Big Brother 21 – Saturday Recap for 9/7/19

Great morning everyone! I’m sorry this is so late today but there was a lot to go over. This is more brunch with Mel instead of Morning with Mel. The recap will be seriously out of sequence because yeah!!!! Nicole won the veto!!! Everything else is an afterthought, at least for me. Not only did she destroy her competition yesterday in BB Comics, she now holds the record for time in the comps original format. (Kaycee won last summer and has a lower time but the comp was set up differently for BB20) If we’re comparing watermelons to watermelons, Nicole would be the new record holder, beating BB16 Christine by a little over a minute. Tommy came in 2nd and he was several minutes behind Nicole. Beth did terrible in the comp but she’s said lately her “body was shutting down” so what did we expect?

Now that’s a high kick I can get behind:

We’re past day 80 and I’d be shocked if anyone needed this info but for the people in the back: Beth=Holly.  (Who’s Beth? could end up being this years Who Flipped?)

I’ll probably use a disproportionate amount of post veto pics in this recap. This isn’t a veto winner update but I’m happy for Nicole and my other option is a large selection of Beth in her naked leggings. The nude color is weird enough for tv but that’s not even the part that bugs me. I wear leggings too but even at my newly 50 year old age, they don’t sit inside my butt crack so I just don’t understand this look. Ya, you’re getting one pic of it just to kick start your morning:

Cliff told Nicole she may have set a record and would probably be asked to come back and host BB Comics. (This isn’t the type of comp that usually has a host but I liked the idea) Nicole said before the comp, she was winning it and taking Cliff off the block. She said “you don’t leave your #1 sitting on the block” and as far as she was concerned, it wasn’t up for discussion.

The other big news from yesterday was Tommy telling Jackson and Beth about his outside relationship with Christie. (I did not see this coming) I’ll get into that more later but for now, let me back track and actually do a recap of Saturday.

Saturday before Veto: 

• Everyone but Cliff sat around chatting and waiting for the comp to start. Cliff was busy studying which Nicole also left to do soon after. It wasn’t as much studying days as it was pumping themselves up by saying positive affirmations to themselves. (I’ve never been someone who does this. The closest I get to it might be when something bad or unexpected happens, I might say “Ok, it’s going to be fine. I can handle this.”  Cliff and Nicole have me wanting to start tho)
• Jackson and Beth got snippy with each other, as usual. They’re joking but not really. He made a jab, she took a jab and so on. (Speaking of jabs, can’t remember if I’ve mentioned this but Nicole is very into Muhammad Ali. She says some of his quotes often but when it came up the other day, Tommy had no idea who he was. It just surprised me so thought I would share) Anyway, Jackson said something about the hoh room and Beth reminded him it wasn’t his anymore. (Since he’d sort of given it to Nicole, although they’re still in there like it is) He asked how long it had been since she’d even had the hoh. She told him day 65 and he told her maybe she could roll another ball to get it back. (I’d rather be around couples who full on, go at it than couples who always teeter on the edge of an argument. I’ve been around both and it’s so uncomfortable waiting around to see how the evening will end.  For better or worse, I’m not passive aggressive in my relationship. If I’m upset, I just look at him and say “I’m pissed and you better get the hell away from me right now or I’ll kill you.” It may not be the best way to handle things but hey, it works for us)
• Anyway again, while everyone was talking, Beth said she didn’t have her game life at stake, but she’d still like to win the veto. Later, she said she didn’t care if she won it or not. They talked about different comps and which ones they were or weren’t satisfied with their performances. Nicole said she was ok with the wall because she knew she gave it everything she had.  Beth said she wished she could do the poison ivy endurance comp again because she had a problem with her foot stirrups. There was an entire discussion about whether the sizing was generic or catered to each person. Tommy said it was the same for everyone but Beth said no.  She insisted she could’ve done better but her feet didn’t fit. (I kept thinking how stupid is this? She WON THE DAMN COMP!)
• Tommy and Beth were alone in the hoh. Beth talked about her anxiety and being so stressed out. She said she was going back to the way she felt in the beginning of the game. (Her BF is the hoh and she has almost NO chance of going home. She’s saying this to the the guy who MUST win the veto to survive. Ejection or not, I’d have probably slapped her. At the very least, yanked on those pigtails she sports all the time) After they went through how she hasn’t had a chance to make an impression, be herself, show who she is, blah, blah, they moved onto game talk. She reminded him he wasn’t alone and said he’s always had her. She said she’d never have let him leave before Christie. Tommy did a good job of picking up what she was putting down and began telling her, he didn’t want to leave on a blindside. (He wasn’t blindsided) He said he’d like to do something more in the game. He also said he understood why she felt the way she felt because Jackson’s had a lot of “moments” and everyone else wants theirs too. (I didn’t know if this would work on her but it was the right approach. He’s pleading to her on her level with things she’s worried about herself)  She told him more of why she was upset with Christie and the deal she made with them. She told him Christie was lying if she told him it was only for one week.
• Jackson joined them and they went into more detail about Christie and assured Tommy it was never about him. (True) Jackson and Beth made it sound like Christie is just a couple steps away from being Satan and you know a part of Tommy was sitting there freaking out. He wants to be loved by fans so the idea of being partnered with and having a real relationship with Satan probably had him a little worried for his image. (He’ll survive. Christie was annoying, self centered, a hypocrite and had no table manners. That doesn’t make her evil) He did a good job of pretending he had no idea Christie had done some of the things she’d done. Beth made sure to tell him the argument over whether or not Christie and Sis were making fun of Cliff was true. She said they really were laughing at him like they were in high school and it was the reason Nicole was crying that day. (This came out before Sis left and they denied it) At one point, Beth said maybe Christie is a psychopath or a sociopath. (Can’t remember which one she said) The three of them said they’ve always been close, glad it ended up the way it has and said half the 6 shooters made it to the F5.

Side note: For the record, 50% of the 6 Shooters made it to the F5 but 66% of the Fellowship of the Zing made it and their alliance included someone who’d already been evicted. Therefore, for active game players, 100% of the Zing alliance is in the F5. I only feel this is relevant because the 6 Shooters made fun of their alliance and said things like “Awww, isn’t that cute? They have a little alliance.”

• Jackson and Beth told Tommy they always wanted him, they just couldn’t trust Christie. (I started wondering how much of his game he might start blaming on Christie) Tommy perked up at the mention of 6 shooters because any reminders of the old alliance is good for Tommy. (I said a very long time ago, Tommy and Beth were the two who never really left and always preferred they stay an alliance) Tommy admitted he was after Jackson and Beth last week because he thought they were the couple in the middle but said he sees now, they weren’t. They agreed.  (They may have thought he was talking about Christie but I think he was trying to open the door to blame Cliff and Nicole) Tommy’s looking for an opening and why not? It’s what he supposed to be doing. I’ve seen people in his position not handle it nearly as well and I have to give him props for that.
• Tommy decided it was a good idea to go ahead and tell them he knows Christie and it was his aunt that Christie was with for 7 years. (I didn’t get it then and after sleeping on it, nope, still nothing.  I thought he might try to blame game decisions on her but I didn’t expect this at all)
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• Maybe he caved because Beth was slamming Christie and he wanted it to stop but I doubt it.  Maybe he wanted to disassociate himself from her because they convinced him Christie’s the villian this year. My guess is, he wanted to put anything that happened that was against Jackson and Beth fully on Christie and act like he didn’t have a choice. He wanted it to seem like he was obligated to work with her. (I thought it was nuts and wondered how long it would take them to remember Tommy led the charge to get Kat out. Tommy’s the one who flipped out over Kat possibly knowing Beth) He asked them not to say anything to Cliff or Nicole and they agreed. For now, it actually worked. They felt bad for him and consoled him:
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• Beth panicked a bit and began apologizing over and over. She’d just been trashing everything about Christie as a person to Tommy. Maybe that’s why she didn’t focus on what Tommy knowing Christie could mean in the game…..or maybe she’s an idiot. ???
• Tommy left and you could see a weight had been lifted off of him. He actually danced and skipped to the bathroom:
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• Jackson and Beth were alone in the hoh room and he told her she isn’t the only one who knew Kat. (This is about when I said to myself “Well hell, I’m not going to get a damn thing done today! Is that a negative affirmation? See, I do talk to myself, just not the way Nicole and Cliff do) At first, Beth thought he was joking but he told her he wasn’t. He said she lived a short distance from one of his friends in Dallas and that’s where they met. We got fished right after so ?? Feeds came back and he said he didn’t know her. He said he was kidding but by now, Beth didn’t know what to believe. (Neither did I) He said following Beth on Instagram is the closest he was to knowing anyone. (I am now convinced he was kidding) He also said something about the first day he slept with Kat. Beth corrected him and told him to say “slept in the bed with” and told him people could take it the wrong way. (She still thinks she can create a storyline for the live feeds) They got in another small argument over her insulting him or something but it’s irrelevant because it was only more of them being them.

After the Veto:

• Feeds came back and everyone was telling Nicole that she wiped the floor with everyone. Tommy was gracious, especially since he probably thought he was going home. Jackson was even a bit humble and tol her she kicked is ass. Cliff walked around like a proud father. Beth wanted to talk about how badly she did and why. (I’ll give Beth one thing about one of her complaints with Jackson. She says he always cuts her off when she’s talking and she’s right. I’ve noticed everyone in the house does it to her more and more often. Yes, its rude to do that to anyone but people can only take so much. They hit a point where they know where something is heading with her and they don’t want to hear the same thing 500 times, especially if they have an actual point to make. It may be rude but it’s better than looking at her and saying ” would you shut the f*ck up?”
• Nicole was the most excited I think I’ve ever seen anyone after winning a comp. I don’t mean the adrenaline fueled excitement because you just saved your game. This was happiness stemming from a sense of self worth and pride in ones self and it was fantastic! Nicole and Cliff had a private storage room dance:
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• They did their Zing thing with their fingers:
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• They also talked to Ovi and told him this was for him too:
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• Annnddddd Ovi was listening:
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• Jackson and Beth headed to the hoh room. He wanted to talk to her in private. Apparently, it just dawned on him that Beth could go otb if Nicole used the veto. (I think it’s because it didn’t occur to him any of them could beat him in that particular comp. He didn’t think beyond his noms) Beth was visibly alarmed. She said “I didn’t even think about that. I wish I’d thought about that beforehand. Going into that, (kind of laughs) I like, didn’t even really want to win. I was just like, ugh.” Jackson said ” What do you mean, you didn’t wanna win? Holly, there’s 5 people.” She tried to backtrack a little from the didn’t want to win part. They went back and forth over what they thought might happen. One minute he said he didn’t think she’d use it. The next minute he said she’d be crazy not to use it since Cliff is her partner and he’d use it on Beth if it were him. They also began wondering if Cliff and Nicole could betray them this week and evict Beth. It was the same back and forth. They went over how to handle it and debated over bringing it up casually or waiting for Nicole to say something. They wondered if Jackson or Beth shoud be the one to say something. Beth started to get more and more stressed and said she felt so stupid, for so many reasons. She started saying she didn’t want to be backdoored. (She wouldn’t have been because she PlAYED IN THE VETO! That’s a pet peeve of mine)  Jackson told her he really didnt see that happening and he did trust Cliff and Nice to stick to the 4. She said she didn’t want to go otb at all. (She never considered herself in any danger and didn’t want to win a veto and have to use or not use it on Tommy. This kept her out of it, as far as she was concerned. It didn’t, because if she was as close to Tommy as she was claiming, he’d have been wondering why she was saying she didn’t really care about the veto when they talked about it earlier. I’m sure Tommy knew she could go otb but he sure as hell wouldn’t have told her)
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• Meanwhile, Cliff talked to the cameras and told his family and Nicoles how amazing she was at the game and as a person. He said if he didn’t win, he hoped she did. He also said Nicole didn’t know she would’ve probably gone home if Tommy had won the veto and she was happy, he didn’t see the need to tell her.
• Tommy tried to keep his mood up but he knew he was in trouble. He’d also revealed his secret to the couple in power and 5 hours later, the other couple was in power.
• Clifd and Nicole discussed getting rid of Tommy. They know it’s risky but fear Tommy in comps more than Beth. They also don’t want to give up jury votes by breaking their word when Tommy vs Beth may be a close call anyway. Nicole said she was just going to get it over with and tell them she was using the veto but nothing shady was going to happen.
• Nicole told Jackson and he told her he was fine with it. (So much for talking her out of it. Lol)
• They talked to Beth and Jackson and told them she was going to use the veto but said they were the F4 and not to worry.  (I really wanted Nicole to tell Beth ‘she was complaining and saying she wanted the entire BB experience so there ya go’ but I knew that wouldn’t happen) Beth tried to look ok with it:
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• Nicole was in the DR and after she came out, she seemed more on board to switch things around. People will say the DR talked her into it and they probably do prefer Beth leave but Nicole wasn’t ever as keen on Jackson and Beth as Cliff’s been so this is coming from Nicole. She talked to Cliff about it a little and he said they should talk about it. He said Tommy would have to swear he’d go after Jackson if they evicted Beth. (This was in no way a plan, just something to think over)
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•  Beth wasn’t feeling well again. Her fingers are numb now and a bunch of other symptoms I’m not going over because they change daily. When she was vomiting the other day, she said “I feel like my body’s shutting down.” Last night, she again said “I feel like my body’s shutting down.” She isn’t even otb yet but she isn’t handling it well at all. (This pics for you NK)
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• Once Nicole went to bed, (in the hoh room again) she talked to the camera and worked through the best option. She calls her thinking process “Nicole’s Navigational Standpoint.” She went over the options and came to the conclusion it’s better to get rid of Beth this week. She looked at the 2 v 2 or 3 vs 1 in upcoming comps. She told herself she was going to sleep on it but plans to talk to Cliff and convince him too.
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I have no idea where this is going to end up by Thursday but it certainly isn’t boring. I also don’t think the decision is that cut and dry this week. I’ve leaned towards sticking with Jackson and Beth for a while. I also thought they should’ve evicted Tommy over Christie but thats because I was playing the odds for comps and Christie working with Jackson or not. When the call isn’t clear, sometimes you just have to run the numbers and let that make the call. You can also choose to chuck all that and go with your gut. Regardless of what I’ve thought or anyone else thinks, there isn’t a right decision this week. There also isn’t a wrong one. This is a more difficult call than we usually see on BB and it’s too close to say this one is right, this one’s  dumb, that’s a big mistak, etc.

Sure, if they keep Tommy, he wins the next veto and evicts Cliff or Nicole over Jackson, it would’ve been the wrong call but they don’t know the future. What if in the future, they would’ve lost the same comp to Beth? I think any of us saying it needs to be one way or there’s only one correct move, are injecting our personal wishes into it, even if we’ve convinced ourselves we arn’t.

Other than knowing for sure if Tommy would promise to evict Jackson and keep his word or knowing which one, out of Cliff/Nicole, Jackson and Beth would keep, there’s only 3 things to consider in my opinion. Theres no way of knowing the two things I just mentioned so lets focus on these. If you’re Cliff and/or Nicole:

• Who can I beat in comps and how many do I have to win?
• Who would take me to F3 or maybe F2?
• Who can I beat in the F2?

Here’s the problem, the answer to these questions arn’t the same name for every one. That’s why this is so tricky. The answers may be different for Nicole than they are for Cliff too.  Will Nicole and Cliff find out Tommys secret and will they have the same moronic reaction as Jackson and Beth did? That could also change things. For now, I say we all just chill out and enjoy Beth going on the block. We’ve got time to sort out the rest.

Have a great Sunday.   Mel