Kristen Pays the Price for Coming Between Rachel and Her Man!

I hope as we are about to enter the fifth week of nominations that Hayden and Matt take a moment to consider that there have been opportunities to get both Brendon and Rachel out, and they have allowed them to slip through their fingers.

Hayden had both on the block week one, but Brendon got the POV, and some fast talking led to Annie being put up and out of the house. Week three saw Matt win HOH, and his backdoor plan backfired in a big way, which lead to the ouster of Andrew!

This coming week is pivotal. ...

Testing! Testing! Is Anyone Listening?

But first, Kristen campaigned hard to stay in the house, even going so far as to confront Rachel's man (I think that's how I will refer to him from this point forward as Brendon has really ceased to exist in the wake of Queen Rachel). Thanks to some encouragement from Hayden, she fought hard to stay in the house, and, at the end of this game, a lot of people may look back and wish that Kristen had stayed over Brigade member, Hayden.

Actually, Kristen made a lot of sense to anyone who was really listening. If Rachel's man feels that he can use Hayden to his advantage later in the game, he's mistaken. Same with Ragan, who is arguably closest to Matt and who will ultimately be stung once the Brigade is revealed. To her credit, she started putting together Hayden's lack of campaigning with the his relationship with Enzo, Matt and Lane. It's not rocket science that these four might have something on the side, but the rest of the house is so focused on Rachel and her man, that they can't see the forest for the trees.

If I were Kristen, though, I might be a little unhappy to get out and find that the person I was closest to, had a side alliance. I also might not be too thrilled that Hayden encouraged me to campaign after he secured his fourth vote ensuring his safety.

Death by Showmance!

That being said, Kristen and Hayden felt the added scrutiny of their showmance this week — both from the house guests and "Big Brother" producers. Their fellow house guests were more than a little wary of the duo that had managed to keep their relationship pretty quiet all this time but that paled in comparison with the segment about their families.

Hayden's family was suspicious of Kristen's motives and were probably very happy with the vote last night; while Kristen's family and friends were incredulous that she started a relationship.

Now, there are some that think it's unfair to bring the personal side of their lives into the game but unfortunately, it is a game where there are no rules. In fact, the mere mention of their lives outside of the game makes every aspect fair game for the producers to include in the weekly shows.

It sucks for the house guests but it's not unexpected. Hayden and Kristen spent time in bed talking about their respective partners outside the house. Hayden's outside relationship was a little more fluid but Kristen most definitely talked about her bf outside the house. I understand hooking up inside the house when both people are free and clear, but it's a little less clear when one or both have partners.

Hayden has stated time and again this week that he did not come into the house for a showmance because it would screw up his game. Well, it did and it does. Showmances rarely make it to the end of the game as a pair and often times are targets. What's even more important is the fact that they rarely last outside the game. A few months is considered about average.

So my advice to future contestants would be to wait until you are outside the emotional roller coaster of the house to determine whether you want to pursue a relationship with someone.

Last night, I felt genuinely sorry for Kristen's bf, in spite of the fact that they only had two months together. From my perspective, as much as it sucks to be a house guest who has their personal lives aired on the live show, it's got to suck just as much to be a the person they left behind who watches the relationship unfold on tv.

Britney Makes the Show or the Show Makes Britney!

One of the highlights of the show was Britney, Matt and Ragan in the HOH mocking Rachel. To be honest, if I walked in on that, I would probably have been hurt and angry but not Rachel. To Rachel it's the "sincerest form of flattery"! Ummmm ... okay. Maybe it was Britney's attitude to push forward in spite of being busted or maybe and more likely it's Rachel's ego. I think she really believes that Britney might have been sincere in her imitation. Maybe she feels that Britney just wants to be like her. Who knows, but her reaction was definitely off the to the left of normal!

Britney adds spice to an otherwise very ordinary live show.

Just Another Eviction

This week's speeches lacked last week's fire. Both Hayden and Kristen delivered pretty much standard pre-vote speeches, and Kathy was once again the sole dissenting voice to Kristen's departure.

The "goodbye" speeches are some of my favorite moments of the live shows this year. Will she or won't she? That is, will Rachel accuse the evicted house guest of getting between her and her man? Annie's eviction caught me off guard. I did not see it coming. I was equally blindsided when Monet walked out the door. I had no idea that she would work it in for Andrew. But for Kristen, I had no doubt she would fit in the immortal words, "get between me and my man." Ha!

Rachel's man's speech will come back to bite him once he realizes Hayden was in an alliance just as Kristen warned him. His biggest problem is believing that no one else is playing the game.

As for Hayden, well, he should have manned up a little sooner about his alliance with the Brigade. Maybe even whispering it to her during the live show as they sat together on the block so that she's not blindsided on live TV. Of course, it was a difficult position to be in because revealing it sooner could have lead to Kristen using the information to stay in the house. I think Kristen was a little stung by his admission that he was part a four-person alliance. On the other hand, it does prove that Hayden's head was in the game.

Color Me Surprised!

This season of BB seems to be on the fast track or maybe it's just me. Five HOH competitions, and three have been skill-based. What's up with that except? Standing on a small ledge, the contestants have to hang on to a bar as the platform revolves. Periodically, they are slapped in the face by a large paintbrush. While the concept is original, it hardly seems difficult. Seems like an endurance competition that could go far into the night — if the house guests are serious about winning, that is!