Wednesday’s episode of Big Brother 13 was a tad frustrating for anyone who’s followed the live feeds because we already know whether Rachel or Brendon will backdoor Jeff. What we get to see is how it all goes down, and that’s the hard part. It’s nearly impossible to understand Rachel and Brendon’s trains of thought because they make less sense than Jordan’s mind. But here’s my attempt to understand these two enigmas of Big Brother 13.
Understanding the Origins of the Backdoor Plan
Before Rachel nominated Adam and Dominic, she made separate deals with both of them, so it’s obvious from the start that she’s not the most loyal person in the world. Rachel also has issues with Jordan stemming from the fact that Jordan didn’t pick Brenchel for the luxury competition, and Daniele fans that flame to encourage backdooring Jeff. This is where it gets frustrating for me because while Rachel can (and will) lay all of the blame on the backdoor plan on Daniele, that’s just a damn lie.
Understanding Daniele and Dominic
These two pretty people spend a lot of time flirting in the house, but as Daniele describes it, it’s a love/hate relationship where he loves her and she hates him. Their budding friendship annoys Jeff because he wants Dominic out, ignoring the fact that he and Jordan are equally close to Shelly. I guess Jeff and Jordan are allowed to have a side alliance, but Daniele isn’t. Worse yet, Jeff talks to Jordan about wanting Daniele out sooner rather than later, so even though
(Not) Understanding the Flip
While Rachel initially seems open to the option of backdooring Jeff, later she and Brendon completely change their minds with absolutely no rhyme or reason given. Brendon explains that he wants to win the Power of Veto so he has complete control over everything that happens, which is another reason why I absolutely hate that the veterans keep getting power because it’s gone to their heads. Brendon and Rachel meet up with Jeff and Jordan to bitch about how no one ever targets Daniele (um, maybe because she’s not even playing yet and CAN’T be sent home at this time). All four are angry at Daniele for wanting a partner in Dominic, which is insane because they’re essentially saying that it’s OK for them to be playing with partners, but Daniele doesn’t get to.
Understanding the Power of Veto Competition
Jeff and Jordan are chosen to play, making it the third straight week where the other veteran couple is selected. This selection process is SOOOOOO fixed by the producers. Speaking of fixed competitions, the Power of Veto involves the HGs grabbing letters from a giant bathtub to spell a word in 10 minutes. Basically, it’s identical to the first Veto competition from last season, which Brendon won and Rachel played in, as well as one that Jeff played in on his season (though he famously spelled the non-word “Technotronics”).
At some point in the future, when someone other than a veteran loses, I know for a fact Brendon will bitch and moan about how it was unfair and the producers designed a challenge for a newbie to win it, but I hope he remembers that they gave him this PoV on a silver platter.
Jordan spells “LITTLE.”
Dominic spells “STANDINGS.”
Rachel misspells “MOUISTURIZING.” Just another reason for me to mock her.
Adam spells “FRACTIONS.”
Jeff spells “EXPRESSES.”
Brendon spells “UNDERSTANDING.”
What do you know, Brendon wins by spelling the EXACT SAME WORD he spelled to win the first Power of Veto last season. Can you spell “PRODUCER MANIPULATION”?
Understanding America’s Vote
Once again, we get to vote for what the Have-Nots will eat, and the options are:
Black Licorice and Blue Cheese
Parsnips and Prunes
Seaweed and Sardines
Well, that’s easy, how do you not vote for the last one?
Understanding Shelly
It turns out the entire problem comes from Shelly, the sweet and seemingly nice older lady. Dominic, who still doesn’t know she’s 100 percent with Jeff and Jordan, tells her about trying to get rid of Jeff, and Shelly immediately runs to tell Jordan all about it. It’s at this point that I decide I hate Shelly. She’s playing the worst game ever, giving over total control to the veterans and floating to the final five or six, at which point she will be evicted. She’s not playing to win, but she is playing to help the veterans win, and that saddens me.
When Jordan and Shelly confront Rachel and Brendon about Dominic’s plans, they instantly decide that Dominic is now gone. Congratulations, Shelly, you claim to be the moral and noble player in this game, but you just totally screwed over someone who trusted you.
Then Brendon tells everything to Jeff, although he conveniently leaves out the part where he and Rachel actually considered backdooring Jeff and were the first ones to really bring it up. And because the obnoxious veterans have all the power, they get to continue their one-sided domination of Big Brother 13. The nominations remain the same, and now Dominic is going to be evicted, all because Shelly is a snitch.
(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.
