Big Brother 11, Week 6
Chima goes bonkers
By Eric Hughes
August 23, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
The West Hollywood freelance journalist became just the third HouseGuest to be expelled from the game – and the first since the show's fourth series.
Following the eviction of her good friend, Jessie, during last week's live episode and having nothing but bitter things to say about Jeff's decision to use the Power of Coup d'etat, Chima had a total meltdown on Tuesday's show. She refused to comply with BB crew and – among other things – threw her mic in the backyard's hot tub.
After the editors treated us to a "greatest hits" of Chima's difficult behavior ever since she set foot in the house, Chima entered the Diary Room where producers told her there was no need for her to sit down and promptly showed her the exit.
When the episode resumed, Michele's reign as Head of Household concluded and another competition commenced to put the eviction power in someone else's hands. When all was said and done, Southern belle Jordan earned HoH power and nominated rivals Natalie and Lydia for eviction. On Thursday's special live episode, Lydia was given the boot.
Week 6 at a glance
Head of Household #1: Michele
HouseGuests nominated for eviction #1 (pre-veto): Chima and Natalie
HouseGuest expelled: Chima
Head of Household #2: Jordan
HouseGuests nominated for eviction #2 (pre-veto): Natalie and Lydia
Power of Veto winner: Jordan
PoV used on: No one
HouseGuests nominated for eviction (post-veto): Natalie and Lydia
HouseGuest evicted live on Thursday: Lydia
Who should have been evicted: Lydia
New HoH: Jeff
HouseGuests remaining: 6 (Jeff, Jordan, Kevin, Michele, Natalie, Russell)
As promised, BOP's Big Brother Recap will function a bit differently this week. Instead of rehashing the week's top stories, I'll instead give a rundown on the chances each remaining contestant has in winning the show's $500,000 prize.
You set? Here are my predictions in order from least likely to most likely to win:
Natalie: With Jeff as current HoH, things aren't looking good for the Tae Kwon Do expert from Gilbert, Arizona. She isn't a good friend of any of his allies (Jordan, Michele, Russell) and the past three HoHs – including Jeff when he had the Power of Coup d'etat – have all attempted to get rid of her by nominating her to the Chopping Block. She's practically being groomed for eviction.
Her only hope to safely remain in the game had been for either her or Kevin to win HoH. Neither did. Now all she has to fall back on is a win at the PoV competition. But history is against her in that respect too, as Natalie has failed to win any solo competitions this summer. She may be a former member of the Athletes clique, but she sure is clumsy.
Kevin: Kevin's chances of winning this thing are comparable to Natalie's. Like Natalie, he really doesn't have any remaining allies in the house. Additionally, he hasn't won a single competition this season, save for a measly PoV that he consequently never even used. His hopes of winning the season were all but dashed when his best friend in the house – Lydia – was evicted on Thursday.
Kevin's one of those classic "under the radar" characters who has managed to remain in the game by keeping quiet and not stirring up trouble. However, unlike Dan, who played much the same way last summer and ended the game $500,000 richer, Kevin doesn't have a strategy in place like Dan did to make it all the way to the finish line. He has no game to speak of.
Jordan: She may be the nicest HouseGuest in the house – and quite frankly, one of the sweetest Big Brother contestants to ever play the game – yet I can't imagine her making it any further than the final four. Why? She and Jeff are practically married, and as we draw closer to the finale, the others in the house are gonna want to break that up. Stat.
It's okay to have your allies. But when you have HouseGuests that throw competitions – as Jeff demonstrated this week – so that you can win them... well, that won't fly.
It will depend on who's in power at that point to assemble his or her Chopping Block, but between Jeff and Jordan, Jeff is clearly the stronger player. It's okay, though. Jordan will likely earn $25,000 on the season finale for being America's Favorite Juror.
Michele: Michele has played the game a lot like Kevin. She's flown under the radar and kept her hands clean (mostly) from the game's messes. However, unlike Kevin, what she has going for her is a four-person alliance (herself, Russell, Jeff and Jordan) that will carry her further in the game but not to the final two.
Russell: Weeks ago, Russell told Jeff that he had enormous respect for him and would very much like to go to the end with him. Jeff accepted, and here we are at the end of week 6 with both players still very much in the game. (Especially Jeff, who currently reigns as HoH). Having won HoH duties and a PoV this summer, Russell is a strong competitor and a major threat to the rest of the house. His muscle and work ethic will help him win a couple more PoVs, and likely, make him impossible to evict.
Unless Jeff turns on him, I see no reason why Russell wouldn't make it to the final two. The only thing going against Russell is the guy he's taking to the final two: Jeff. In a popularity contest, Jeff would win. And in the Big Brother finale, that's all it takes.
Jeff: Ta da. Jeff will win this summer's Big Brother cycle. He's chummy with just about everyone left in the game, and as current HoH is guaranteed to make it through to at least next week. He's the only HouseGuest at the time I'm writing this column who according to Big Brother rules has 100% safety. That means by this time next week, his chances of winning will be an excellent 20%.
Of course, once you factor in his four-person alliance with Jordan, Michele and Russell, and his special relationship with Jordan, his chances of winning go up significantly.