Big Brother recap: For the first time ever, it's a triple-eviction night
CBS
Big Brother loves to promise shocking new twists every season that will shake up the house and lead to some dramatic moves — "Expect the unexpected" is Julie's famous line — but this season has failed to deliver on almost every front. Despite the "All-Stars" designation, the gameplay has been predictable and stale, and the reception from many fans has been either indifference or outright hatred. It's been a rocky few weeks, but finally there's an actual twist here to shift the game: a triple eviction. That means there's a lot of ground to cover during this two-hour episode, so let's get to it.
The first eviction of the night is already set to go. Kevin and David are on the block, having been nominated by Cody. Kevin was the target for the week, but when David went for a cash prize rather than the veto during the POV challenge, the Committee started talking about voting him out instead. Cody specifically said it "put a huge target on his back," which ignores that, you know, he's on the block already and has been a target for weeks from the same controlling alliance. That still doesn't stop Cody from lecturing David about his gameplay, when he's the dude who put him on the block.
Before getting to eviction night, Dr. Will drops by to give a clue to the houseguests. He tells them that part of why he was so good at the game was his ability to think "one, two, and even three steps ahead." That gets the players wondering about what's coming, and before long there's a few people mentioning a triple eviction, including David, whose gameplay has come a long way throughout this season. He's become the one guy picking up on everything in the house.
That information gets people talking. The surprise of it all gets the Committee members thinking about how their plans to not turn on each other just yet are probably going out the window. So everyone is trying to figure out who's got the strongest alliances and who could be a good target going forward. Cody is shoring up his allegiance with Dani, and Tyler is considering working with David, should he survive the vote, to target Dani and secure David as a great number going forward.
That's it for the edited portion of the episode, because we've got a lot to get to! So, it's time for the first eviction, and despite all the talk about David taking the money during the POV competition, everyone votes to evict Kevin, who was the target for most of the week. Kevin addresses the house on the way out during his interview with Julie, noting that they've been voting as a block for a long time and that it's been impossible for anyone else to break through. So he's not surprised to be going.
That brings us to the new HOH competition, where the remaining players (minus outgoing HOH Cody) must answer true-or-false questions about their surprise neighbor Dr. Will. A few players are eliminated on the first question: David, Dani, and Tyler. Nicole is eliminated next, and that leaves Memphis, Enzo, and Christmas fighting it out. For those of us sick of this season, Enzo is perhaps the best bet for someone to shake things up. Instead, Memphis wins, and must immediately nominate two people. It's clear that everyone knew what was coming, and he quickly nominates David and Nicole, which means David is the target. If there's any chance for David to stay, it's winning the veto or hoping against hope that Enzo and Tyler are looking to take a shot and can secure some numbers.
Playing in the veto are David, Nicole, Memphis, Tyler, Christmas, and Dani. The players must cross a balance beam, construct a veto puzzle, and then come back across the beam safely. If they fall, they're eliminated. It's a pretty close competition between Nicole, David, and Christmas, but it's Christmas who ends up with the win. Nicole immediately pulls Christmas aside and pleads for her life, telling her to either use the veto or not vote for her if Memphis wants the nominations to stay the same. It's a scramble, but I really don't think there's much need to worry here if you're in the Committee. No one really has time to make a big play because it's a live triple eviction, so the safe bet is to just keep voting together. Plus, Christmas has been doing whatever Memphis has wanted all season long.
So, she keeps the nominations the same, but let me tell you, folks, something wild happens. It looks, for a brief second, like David might stay. Tyler votes to evict Nicole, and so does Christmas (which is very surprising). That leaves the door open for Enzo, who's been talking about making a move, to be the third vote that gets her out. For whatever reason, though, perhaps because of the inability to coordinate with anyone else, Enzo votes for David, sending him packing in a 3-2 vote. It's maybe the most disheartening moment of the season, because for the first time it felt like something might change and one of the players outside the alliance would last a little longer.
Let's keep moving. Due to a mishap with Julie standing near a "Triple Eviction" sign that the players saw on the screen before the second vote, everyone assumes what's coming. Julie gathers the remaining players and sends them outside for the second and final HOH of the night. We're back to true-or-false questions, this time about events that happened earlier in the season. Nicole, Dani, and Enzo all get eliminated on the same question about Da'Vonne, leaving Tyler, Christmas, and Cody to battle it out, with Tyler coming away with the win. Of course, there's no time to strategize, but we know Tyler has mentioned targeting Dani, though Nicole is a little worried because of the previous vote.
It turns out they have reason to be worried: Tyler puts Dani and Nicole on the block, and we're off to the veto competition, where they must dismantle and recreate the previous veto puzzle, this time moving it piece by piece across the balance beams. Once again, falling off gets you eliminated, which is exactly what happens to Christmas. Nicole stumbles too and is eliminated, losing the chance to save herself. Dani gets pretty close to securing her safety, but Tyler runs away with it, and of course he keeps his own nominations the same.
So it all comes down to how the remaining alliance members are feeling. Nicole is a former winner and Christmas voted to evict her earlier, but Tyler has had Dani on his list for awhile (though he can't vote). So it comes down to Memphis, Cody, Enzo, and Christmas. Dani seems to know she's headed to jury, because she takes some swings at Christmas and Tyler on the way out. Sure enough, Dani is sent home in a unanimous 4-0 vote, and spends part of her exit interview talking about Tyler wanting to go home earlier in the season and how that ruined her game.
Well, that's a wrap on Big Brother's first ever triple-eviction night! Did it speed up an otherwise dull season? Yes. Did it offer up twists and turns that truly shifted the game? No, not at all. But at least we got some quick evictions and some solid exit interviews because of the heightened emotions, and now we can watch members of the controlling alliance turn on each other until the Final 2 is set.
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