Here's a meager suggestion: Cherish this time now, because we've arrived at the most enjoyable stage of the “Big Brother” season. While there are still plenty of obvious losers with cellophane eyes and candy brains who need to leave Chenbot Manor and head back to their Not So Elite modeling gigs, we've finally arrived at the moment where we can recognize everyone in the house, identify their weaknesses and strengths, and make real predictions. During last night's Power of Veto episode, I came up with five big points to consider as the season progresses. To validate my points, I'm dragging along Andy Herren — the winner of BB15 — to share his thoughts on the players too.
Here are our five biggest takeaway's from Wednesday's POV spectacular.
1. Donny is the best. And the worst.
Andy Herren: I hate Donny. Don”t get me wrong, I LOVE Donny, but that”s why I hate him. He is already WAY more likable that anyone else on this season, or anyone in the history of the “Big Brother” for that matter. He even makes TERRIBLE game moves (not telling Derrick what he wants to hear, running his mouth too much), yet somehow comes out of it with me being like, “DOG GONE IT, I LOVE HIM.” If my ultimate nightmare comes true and he wins, he will be known as the most adorable winner in the history of Big Brother, and I will look even worse than I already do by comparison. This cannot happen. We need a Victoria or a Caleb to win this season, because then maybe people won”t hate me as much. F**k you, Donny. Also, please be my best friend and follow me around everywhere, constantly uttering your irresistible Donny-isms.
HitFix: I worry that Donny is a more charming version of Adam from BB13. Way too trusting, expendable, and secretly hostile about others questioning his gameplay. The chalky brambly facial hair doesn't help either. His sweetness is endearing and I think he has some secret reserves of savviness that could help in the long run, but I'm annoyed by the fact that he almost botched the “Team America” challenge with his awkward rumor-starting tactics about Zach's fake relation to Amanda Zuckerman from BB15. When Nicole said later, “I felt it was almost a setup for me to start a rumor, so I wasn't going to [pass it on],” that was a pretty clear indication that Donny isn't cut out for propaganda missions. No big deal, but AMERICA is at stake.
2. Is Victoria secretly the star?
Andy Herren: Is it just me, or is Victoria (also known as “Vicky,” in my eyes) the most fascinating person on the show? It seems she doesn”t even realize she is competing for $500,000. Hell, does she even know she is on television? I worry that she may have somehow wandered onto the CBS lot and been corralled into the “Big Brother house,” when in actuality she was there trying to find Sarah Michelle Gellar”s dressing room (side note: Sarah Michelle Gellar”s show “The Crazy Ones” has been cancelled for months, but I doubt Vicky is aware). The only moment of screen time Vicky got during tonight”s episode was when she was shown being like, “LMAO I TOTALLY KNEW ZACH WAS RELATED TO THAT AMANDA GIRL FROM LAST SEASON! I ALSO KNOW THAT I AM LIVING IN A HOUSE AND THAT THERE ARE WALLS AND SOMETIMES WE ARE ALLOWED TO GO INTO THE POOL.” I hope she gets second place.
HitFix: I think Victoria is “laying low” (as Julie Chen once poetically put it) because she's still congratulating herself for memorizing three facts about herself in the first episode of the show. “I'm Jewish!” she declared. “I love pink!” she said. “I'm the hottest girl in the house!” she murmured. Who needs gameplay when you have producer-scripted facts about yourself to recite? That's the real question. I feel like this season's houseguests have a strong distaste for non-players. She's not even slightly athletic like the similarly useless Porsche from BB13, so I doubt she'll make it far, but I would watch a half-hour series where Victoria smiled into a camera and recited three-word trivia items about herself.
3. Is Zach the most well-positioned player in the game?
HitFix: Remember last week when Zach made snafu after snafu, eventually getting himself nominated for eviction in a moment of pure horror? He even betrayed the other half of Zankie, whose magenta streaks reddened in rage. But Zach survived that week and it seems his astounding death spiral has been all but forgotten. You know who that reminds me of? Ian from BB14, who was so erratically behaved during his first week in the house that no one could've suspected he'd make it to the end. Then he won the whole thing. I have a feeling Zach's arc in the house is longer than everyone wants to give him credit for.
Andy Herren: Zach is absolutely adorable. With every Diary Room confessional where he screams at the camera, I fall more and more in love. I just want to put him in my pocket and carry him around all day while he hugs me and yells cute adorable nothings into my ear. Also, I think he is in a good position in the game. He”s volatile and impulsive, which will actually help him. People are going to be like, “Let”s keep him around. He will always be a bigger target.” If he can pull out a decent mid-to-end game, he could ultimately do well. I think Christine is also playing very well. She”s riding the middle, not being seen as an ultimate floater (oh hi, Jocasta and Vicky) or as a dominant power player (Derrick, Caleb), but she”s doing it strategically. She”s still my pick to win this whole thing.
4. Yes, we hate Devin. But is this how his game should end?
HitFix: My resting b*tch face turns to rage every time Devin is in the Diary Room. He is infuriating, self-absorbed, obsessed with announcing how well-intentioned he is, and utterly awful at social interactions. He is one of my least favorite nouns, period. It's heartening to see that he'll most likely be eliminated tomorrow, but a part of me is disappointed that no brilliant players (so far) are stepping up to use him as their pawn. Face it: He is powerless. He has been defanged in front of everyone. Why isn't anyone — like, say, Brittany or Donny — stepping up to save him for the sake of their own game? Granted, Devin's fickleness makes him unpredictable as an alliance member. (Remember how he swore to Paola that she wouldn't be going home?) But I still think his pathetic vulnerability could be useful to a very smart houseguest.
Andy Herren: I love how the house hates Devin SO MUCH that they all openly cheered when he lost the Power of Veto. He put up a good fight, but he was ultimately taken out by “competition beast” Donny, who everyone is seriously starting to think of as a threat. Sure, Devin is the absolute worst, but he also makes for great television. I think he is probably going to be sent packing tomorrow, and I”m going to miss the chaos that he is known for throwing the house into. Here”s hoping that Caleb murders Cody or Amber once Devin leaves. We need something dramatic to happen.
5. Final thoughts: Excellent Power of Veto game and a more excellent victory striptease.
HitFix: Maybe I just enjoyed watching Devin work 20x harder than his competitors in order to stay alive during “Tumblin' Dice” (also a fine Rolling Stones tune), but the strategy involved with rolling around in a giant die and figuring out how to toggle properly was kind of a real treat to watch. Poor Derrick turned into a scared dice prisoner with robot moves! Good for Donny, who won this Power of Veto and will use his winnings to do something cutesy like hug a tractor or talk to a squirrel.
Andy Herren: Cody”s striptease at the end of the episode. I”m dead. RIP. Cause of death: Abs.