Big Brother Shenanigans: BB14: Meat Shields

Thursday, August 16, 2012

BB14: Meat Shields

As far as the upcoming eviction is concerned, it seems almost a done deal that Wil is going home despite the fact that Shane and Danielle have told him they will consider keeping him, despite the fact that they trust Joe less and despite the fact that Joe has zero ability to help them except as a vote or as a pawn. This illustrates what is most wrong with the game.

It's being run by Dan and Mike. Good for them. Bad for the others and for us. During their discussion last night around 12:27 am, Mike showed his disdain for the other players including Britney, saying that they can't play the game. They both feel that they are fully protected by the others, having "meat shields" like Shane to get in the way of their eviction. As arrogant as this all may sound, they have a point. This season's cast is a ready-made shield for them. In fact, this season has been set up for them to have the optimum chance of winning.

The vets entered the game in positions of power, allowing them not only safety for 3 weeks (it would have been 4 had Willie not been shown the door), but the ability to choose their pawns. Though they all seemingly had a level playing field, in reality, the choice of which coaches came in stacked the game. Dan and Mike are not only BB winners, but they are also two players who won using manipulation in different ways. Add to this the fact that they know, like and respect each other outside the game, the ultimate predestined alliance is formed.

By contrast, Janelle and Brit were chosen for a different reason: to spice things up, by providing the necessary drama. Janelle has not only been Mike's nemesis but also lost All-Stars because of his actions. Her one strength has been her competition skills which were severely limited by the fact that she was a coach not a player. When she became a player, her lack of strategy and creation of a solid alliance caused her to be evicted prematurely. Then there's Britney who, while entertaining in her season, showed very little strategy or awareness, allowing herself to be Brigaded. This season, she shows moments of clarity but is being handicapped by second-guessing herself.

Then there are the newbies. People who are either unaware of how the game works, unaware of how Mike and Dan won their seasons, unaware of the mistakes that the newbies made last year, and/or just plain unaware. This has allowed Dan and Mike to manipulate them for their gain, without any opposition. Resistance is futile, as Wil is quickly learning.

Danielle's HoH was completely manipulated by Dan who not only stopped her from putting up Boogie, but later used Danielle's resentment and distrust of Janelle, to make the latter the target. Both Frank's HoHs were controlled by Mike. In the most recent one, Frank was manipulated into not putting up Dan. And here I sit wondering, when will they connect the dots? Shane's HoH was a bust, thanks to BB. Odd wasn't it that AGP chose to nullify the eviction that week to not weaken Mike?

Some newbies seem to think that BB is summer camp: Joe with his Cooking with E-Coli, Jenn who's so chill, she might as well not be there and Ashley whose organic intuitiveness has not been coupled with any strategy. Why were these people chosen to be on this show? It certainly wasn't because of their ability to win this game, but their ability to provide entertainment which they have barely delivered.

On the other hand, there are newbies who have shown some skills, but have chosen not to use them wisely: Ian whose keen knowledge of the game has not come in handy yet, Shane who has the brawn but has shown a sorrowful lack of cunning, Danielle who has some qualities to win this game but is crippled by her emotional issues, Frank who has morphed into a mini Boogie and finally, Wil who has a keen perception of what is really happening, but has lacked the ability to execute this perception to his benefit.

Rather than band together once the game was "reset", the newbies continue to play the coaches' game. Joe, Jenn, Ashley and Wil have grumbled about getting the coaches out, but have not had the power to do anything about it. Frank talked big early in the game, but when time came to put his money where his mouth is, he chose to continue his "alliance" with Mike, playing Mike's game. Danielle's loyalty to Dan has been blind and her attachment to Britney debilitating. Shane has shown strength in competitions, but little prowess in strategy. Ian is too in awe of the coaches to take a strike against them.

This is why I have heard from so many fans that they can't root for anyone. It's like watching a fight bewteen Junior dos Santos and Howard Wolowitz, or a chess game between Viswanathan Anand and Penny (Yes, I'm a Big Bang Theory geek.). Even rooting for the underdog seems pointless because you see they don't stand a chance.

But maybe I'm being too pessimistic. Maybe the game will turn and someone will have the courage to strike the first blow. It's Thursday finally. The cast have been talking about A Fast Forward tonight or a Double Eviction this week. Neither have been announced on last night's show, so the chances are slim but not none. All I know is I'm ready for a change. Big Bang time!

This was released by CBS Big Brother. Ohohohoh!! Any theories??

Stay tuned! :)

Big Brother Lexicon

There are certain terms that have been used in the course of this show that should be clarified. Here is a list:

Team America: Yet Another tool for production to manipulate the game. Three players will be placed in alliance by "America" and will be given tasks that apparently will change the game. So far, it didn't change Joey's game, first member of Team America slated to be evicted first.

Battle of the Block: The 2 nominees of each of the 2 HoHs will battle each other. The winner duo save themselves and dethrone the HoH who nominated them, throwing them back out of power at risk of being a renom.

AGP: Allison Grodner of Fly on the Wall Productions which is the company that has been hired by CBS to produce the show.

PoV: Power of Veto. This allows the holder to save one of the nominations for eviction. The last PoV of the game is the most powerful, as it determines who will be evicted.

HoH: Head of Household. Along with getting a primo suite, a letter from home, pictures and treats, this person decides who will be nominated and renominated should the veto be used.

Floater: This term is often misused. A "floaters" strategy is legitimate way to get through and win the game. A prime example of this is Jun Song (BB4). This strategy allows the player to switch alliances when necessary, win when necessary, but always work under the wire. It doesn't mean just going with the power in the house (let's call those floppers). It means manipulating the house, ergo having the power. In later years, the term has been misused for players who do not make any moves in the game but work for whoever has the power.

Backdoor: This strategy is used when the true target for eviction is not initially nominated, does not get a chance to play PoV, is subsequently nominated and evicted.

Blindside: When a player is evicted without even suspecting that he/she is the target.

Pawn: This is a person who is nominated but is part of the HoH's alliance and is used as a decoy, to ensure that the other person nominated gets evicted. It has often happened that the pawn has been blindsided.

America's Player: This is a player in the game, chosen by the viewing public, who is told how to act and vote in the house. They do this for a separate monetary reward.

Fast Forward: When there are two evictions in one week. Typically they tape an eviction on Tuesday followed by a quickie HoH. They have nominations later that night, followed by a PoV competition and PoV ceremony the next day. The second eviction and HoH comp for that week happens live on Thursday.

Double Eviction: On the live show on Thursday, there is an eviction (sometimes pre-taped), followed by a quick HoH comp, immediate nominations, a PoV competition, PoV Ceremony, followed by another Eviction, culminating in the second HoH comp which is usually a physical skill or Endurance.