Why Nicole's Backdoor Plan Has Big Brother Fans on the Edge of Their Seats

From Oprah Magazine

At the end of a long day, sometimes the best way to feel like you're living your best life is with some comfy PJ's, a glass of wine, and gratuitous reality television. In our series "Not-So-Guilty Pleasures," we remove the "guilt" and break down the latest happenings in your favorite TV indulgences.

• During Sunday night's Big Brother, Jackson Michie won HOH, nominating Cliff and Tommy—with the latter being the target.

• Spoilers ahead: However, Nicole won Veto and plans to save Cliff, but she has a backdoor plan under her sleeve that could change the game.

Nicole Anthony is finally getting the time to shine in the Big Brother 21 house, and fans (or at least Twitter) are overjoyed to say the least.

After winning HOH in last Thursday's whirlwind live double-eviction episode, the pre-school aide cemented herself as a genuine strategist and game player, evicting Christie Murphy—who had long evaded the block. And now, going into week 12, Nicole seems to be pushing forward with significant strategic moves.

As we learned on Sunday's night's episode, Jackson Michie won HOH (again) and nominated Cliff Hogg and Tommy Bracco for eviction—with Tommy being the main target. But as live feed watchers know, in her second competition win of the season, Nicole earned the Veto during the fan favorite "BB Comics" competition. She of course plans to save Cliff, her partner in the game since the early days of the show. But getting the petroleum engineer off the block is just the beginning of an exciting backdoor plan. Let's break it down.

Once Cliff gets off the block, Michie will be forced to nominate his girlfriend, Holly Allen, for eviction. However, the showmance has made a final four deal with Cliff and Nicole, trusting them both to evict Tommy unanimously. But the thing is, Nicole recognizes the danger of going to the finale with a couple in BB, and it seems that she is ready to finally split them up.

"I am taking Cliff down, Holly is forced to go up," she said to live feed cameras. "And I know what the smart move is to make, and I know you're yelling at me through the computer screen... And I hear you loud and clear. I think it's gonna happen, I really do. And then come Thursday it's me, Cliff, and Tommy pushing for that HOH."

If you didn't get that, Nicole is aiming to evict Holly on Michie's HOH. Honestly, how epic would that be? Not only is it strategic to split-up a showmance, but the wine safari guide would end up going to the jury house during her boyfriend's week of power. Queue the tweets!

And while the majority of the fandom seems to be in favor of Nicole's plan, there are some who are on the fence.

Regardless, it's only Monday so we shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves. A lot could happen between now and Thursday night. There's also the factors of Nicole getting Cliff on board, while also managing to keep the plan a secret from Michie and Holly in order to pull off a blindside. (Nicole already told Tommy). Oh, and facing Michie's wrath next week—and competition strength—in the event that his beau walks out the door.

Whatever happens, this is already shaping up to be one of the more exciting weeks of Big Brother 21—and we can't wait to see how it pans out. Thanks, Nicole!

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