Will an all-female alliance finally succeed on Big Brother? That’s what the first four ladies of season 16 are hoping for, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that things won’t work out.
In the first episode of Big Brother 16, Paola (or Pow-Pow as she wants to be known) suggested forming an all-girl alliance called El Quatro with Joey, Nicole and Amber. They all agreed, filled with female empowerment over the fact that girls never work together on the show and they always turn on each other.
Of course, no female alliance has ever truly succeeded on Big Brother. Women always wind up fighting. Look at last season, when Aaryn and GinaMarie went after Candice or Jessie went after Amanda or Amanda went after Elissa or…you get the picture. That’s the whole reason that, despite the first three evictions last year being men, the Final 5 only featured one woman.
It’s nice, in theory, to think that El Quatro could succeed where everyone else has failed. But that’s not likely. Here are just five reasons why El Quatro is doomed on Big Brother 16.
It’s Too Early
Instant alliances are never a good idea on Big Brother. It’s OK to form an alliance the first night, once you get to know people and once the first HoH has been chosen (like the Brigade in season 12). But fresh off the high of entering the house, these ladies came together without knowing anything about each other besides their mutual possession of ovaries. Alliances are built on trust, and if you don’t know who you’re getting into bed with, there can be no real trust.
The Yoko Cody Factor
Perhaps the biggest red flag for El Quatro is the fact that its founder, Pow-Pow, can’t focus on anything but Cody’s abs. She spent the entire first hour ogling him, telling us about how she wants to lick his abs like an ice cream cone. What happens if/when another girl tries to flirt with Cody and snuggle with him? Will Pow-Pow be able to stay true to a “sisters before misters” philosophy, or will her lust for Cody lead to her downfall?
Three Recruits and a Fan
Another flaw with this alliance is their lack of an understanding of the game. By all accounts, Pow-Pow, Joey and Amber were all recruited by producers and weren’t that familiar with the show before being cast (which explains why Joey’s favorite HG of all-time is GinaMarie and Amber’s is Howard, both from last year).
Nicole, however, is a super fan who watches the live feeds. Will she be able to play the game with three women who aren’t real fans? And will the recruits be able to keep up with the insanity and backstabbing? One problem with these novices is that they have a tragically incorrect assumption that the game is easy and everything will always work out for the best.
New Twists
Another flaw with an early alliance is that you have no idea what twists are coming and how they will impact the game. Nick’s idea for the Moving Company last year was solid, but the MVP twist (which gave Elissa an unprecedented amount of power) destroyed it. He didn’t adjust his plan to fit the twists.
The same thing could be said for El Quatro. Pow-Pow clearly came in wanting to form a four-woman alliance no matter what. You can’t just force your preconceived strategy onto the game, you need to see how the game works and then develop a strategy to fit it.
They’re Competitively Challenged
It was a bad sign when Pow-Pow, Joey and Nicole were the first three HGs eliminated from the first HoH competition. If they can’t keep up in this kind of log-rolling competition, what hope do they have in the future?
Other problems include the fact that Nicole doesn’t know what “El Quatro” means (a Spanish word any 4-year-old watching Sesame Street knows) and Pow-Pow had to count on her fingers to figure out the age difference between her (27) and 23-year-old Cody. Here’s a hint: It’s cuatro.
With neither brains nor physical ability, how does El Quatro ever hope to accomplish something in the house if they might not win any competitions? One person can go far without winning (see Enzo Palumbo, Amanda Zuckerman or Dr. Will Kirby), but they need to have allies who do win.
What do you think? Will El Quatro be the first all-female alliance to stick together and succeed on Big Brother? Or will it crash and burn into cattiness?
Big Brother 16 airs Wednesdays and Sundays at 8pm and Thursdays at 9pm.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
