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.