Blog: Fish In A Barrel by Fuskie

[Fuskie]

 

 

Fish In A Barrel by Fuskie

 

What many Big Brother fans love is being able to pick apart the HG and their games (or lack there of) and with a house full of All-Stars, finding something to say about the Big Brother USA Season 22 HG should be like shooting fish in a barrel. So let's see what mischief we can get into this season!  And I want to know what you think about the HG as well, so please tell me when I'm right or wrong.

 

bigstock-Goldfish-in-a-fishbowl-12357248.webp

[Fuskie]

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Yes, the All-Star HG are older, some chronologically, some in terms of maturity, and just worn by experience. Some are trying to revisit their glory days, some are trying to chart an old path, some are falling into the arms of the HG they played with previously, and some are promising to be a new and improved HG but we're still waiting or either.

 

There are some other BB Alumn I would have liked to have seen in the house this season. Eric Stein from Season 8, who was a masterful America's Player but has never played the game for himself.  I would have liked to have seen someone from BB1 try to play the game they way it began to evolve in Season 2 - maybe Curtis, who was likable, smart, and at age 48, would have fit in at the top of the age range. Forget Dr. Will from BB2 - how about Monica, Hardy, Bunky or Shannon? Who wouldn't have wanted to see Danielle from BB3 return to the Big Brother House, or Marcellas to redeem himself? 

 

I'd love to get Season 4's David & Amanda back in the BB House just to see how awkward it is - does he still look like Donny Osmond? From Season 5, wouldn't it be fun to see Cowboy saddle up again with Drew (W) or Diane, or to see if Jase and Enzo mesh or clash? Along those lines, how about a Ronnie/Russell reunion from BB11? OK, maybe not.  Hayden from BB12 (W) would be a nice returnee, or have him host a comp just so we can see him again, shirtless. Similarly, ratings would have gone up if Jordan had returned to the BB House (Seasons 11 and 13(W). Nobody wanted to see Season 16's Frankie again, but I'd have taken Donny & Joey over Cody any day - Nicole A needs a luminescent friend.  

 

From BB17, James and Clay would have been better than D'Vonne, though it would have also been fun to see BB insert Liz and Julia as a repeat of the Twin Twist that none of the All-Stars would have seen coming.  From Season 19, I'd have left Christmas in December and returned Ramses and Cameron - just because I want to see more brains in the house than brawn for a change. From Season 20, I would have liked to have seen Swaggy over Bayleigh, and Sam over Tyler. And finally, from Season 21, how about the Jack Attack?

 

There is nobody from Season 9 or 15 that I want to ever see again. Assuming they've been paroled. 

 

What really bums me out about the first week, however, is that despite it being an "all-stars" season, the game is unfolding pretty predictably. Sure, we're seeing the initial week of the HG in the BB House for the first time in 20 years and 22 seasons, but when it came down to it, the house divided into the predictably high school in-crowd and outsiders, with the jocks and beauties lining up, and the the house goes after the weakest link, i.e. easiest option to avoid getting any (and I hate this phrase,) blood on their hands. These are All-Stars and Cody should have gone after Memphis, Dani, Ian or Tyler, someone who is a competitive threat.  

 

Instead, we got a unanimous house vote, where even those (Janelle, Kaysar) who were in the minority were too afraid to stand up for their votes but instead caved to peer pressure. As I said, some things never change.

 

Fuskie

Who was hoping for something better in week 2 but it already looks like Memphis will be grabbing after low hanging fruit rather than reaching for the All-Stars with his HoH...

[Zzzing904]

Hugely controversial statement - I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THEM DROP RACHEL INTO THIS GROUP! - This group needs some spice.  They also need a really smart social player.  

 

I am really disappointed in Memphis right now.  He's not repping my state well. I am hoping Dani steps up soon.  

[Fuskie]

I think Ian is a really smart social player. And David could be if given a chance. I know there's a segment that doesn't think he deserves to be an All-Star, but while he was living in Camp Comeback, he totally had the house figured out and he was putting himself in a great position should he battle back into the game. Unfortunately it didn't work out. And yes, both Memphis and Cody remain under the delusion that they were essential to Dan and Derrick's wins and they were, but not strategically. They were the dumb muscle who bought into the idea of partnership but they were never in charge or even in control.  

 

With Rachel, I think she would be very similar to Janelle - she's lost a step with age, the game is different then when she last played, and the rest of the house would be targeting her right off the bat because she's a strong, independent woman who doesn't take crap from anyone but will dish it out to anyone. Well, Janelle doesn't dish so much, but you get the idea.

 

Fuskie

Who would like to see more smart social players who can really turn the game over on the alpha brawn players that always seem to dominate the game's early weeks...

 

 

[WOC]

I would have liked to see Jason Guy from season 3 or Jun Song from season 4 back. But that's just me. The game has changed a lot over the years and these players probably wouldn't stand a chance now. 

 

[Fuskie]

Jason would have been interesting. Some of it is we would just like to see how our favorite HG from seasons past are doing. 

 

Fuskie

Who thinks the chances of Jun coming back to BB are about as good as BB5's Maggie or Ivette...

[WOC]

On 8/20/2020 at 3:14 PM, Fuskie said:

Jason would have been interesting. Some of it is we would just like to see how our favorite HG from seasons past are doing. 

 

Fuskie

Who thinks the chances of Jun coming back to BB are about as good as BB5's Maggie or Ivette...

 

I agree. I looked Jun up on FB a few years ago and asked why she doesn't come back. She was living in Holland (with her hubby and kids) and she didn't really seem interested in playing again. She was really nice. She cooked her way to the end and no way would that work nowadays. It's kinda funny that David thought his housekeeping might work for him now.

[Fuskie]

Ian had never been nominated before, let alone evicted, or even been interviewed by Julie Chen Moonves from outside the BB House, so it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the Jury House will be a new experience for him. At least he gets first choice at bedrooms.

 

It was a 5-3 vote, with Nicole being too weak to go against The Committee, despite it being to her and Dani's advantage to break up The Committee. The six person alliance had done its job, to get to the Jury evictions, and not it's time to go. But these HG don't know how to pivot. They only understand one way to play the game - bulldoze through it with as little thought as possible. 

 

Everything they do is to protect the status quo and nobody tries to improve their game. It's so defensive that it's offensive. To us fans.

 

If Dani and Nicole had voted to evict Tyler, and instead formed a new 6 person alliance with Ian, Kevin, Da'Vonne and David, where they would be at the top instead of the bottom as they are on The Committee, then they would have been able to dominate the second half of the game. The Committee would be reduced to Memphis, Cody and Christmas, with Enzo tagging along because he would be all alone. 

 

That's a 6-4 numbers game, even if you don't know what a Prime Number is. 

[Fuskie]

It was a whirlwind of surprise for the HG, who had been expecting a Double Eviction but until a production mistake (they saw the digital wall behind Julie Chen Moonves saying TRIPLE EVICTION) they had no idea of the full impact of what was coming, that by the end of the night, the house would be reduced in size by 1/3. 

First, after five nominations, Kevin was finally unanimously evicted 6-0. Next, Memphis won HoH and nominated David and Nicole. Christmas finally got to play in a Veto comp and won, then refused to use the Veto to save her bestie, Nicole. By a narrow vote of 3-2 (Tyler and Dani voted to evict Nicole), David quickly left the BB House.

Then Julie Chen Moonves confirmed what production had leaked, there was another whole hour of Big Brother ahead and a third eviction. This time, Tyler won both HoH and Veto, nominating Nicole and Dani, then keeping nominations the same. By a 4-0 vote, Dani was evicted and Nicole survived two eviction votes in one night. 

That leaves your Final Six as Enzo, Memphis, Nicole, Tyler, Cody and Christmas.

 

For all the excitement of a Triple Eviction night, it was frustrating that the same HG winning comps, with Memphis earning his 3rd HoH and Tyler his 2nd, and Christmas and Tyler winning their second Powers of Veto. 

 

With first blood drawn in The Committee, there's a chance that Enzo can sit back as they take each other out. Nicole has a bone to pick with Tyler, who admitted to her that he voted to evict her over David. Cody may perceive Tyler's nomination of Cody as an indirect attack against himself. With David gone, Memphis no longer has a purpose in the game. And Christmas would back-stab anyone in the house if given the chance, except perhaps Tyler if she still thinks he's her ride-or-die.

 

With Nicole and Christmas the only remaining women in the house, I see an all-male Final 3.  And it's the women's own fault for letting the guys dictate the actions of The Committee. Memphis, Cody and Tyler have been driving the eviction decisions and Dani, Christmas and Nicole all let them take lead. Whatever happened to strong women in the BB house? 

 

So yeah, there's an 83% chance that a member of The Committee will win Big Brother Season 22 All-Stars, and a 66% chance that it will be a guy. But I think there are a lot of harsh feelings. Five members of the 9 member Jury watched as The Committee coasted through the game. Yes they won comps, but they never played a full, strategic or social game. For every HoH who justified a nomination on an HG's to talk game with them is also guilty of being unapproachable and closed off to talking game outside their alliance. These are things Jury members take with them and stew upon in the Jury House. Will it get you further in the game? Perhaps. Is it good jury management? Probably not.

 

When feeds returned last night, Cody had won his third HoH, tying Memphis. Assuming The Committee is now defunct, let's take a look at Cody's alliances. 

 

Within The Committee, Cody and Memphis had formed The Commission. Cody also has a Final 2 with Tyler, and a Final 3 (Triple Thr3at) with Tyler and Enzo.

 

Cody was in the Core Four with Dani, Nicole and Enzo, but with Dani gone, Cody still has F2 deals with Nicole and Enzo. Of course, Cody also had a F2 deal with Dani so we know how strong Cody's deals are.

 

Cody is a member of The Wise Guys #1 with Memphis and Enzo and is aware of, but not part of, the second Wise Guys between Memphis, Christmas and Enzo.

 

It would appear that Enzo and Memphis are Cody's closest allies. That leaves Nicole, Christmas and Tyler. Outside of The Committee, he has no alliance, deal or understanding with Christmas. He could also target Tyler or Nicole. Dani made sure to call out Tyler and Christmas in her eviction speech, and Nicole will certainly encourage him to follow up on that information, though she would probably rather see Tyler evicted (he voted for her, nominated her, failed to use the Veto on her).

 

My prediction is that The Wise Guys (Cody, Memphis and Enzo) will reconfirm their F3 deal and could make it to the end if they can continue dominating the comps. Of course, that would require Enzo step up his comp game. And Tyler could could throw a wrench into those plans if he wins Veto this week.

[Fuskie]

Bye bye Tyler
We're gonna miss you so
Bye bye Tyler
Why'd ya have to go?
(Bye bye)

 

No more sunshine (no sunshine)
It's followed you away (you away)
We'll cry Tyler (Tyler)
Till you're with Angela to stay

We'll miss the way you smile
As though it's just for us
And each and every night
We'll vote you for Most Favorte HG
(Bye bye Tyler )

 

Bye bye Tyler
It's awful hard to bear
Bye bye Tyler
Guess We'll always care
Guess We'll always ca-a-a-a-are
Guess We'll always carrrrrrrre

[Fuskie]

Cody knows that Memphis would choose Enzo over him, so it is not in his best interest to evict Christmas. Enzo knows Memphis would pick him over Cody, but doesn't think he could beat him with the Jury. Here's how I see the F4 shaping  up:

 

• Cody's best chance is to win F4 HoH and hope Christmas is evicted. 
• Enzo's best chance is to win F4 HoH and hope Cody is evicted. 
• Nicole's best chance is win F4 Veto.to bolster her comp creds for the jury.
• Christmas's best chance is to win F4 HoH, and if not, winning Veto. Otherwise, I don't think anyone would want her in the F3.
• As for Memphis, last night, Enzo, Cody and Nicole were in HoH talking about Christmas's chances in F4, so it sounds like they've made up their mind.

 

We'll find out tonight!

[Fuskie]

Enzo stepped up big time to earn his spot in the Final 3 and will be the last to occupy the HoH room. And he will be the first (and possibly only) HG to have gone the whole season without being nominated and not part of a house-consuming alliance.

His choices for nomination are Nicole, Christmas or Cody. But it doesn't really matter - all four will play for Veto on Saturday and whomever wins will cast the sole vote to evict. 

If Enzo nominates Cody and Nicole (the last pair in the game), and Cody wins Veto, he'll save himself and Christmas will go on the block by default. Cody will then decide whether Nicole or Christmas is evicted. If Nicole wins Veto, then Cody will still be the default replacement, and Nicole will send either Cody or Christmas to the Jury. If Christmas wins Veto, she cannot use it (since she would now be safe and guaranteed F3), so she will then decide whether to send Cody or Nicole out the door.

Now let's say Enzo nominates Christmas and Nicole (the last women in the game), and Christmas wins Veto, she'll save herself and Cody will go on the block by default. Christmas will then decide whether Nicole or Cody is evicted. If Nicole wins Veto, then Cody will be the default replacement, and Nicole will send either Cody or Christmas to the Jury. If Cody wins Veto, he cannot use it (since he would now be safe and guaranteed F3), so he will then decide whether to send Christmas or Nicole out the door.

Next, if Enzo nominates Cody and Christmas (the two biggest comp threats), and Cody wins Veto, he'll save himself and Nicole will go on the block by default. Cody will then decide whether Nicole or Christmas is evicted. If Christmas wins Veto, then Nicole will be the default nominee, and Christmas will send either Cody or Nicole to the Jury. If Nicole wins Veto, she cannot use it (since she would now be safe and guaranteed F3), so she will then decide whether to send Cody or Christmas out the door.

Lastly, if Enzo continues the trend this season of the HoH winning Veto (6 times so far, do I hear 7?), then it won't matter who he nominates initially. He can use the Veto to determine who will face eviction and who will have the sole vote to evict. He could then make a deal with one of the nominees to save them (and guarantee them F3) in exchange voting out his target and a Final 2 promise, or leave the nominations the same in exchange for voting out his target and a Final 2 promise.

The bottom line is that it doesn't matter who Enzo nominates. This week, it's all about the Veto and the Final 2 deals.

[Fuskie]

One thing I think Cody does well is make you feel like you have his attention when you are talking to him. You feel like he is taking your strategy gambit seriously, even when he turns around and dismisses it in the DR. I think that is a big social game factor and will help him in the jury. This is a big Derick influence because he was the same way - he never let his evictees feel dumb, gullible or betrayed.

 

Enzo has a similar strategy where he animatedly makes you feel like he is agreeing with whatever you say, like he is on your side. You feel safe in confiding in him and divulging information, which he in turn shares to his advantage.  He has used technique to subtly guide HoHs and Veto holders to take actions benefiting him and more importantly, keeping the attention off him, making him not only never nominated but also without a large alliance to protect him.

[Fuskie]

Nicole won HoH Part I and Cody won HoH Part II. Either Cody or Nicole will win the Final HoH, leaving Enzo's game entirely in their hands. He doesn't think either will take him and is just counting the days until he can go home and watch movies with his kids. Neither Cody nor Nicole are celebrating, however, as both have hard decisions ahead of them. Will they stay loyal to each other and possibly give away their game? Or do they break their F2 and take Enzo to give them a better chance of winning? They'll have 4 days to make up their minds.

[Fuskie]

Last night, Enzo asked his family to tell the kids if he gets cut, it will be because either Nicole or Cody were afraid he would win. And if he is cut, the kids should look away because he'll go off on whoever cuts him. He still doesn't think Cody will cut him. Cody has been careful to accept what Enzo says but not confirm or commit his F2 deal. Best I can tell, Nicole hasn't given him any reason to think she would pick him if she wins Part III. Yes, it is the logical argument that Enzo would be easier to beat and clearly he's playing for 2nd place right now. But his real anger isn't at his housemates but himself for not pulling through at the end to control his own destiny. There comes a time when every middle-aged person realizes their body just isn't young anymore, and it is often a hard truth to accept.

 

Enzo was last to bed last night, with Nicole quick to sleep. She has been practicing her jury speech against Cody. Not so much practicing a speech against Enzo, though her explanation of her game could fit either opponent. Read into this what you want. After a PBJ sandwich, Cody was next to sign off for his last night in the BB House. He and Enzo deflated Moolan so the air cow could be packed. Enzo also took a couple of the ducks from the WA. I expect Nicole and Cody have secreted a few other souvenirs from their All-Star season.

 

Enzo was the last to bed, contemplating his fate in the Showmance Lounge and later in the Wash Area. It was there that he issued is caution to his kids and his threat to not go quietly into the Jury. He could be a bitter juror, delivering a vote to whomever loses Part III. Or it could just be frustration at his own performance at the end. And while it may seem like Cody and Nicole's F2 bond is tight, anything could happen in the live moment tonight. I suspect the real campaign will begin this afternoon after the HG say goodbye on the live feed.

 

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[Fuskie]

OK, the season is over, and I can finally get to sleep again without the HG talking in the background on the feeds. Especially over this last week, it seemed the HG were getting more sleep than I was. I thank the hundreds of you who have read my blog this season. I didn't post as often as I wanted - at one point during the last 85 days, I had 3 paying jobs and 2 additional volunteer jobs, my role with Morty's TV being one. I wish you had commented more and shared your own views and perspective, though - this is much more fun when it is interactive.

 

There are a couple of observations that I wanted to address. First, a lot of people have said that Enzo was a poor loser because of his blow-up after Part II of the final HoH. First of all, the entire Big Brother house is a pressure cooker (not just the Season 6 HoH comp), and the HG experience unbelievable levels of stress. It's no accident that most HG have problems with acne that they haven't seen since their adolescent years. There are also some who say the HG still act like adolescents, but that's a different string to follow. I think this was more of a case of Enzo coming to a realization that his 42 year old middle-aged body isn't his 32 year old body or his 22 year old body. Some people take longer to realize they are no longer young and it can when you can't relive your BB experience; you have to live a new one.

 

But during those late nights watching the HG, Enzo was really upset with himself. He was indeed disappointed by his comp performance and embarrassed by his reaction after the Part II competition. He was concerned not that his kids would be ashamed of him because he did not slay the end of the game, but that they would be worried about him because he was so down. It is not easy to make a kid ashamed of their parents (until they become teenagers, in which case everything you do is designed to embarrass them!) and I expect they were more excited about watching their father on TV and their friends seeing their father on TV. Yes, they will be disappointed he did not perform better and this will be a lesson on how to deal with situations when things don't go your way. But I expect they will be more looking forward to some kick-ass Christmas gifts this year, and I'm not talking about Christmas Abbott.

 

Second, a lot of people swore off the end of the season after Cody won Part II. It's over, Enzo will get 3rd, Enzo should have evicted Nicole and Cody when he could, etc. If Enzo had voted out Nicole over Dani, then there's a good chance that Cody would have followed soon after because the Cody/Nicole dynamic was a big factor in the game. Without Nicole, Cody would have been seen as a comp threat and targeted next as The Committee broke apart. It's possible that Tyler and Christmas could have been in the F3, and there's no guarantee that Enzo would have joined them, but it's a move that Enzo could have and should have taken credit for, yet he didn't point out that he cemented loyalty with Nicole and Cody by not voting out Nicole. Furthermore, he made sure Cody knew he had saved his and Nicole's games and pointed the finger at Tyler. That was a turning point and a game move Enzo could have and should have stood on with the Jury.

 

The one mistake that I think Enzo did make was to not nominate Cody and Christmas in the F4. Enzo was playing the loyalty card (and maybe that contributed to Cody's decision to take him to the F2) but it also took away Enzo's opportunity to claim he was the only one in the F2 to never have been nominated. And sorry Cody, not winning Final HoH is not the same thing as being nominated. For the first time in BB History, 2 HG who never saw the chopping block were in the Final 2. There was little at the end under Enzo's control, but that was. Would it have been enough for Cody to have picked Nicole instead of him? Possibly but I don't think so. I think Cody based his decision more on Nicole being a previous winner and Enzo's need to support his kids.

 

Which brings me to my third observation. Enzo played all his bets on Cody. He barely talked game with Nicole in this last week and seemed resigned to the fact that she would never not take Cody to the F2 if she won. He did talk with Cody extensively, deepening their pro-bond and doing his best to make Cody emotionally invested in taking him. He said last night that if Cody cut him, he was going to blow up. That was mostly talk because Enzo faces adversity with humor rather than confrontation, but it showed where his head was at. Unable to control his own destiny, he was trying to will Cody into picking him.

 

At the same time, as you saw during the highlights in the finale, Nicole promised Cody in no uncertain terms that she was taking him if she won Part III no matter what. What you never saw, and what I never observed, was Cody in any way shape or form reciprocating the same level of commitment to their F2 deal. Neither would Cody confirm to Enzo, though he never contradicted Enzo's talking as if Cody had already chosen him. And while I couldn't be 100% sure what Cody would do, it did not surprise me at all that he sent Nicole out to the Jury and chose Enzo to sit next to him. In fact, I would have been surprised had Cody done anything else.

 

Just one more thought. We know Cody became only the second winner of Big Brother USA by unanimous jury vote, the other being Dan Gheesling from BB10.  Derrick Levasseur was never nominated in the season he won, but his decision was not unanimous, with Cody receiving 2 votes to win. What makes Cody's accomplishment more meaningful is that while Cody was never nominated this season, Dan had been twice nominated (and once removed by Veto) during his season. And if that wasn't significant enough, Dan's unanimous vote came from a season with a 7 member jury, so Cody's unanimous vote had two additional votes.

 

Does this put Cody into the top echelon of BB winners? Dr. Will, considered many the best BB player ever (overrated in my book - he was just the first to understand the game) neither avoided the block nor earned a unanimous vote. Those who claim that Cody strategized preseason with Derek will probably say no. Some are already saying that Derek was the real winner of Big Brother Season 22 All-Stars. I say hogwash. Making it to the F2 without being nominated is already a major accomplishment (even though Enzo also did it this season), but getting a unanimous vote on top of that is something no other BB USA Winner has achieved. Derek didn't do that. Dan couldn't do that.  

 

Cody Calafiore did.

 

And that's why he's the greatest Big Brother Player to have played the game (so far). Bring on Big Brother Season 23.