stagehand

Helen has taken credit for everything in the game, I don't expect her to stop now.

Here's what is going to happen. Helen will be evicted Helen will win the returning HG comp And then my connection with production dropped and I didn't catch the last part but it will either Helen or Elissa winning HOH Probably Helen so that we can all feel the déjà vu all over again

She takes Aaryn to the finals and Aaryn wins going away...

This is hilarious

Season 9 was quite painful, but I think a lot of that was due to the format. I think they must have done it that way because of the circumstances. It was fill in for the writers strike and it would have given them the option of ending the season early if necessary. There have certainly been seasons when none of the HG's appeal to me that much, but we all keep watching. For me, it's because I enjoy watching the interaction between the players in the game more than I do becoming emotionally attached to a player. For the record though, season 8 was my least favorite.

That would certainly get a little dicey, my first thought would be Andy, that would probably be her best move for long term. But if it's McCrae or Amanda and one of them goes, and then manages to win the comp to come back, things will get very interesting.

I think it will be interesting if Judd comes back, if Andy will team up with him. At some point he has to break out of the 3 AM alliance before the final four.

They seemed to be talking about Zingbot a lot, but I can't remember which comp they usually use for that. A puzzle?

I think those kinds of things come in the emotion of the moment. I think the reality that she's not going to win probably just sunk in, but you never know. Elissa is my least favorite HG, but I don't see her quitting. I think she has more integrity than that, not to mention having to face her sister.

You mean HOH, right? The POV was Helen and Spencer threw the wrench into things. It's not a bad strategy, but I think that it benefits people like Aaryn and Andy more than the others. The fun always starts when they have to start eating their own.

Which says that Andy is playing a good game, no? I'm not a big fan of the guy either, but he sure doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar screen. If he can manage to force himself to get a little blood on his hands, he just might win the whole thing.

There are three absolutes in life, death, taxes, and BB fans saying this is the worst season ever...

Excellent points! I find it rather remarkable that for some reason a large population of BB fans suddenly got sensitive this year. I see a lot of negative reactions that don't seem to be in balance with the actions of the HG's. This year is nothing that we haven't seen before, but maybe you are correct, men get a pass, but women don't. It's sad to see in our society that we still haven't grown past that. These people are playing a game, doing so in a completely unnatural environment, and with cameras on them 24x7. I don't think it's fair to judge anyone's character under those circumstances in the context of the game. Which is what we are watching a game, news flash, it's not real life. In particular I find it troubling that there are those who wish bad things upon contestants after the game is over. That is a rather sad commentary on our society.

I agree, other than winning comps there is no comparison between Aaryn and Janelle. I loved Janelle, she's one of my favorite HG's of all time, but her game play sucks. Which is why despite all the wins, she never got any further than she did in three attempts. Aaryn on the other hand, is winning comps and playing a good game. Helen is playing the game like a politician, which should come as no surprise. She's build a very tight alliance with Elissa which would normally be a good thing except that Elissa is clueless, so Elissa is reduced to nothing more than a loyal vote. Amanda and McCrae are a much stronger alliance because they both have some concept of playing the game. There are some people who go into the BB house, who are intelligent people but they make the fatal flaw of trying to play the game as if it were real life, and it obviously is not. After Howard's lie over the MC, Helen lost all trust in him and was never going to seriously work with him, she took it personally. In real life that is a reasonable reaction, but not if you want to win BB. Howard was really a key player because he had influence over both Candice and Spencer, something no one took advantage of because no one is willing to rock the boat. If Helen had realized that and was able to put aside personal feelings, she could have teamed up with them, split the house and had a completely different game. As it is, she's just been twirling in the wind, thinking she's been in control, but really just set up to be taken down. It still remains to be seen how it will play out. It seems rather evident to me that of anyone Helen has received the most production support. She's the only one that stands to gain anything with the player coming back twist, essentially to save herself. Although I don't know what kind of comp she would be good at. I guess we'll find that out on Thursday.

Me too!

I would like to see Helen go this week but if I had to bet I'm thinking it's going to be Elissa who goes. Which means it's probably going to be between Jessie and Judd. Personally I'd love to see both come back, but if I had to pick one it would be Jessie which makes it an absolute certaintity that it will be Judd who comes back.

Elissa just has such a different perspective than anyone else, very self-centered and selfish. She feels a sense of entitlement, she should be treated differently(better) than the others. Maybe because of that, she is not as willing to sacrifice as much as the others. As the season began I wanted to like her and give her a chance and not judge her based on my opinion of her sister. But as far as the game goes, she is just a flat out dud, and she took the place of someone who could have really had their heart into playing the game. Elissa would fall in somewhere in my top ten diasters of BB. You may have a good point there...

Finally! Elissa being exposed for the holier-than-thou skank that she truly is. And all coming from Helen's fake breakdown. This is one of the best moments in BB history!

This is rather strange this year. Every other time they have done the "twist" to bring a player back, it's always been set up to bring an extreamly popular player back. Assuming it's going to be either Helen or Elissa as the 4th, I don't see any of the four as fitting that role. Personally I'd like it to be Jessie but I certainly can't make an argument that she is a fan favorite.

Sounds like it was written by the National Enquirer so obviously it must be true.....

Maybe not to the extent of holding a press conference or writting a book. But a tweet here or there, or some loose lips after a few drinks. I mean I appreciate what you are saying but I just think it's difficult to keep the lid on something if it's big enough. For that reason I think the manipulation is much more subtle. I also think that it's the same situation with Survivor, probably even more but we don't get the live feeds to see it all play out.

Elissa is very easily controllable, she is way out of her element here. If Helen goes before she does, which is the most likely scenario, Elissa will have to latch onto someone else to guide her through the game.

It's all about the ratings and that is a dynamic that evolves thoughout the season. The direct influence is obvious, Jeff winning the coup de tat, kept the most popular player in the game a few weeks longer. Same with sudden switch back to couples for one week, I think that was more about keeping Jordan in the game but it's what allowed Rachel to win that season. As well as the various times HG's have come back into the game, it's always a popular player because it's always about the ratings. As far as DR manipulation, I think it's much more psychological by the questions that are asked etc. If HG's were told directly what to do, after 15 seasons, someone would have spilled the beans despite NDA's. As far as having a predetermined winner at the start of the season, I think that is about the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard, because again its all about the ratings. And what would the reward be to the producers for having someone they know win? Always apply the test, if it sounds too good, good in this case being great gossip material, it's usually not true.

Helen is a master manipulator, one of the best. My wife said week 2 of the game that Helen was being set up for the win because of the way she was portrayed on the broadcasts was so much more positive than the reality seen on the live feeds. I don't think that anything has changed in that regard. She couldn't have, or didn't want to get rid of Amanda when she was on the block because it would have created too much chaos, much more difficult to control people when there is chaos. So she has to wait. However I think that Helen's downfall may turn out to be not keeping Jessie. She would have made a much needed vote when the great battle begins, and should have pulled Jessie in under her wing. I do think that you are correct, if Amanda becomes HOH she will put up Helen, I also think the same is true if Helen gets it at this point, she will put up Amanda. I disagree though on Amanda winning the game, I think she has absolutely zero chance. At this point I would say odds on favorite would be Aaryn and I think there is a good possiblity GM could be #2.

Every other power in the game, HOH, POV, there are consequences for using those powers. And then you move those powers outside of the house, there is absolutely no consequence at all for using them. The game of BB has aways been a balancing act, lie just enough to get yourself further, backstab just enough for the same reason. Cross the line and you fail, but find that "sweet spot" and you just might win the game. This season you have lackluster players because they are afraid of the unknown. You have other players displaying some of the worst of human behavior for the same reasons. This season of BB feels more like watching a cruel circus than it does watching a game.