We start at the end of the Veto Ceremony, where Jeff pulled Kevin off the block and put Russell up. As Natalie and Russell climb out of the nomination chairs, Natalie is grinning so hard that I thought her head would snap in two. Girl just does NOT have a poker face.
Jeff: "Let the weirdness begin."
Jeff in the Diary Room: Says he decided to do the backdoor because he really believes that Natalie and Kevin will save him next week. Poor thing. You're pretty, but just a wee bit simple.
Russell in the Diary Room: He picked the wrong guy. I am going to tear this place UP.
Then we have a few scenes with Kevin and Natalie still talking "final four" with Jordan and Jeff, mixed in with scenes of Kevin and Natalie still vowing to take Jeff down. Earlier in the game, these two losers wouldn't be worth the time of day. With the house down to 6, this is a serious issue. Can Jeff figure it out? Hope so, but he also thought "technotronics" was a word.
Russell and Michelle after the POV Ceremony. She cries, and they hug quite a bit. He tells her that he hopes she wins. It's actually very sweet. But she doesn't deserve to win. Sorry.
Then we have the first of the fully-expected Russell blow-ups. Jeff tries to be decent, and actually approaches Russell in the courtyard to talk it out. Russell is okay for a bit, then he launches, telling Jeff that he better win the game, because if Jeff gets evicted, Russell will, basically, beat the hell out of Jeff when he gets to the Jury House. Nice.
Jeff tries to keep things under control, telling Russell to "drop the anger" and "man up." And he does an okay job, but he gets just a little bit cocky, and eventually doesn't have any comebacks for Russell other than saying "you got got" about 46 times. Still, Russell is the jerk here.
Later, over a game of pool, Russell tries working Kevin. Russell: I can take Jeff out, and there will be no blood on your hands. You could own the game and pull the smartest move by keeping me.
Kevin in the Diary Room: "I could keep Natalie or I could keep Russell." Um, yes, those are your two options. Thanks for sharing.
Then we have another Russell blow-up, where he starts out taunting Jeff but then switches to Jordan, and we learn that Miss Southern Charm can sure as hell dish it back. She's in his face just as much as he's in hers. (When she raced over to Russell and shouldered him in the chest? I high-fived MYSELF. Good stuff.)
Russell is completely over the top with his remarks, although he does get in some smart jabs to the other house guests: "Would Jeff save YOU?" Good point. But running around like a lunatic and making everyone very uncomfortable is not going to help your case.
I just don't understand why, after 11 seasons of this show, that some of the houseguests still don't understand that acting crazy-ass doesn't really get you anywhere. (Yes, a few people have been successful with shouting and intimidation. But in the big picture? Not so much. Most of the psycho screamers end up in a limousine headed to the Jury House.)
Speaking of the Jury House, we then switch over to that little palace, where Jessie is running around in some truly dumb-ass pink tights and nothing else. On what planet do you think people would actually find that outfit sexy? It's certainly not this one, but good luck with it.
Then Lydia, who has sworn to make Jessie's life a living hell for his lies, arrives at the Jury House with her frightening pink hair. She sort of disses him for the way he treated her, not really meaning it and fake-punching him. But within seconds she's alone on camera, drool dripping from her chin as she salivates about being alone in the house with him for a week.
And how many people went home before THIS beyotch? Please.
Interesting side note: Jessie fesses up to the camera that Jeff has pulled some really smart moves, and he'll probably vote for Jeff in the end. And there's the dichotomy with Jessie. He's not stupid, and he does respect good gameplay, but he's just so annoyingly arrogant that you would rather have an organ removed than spend any time in the same room with him.
So it's time for Julie to have her little "pre-vote" interview with all the houseguests, where she asks basically pointless questions just to fill up time. And she does just that, with the only mildly interesting query being when she asks Jordan how it's been in the house this week. Jordan is NONE too happy about Russell, "calling me fat and telling me to go eat cookie dough."
Julie does announce that the "have/have not" competitions are over. (The houseguests cheer.) But there are still surprises coming up. (The houseguests all immediately reach for mood stabilizers.)
Jeff in the HOH Room, with Julie throwing out questions. Normally, this is also fluff. But for some reason Julie seems intent on getting a message to Jeff, something she typically doesn't bother with but will still do so from time to time. (It's a wee bit unfair, but since she only seems to do it with decent houseguests that people like, I'm all for it.)
Jules: Why Russell?
Jeffy: I had to make the move now before it's too late.
Jules: Did this make or break you?
Jeffy: Make.
(He's not getting her hint, so she gets a little more direct.)
Jules: How confident are you with Natalie and Kevin?
Jeffy: If they put me up, I can still fight for the Veto.
Okay, then. Julie tried. Jeff should understand that Julie doesn't often do this, and he should mull over what she just said. Did he get it? Not sure.
Back downstairs for the actual Eviction Vote and the "save me" speeches:
Natalie: To CBS and all the producers, thanks for this wonderful opportunity. And to my fellow houseguests, thank you in advance for keeping me in the house.
Well, then. I guess the producers once again held back some key scenes, because Natalie's demeanor is not just hopeful, she's fully confident.
Russell: He does throw out that "personal attacks are part of the game." (I don't really agree with that, but so be it.) Otherwise, he's very cordial and decent. Actually kind of surprised.
We have the vote, and it's 3-0 to send Russell out. And Russell surprises me again by being a perfect gentleman on the way out the door. He's actually very classy about it.
In the exit interview with Julie, Russell fesses up that his eviction was "the smartest thing Jeff could do." He doesn't hate on anybody, explaining that his outbursts were all nothing but strategy and it just didn't work for him. Sort of makes you wonder what the game would have been like if he'd played it a different way, right?
Then again, I guess you could say that about anybody in this game. Except for Chima.
During the tape of houseguest "goodbyes", Jordan tells Russell that "I strongly, strongly dislike you as a person." See, she's sweet even when she's dissing somebody.
Time for the HOH Competition, and this one involves people carrying little cups of liquid over a slippery runway and trying to fill a giant bowl at the other end. So we know right away that we aren't going to have an immediate winner.
Personal note to the BB producers: I know you think it's "suspenseful" when you do this, making us wait until the next episode to find out who actually won. But with modern technology and your own airing of "Big Brother After Dark" every night, I can't even get on the Internet for fear of accidentally seeing something I don't want to see until the next episode.
I'm a faithful viewer who tunes in and gets you ratings. Give me some respect. Don't penalize me with these "tune in and find out" teaser competitions when half the planet already knows who won before the next episode. I know you won't change, because it's all about the money, but it was worth a shot.
Anyway, we end the show with the houseguests still running back and forth filling their bowls, and Julie announcing to the audience that there's an upcoming HOH twist. Final shot is of a weird door with a question mark on it.
Hmm.
BRAVO!!!!
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