes. He did not find even one of the names!

The Pawn Always Goes Home!

Brendon should have had a "light bulb" moment when Hayden, Enzo and Lane headed off by themselves to discuss strategy prior to the nominations. Hayden and Enzo, sure fine, but Lane? Instead, Brendon joined them and was told he would be the pawn. I'm sure that's how it was expected to work out given the fact that Matt had spent a great deal of time making Ragan seem like the biggest threat in the house.

So after nominating, Brendon and Ragan, it was out to the backyard once more for the veto comp. The producers switched it up a bit this year when they used the Before/After competition for veto instead of HOH. It was a bit disconcerting and seemed hugely out of place.
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Enzo needs to rethink his comments about Kathy as a competitor. First out of the comp and simply not representing Jersey! Surprisingly, Britney did not do well in the comp, although, she may have thrown it to make herself seem less of a threat. In the end, Ragan topped Hayden (I've been wanting to use that phrase for awhile now :) ).

Ragan's veto speech was just a bit irritating as he invoked Janelle's words. But at this point in the game, I'm finding Ragan irritating on so many levels. As a result, Britney was the replacement nominee, and Brendon was evicted 3-0.

It was actually a win-win situation for the Brigade as both Brendon and Britney have each claimed an HOH and three POVs, so whoever they decided to put out was a bonus for them. I'm just surprised that Enzo did not want to split up the pair of Britney and Lane.

Brendon's interview was one of the best of the season. No malice. It's a game. His indecision about whether he would still be in the house if Ragan had not won the POV was a classic moment. Maybe he was just excited to be heading to the "real bed" where Rachel awaits. Who knows?

The real tragedy for me was that this week I liked Brendon far more than I had previously thought possible. I was even starting to hope for a Brendon win.

The show ended abruptly after Brendon's interview with the HOH comp to be played after the live show.
Here's a random piece of advice for the producers: After 12 seasons of this show, the time has come to switch up Julie's scripts. Julie is just too predictable both in her segues to a new segment and her interviews.

SPOILER ALERT

The HOH comp for this week was finally played and Lane won, putting him in the position of having to nominate either one of the members of the Brigade or Britney. Clearly, Ragan will go on the block, but will Lane put up Britney, Hayden or Enzo?

Here are some possible "worst case" scenarios for Lane.

1.) He nominates Ragan and Britney. Ragan wins POV and Lane then must replace him with Hayden or Enzo. The vote splits with Ragan voting for the Brigade member, and Britney receiving the remaining vote. Lane would then be forced to cast the tie breaker.

2.) Lane nominates Ragan and a Brigade member, the Brigade member wins POV pulls "hisself" off the block, and Lane puts Britney up leaving the power in Enzo and Hayden's hands, who conceivably might vote off Britney as the bigger threat.

Worst case scenario for viewers is the final three will be Enzo, Hayden and Lane. The first round of the HOH will last about five minutes as Enzo drops out immediately followed closely by Lane. Ugggh!

The BB Bus Stops for No One!

So the "Big Brother" bus was barreling down the road, when Matt suddenly grabbed his best friend in the house, Ragan, by the shoulders and threw him under the oncoming bus! Little did Matt know, but his "good" friends and fellow Brigade members, Enzo, Hayden and Lane were lining up to throw him under that very same bus. The bus driver braked for Ragan, but solidly ran over the top of Matt!

The phrase, "throw (someone) under the bus" first cropped up a few years ago on "Big Brother" as a term for sacrificing someone else for nomination/eviction while saving yourself. Since then, it's been one of the most over-used phrases in the history of the game. I hope that next season, the house guests come up with a new catchy phrase to describe the process. Here's a few options: "He threw him out of the plane without a parachute," or "She pushed him off the train into the scrub brush." Not quite the same ring?

Who's Watching My Back?

The upshot of the episode was that the Brigade, which was irrevocably shattered this week, wanted Matt gone. Lane pitched Matt as a backdoor option Britney even before the POV. Now clearly, for her game, Matt was more important to her than even Lane, but Britney does not realize it yet. She still feels like Lane has her back.

So, when they stepped outside for the POV comp and found themselves locked in cages unable to see their fellow participants, Britney assumed that Hayden, Lane and Matt were all playing with her to keep the nominations the same. Lane and Hayden had very different ideas though. Lane jumped right on the phone call from home, while Hayden walked away with a trip to Hawaii and $5,000.

There is something flawed about the competition that allows only the first to buzz in to get the prize. Matt complained afterward that his buzzer did not work and I think he was right. Brendon could not have been that lucky (or that fast) that many times. Well, lucky, if you don't mind taking a bath in chum or getting your head shaved.

The Way It Should Have Been or Producer for a Day!

Still, how much more interesting would it have been if everyone who buzzed in would have been given the punishment and the points. Matt, Enzo, Brendon and Britney would have been penguin suit wearing, chum bathed, slop eating, bald or pink-haired players handcuffed to the person of their choosing with only the clothes on their backs left. The tie breaker could have been a real tie breaker: How much would you be willing to give up of the $500,000 prize for the veto?

Then, as they emerged from the cages and the punishments were doled out, Hayden and Lane could have felt the discomfort of the hot seat having never went for the punishments. This week would have been hugely entertaining for feed viewers and episode viewers alike.

Picture it: Britney handcuffs herself to Lane and bathes in chum hourly laying on a huge guilt trip because he gets to talk to someone from home. Enzo picks Hayden for his partner and the "Meow, Meow" complains about the penguin suit, the chum, the slop and everything else. Matt aligns with Ragan for his handcuff shenanigans and Ragan commiserates with Matt by taking a chum bath with him. Brendon would be the odd man out but how funny would it have been for Hayden to find himself cuffed to two people?

Britney's diary rooms would have been priceless as she compared her pink hair to Rachel's extensions, and Brendon would have persevered with his usual philosophical approach to the situation. I think it would have been one of the best weeks in the house. The POV ceremony would have looked a lot different — pretty sure!

Instead, we get a disappointed Britney; a happy, but smelly Brendon; an unhappy penguin-suited Enzo; a confused Matt; and two somewhat guilty Brigade members, Hayden and Lane. BB dropped the ball on this one!

Are You Kidding Me?

Pandora's Box needs to go. The most recent PB brought Jessie "the body" Godderz back in the house for the third season in a row. What's with this guy? Why do the producers like him so much? It's stunts like this that really make me wonder what they are thinking. If they want to bring back someone, here's some other choices: BB8 - Dick offering bartending tips or Daniele offering fashion tips; BB9 - Alex giving advice about being a DJ or Natalie talking about her painting hobby; BB10 - Dan and a "how to" speech about being a motivational speaker or Steven talking about "how to" make the most of your post-BB experience; BB11 - Michele giving advice about abandoning your pre-BB career in favor of entertainment or Lydia explaining about body art choice and placement.

Instead, we get Jessie flexing and preening for the camera - AGAIN! How lame! There have been a few times that I believed that BB jumped the shark, but bringing Jessie back again more than proves it. The producers are definitely into recycling but here's a piece of news: no matter how many times you recycle Jessie, he's still going to be Jessie.

On the other hand, the Hawaiian-themed party proves how desperate the house guests are for entertainment. I can't imagine where they found the girls for the dancers but it screamed "low budget." I suppose the food was worth it though if you were a Have Not.

Speaking of low budget, why is it that the show has been on the air for 12 seasons, and the prize money remains the same as do the weekly stipends the players get? After paying the prize money, the production crew, food bill, and stipends, the show is pretty much pure profit!

Enter the Three Stooges

But back to reality, or the show as we know it. After the POV comp, Matt suddenly swerved away from his theory that the Brigade was collapsing and decided it was time to check the bus schedule. Poor Ragan was totally unaware that his "best friend" in the house was about to throw him under the bus. First step, make a subtle hint to Brit, then tell fellow Brigade members to go full bore for Ragan.

Interesting theory that proves the fact that "real" friendships don't exist inside the house. Lane too, proves that point whenever he enters the DR and states his loyalty to the Brigade while "handling" Brit. This season could prove far more interesting for the players in the house to watch than it was for us!

What Matt did not realize is that the Brigade as he knew it, had already morphed into the Three Stooges. As things stand now, Lane, Hayden and Enzo may very well reach the end by winning only one or two comps between now and then. Some winners! No offense to Jordan fans, but the finals this year could turn out to be very much like BB11 with a lack of real players making it to the end.

Matt's fate was actually sealed several days before when Enzo's paranoia reached epic proportions. Claiming he was concerned about Matt's loyalty, Enzo initially focused on Ragan but ultimately narrowed in on Matt, who, it would seem, is the only truly loyal member of the Brigade. Enzo has a way of pointing the finger at someone else and forgetting that three other fingers are pointing in his direction.

The live eviction could be interesting if Matt chooses to out the Brigade just before eviction. What purpose would it serve? Maybe not much but it might give him a sense of satisfaction or it could lead Brendon, Britney and Ragan to realize what they have been up against since the beginning.

Meow-Meow vs. The Brain

OMG! Sundays and Wednesdays are usually the worst "Big Brother" shows, but tonight's show is in the running to take top honors for the season.

Maybe the producers should rethink their scheduling. By the time Sunday's show airs, not only have the nominations taken place, but so has the POV. So if you are a feed viewer, the only surprises Sunday, are the diary rooms, and what actually took place during the Have/Have Not comp.

Brendon's Brain

That said, here's a few thoughts about the diary rooms. Brendon's DR's come across as the arrogant, emo philosopher. Not an easy feat, but his statements about his intelligence, and that of Rachel's, is so incredibly arrogant, it's easy to see why he is not a favorite of the other house guests. Too bad Brendon is so clueless as to why he is disliked!

According to Brendon, he's smarter than just about anyone, and I'm sure he views his game play as — in the words of the other BB12 house guests — "history making," but he really is naive on so many levels. Brendon plays in the moment rather than with an eye on the future. Kristen unwittingly gave him the keys to the game with her statements about Hayden's alliance, but Brendon must still see him making it to the end with Enzo and Hayden. Brendon is playing for fourth at this point.

Will the Real Lane Please Stand Up?

Lane's diary rooms are so not Lane. I have watched the feeds and he has a few snippets of funny one liners, but by and large he's just not that funny. Yet, his DRs are the ones I looked forward to ... well, until recently, when it occurred to me that he was being fed lines and parroting them back. He's not alone in this. Hayden, Enzo and Matt are vying for the same role as the overly animated DR enthusiast! During some sessions, you can even seen Hayden glance toward the bottom of the screen as if he's got a cue card just under the camera.

Lane is also starting to sound like a "Bitter Betty" in the diary room. The tone is becoming increasingly angry, even when he's trying to be funny. It seems like he's on the verge of exploding and sometimes his DRs make no sense at all, like when he was put on the block and he said it made him feel like going into a bar, finding a pretty girl and beating up her bf. What???

I would prefer to see the house guests being themselves and really revealing what they are thinking rather than simply delivering a bunch of one liners.

My Volume Control is Broken! Wait! It's Just Hayden!

How I wish I could hear the voice of BB say: "Hayden, could you please turn it down just a notch." Not the acting, just the volume. He's over-the-top anyway, but his audio level is beyond the level I want to hear emanating from my television each time BB is on. If I could, I would vote to evict Hayden for that reason alone.

Hayden enters the diary room and shouts his confessions back to the producer or whomever he is talking to. Well, maybe not shouts, but speaks loudly. I'm sure he's been given some instruction about adding more emotion and to Hayden that means, "shout it out!"

Brigade? What Brigade?

The cracks in the Brigade are definitely starting to show. Matt's not stupid (contrary to Brendon), he had a golden opportunity to find out where he stood among the others, and he did just that a few hours before the live show. Hayden told him he planned to vote him out, while Enzo did the manly thing and rode the fence.

Note to Brigade: Not the brightest move to vote out the only person in your alliance who is actually winning! Enzo can't put together a winning competition in spite of being one of the two remaining house guests in a comp where you had a 50 percent chance of being right. Lane puts on a great show, but it's only show, and he failed to come through when he was neck and neck with Brendon. As for Hayden, show me some fighting spirit or some of the smarts you boast.

Enzo focuses a lot on how the Brigade is making BB history but how ridiculous is that? It's only an alliance. This cast needs to focus less on their history making and more on their game play! Because so far, the only "history making" moments of the show have occurred during the live eviction episodes.

The Brigade has been balancing on the cliff of their own demise for a week or so now, and Hayden and Lane are following Meow Meow, as he creeps closer to the edge. Lane needs to take notice though and really listen to what Enzo is saying when he tells him that he wants to break up the pair. Lane is as close to Britney as Matt and Ragan are. Once Matt is gone, will Lane be too far behind?

Is the Point of the HOH Reveal Simply to Embarrass the HOH?

Each season the producers offer personal glimpses into the lives of the contestants through their HOH photos. Sunday's episode made me realize once and for all that I would rather have a photoless room than expose family and loved ones to ridicule. What's up with Hayden? Brit's fiance was shown in a single photo — head and shoulders — and it's kind of hard to get much out of that. Maybe he is a Greek god. As for Lane, well, he came across as a bit jealous focusing only on Nick's scruffiness. Why pick apart the fiance?

Lane Reveals the Inner Beast

Later, Lane is shown proving to his alliance why he's known as "The Beast" as he ordered them to put on every weight available. Ummm, so Lane, if there's a comp where they lift weights, you will win, but since most require smarts or a level of endurance, not sure you proved anything. His DR was so ridiculous it actually made me nostalgic for the self-absorbed DRs of Jessie.

Frankly, if this year follows previous seasons and the final four consist of the Enzo, Lane, Hayden and Brendon, Brendon will probably win the final POV as that comp usually requires them to remember the order of who was evicted and who won the POVs. Either that, or it might become the longest competition in the history of BB as each person struggles to put it all together. Maybe the producers should consider making it the first part of the endurance challenge!

What's in the Water?

Matt's confession that he dreamed of a shirtless Hayden must have made his wife feel great considering he admitted to being in a "homosexual showmance." Confused much? Matt seems to be as he says the house plays games with your head. The house? I doubt the house influences whether we suddenly find ourselves attracted to someone of the same sex or not.

Drink Up!

The Have/Have Not comp was entertaining — for the first round. Lane's reaction was the best because he always looked like he was savoring the after taste. Ragan's "poker face" was embarrassing to watch and was old almost before he started. Hayden, Enzo and Brendon, showed a real lack of imagination as they tried to emulate the "Enzo face." Personally, I don't think Hayden had any room to criticize Matt's poker face.

Not surprising, the Have Nots were not that gracious about their additional food items. Bean dip and broccoli may not seem like much but it's substantially more than slop eaters used to get.

The Role of the HOH is to ...

Brit deserved to win. The only female in the house, she needs to take out someone big to survive next week. Her nominations of Enzo and Brendon are a great first step. Personally, I really want the Meow Meow to go this week, one way or another.

In fact, if Ragan, Britney and Matt team up, they have won the majority of comps and could easily take out Lane, Hayden and Brendon.

Kathy Leaves By the Window!

Another great live show! What "Big Brother" fails to deliver on the feeds and the other two weekly shows, it's making up for with its live shows. A little behind the scenes manipulation always helps!

But it does leave me with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth as the realization sinks in that Kathy was not backdoored; she was pushed out a window! I felt a little sorry for her as she took her spot on the couch, gave her speech, and then was unceremoniously voted out, 5-0.

Que Sera Sera - Whatever Will Be, Will Be!

Somehow or another the Diamond Power of Veto had to be used or it would have been a waste of another twist, so Matt had to be on the block to ensure it would be used. Had the original two nominees remained, I think Matt would have kept the broken down POV in his pocket and none of his housemates would have ever known. Sure, it would have meant sacrificing what was arguably his closest ally in the house, but that's the game!

Matt was too cool for his own good, though. Hayden and Enzo had decided to vote him out but worried that he might have some "power." Of course, it did not help that Matt discussed the "power" often and speculated that someone might have it. A few people wondered how he could be so calm about being on the block. Matt really did not try to campaign, although he did find out the "pecking order" of the Brigade when his suspicions lead him to wonder about Hayden and Enzo's loyalties.

Decisions! Decisions!

Only one question remained: who would Matt put up in his place? Brendon was out simply because he was HOH, and Ragan could not go up either because of the POV. So realistically, there were only a few choices: Enzo, Hayden, Britney and Kathy. Of those, only three of the choices made sense at this point: Enzo, Hayden and Britney. Taking out one of his Brigade members would have been risky but could have paid off big time as it would have eliminated someone who is gunning for him.

Enzo would have been my choice to leave because he really picks apart the other members of the Brigade and has done nothing to help the situation. Plus, Enzo has grown noticeably close to Brendon and Hayden. He's also cruising toward the end of the game without having to win or get blood on his hands. His goodbye message to Rachel ensures her vote if he's up against anyone but Brendon. Enzo leaving might have brought Hayden back to the Brigade, as he and Enzo are undeniably close.

Hayden is another viable choice. The good guy. The All American. Sitting alongside him in the final two would result in a second place finish for Matt. Plus, Hayden's only victory was week one when it was down to the wire and he was simply the last one left on the red team. He's hardly a big help to the Brigade.

The biggest problem with nominating a Brigade member is that it would have split the alliance once and for all. On the other hand, the alliance is crumbling and likely will fall before the final four, it's just a matter of time.

Next, there was Britney. She's a definite winner with knowledge of past BB seasons. She's got a head on her shoulders and has proved that more than once in the past few weeks. In addition, she's definitely a threat to go all the way with a little luck, and I wouldn't want to sit next to her in the final two.

In fact, there are only two candidates that Matt would logically want to have sat next to in the final two: Ragan and Kathy. Ragan because he's regarded as a floater by many, and Kathy, well because she's Kathy and not one of the jury would want to lose the entire season to Kathy.

Instead, he nominated Kathy for eviction. Kathy? Really? The D-POV could have and should have shook up the house but it turned out to be just a typical eviction of a less than average player.

Time to Re-think the D-POV

I actually have a few problems with the D-POV. First, it should be played a little earlier in the week, like during the POV ceremony itself. Ragan could have played his, and then Brendon could have nominated Matt, who could have taken his place, and then as Ragan announced the close of the meeting, he could have stood up and played his power. I doubt Kathy would have been on his radar at that point or maybe she would have been, but at least she could have campaigned.

Second, the D-POV should have been announced to the cast so they were aware it was in play and what the power was. The coup d' tat was announced to the house guests two weeks prior to its actual use so no one was totally caught unaware. Announcing it would have the added bonus of stirring paranoia amongst the players.

Lastly, this power, like the coup, is totally unfair to the replacement. No chance to campaign. No chance to pack and prepare mentally for eviction. Instead, boom, pow, Kathy you are on the block. Arguably, the best part was Matt's speech although calling Brendon a "big dummy" on live TV was a little ridiculous. Also, like the coup, it basically negates the HOH, leaving that person wondering what the point of the entire week was if someone can switch it up during the live eviction.

Lastly, the D-POV should be a power that is available to everyone. Maybe a super aggressive veto competition with all house guests taking part and allowing it to be used at any point up to the final four. The strategy would have been incredible. If I were HOH, I might consider putting up the holder to flush it out and take the consequences while I was safe from nomination. On the other hand, why bother putting someone up if you knew for sure that it would be used to take them off? How about the campaigning that would occur by the two people on the block each week? Not only could they try to negotiate for the regular veto but if that failed, they would still have time to try for the D-POV.

My Two Cents!

As it was used in this game, it totally changes the playing field of an otherwise strategical game. Let's say the D-POV is rolled out during All Stars and someone like Jeff is given the opportunity (producers could have selected any PB for Matt, but they chose the D-POV for him) to take the D-POV. Hardly the most strategical player, but he's given the chance to get rid of the biggest threat of the game. So let's say, in a house with competitive past players where people are striving to win, Jeff (or some other D-POV) could play the veto and put a more deserving player out of the house. How fair would that be?

Good Riddance, Saboteur!

In one of the most painful twist redoux, the saboteur failed to deliver time and again. The messages that kept the cast up all night were mildly amusing but hardly worth $3,333.33. By my count, Ragan had already completed his three tasks for the week by the time he "selected" the note for his "final" act.

Why did he perform this task at the last minute when the money was already his? Ragan had already counted his "chickens" when he won the POV, so this task was a little odd but it served a few purposes.

First, he chose to put the note on Enzo's bed, arguably the most paranoid member of the house, outside of Brendon (who talks to himself on a regular basis). "I know your secret" must have made Enzo concerned that he was about to be exposed.

Second, the note provided "proof" to the house guests that a "real" saboteur existed in their midst not just BB playing tricks on them.

Third, it pacified the viewers who were claiming foul because Ragan never had to leave the diary room to accomplish his tasks.

Finally, and most importantly, the note cast suspicion on an innocent bystander. Earlier in the day, Kathy took time to straighten the room and made Enzo's bed in the process. Then, by whatever quirk of fate, Kathy was asleep in bed with the lights on. Normally, the lights would have been off making the discovery of the note possibly more difficult. Then, Kathy awakens and asks him what is up and Enzo shows her the note and tells her what it says.

Enzo proceeds to go through the house rousting the others and brings them together to discuss it. At no point does ANYONE question what Enzo's secret might be. Instead, they simply start going over who had access to the room, and a possible timeline. Poor Kathy! Her fate was determined by a note left by the saboteur. All attention focused on the bumbling, 40-something member of the household, her lack of skills during competitions, her supposed acts of betrayal.

Even Matt mentioned that Kathy was a potential replacement nom simply because of the saboteur spec. It was a little strange that Matt did not mention that fact during his nomination speech. In my opinion, Kathy was BB's sacrificial lamb. Easily expendable, and not likely to ruffle too many feathers among the viewers.

Showmance or No-mance?

The live eviction shows have turned into a segment of "This is Your Life." I figured that Lane's family/friends would be featured, but did not see Britney's as being part of it. Maybe BB assumed Britney would be the replacement nom but for whatever reason, we were treated to small town southern hospitality, where Moms support their daughter's potential relationship while the fiance sits in attendance.

It was a little bizarre. Lane and Brit do flirt and the package of clips they used would have to be difficult for Nick (the fiance) to watch, but so far they have not crossed the line. I doubt if they will, at least while they are in the house together. On the outside, who knows. The trouble with flirting is, how much is too much, and when does one of the two decide to push it a little further. Lane will take whatever she offers and will try for more, so Britney needs to set the pace.

It might be Britney's strategy to flirt with a man, and Lane seems nice if a little chauvinistic in his approach to women. But Brit may be rethinking her relationship with Nick a bit as she does have a tendency to swear on it when she has no intention of keeping the promise. Whatever the case, I hope she waits to make a decision until after the show ends.

Oddest HOH Comp of the Season!

Every year, they seem to have an odd HOH competition based on something that happened in the house. This time, it was a bizarre game of "Big Brother Says." A variety of commands were given, including a group hug, and doing a handstand. Then, during the HOH comp the group was asked a variety of true/false questions about the commands. The questions were so "specific" altering just a single word in the original command. Ragan and Hayden left during the first round, hard to say if it was nerves or them throwing the comp but at this stage it's stupid to throw a competition.

Matt on the other hand, definitely threw the competition. There is no way he wanted to be in the position to nominate Brendon and one of his allies, so he threw it.

As the players dwindled to just Britney and Enzo, it seemed that Enzo's every hesitation was due to him concentrating on whether or not Britney had moved her game piece to the true or the false. In the end, Brit came out on top, and it was a good place to be.

I predict Brendon and Enzo on the block this coming week. If Brendon wins the POV, I look for Hayden to go up to take out Enzo.