'Big Brother' Recap: Season 15, Episode 3

When we left the Big Brother houseguests on Sunday, McCrae had just been crowned HOH after a long and grueling 4-hour battle on a Popsicle stick. Immediately after winning, McCrae sought advice from several houseguests, unsure of who to nominate. Seeming to take the ‘easy way out,’ McCrae decided to nominate two houseguests whom he viewed as the least liked in order to avoid creating waves with the other players. These two houseguests were Candice, a speech therapist from New Orleans, and Jessie, an unemployed Texas native.
Following nominations, Candice quickly becomes emotional and bursts into tears, ironically soon after telling the houseguests she would not “go in a corner and cry about it.” Candice, although emotional, appears aware enough to realize that there may be an alliance between the guys in the house, since McCrae did not put any of the stronger male houseguests up for eviction. She is the first houseguest of the season to pick up on “The Moving Company,” a five-man alliance comprised of McCrae, Nick, Howard, Jeremy, and Spencer, and it seems as if Candice may be a smart and adept BB player, after all.
Fellow nominee Jessie also seems upset about nominations, but both players are focused on one thing that will grant them their salvation in the Big Brother house: the Power of Veto. Both players emphasize they need to win the sought after POV, a power that grants them the ability to save themselves or remove someone else from the nomination block.
Elissa, on the other hand, appears deeply thankful and pleasantly surprised that she escaped nominations. It seems as though the infamous former contestant Rachel Reilly will get to see her sister live another day in the BB house—but then again, this is Big Brother, and you should always expect the unexpected.
Houseguests left and right are starting to pick up on Elissa’s physical similarities to sister Rachel Reilly. Judd seems to be the first houseguest to make the connection, and Aaryn, Jeremy, and the others soon follow. Elissa decides to confide in McCrae, confirming that she is indeed related to Rachel, and she swears him to secrecy.
But how could we forget about the one power left in the house that is still up for grabs? This season, America is able to crown the BB player that they think is playing the best game “The Most Valuable Player,” a coveted position that grants the chosen houseguest the ability to nominate a 3rd contestant for eviction. Who does America think has been playing the best game, and who will the MVP nominate for eviction?
America has been voting since the HG’s entered the game, and it is finally revealed: Elissa’s Big Brother legacy has paid off, and she is crowned the first MVP of the season.
Immediately after finding out she is the MVP, Elissa approaches her new confidante, McCrae. Again, she makes McCrae swear that he will not tell the others that she is the MVP, to which he agrees. Elissa’s first order of business: find out who HOH McCrae wants her to nominate, in hopes that she can curry favors to avoid the nomination chair herself. McCrae mentions David, another strong male in the house that is not in The Moving Company and, therefore, is a threat to McCrae and his TMC alliance members. It appears as though Elissa’s heart is telling her to nominate Nick, whom she views as a bigger threat both physically and intellectually. But since Nick is in TMC, McCrae steers her away from this option, again encouraging her to nominate David and highlighting his physical strengths.
And Elissa follows her new BFF’s order: she agrees to nominate David. Shockingly, soon after she tells McCrae she will do it, McCrae claims that he has to put Elissa on the block if she does not win the POV—it is what the house wants.
At this point, it appears as though everyone in the BB house is afraid to make big moves. It is still early, and most are trying to lay as low as possible. But should McCrae really nominate Elissa, who has been nothing but honest and forthcoming to him since the game began?
Before we know it, it is time for the MVP’s nomination to be announced. After much anticipation, the 3rd nominee’s face appears on the living room screen: it is David. It appears as though Elissa has taken McCrae’s advice, after all.
Elissa does not have time to dwell on the fallout from her secret nomination and David’s resulting shock; it is time to pick players for the veto competition! It is a given that the HOH McCrae and his two nominees, Candice and Jessie, will play for the competition. The other HGs are picked by a random draw; Howard and Elissa will also be playing in the competition.
The houseguests excitedly run into the backyard, where they see cupcakes, honey, and the host of America Baking Competition, Marcela Valladolid. The houseguests will have to crawl through honey and icing and pop balloons that are filled with letters—letters that will give them the opportunity to spell a word of their choosing. The HG that spells the longest word wins the Power of Veto competition.
Elissa is off to a fast start in the competition, while McCrae purposely tries to move slowly—he does not want to win the POV, and he does not want to have to nominate Elissa. David moves at turtle-speed, even though he claims to be trying, and he is the last HG to submit his letters.
When the words are revealed, both Howard and Jessie take early leads with 7-letter words, and Candice falls behind with a 5-letter word. Elissa unveils her word: pot roast, an 8-letter word that would guarantee her the lead. One problem: pot roast is two words, and as a result, she is disqualified from the competition. McCrae is next: he spells delivery (a homage to his pizza delivery boy profession?), an 8-letter word that grants him the POV, his second win so far this summer.
Oh, but how could we forget? Surfer David fails to submit any letters, even though he was the last to finish.
S-H-O-C-K-I-N-G.
Elissa is upset she did not win the POV—she feels as though she is not living up to her sister, and she muses to Helen that may not be ‘cut out’ for the game. Helen tries to lift Elissa up as best she can—she tells her nobody is cut out for the game of Big Brother, claiming it is hard—a lot harder than most people realize.
It seems as though McCrae would have to agree with Helen’s sentiments: the game is getting increasingly harder for him. He appears torn and unsure what to do with the veto. Should he appease the house and nominate Elissa? Or should he work with Elissa, since she has proved to be trustworthy and honest thus far in the game?
Before the veto ceremony, Nick makes a surprise visit to the HOH room and proposes a plan to McCrae: why not keep Elissa, and evict the threat, David? Elissa is likely to win more MVPs, and they could use her MVP power to their advantage. McCrae appears tempted, but keeps reminding Nick that the house would be out to get him if he keeps Elissa safe. So what will McCrae do: make a decision for himself, or for the house?
It’s time for the veto ceremony, where McCrae’s decision will be revealed.
After much anticipation, it becomes apparent that McCrae’s loyalties indeed lie with the house: he removes Candice from the block, nominating Elissa in her place.
Unsurprisingly, Elissa feels betrayed by McCrae. The rest of the house is elated. But, wait. We are shown one more DR session before the show ends, and it is with McCrae, who emphatically claims:
“But surprise, surprise, America – she’s not the real target. Elissa has a lot of life left in this game.”
So what is McCrae’s plan? How will he appease the house without evicting Elissa, and how will he save her when the whole house appears to be against her?
I guess we will have to wait until Wednesday—until then, we can do nothing but expect the unexpected!

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