Big Brother Season 26 - Episode 29 - Power of Veto

[Fuskie]

Previously on Big Brother, the Houseguests had barely reacted to Quinn's eviction when they were introduced to JANKIE, an A.I. companion who promised a week of fun. However, when they stepped into the backyard, they discovered it had been transformed into a carnival, complete with games, sweet treats, and a dance floor. The twist? They were locked in the backyard for the week, forced to endure the endless fun. 

Leah won the "Getting Toasted" endurance competition, securing the Head of Household title. She immediately targeted the Trio of Kimo, Rubina, and T’kor, nominating Kimo and Rubina, reasoning that their alliance was too strong with so few competitors remaining.

After nominations, JANKIE sent the Houseguests straight into a dance party, contributing to the tension. In the Diary Room, Leah explained that her decision was purely strategic — she wanted to weaken the Trio of Kimo, T'kor and Rubina. 

Kimo and Rubina were not shocked by the nominations, as they had not built strong game relationships with Leah. Meanwhile, Chelsie, who had evicted Leah’s closest ally the previous week, was relieved to avoid the chopping block.

Leah surprised the Houseguests with a humorous confession, identifying as a “certified chubby-chaser,” which lifted the mood briefly. However, Angela felt guilty at Kimo's nomination, having twice voted against the House for Kimo to go home. Turning guilt into strategy, she subtly planted the idea in Leah's head that T’kor should replace Kimo on the block, positioning T’kor as the true target in the game.

Despite the AI's effervescent optimism, life in JANKIE World wasn’t all fun and games. The Houseguests, tired of the endless pizza and ice cream meals, and never-ending sing-a-longs and dance parties, began to feel the strain. Makensy, in particular, struggled with homesickness, becoming emotional on her dad’s 50th birthday. As soon as the Houseguests started to offer emotional support, JANKIE awkwardly threw another dance party, turning a moment of vulnerability into a theater of the absurd.

The game continued with the selection of the Veto players. Leah chose Angela, Kimo chose Chelsie, and Rubina chose T’kor. Chelsie and Makensy strategized to ensure T’kor would lose, fearing she’d save Kimo or Rubina. T’kor was eager to compete but knew that her winning would force a tough decision. Her real goal was to make sure as the Veto winner, she could not be a replacement nominee. 

The Veto competition challenged the Houseguests to fit pieces of candy (painted wooden discs of different sizes, into the lid of a jar, with the fastest player winning the Golden Power of Veto, and the second-place finisher receiving the JANKIE Veto. 

Throughout the competition, Angela muttered loudly to herself, talking her way through the puzzle. Rubina in particular was annoyed, and possibly distracted, by the ongoing narrative. In the end, Angela secured the first-place Veto, celebrating her win with an exclamation of, “I can do things!” 

While Angela danced and celebrated, the remaining five players remembered they still had to continue competing. Leah took second place, earning the JANKIE Veto, which would work just like a regular Veto but only if Leah won a JANKIE game at the start of the Veto meeting. Chelsie worried that this created a potential scenario where all three members of the Trio could be saved, which put Chelsie and Makensy at risk.

After the competition, Kimo reflected on the Trio’s failure to win despite having two chances at safety. T’kor expressed her disappointment to Rubina, while Angela began working on damage control with Kimo, telling him not to worry about being on the block but keeping her plans vague. He realized she was telling him without telling him that she might save him, but he worried that she was too unpredictable to get his hopes up.

JANKIE World continued its torturous cycle of forced fun, with more dance parties, sing-a-longs, pizza, and ice cream. Kimo, seeking to secure his position, approached Leah with a deal, pointing out that there was another Trio of Chelsie, Cam, and Makensy. He suggested that they were a bigger threat since his Trio had not actually won anything, suggesting they had no power in the game and were just friends.

Leah considered this but knew, having already told Makensy she'd be safe and promised safety to Cam during the HoH competition, that if she made a move against the second Trio, Chelsie would be the only one who could go up. Angela, eager to use her Veto on Kimo, got Leah’s tentative approval, setting the stage for a showdown between T’kor and Rubina. Either way, someone from the Trio would be evicted.

But if she was able to activate the JANKIE Veto, Leah reasoned, she could take Rubina off the block and put up Chelsie against T'kor.

Comically, Leah exited the Port-a-Potty to call the Houseguests to the outdoor Veto ceremony. To activate her JANKIE Veto, Leah needed to win a game by knocking down five bottles with a ball, but she was embarrassingly bad and failed the challenge, rendering her Veto useless. 

Angela followed through on her plan, using the Golden Power of Veto to save Kimo, who was emotionally appreciative. Leah then nominated T’kor as the replacement, leaving the House divided on whether Rubina or T’kor would be the next to go. Angela was still determined to send T’kor to the jury, but with the unpredictable nature of the Big Brother House, anything could happen.