Last time we left the houseguests, one of the most infamous players in the game, Aaryn, had been crowned the Head of Household after scoring a perfect 36 in the Roulette-Me-Win competition. Aaryn has been a target for several weeks, and one by one, all of her alliance members and friends have been steadily leaving the house—first Jeremy, then Kaitlyn. Aaryn knows that, at this point, it’s pretty clear that her back is against the wall in this game.
Before the eviction last week, it seemed to be a toss-up between Kaitlyn and Aaryn. Who was the bigger threat? Who could potentially be used and trusted down the line? Overall, Aaryn came out on top after striking a deal that the remaining HG’s simply couldn’t refuse. She promised Helen and Elissa (her sworn enemy in the game) that she would throw HoH. And if she did happen to win it, she promised the mom-squad that they could pick her two nominees. Helen gratefully accepted the deal, and minutes before the eviction, Helen told her to play her best in the HoH, and if she wins, she expects her to nominate former Moving Company men Spencer and Howard. And Aaryn seems to have gone from public enemy #1 to a trusted player in this game: she follows through on her deal, and nominates Spencer and Howard for eviction.
Howard knows his time in the Big Brother house is dwindling. People view Howard as a competition “beast,” as McCrae has said, but is he really? He has yet to win any competitions, and while he is physically fit, he does not seem to be too skilled in the BB competitions. Therefore, what is the real reason the HG’s seem to passionately want Howard gone? He has apologized for his indiscretions and involvement in the Moving Company, but Spencer and McCrae were in the same alliance and appear to have come out unscathed. Is it because Howard is ‘hard to read’ and, as a result, many of the HG’s feel they cannot manipulate him?
At one point in Wednesday’s episode, Amanda tries to uncover if Howard is the MVP, and she seems to become frustrated with his long-winded, vague responses. She tells the diary room that Howard ‘can’t be manipulated’ and needs to go. Overall, it seems as if Amanda, McCrae and the rest of their alliance members are calling the shots in this game, and if they cannot manipulate someone, that person immediately becomes public enemy #1 in the Big Brother house.
Howard, Spencer, and Candice seem to pick up on this, and on Wednesday’s episode, they continually bring up the fact that ‘4 people are controlling the game.’ The four people mentioned are Helen, Elissa, Amanda, and McCrae. And, ultimately, a lot of viewers cannot help but agree.
Ultimately, it appears as though a lot of the houseguests are feeling safe this week. McCrae even tells Amanda they have ‘become so comfortable in this game.’ But in the world of Big Brother, comfort is a very, very dangerous thing, and it almost always leads to a blindside.
And, what do you know?
During the veto ceremony, the MVP chooses Amanda as the third nominee. She and McCrae both appear shocked and angered, but if McCrae is really the super fan he claims to be, he should know better than to get too comfortable in this game.
Other players are also picked by random draw to compete in the competition: Jessie and Candice are chosen. Therefore, Aaryn, Spencer, Howard, Jessie, Candice, and a very stunned Amanda will compete in the Power of Veto competition.
The houseguests step into the backyard (which has been transformed into a ‘time lab’) ready to compete in the veto competition, dressed in astronaut gear. Helen, the host, is dressed as a crazy scientist (and admittedly, she does look a little crazy). Helen gives the houseguests instructions through an earpiece, and tells them they will need to construct a puzzle of a veto stone. The houseguest who assembles the stone the fastest will win the Power of Veto!
The houseguests are off to a fast start. Jessie and Candice both appear somewhat frenzied and confused, while Amanda and Spencer take early leads. Howard is really struggling and appears incapable of making his pieces fit together. It looks like Amanda is about to win when she realizes that a few of her pieces are still missing! She runs to collect the rest of her pieces, while Spencer steadily gains on her. It’s a close game, but in the end, Spencer assembles his veto stone the fastest. Spencer wins the Power of Veto!
Spencer seems ecstatic and celebrates his first win of the season, while Howard and Candice appear really disheartened. Candice tells us it was her time to ‘rise up’ in this game, and she failed. Now, she does not have the power to protect Howard, her best friend in the Big Brother house.
Now HoH Aaryn is well-aware she will have to choose a replacement nominee. Almost immediately, she mentions nominating Candice to the rest of the HG’s. The majority of the houseguests agree that nominating Candice is a no-brainer.
Candice realizes she is in trouble, and attempts to confront Helen. She emphatically tells Helen it’s clear that her and her friends are running this game. Helen immediately becomes defensive, and continually swears she is not controlling the game. Candice’s scare tactics only seem to further alienate her from Helen. This is made especially clear when Helen runs upstairs and spills her conversation with Candice to the rest of the HG’s, telling them that Candice “attacked her.” It’s now Helen’s mission to portray Candice as a “troublemaker” to the rest of the houseguests.
Eventually, it becomes time for the veto ceremony. Spencer, as expected, takes himself off the block. Also expected, Aaryn nominates Candice in his place. Candice is not surprised that Aaryn put her on the block; however, she is surprised that her two friends in the house, Helen and Elissa, seem to have a hand in her nomination.
Overall, it seems as though Candice and Howard are in deep trouble this week. Can Howard really turn the house against Amanda in time to save himself and Candice from eviction? We will find out tonight, Thursday, August 1st, at 9/8c when another houseguest will be evicted and the sixth HoH of the summer will be named!