Am I watching Big Brother 17 or Bachelor in Paradise? I’m seriously asking because there’s a lot of relationship drama in this episode. In addition to Austin and Liz’s petty squabbling, there’s also the return of Jessie Godderz, aka Mr. Pectacular. It’s as if the producers are daring fans to hate this season.
After the Nominations
Liz cries and cries about being on the block with her boyfriend. Austin isn’t sure if he should choose the girl or the glory while Steve pats himself on the back for making a big move. Liz feels betrayed and says she’d NEVER put Steve on the block. That’s a damn lie and she knows it. If John or James won the PoV during the double eviction, Steve absolutely would’ve been her replacement nominee.
The AusTwins know Julia will be the replacement nominee unless she wins the Power of Veto. Julia prays to win and talks about how she’s going after Steve now.
The Power of Veto Competition
It’s Bowlerina, a repeat of the bowling ballet competition from season 15 that split up McCranda (a showmance that looks like Jeff and Jordan when compared to Liztin). Jessie Godderz, aka Mr. Pectacular, is back to host, wearing a leotard and a tutu. Watching Liz and Julia drool over his muscles makes Austin seethe with jealousy, which is actually kind of funny. Jessie may be short and annoying, but at least he doesn’t have a nasty ponytail beard.
The HGs compete in a series of rounds to knock down four bowling pins, but they must spin around to open a gate so they can play.
Liz vs. Steve: They both get down to one pin each, but then Liz wins. Steve is out!
Julia vs. Austin: Julia gets to pick her opponent. Vanessa tells her to choose Austin because Austin winning would mean the twins are on the block next to each other. Johnny Mac knows this is stupid, so he’s understandably shocked when it works. Right afterwards, all three of the AusTwins realize how dumb this was. Seriously, is Vanessa that good at manipulating people or is Julia just that dumb? Probably a little bit of both. Julia gets an early lead, but then Austin wins. Julia is out!
John vs. Liz: John decides that taking out a twin is smart now that Austin is angry with Vanessa. John spins slowly so he can focus better and it works. John wins. Liz is out!
Vanessa vs. Austin: At this point, Austin is furious over the whole situation. Austin wins. Vanessa is out!
John vs. Austin: It’s the final round. In keeping with tradition, John decides to throw it because he wants one of the twins gone. Johnny Mac has now played in 27 competitions this season and I’m pretty sure he’s thrown about 20 of them. Indeed, Austin wins.
Austin wins the Power of Veto!
Austin goes on a psychotic shouting spree about how Judas is in the house and he’s going to destroy everyone. He’s supremely cocky and it’s super awkward.
Vanessa’s Damage Control
After the competition, Liz and Austin yell at Julia for listening to Vanessa. Julia feels dumb because she got played. The twins confront Vanessa and she defends herself by claiming that Austin wouldn’t have thrown it to Julia, even if they were the last ones in the competition.
Vanessa cries about how she wasn’t playing Julia and she’s such a good and honest person. She claims it’s not in Austin’s best interest to go to the end with the twins, but you could say the exact same thing about her. Her manipulations work yet again not because she’s a genius, but because Liz and Julia have brains made of Play-Doh.
The Liztin Break-Up and Make Up
Liz buys into Vanessa’s manipulations and questions Austin. He defends himself while Liz cries a lot and she’s so over the game. Liz bitches about Austin not being a knight in shining armor to Vanessa and Julia, claiming she never wants to talk to him again.
Vanessa talks to Austin and complains that him saying he’d throw the competition to Julia meant he wanted Vanessa to be evicted. So she’s telling the twins they should be mad that Austin WASN’T going to throw it, but she’s simultaneously mad at him because he WAS going to throw it. This is why #VanessaLogic is a popular hashtag.
Austin and Liz are so confused because it’s like Vanessa put their brains in a blender. Austin says he loves her, but Liz is on the verge of breaking up with him. She’s disgusted by how he bragged about winning. He claims he “ruined his life” for Liz by choosing her over his girlfriend at home. She correctly points out that if his relationship with her was so rocky in the first place then he didn’t ruin anything.
In the bedroom, Julia throws Austin’s stuff all over the room and whines about how ugly he is, much to Liz’s delight. That’s what twin sisters are for, to mock your terrible choices in boys.
But the next morning, Liz and Austin make up. He apologizes for hurting her and she apologizes for being a bitch. They snuggle and kiss and everything is all better.
The Power of Veto Ceremony
It’s worth noting that Steve and Johnny Mac stayed out of all this drama, letting Vanessa and Austin turn on each other while realizing that Vanessa is so good that they can’t take her to the end with them. It’s also worth noting that no one even bothered campaigning to Steve about the replacement nominee.
Austin listens to his head over his heart and saves himself. Steve hates being the bad guy, but he nominates Julia anyway. Liz and Julia both cry and want to sacrifice their game for each other, but Julia moreso than Liz.
(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.
