GreatSaltLuke

I'd love a working link too. Sucks being a westerner and always watching it late.

You guys must not have been paying attention last season. EVERYONE loved BotB! Remember the article on the front page of the New York Times that it was the best reality show twist ever! Remember how the ratings nosedived as soon as they ended the twist? And then there were all the attempted suicides from hardcore fans when they went back to one HOH. And Grodner's off season greatest twist poll on CBS.com that brought the site down for several days due to the masses of fans voting for BotB over and over. Make no mistake, BotB is America's favorite twist of all time!

I agree that keeping HGs from getting complacent is a worthy goal but it seems like this would have the opposite effect to me. Even if an HG isn't in a good position in the house, winning HOH is probably only gonna make it worse if their nomination will be the HOH next week. I just picture every HG trying to throw every HOH, which doesn't exactly make for exciting viewing. This is an idea I posted in another topic but I think it could really work well with your idea. Give the HOH two weeks of safety instead of one. This would solve the problem of HOH being strategic suicide while also providing the nice back and forth power struggle your idea adds.

I heard on Rob's podcast that Liz's sister had her twitter account locked just like her but they aren't twins, just sisters that look similar. I hope it's something other than 2 returning players but I'm actually ready for an all stars next season. I think one out of every four seasons is a nice balance and we haven't had a full all stars for almost a decade now.

I still like final 2 as I like the drama when one person has to pick who they're going with. Your last idea is interesting though. It could really help prevent a majority alliance from just running through the house. I imagine pawns would be used constantly. The only problem is, who the hell would ever want to win HOH if one of their nominations are guaranteed to have the power the next week?

I think it has a lot more to do with less preseason traffic here at Morty's than usual rather than the cast. Audrey is getting as much mainstream buzz as anyone I can remember in BB history going in. Hopefully things will pick up here a lot after the season gets going.

Chris- If you've got the dedication and equipment you'll need I'd love to listen to the podcast and contribute in any way I can. If it is going to have conversational elements obviously you need at least one other person whether it's a co-host or sidekick or guest of the episode, etc. I personally am chasing my toddler around by myself every weekday night until close to bedtime so I wouldn't be able to guarantee my full attention during the evening. However, I've heard many podcasts that have a host and up to five or so regulars that sometimes are able to make it and sometimes aren't but the podcast doesn't depend on any one person being there for the episode (except you of course). You'd just have to have strict rules about not talking over each other. Please keep us informed of your progress!

What kind of podcast are you thinking of doing? A conversational podcast or a feed update podcast or a sound clips of the week type of show? I'm an avid podcast listener and have learned that it is quite a big undertaking putting out a weekly (or more frequent) podcast and admire people that are good at it. Rob Cesternino puts out a very good BB podcast three nights a week but it is his full time job and he's a very good talker. Also, do you have all the equipment needed?

I watched all the intro videos and am not super impressed either, though I've found intro videos aren't all that informative when it comes to how these people will interact and play. I'm not too happy with the lack of diversity in ages. I really enjoy them throwing at least a couple older people into the mix as I can't think of many instances where this didn't add to the overall appeal of a cast. This narrow age range and inclusion of mostly "single and ready to mingle" people means they are obviously pushing really hard for showmances this year. I'm not anti-showmance or anything but it really narrows the options for strategic play, which I don't like. And they also chose really cocky people. I don't see any super likeable people that I'm rooting for right off the bat yet except maybe Austin, who is a likely early boot. At least half of the women seem to have the exact same personality. Here are my first impressions of everyone: Audrey- Can't knock her for not being an interesting choice. She could be the star of the season if she kept her cool but I detect a very volatile temper and predict she will bring serious drama. Austin- Most interesting male personality IMO and my first impression person I will root for. He seems to have a good sense of humor and is pretty humble despite an interesting past. I sure hope he plays more subtley than putting on a hat to lie though... Becky, Da'Vonne, Liz, Shelli, Meg- I seriously have to combine all these women because their personalities were so similar I can barelly even remember what was different about them. They were all attractive, loud, seemed fairly self-centered, and appear to be aspiring actress types with a pretty high likelyhood for a short-term shomance that goes no where. Clay- Ugh, the stereotypical brainless pretty boy! He reminds me of Colby Donaldson from Survivor without the charisma. Don't care for him at all. He'll probably end up in a showmance and do whatever the woman says. Jace- Cocky and full of himself to the extreme and can't even sit still he is so addicted to stimulation! Everything I hate about the new generation of young people. James- I have never seen an Asian redneck in my life so I can't say he's not something unique but he seems like just a nice guy that is completey clueless about what he's getting into. It might be another Lawon. Jason- Holy Moly this dude is all kinds of creepy and it has nothing to do with him being gay. He seems like a spazzy mess who can't sit still and looks at you with serial killer eyes. Dunno quite what to make of him but interested to see more. John- Seems like almost as much of a personality black hole as Clay and James but hopefully capable of a little more stragically than them. He seems kind of awkward socially though, which is a running theme for the guys. Steve- I'm reasonably intrigued by this guy, mostly due to lack of other options. He's obviously got some smarts and I do enjoy a player who acts like a helpless puppydog while stabbing people in the back left and right behind the scenes. He is possibly cabable of the most interesting gameplay this season on the men's side. Vanessa- This girl has villain written all over her and that sounds good to me. She does have a fairly impressive history on the pro poker tour and lots of poker skills are transferrable to this game such as lying with a straight face. I hope she really embraces the role of the villian and orchestrates some interesting moves this season as there are so few true female power players in BB's history compared to males.

Yes, you will have to cancel. You are signing up for a monthy subscription that will continue to bill you until you cancel, like Netflix. I'm actually pretty happy about them rolling it into All Access because it isn't any more expensive and you can watch any season of any show. Pretty sweet way to get some extra value out of your subscription this year.

I'm a few months late but that's a bummer. On the bright side it's much better to get HIV today than a couple decades ago. Dick obviously lives a high risk lifestyle and there was a good chance that this or cancer or heart disease or drug overdose or something was gonna afflict him eventually. For my own selfish reasons, I'm glad the biggest mystery in BB history was solved. It was so easy to tell that his story about leaving BB13 because a friend needed help was complete BS that my curiosity had been driving me nuts about it for years. It's a shame we missed out on the chance to see him play a 2nd time.

They don't even have enough winners to fill out a cast let alone winners that would actually be willing to do it again. Anyways, if they do an all-stars, I think Nicole and Derrick are the only ones I'd want to see back from last season. Nicole just had a really unique and quirky likeability that I find really rare and I still consider Derrick the best all around BB player of all time, even though he had an unfair advantage with his entire career pretty much sculpting him for BB. I'm curious if he could make it to the end again if everyone went into it knowing he was an undercover cop.

Oh yeah that 2 HOH thing was awful! And the season before where the HOH might not have any of their nominations go home. I don't know what is up with this trend of making winning HOH completely undesirable but I sure hope it stops this season. They need to make it more desirable not less.

I'd like to see them get rid of not only slop but have nots altogether. The Have Not competition is such a bore that I can barely be bothered watching it. It makes no difference strategically in the game and slop just makes people lethargic so they lay around all day. Certainly they could think of something more entertaining for the Sunday episode comp. Maybe a comp to give someone a small power for the week like two votes or something. As long as it actually makes some difference in the game. Also, I'd like to see more of an incentive for winning HOH. I'm sick of seeing almost everyone in the house try to throw the HOH competition every week so they never have to deal with getting blood on their hands. Then whoever does win it is inevitably targeted the next week, which is what always leaves us with floaters at the end of the game. I'd like to see the HOH get safety for two weeks for at least the first half of the game. It's a huge risk and ought to come with a huge reward.

That's true. Still, I know one of the first things he will do when get gets out is google it and that will be pretty funny. Anyways, Caleb has really bounced back from his stalker days to be the house's comedic relief instead of resident creep. I personally find his cartoonishly big ego kind of endearing at this point.

Derrick is such a smooth talker I'm not too worried about his ability to convince the jury to vote for him against anyone. I'm not sure he even needs to bring up how much he controlled/manipulated the house. He could probably win against any of them just playing the humble card that he plays so well. He's already got everyone thinking he needs the money most anyways. And he did a great job of buttering up each jury member he sent out of the house so I can't imagine they are trash talking him the way they are the others. I think he's got it in the bag as long as he makes it there.

Was just reading Hamsterwatch and found it funny that they just refer to Frankie as Neapolitan Ice Cream Cone.

You guys are all just haters that are jealous of Vic's amazing gameplay and comp skills. She said it herself last night. She is the warrior princess and she is also Batman with her trusty sidekick Robin (Derrick).

Not to mention that if you Google Beast Mode Cowboy, what you get is an urban dictionary definition of "A state of mind that produces an energetic, outgoing, sexual attraction to farm animals."

Watching Derrick on the feeds right now as Victoria sits there basking in his presence with complete admiration and gratitude as he butters her up for her eviction like he wants nothing more than to save her but is just so powerless to stop those brutes getting rid of her. She is gushing all over him like she's the luckiest girl in the world to be talking to him. Now granted Victoria might gush over a pretty coffee cup but still no one even comes close to this guy for gameplay. He should be paid large sums of money to teach seminars on how to play Big Brother.

Although this has been in my mind as a growing possibility throughout the season, I now feel I have seen enough to write this: Derrick is the most skilled player that has ever played this game. Previously, I was giving this distinction to Dan but after going back and watching BB10 again over the last couple weeks, I feel like Dan's game wasn't as perfect as I remembered it. In both seasons (especially BB14) he really ticked off jury members when I don't think it was completely necessary. Also, I forgot how much everyone hated Memphis and considered Dan the lesser of two evils. I wonder if he would have beaten Jerry. Dan is a lot more of a showman than Derrick and goes out of his way to make great TV by pulling lots of big, flashy moves (replacement nominee roulette, Dan’s funeral, etc) and he always does his best to explain his gameplay in the DR and even gives his fans little winks to the camera here and there in the house so he us much more fun to watch and likeable from a fan perspective. But Derrick is just phenomenal in terms of manipulating people and massaging the jury. Dan gets himself out of crazy predicaments but Derrick never gets into them in the first place. He’s got that house locked down like no player I’ve never seen. He’s got everyone in the house rooting for him to win but also not perceiving him as any kind of threat (huh?). He can talk anyone into and out of anything. His damage control skills are unmatched. He is controlling absolutely everything that happens in the game without a drop of blood on his hands. Everyone that leaves the house thinks Derrick was the one person trying to save them. This guy is so good I think his game is much more comparable to Boston Rob (who I think is the best ever Survivor player) than anyone that has played BB.

1. Nicole 2. Derrick 3. Zach 4. Donny 5. Brittany 6. Hayden 7. Amber 8. Caleb 9. Cody 10. Devin 11. Victoria 12. Joey 13. Frankie 14. Paola 15. Jocasta 16. Christine I chose Nicole #1 for likeability and Derrick #2 for gameplay. Nicole is my favorite female player in a while and is cute, quirky, smart, humble, classy and just genuinely seems like a good person. Likeable females seem so few and far between on BB so that makers her more special. Derrick is one of the best BB players I've ever seen... up there with Dan I think. Not nearly as charismatic but I love skilled gameplay. Christine is one of my most hated HGs ever. I just find her extremely cold, like she is incapable of feeling empathy and has no conscience. She seems like kind of a pathological liar who stabbed her best friend in the back (Nicole) without remorse and constantly disrespects her husband by getting touchy feely with Cody even though there really doesn't seem to be any strategic reason for it. Usually I'm just indifferent to my least favorite players but with her I actually have an active dislike for her.

Shelly Moore said on Rob Has A Podcast that they haven't been doing endurance comps (at least the standing/hanging kind) due to Frankie's medical issues with his circulation. It's really lame they would remove everyone's favorite type of competition from the show just to cater to some pop star's brother.

But anyone who is a fan of this game should know that the majority of scheming and strategy happens during the night. Going to bed before midnight you are going to miss probably 75% of all game talk. The only way to have a chance at forming alliances and prevent people from putting your name out there as a possible target is to actually be present. Andy Herron was an expert at being present in as many group conversations as possible, making it extremely difficult to strategize against him. I think it's one of the most important aspects of going far in this game.

1.Predict something one particular hg's will do on the eviction night tv show.... They will all be dreadfully chummy and boring... at least until the double eviction is announced. 2.Who do you want to see be the second person evicted during double eviction show and at whose hand? Would love to see Derrick get anyone's blood on his hands but he will throw it guaranteed. Christine at the hands of Cody would be pretty good. 3.Which final two paring is your ideal match up at this point? Derrick/Caleb are the most deserving F2 I think. Thank goodness we are getting a DE to spice things up a bit as the last two weeks of feeds have been just dreadful!