Eric's Blog for Week 6
Brian Smith
Brian
**************************
by Eric Stein
Ever watch a TV sitcom in which they intersperse a bunch of old clips in
with the new material to fill the episode? Well, that's what my column is
going to be like this week. And why am I going to rehash certain points
from earlier in the season? For one, because I was out of town all week and
I'm taking shortcuts to finish it. And secondly, because I want to pat
myself on the back for being so spot on. Hey, at least I'm being honest
with my intentions. Consider it like the flashback feature on the live
feeds. Don't worry; there will be plenty of new thoughts mixed in too.
Earlier this week, somewhere out there was a witch's coven assembling for a
celebration. That's right, "The Friendship" got the gang back together from
season 6; and they were rejoicing. Why, might you ask? Well, it took 5
long seasons, but they are no longer the most hated people in BB history!
That title now goes to the crack team of Chima, Lydia, Natalie, Jessie, and
Ronnie. In racking my brain, I can barely think of a worse display of poor
sportsmanship in my entire life than that displayed by this crew after their
power was usurped. They all seemed quite content to rule the house
tyrannically, but the second they lost control for one week...they
completely lost control of their minds/dignity/sanity as well. Truth be
told, this wasn't hard to predict.
Flashback to Earlier Thoughts on Chima:
Week 1 - "She has a mouth on her that she can't contain. It took her all of
5 minutes upon move-in to start talking trash, she's sassy, and she's a
chronic complainer. Outspoken players rarely excel in this game. BB
requires the finesse of knowing when to shut your mouth and I don't believe
she possesses that quality."
Week 2 - "As I'm sure we would all agree, Chima's speech was outright
astonishing. Somehow, she managed to make an accused bigot/misogynist look
good in comparison to herself. It struck me as a speech you'd give if you
were going home, not something you'd do to endear yourself to the other
players if you are staying. Let's not forget her behavior at the Have/Have
Not competition and her general demeanor in the house this week. I have
noticed that her mouth is getting exponentially bigger based on how secure
she feels in the house. As soon as she felt safe, she unleashed a tirade
that hasn't stopped since. She is very difficult to like."
Flashback to Earlier Thoughts on Lydia:
Week 1 - "Being manipulative in real life often translates into a dangerous
BB player. However, eventually not only do people see through it, but they
resent you for using them. It will ultimately bite her in the butt."
Week 2 - "Lydia, in particular, is a nasty, manipulative player. I am
standing by my comparison of her gameplay to that of BB8's Amber. She prays
on people's emotions, plays the victim, and thrives on drama. She should
induce fear in her fellow houseguests while she's there...she'll do damage -
but ultimately, she'll also do irreparable damage to herself as well."
Looks like I had them pegged! I have zero patience for people who
compromise the integrity of the game and/or don't appreciate the
opportunity. I distinctly remember two instances like that from my season.
In week 1, Carol told a handful of us that she had a family BBQ that she was
looking forward to attending in mid July. Um, BB goes until mid to late
September, Carol. As soon as she said that, we all made sure we'd get her
to her BBQ on time, since we wanted to play the game with deserving people
who actually wanted to be there. And when Jen broke the food restriction,
she went home by an unprecedented 6-0 vote, when only 5 people were voting.
The fact is that thousands of people would kill to have this opportunity, so
it's beyond disappointing when one of the lucky few that gets the chance
doesn't appreciate it. Good riddance to Chima. By the way, I sincerely
hope she's not welcomed at the finale, not paid a dime of her stipend, and
pays the big bucks to replace the mic. She deserves it.
Random thoughts section. One point of confusion I had from this past week
was why did Chima & Jeff get to play HoH after the Coup was used, but
Michele didn't get to play again after Chima was ousted? Also, I was
perplexed about why Chima & Jeff didn't get to vote after the Coup was used.
I felt like they were making up rules just to assure that there wasn't a tie
vote (because then who would break it, Chima or Jeff?). I'm sure things
like this don't bother most, but I'd like some rules clarifications
personally, haha. Also, I am adamantly standing by the fact that Jessie got
hosed. I don't know how many times I can state that I am strictly analyzing
gameplay in these columns...not expressing my rooting interest. The fact of
the matter is that Jessie went home even though either he himself or a close
ally of his were in power the entire time he was in the house. What more
could the guy have possibly done? Also, I thought it was really peculiar
that Kevin chose right after the Coup to firmly attach himself to that
fast-fading alliance once and for all. What a strange time to hitch
yourself to that sinking wagon. Weird choice.
With the past 4 evictions, the game has broken exactly as anticipated.
Let's take a look at some of my earlier (and amazingly accurate) thoughts,
haha.
Flashback to Earlier Thoughts on Why Ronnie & Jessie Would Be The Next Two
Evictees
Week 2 - "Since the HoH became a part of the game in season 2, there have
been 23 people to serve as HoH in week one or two of the game (including
season 9's power couple). Of those 23 people, a grand total of 1 of them
won the game (season 3's Lisa). The conclusion here is obvious...being HoH
in week 1 or 2 is bad. This is unfortunate news for Jessie and Ronnie."
Week 3 - "The closest comparison to the way this season has unfolded thus
far was the early domination of the Four Horsemen for the first three weeks
of Season 5. Well, who went home in weeks 4 and 5 that season? Four
Horsemen rings leaders, Scott and Jase. Going back to my early point of
winning the battle and losing the war...dominating early pretty much means
nothing other than guaranteeing that you have no chance of winning the
game."
Flashback to Earlier Thoughts On Why Jeff Should Use the Coup and It's After
Effects
Week 5 - "This is a chance to definitively and permanently change the power
structure in the house for good. And there is very little way for this to
come back to hurt Jeff. This is a game-ender for the alliance that has
dominated this game thus far."
With Ronnie/Jessie/Chima/Lydia gone in succession, it seems like but a
forgotten memory as to when they were ruling the house, right? So where do
we go from here? I believe that Chima was a solid target for Michele's
theoretical HoH reign. However, I do not think that Lydia was the correct
target this week during Jordan's HoH. I understand the thought
process...she was aligned with Kevin and this breaks up a solid twosome.
However, all it really means is that Nat/Kevin have now become a solid
twosome and a far more formidable one at that. They sent Lydia home just
because they didn't want to deal with her anymore, when they should have
sent home Nat or Kevin because they are far stronger competitors. Jeff &
Jordan's biggest flaw seems to be an inability to stand by their
convictions. They need to put their foot down on somebody's neck and end
them for good. Why they'd be listening to Nat/Kevin at all right now is
beyond me. Let's just assume that what Nat/Kev are saying is true and
Russell is coming after J/J. Does that mean that N/K are not coming after
J/J?!? Um, no. I don't feel like people should even entertain the thoughts
of the nominees or the opposing side of the house. Name your target and
take them out...the end. This wishy washy playing makes no sense this late
in the game. For the record, I believe the right play this week for Jeff
would be to get rid of Natalie. Then Russ. Then Kevin. This week you get
an insurmountable lead in the numbers. Next week you take out the challenge
threat. And you leave the least imposing challenge threat for last. I know
some may argue that Kev is a bigger threat in the comps than Nat, but don't
forget that first endurance competition. That said, with Kevin nominated
this week, Jeff has now earned the title of the last houseguest to be
nominated this season. That is a really big accomplishment...congrats to
him (even if he was aided greatly by the cliques twist and the Coup)! I
wonder if Jeff would be as popular as he is in another season or if a lot of
his popularity stems from being the alternative to the most hated alliance
in BB history? Jeff is not that dissimilar from players like BB8's Mike,
BB3's Eric, and BB5's Drew, none of who were particularly popular. Before
you throw rocks at me and yell about how amazing he is, I'm not saying he
shouldn't be popular or that I'm not rooting for him, I'm just debating the
origin of his popularity. Also, major props to Jordan for winning HoH and
PoV this week. They should have never underestimated her...big mistake.
I must say that Nat and Kevin have done a great job fighting for their
lives. Kudos to them. But I still think that this game is Michele's to
lose, with a Michele/Jordan final 2 being a distinct possibility. One of
Nat/Kevin/Russ are going home this week. If any of those 3 ever wins HoH,
Jeff is the likely target. There are only so many eliminations left. So in
this equation, when and how are Michele and Jordan getting axed? At least
one of them will be in the final 2 for certain, if not both. With that in
mind, let's hit the flashback feature.
Flashback to Earlier Thoughts on Jordan:
Week 1 - "Do not sleep on Jordan. She doesn't know the game well at all,
she is too trusting, she is not cutthroat, etc....yet in this dynamic, that
may be just what the doctor ordered. Who is going to spend their HoH week
on eliminating Jordan? She is a sweetheart and she's not a threat. She
very well may watch people fight right over her head for weeks before they
ever look her way. By simply skating that far into the game, anything can
happen. Do I expect her to win? No. But do I expect her to be around to a
long time? Absolutely."
Flashback to Earlier Thoughts on Michele:
Week 1 - "Let me declare Michele as the front-runner. I am jumping right on
(her) bandwagon. In her pre-show interviews, Michele described herself as a
female me. Need I say more? She combines intelligence with a goofiness
that will help disarm her opponents. While she's busy bonding with them
over sex talk, they will underestimate her game. She hasn't made any early
moves, isn't over aggressive, is under the radar, and is very capable of
making a move when the time comes. Plus, the "have not" lifestyle resulted
in Chima having a meltdown and Ronnie was also on the fritz, whereas Michele
didn't show a single sign of wear and tear. She is my definitive selection
for this season's best player to date."
Can Michele win a final vote? Well, it's going to be tight. But the one
person that she definitively beats every time is Jordan (which is why I
suspect Michele will want to go to the end with her). People want to feel
as if they lost to a worthy competitor, so they will not want to partake in
a season in which Jordan is the winner. Everyone else would be a VERY close
vote for Michele and America may prove to be the deciding vote of BB11
thanks to Chima. How interesting would that be?
Brian Smith
Source:
http://www.realitywanted.com/newsitem/2259-eric-stein-sizes-up-the-big-brother-11-houseguests-week-6
Brian
Dale Hicks
dcg_...@hotmail.com says...
>
> **************************
> by Eric Stein
>
> The fact of
> the matter is that Jessie went home even though either he himself or a close
> ally of his were in power the entire time he was in the house. What more
> could the guy have possibly done?
Um, he could have schmoozed Jeff the moment the power was announced,
working hard to get a F4 deal with him and Scrappy. He knew that it
was Jeff, Jordan, or Michele that had it for sure after the first
week, and he knew that Michele had an annoying personality, so he
very easily could have predicted one of the couple had it (as he
did). And we know that while Jeff said "you can't not talk to me all
game and then have you trust me" he is now letting Scrappy do exactly
that, so we see he is malleable.
That was his only chance, but he really didn't work very hard at it.
> That said, with Kevin nominated
> this week, Jeff has now earned the title of the last houseguest to be
> nominated this season. That is a really big accomplishment...congrats to
> him (even if he was aided greatly by the cliques twist and the Coup)!
Here's some horrible analysis from Eric. Jeff was nominated in week
two by Ronnie the Rat.
--
Cranial Crusader dgh 1138 at bell south point net
shawn
>In article <VK%jm.175519$3m2....@newsfe06.iad>,
>dcg_...@hotmail.com says...
>>
>> **************************
>> by Eric Stein
>>
>> The fact of
>> the matter is that Jessie went home even though either he himself or a close
>> ally of his were in power the entire time he was in the house. What more
>> could the guy have possibly done?
>
>Um, he could have schmoozed Jeff the moment the power was announced,
>working hard to get a F4 deal with him and Scrappy. He knew that it
>was Jeff, Jordan, or Michele that had it for sure after the first
>week, and he knew that Michele had an annoying personality, so he
>very easily could have predicted one of the couple had it (as he
>did). And we know that while Jeff said "you can't not talk to me all
>game and then have you trust me" he is now letting Scrappy do exactly
>that, so we see he is malleable.
>
>That was his only chance, but he really didn't work very hard at it.
Yeah, I was totally confused why he didn't try. It's like once the
power was announced (even if they didn't specify what it was) he gave
up. He had plenty of time to make a connection of some sort with Jeff
but he never even tried until the last couple of days. That was the
only really bad move that Jessie made since he knew better.
>> That said, with Kevin nominated
>> this week, Jeff has now earned the title of the last houseguest to be
>> nominated this season. That is a really big accomplishment...congrats to
>> him (even if he was aided greatly by the cliques twist and the Coup)!
>
>Here's some horrible analysis from Eric. Jeff was nominated in week
>two by Ronnie the Rat.
I tried to figure out what Eric was talking about since I knew Jeff
had been nominated before. I think the only one that hadn't been
nominated before is Kevin. I guess that shows that even Eric gets
stupefied by the lack of intelligence being shown by Jeff and forgets
things because of it.
Brian Smith
news:MPG.24fa7cacc...@news.eternal-september.org...
I'm sure in his rush to get the blog done that he said Jeff when he meant
Kevin. He clearly had Jeff on his mind because he had just been writing
about him.
Brian
Dale Hicks
dcg_...@hotmail.com says...
No, he screwed up. Kevin wasn't helped by the coup. He clearly
meant Jeff, and just forgot about his time on the block since it was
only a couple of days out of the season.