The Big Brother season is midway through and it’s starting to look as though Paulie is sailing toward the big prize, but could this be the week that the remaining houseguests wise up? It’s a double eviction week and if ever there were a time to make a big move, this would be it.
The week begins with Victor emerging as the new Head of Household, outlasting Natalie in an endurance challenge. But would Victor, the man who was once ousted by Paulie and who vowed to avenge his ouster upon his return, upset the apple cart laid out to him by his old pal Paul? It certainly didn’t appear so, because his two choices on the block were Michelle and Zakiyah. It appears as though Victor has fallen in line with the guy’s alliance, now named the Executives, even after Da’Vonne whispered to him he was going to be targeted during the double eviction.
Initially, Paulie went along with his alliance’s decision to oust his girl Zakiyah, but after contemplating that for a bit, he decided it better to keep a number in his favor and went to work trying to save Zakiyah, which didn’t exactly sit well with his right hand man Paul, who had already bowed to Paulie’s wishes once.
An audience care package arrived in house allowing James the ability to nullify two votes. Meanwhile, Paulie won the power of veto and rather than pulling off Zakiyah, feeling that he was in charge and not wanting to tick anyone off by putting them up, he kept the nominations the same, feeling assured that Michelle was going home.
But Michelle began to work on James expressing to him exactly how Paulie is running the house and nobody is challenging his rule. After some maneuvering, the vote got flipped thanks to James, with Zakiyah being the first ousted house guest of the week.
But there was little time for goodbyes as another competition had to take place. This turned out to be done in quick order, with Bridgette and Paulie being ousted in the first round, while everyone but Corey missed the second round question, making Corey the new Head of Household. For those hoping for a shakeup in the house, this was probably one of the worst possible outcomes, as Corey has remained loyal to Paulie throughout and has shown no signs of flipping. Sure enough, his nominations are the non-threatening Bridgette and Michelle, which will knock down the girls yet another member.
The girls end up choosing James, Paul and Nicole for the veto competition, but it’s the Head of Household Corey who wins the power of veto and decides to keep the nominations the same. And by a vote of 5-1, Bridgette gets sent packing. A head of household has yet to be picked, but it’s not looking good for the ladies. In fact, the Paulie train is chugging into the home stretch. While the loss of Zakiyah could be viewed as a form of rebellion, ultimately she was not part of his final five deal with the guys and would have been going soon as she was deemed expendable. So where does that leave us? Check out our Big Brother rankings below.
1. Paulie – Michelle has done her best to wise up the rest of the house to the fact that Paulie is cruising through the game with no challenges, but with two more women being picked off, it’s probably too late for her. Paul appears content to play second fiddle all the way to the finals, and Victor, Corey and James have all played passive games, figuring the chips will fall where they may when they get to the Top 5. But our money right now is on the master manipulator Paulie to continue pulling everyone’s strings.
2. Paul – As has been well documented, Paul was almost ousted early in the game due to his alliance to the wrong side of the house. He’s worked his social game to the point where Paulie considers him his closest ally, and the way that Paul has played has given him no reason not to. There are signs of discontent in Paul that Paulie always gets his way, so it is possible he could turn at some point. But right now, Paul has an almost clear path to second place so long as he doesn’t rock the boat.
3. Corey – Corey has shown his dedication to Nicole early, but also been in Paulie’s corner since early on. However, these two do not appear as tight as you would think a final two partnership would be. Corey is on the outside looking in on his own alliance. But he also appears more capable of flipping the script on Paulie’s plans than any of the other house guests. Plus, you have to wonder how much loyalty Corey will show to Nicole. Would he attempt to flip some of his alliance members to keep her in the game as a number? If Paulie were to somehow get ousted, Corey might be the one who most benefits from that action.
4. Victor – He showed his loyalty to the Executives by putting up Zakiyah and Michelle and thinning the X chromosomes in the house. But his trust in Paul and Paulie is troubling since Paulie previously ousted him and Da’Vonne warned him of a potential betrayal. Victor has shown himself to be a beast at physical competitions and will be viewed as a threat. In fact, if there is one member of the Executives who might not make the top 5, it’s Victor. He’s simply not wised up to the game play aspect and is making himself vulnerable again.
5. James – We fully expect James to make the Top 5, but he is probably the biggest outsider of the group. He’s a returning house guest, he’s a passive player who often goes along with the house rather than initiating anything and it’s not gone unnoticed that he’s spent more time flirting with the female guests in the house rather than bonding with the guys. Paul and Victor in particular are not big James fans and could push for his ousting once their final five mission is complete.
6. Nicole – While she’s made moves in the game, most of those moves were aligned with Paulie and Corey. She’s not made moves against them and her crush on Corey will likely keep her from ever realizing that she’s about to be ousted until it’s too late. She’s Brittany to the Brigade all over again — the friendly gal pal who never sees the male alliance that’s picked off everyone. But her chance to move much higher than the Top 6 ended ironically when Corey sent Bridgette out the door.
7. Natalie – She’s non-threatening and has shown absolutely no signs of making a move without the approval of going along with James. And her partnership with James has kind of kept her from developing any other relationships that would benefit her game. She appears to be well-liked, but has been just nice enough to stay off the radar against bigger female targets. But as the numbers thin and with an alliance running the house, her days are numbered.
8. Michelle – She was very close to going before, and Paulie will not like the attention she’s brought to his power in the house. It’s kind of a surprise she’s not already gone, but it’s a foregone conclusion that save for her winning the Head of Household or Power of Veto, she’ll be the next one leaving.
So what do you think readers? Will any of the Executives not make the final five? Of those Executives, who will be the first to take a shot at Paulie? Do you see a scenario in which Paulie does not make the finals? Come back next Thursday as we give you the state of the state in the Big Brother household.
