CHIMA on RELATIONSHIPS: "Never leave a relationship without a handbag."
What can I say…that statement is so off the charts that it made me laugh. Okay, overall, let’s face it…the clock was ticking on the amount of time it was going to take for Ronnie’s House of Cards to fall apart.
It was nice to see Big Brother 10 winner, Dan, back again to host the “Have/Have Not” Competition. I’m told he’s still living in Michigan and has been very responsible with his winnings. He’s looking at possible real estate opportunities, hoping to support their local economy…good for him! Regarding the competition, when Casey and Chima won the opportunity to screen the upcoming feature film, “The Ugly Truth,” I think the baby kicked when I saw all those sweets and could only imagine the sugar high those two must have been on! Personally, I haven't had any unusual cravings during my current pregnancy, but I think that's because I've always had a healthy appetite, and now is no different. Seeing those sweets, however, DID make me want a jumbo pack of red Twizzlers and a giant box of Milk Duds with an ice cold glass of skim milk.
Ronnie certainly laid the majority of his cards down after nominating Laura and Jeff for eviction. But, it didn’t take long for two members of Ronnie’s current alliance, Lydia and Russell, to have their own screaming match, which then caused some to petition to backdoor Russell. (PING!) But, Natalie and Jessie appealed to Ronnie and Casey became the new replacement target (PONG!) That is, until Jordan jumped in and went after Ronnie for playing both sides of the house. Ronnie considered her “dead to me,” and decided she’d be the replacement nomination, if necessary (PING!). Just before the Veto Competition, Ronnie’s back to being excited about back-dooring Russell (PONG!). Meantime, after it’s determined who will play for the POV, Jessie, Natalie, and Jeff (yes, you read that right!) briefly met in the red room where they reached an understanding that Casey and Laura must not win…HUH? Jeff was conspiring with Jessie and Natalie? I guess it makes sense since they are still the Athletes’ Clique, but that was unexpected, to say the least! Anyhow, Jeff won and took himself off the block. Despite Ronnie’s desire to backdoor Russell, he apparently hadn’t gotten over the blowout with Jordan, so she ended up on the block (PING!).
JEFF to JORDAN: “I’m trying to carry you. You are getting heavy.”
JORDAN on RONNIE: “He is a rat.”
JORDAN on naming the Great Lakes: “Is there a bay or something?”
It’s hardly far from over, but, first…for those who are wondering about Lydia’s sudden change of appearance (no makeup and sports shorts/T-shirts)…she lost a bet with Natalie after a game of pool and had to dress in Natalie’s clothes and go without make-up for a day or so. Lydia, a professional makeup artist, was unhappy about it, to say the least! This, too, did not go without its own drama. Natalie was upset that the other girls were in her face about not being “girlie” enough, which caused certain tension amongst themselves.
LYDIA: “C’mon, Shrimpy Shrimp, we’re gonna get you in skirts and heels by the end of this!”
NATALIE: “Uh…no.”
Back to the game, the biggest blowout came when Russell and Laura confronted Ronnie for being a liar. After another dizzying round of confrontations, a light bulb went off within the entire house and everyone finally realized the extent of Ronnie’s lies. All of a sudden, the Houseguests, sans Ronnie, became sunshine and smiles when they realized that Ronnie was the source of all their problems (PONG!)…everything from misunderstandings, shortage of food, clogged toilets and the brief power outage in the house…it’s all Ronnie’s fault!!
Ronnie then spent the better part of two days barricaded in his palatial HOH room…alone (well, unless he had to come out to go to the Diary Room and Russell was there to follow him around as he berated him until Ronnie could once again hide behind closed doors…but was that just an act? (Lydia’s the first to think so!!!).
Oh, then there’s Jessie, who snuck up to Ronnie’s HOH room at one point and told him to lay low…they have his back…but, do they??? (PING!)
CASEY on RONNIE: “I’m a hustler and he hustled me.”
MICHELE: “I’m seriously scared for my sanity. I have no idea what’s real anymore.”
As the hours unfold, Ronnie’s clearly The Plague of the BB House. Or is he??? Some of the Houseguests have begun to lick the wounds inflicted by the master gamer, Ronnie, and have started to rethink their strategy (PONG!).
Jessie winning the Head of Household competition is going to make for one heckuva week in the BIG BROTHER House. If he doesn't nominate Ronnie he'll have a lot of explaining to do to the others and will risk putting a target on his own back. Jessie still seems to want to work in secret with Ronnie…but now that he's HOH, he's got to play this hand carefully. Can’t wait to see what unfolds this week!!!
The live HOH competitions are always a challenge. We always have to "expect the unexpected" and plan for all the "what ifs"…from technical difficulties to an electronic game breaking down/malfunctioning…to freak accidents…all while watching the clock and realizing we MUST be fair AND have a winner before the clock strikes 9. Yikes.
READER QUESTIONS:
When will you be back on Iron Chef: America?
I don't think I'll be on Iron Chef America for a little while. They tape in September typically and always in NY…and I'll be in LA finishing up Big Brother and be getting ready to deliver baby! Plus I think with my food restrictions due to my pregnancy, I probably would be a tough judge to have on the show. But once I've delivered…I'll be ready to try it all!
Do you and Allison condone cheating on this show?
One reader was "really disturbed by hearing Jessie and them plan on cheating in the next HOH competition." We certainly do NOT condone cheating on the show. That's why we're Big Brother. We're always watching.
How come you didn’t take down Braden for calling you a derogatory name?
First, I didn't know at the time if it was true. Second, even if it was, it's not relevant to the game. The interview should be about how that houseguest played the game and how he/she played with others in the house. But when I did a 12 minute interview with Braden for the CBS website, I did ask him who is the most important woman in his life and what would she say about his behavior in the house? His response was very telling. He said his mother was the most important woman in his life but that he also doesn't speak to her much. That was enough to satisfy my curiosity on IF he had used a derogatory word against women to refer to me and the WHY part? It didn't even matter. His response made me feel sadness for him.
More Big Brother:
Big Brother recap: Ronnie Dangerously
Must List Live!: Should Big Brother's cliques be broken up?
Comments (1-24) of 24 Add your comment
Ronnie is like this dog on a chain. He can go round and round the pole…but eventually he’ll run out of room and choke himself.
He played too many games. With Jesse as HOH, he should be safe this week…but next week could be gone.
http://tvdonewright.com/
Ok so it looks like Ronnie is staying for another week and Jessie is hoh again! It’s time to break up the cliques.
Julie! Wow, you are awesome! Can you take over for Josh Wolk? He seems far less invested in these recaps than you are.
Anyway, its nice to get the background information on the going on’s in the house. Also, you’re a terrific writer and seem to have a great sense of humor.
Thanks again for doing this for fans of the show!
Julie, you looked GREAT last night in that orange jacket! Nice blog, once again. Having you blog this year was a fantastic idea. Nice work.
Julie – I love your blog!! Thank you so much for doing this – you give so much behind the scenes stuff that I don’t get by only watching the CBS show. Unfotunately they don’t air a lot of the fun stuff that goes on in the house – I would have loved to have seen the bet between Natalie and Lydia. With so much time on their hands, CBS should make the HG’s do something for charity, like make meals for homeless and sick people, or gift baskets for needy children, etc. Not every day, but maybe once a week. Thanks again for the great blog and for a little more of your personality!
I’m happy that you have started your own take on the show. Your insight is far more informative than reviewers of the show. I have a question regarding security. I’ve looked at the aerial view of the house’s location and wonder: do you have to monitor the outdoors 24/7 to prevent people from throwing items into the backyard? It certainly doesn’t look like it would be very difficult to sneak up on the east side and throwing something over the wall would not take much.
Julie,
Love reading your blog & getting your insight on the game. Keep up the good work!
Hi Julie! Your blog is one of the best I have read! Thanks for all the great comments and keep up the good work! Good luck with the baby!
Great blog, Julie! I never thought I’d think that anyone looked good in orange, but you were stunning in that jacket last night. Good luck with the baby.
Thanks for answering my Iron Chef question but first what about when houseguest know each other prior to going into the BB House? Jessie and Casey knew each other before this year’s season. Any chance that Evel Dick or Dr. Will will show up or even better play with HG’s heads?
Julie, thanks for your blogs! You have an awesome sense of humor and I love reading them!
Julie,
Am loving your blog! Even if we don’t finish the season of BB, I will read your blog weekly.
QUESTION: Don’t you think there should be restrictions on how many people can be in the hoh room and for how long? I think it would be much more interesting if HOH could only have 1 guest at a time, and an overnight guest if they choose but force the hoh to mingle with EVERYONE in the house instead of hiding.
So tired of the herd mentality hiding up in the hoh and believing they are the chosen ones.
Also, why is the spy screen always seem available now? It was much better when they could only have it for a certain period of time every 24 hours.
Great blog Julie! I was wondering about the coinstar veto competition. Were producers concerned at all about those fast-falling coins? I did hear some Ow’s and Ronnie did end up with $1.25 going in the wrong coin slot, lol.
Great blog Julie!
Congratulations on your upcoming baby boy! I know that you are due two weeks after the finale of Big Brother, but are there precautions in place if you are unable to host some episodes? If so, what are those precautions?
julie nice work! one of the better host blogs i’ve read. also i love the show. I haven’t watched in a couple of seasons but this one definitely has enough drama to make up for the ones I’ve missed.
Wow Julie!
This blog PROVES that you know what’s going on in the house.
The things that you chose to mention weren’t on ANY of the broadcasts, and tell a better story than what’s actually been shown.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time in doing this blog and for truly caring about the show that you host.
Now, since you won’t be on ICA for some time…may I take your place?
Hehe
P.S. Oh, Dan and his GF broke up, but he is still teaching and coaching here in Michigan. Good for him in keeping his head on straight!
Freaking loving your writing skills, Julie! You really have a gift for this stuff. Your insightful observations and your taking the time to answer questions. Keep up the good work!
LOVE the blog Julie! Thanks so much!
Disappointed that Laura went out but really, this season is so rigged for Jesse to win it, does it matter when she went.
Bringing Jesse back to compete in a HOH competition so rigged for the athletes was the first sign of cheating by BB. It immediately gave one alliance an extra player. If they would have done a total luck competition, I might not think it was rigged. Now not only do they have more players but one is experienced.
Not Cool Big Brother. We fans aren’t as dumb as you seem to think. If Jesse wins, I will never watch again.
The best big brother blog is the one Julie Chen quoted from last Thursday. The Bitchy Big Brother Blog coined the term “Ronnie is the (square) root of all evil.” The girl who writes it is hysterical.
http://bitchybigbrother.blogspot.com/
Love the blogs, Julie! You kick ass!! <3
Great blog Julie! I love all the info. I saw your interview with Breaden and my favorite part was when you had him literally sweating. He tried to play it like he didn’t understand you or was so over it. But really, he was just trying to weasel out of answering. Loved how you grilled him and called him on it.
I think Ronnie might have actually solidified himself as the “hated” person to take to the end. He has a strong alliance with Jessie, Natalie and apparently Russell – but Russell and Ronnie’s “alliance” status is and will always be on shakey ground, IMO.
So he made the right choice in who to send out of the house. Laura was after him while Russell is willing to wait till much further in the game before going after Ronnie.
At the very least, Ronnie’s time in the BB house has been so entertaining and interesting to watch. Love him or hate him, seeing his screw ups, reveals of his lies, hiding out, being taunted by Russell, tears for his wife – Great TV!
Laura left wayyy too soon. She had a lot of knowledge on the game and she would have been a great player like Danielle BB8. She knows when someone’s lying, is good at mental competitions, and good at physical competitions (she threw the first HoH and could have held on longer but didn’t want a target on her back).
You should have a season for all the contestants that played too hard too fast. Laura BB11, Brian BB10, Mike “The Don” BB5, etc.
“Do you and Allison condone cheating on this show?
One reader was “really disturbed by hearing Jessie and them plan on cheating in the next HOH competition.” We certainly do NOT condone cheating on the show. That’s why we’re Big Brother. We’re always watching.”
Uhm should we discuss Kevin saying he got to see the POV questions due to technical difficulties? How about Natalie wrapping a rubber band or hair band around her wrist and the key for last nights HOH? How about Natalie stealing Michele’s gloves? Why hasn’t anything been said about any of these things? Where are the penalties? Since when it it okay to keep a calendar? I recall in past seasons makeshift calendars were taken from house guests why has it been allowed this season?