‘Big Brother’ Weekly Recap: Candice Comes Undone and Howard Goes Home

Previously on Big Brother…

BigBrotheraarynhohThe time arrives to crown a new Head of Household. The competition is called “Roulette Me Win.” Each houseguest rolls a single ball down a ramp onto a giant roulette wheel with slots numbered zero through 36. The player whose ball lands in the highest numbered slot will become the new HOH. Aaryn wins HOH, and everybody who voted to keep her deserves whatever she dishes out.

Sunday Night

So, Lucifer’s mistress Aaryn not only bought herself another week in the Big Brother house but managed to become Head of Household as well. Elissa and Howard were already dubious about not evicting her, but both felt voting against the house would not have been in either of their best interests.

The only person genuinely happy that Aaryn is HOH besides Aaryn is GinaMarie. Helen isn’t in full panic mode yet because she is hoping that Aaryn will stick to their deal. Before the eviction ceremony, Aaryn promised Helen that if she won HOH, she would let Helen, and I’m guessing whoever is aligned with Helen, choose her nominees. At this point, aside from Elissa, I’m not certain who 100 percent is down with Helen. After airing some footage from a few days prior to Thursday, it is clear that Helen wants Spencer and Howard up on the block. If Aaryn stays true to her word, no one other than Howard and Spencer and floater Jessie should be scurrying up to the HOH room to try and make nice with the “Queen of Mean.” This also saves Aaryn the trouble of having to act civil or human, traits we all know are very difficult for her to display.

Candice, who appears to be straddling Howard in the Have-Not room, says that if Aaryn returns to her BBHowardandCandywicked ways, she’s confident it will be her and Elissa up on the block. Howard tells her to try and not think that way. The conversation is a bit hard to follow because they are both speaking in hushed tones. Candice is aware of the deal Helen made thanks to Jessie. Candice tells Howard Judd was in on the negotiations as well. It looks like Candice, while not a target, has devoted most of her time to Howard leaving her vulnerable if he leaves. Truthfully, Howard hasn’t really helped Candice’s game. She also tells him not to tell Spencer. He promises her he won’t.

Spencer immediately approached Aaryn and asks if he’s safe this week. She stalls by telling him that she doesn’t know because she has to wait to hear what everybody says. Aaryn tells him that she wants to keep him, but she has a huge target on her back. She says she didn’t want to play “this way.” She says she wanted to play with people she respected, and she respects him. Maybe she should have thought of that before she offended and/or rebuffed so many people in the house. Now, she’s just a little blonde pawn, being forcibly moved by other players in the game.

Spencer is frustrated by the conversation because he can’t get a straight answer regarding his safety. Aaryn’s elusiveness does not sit well with Spencer.

Helen and Aaryn have a conversation about Candice in the pantry. Just before the live show, Candice told Helen she knew about the deal that she’d made with Aaryn. Helen tells Aaryn that Candice said, in a threatening tone, that she hoped Aaryn would put up GinaMarie and Spencer and stay away from her and Howard. Helen tells Aaryn Candice is going to flip out when Howard goes up. Aaryn says she’ll take the heat, and she has every intention of honoring their agreement. Helen is convinced Elissa leaked the deal. The next part of their conversation I found a bit confusing because Helen admits that like four other players knew about the deal. She’s just jumping to the conclusion that it was Elissa that outed her to Candice. She might not be so quick to think so if Elissa’s convo with Kaitlin hadn’t been overheard and called out by Aaryn. Aaryn sees this as a possible opportunity to convince Helen they have the votes to get Elissa out, but Helen says she would have to look the other way. She won’t actively participate in evicting Elissa even though she seems to think the woman is ruining her game.

When the time comes for everyone to see Aaryn’s HOH room, all the houseguests hide upstairs, so it appears nobody has any intention of going through this tedious ritual. It would have been funnier if they had all just gone about their business and ignored her instead of making a big fuss  out of it. It’s her second HOH and supposedly nobody except GinaMarie genuinely likes her, so this is a small part of everybody’s master plan to stay off the block.

It takes the new HOH just a hot minute to offend Candice. Aaryn blames Candice when she uses the word aksed instead of asked. Candice, who is a speech therapist, says she’s taking the comment with a grain of salt, but she doesn’t know how she’s going to make it through the week.

bbhelenHelen lets Judd, Amanda and McCrae that Candice knows about the deal they made with Elissa. How convenient that the person who did spill the beans, Jessie, isn’t around for this impromptu meeting. Again, Helen voices how livid she is that Elissa leaked their plan. At this point, I still don’t think she’s actually confronted Elissa who is supposed to be her closest friend in the house. McCrae calls Elissa a selfish player, and Helen says they have to get her out. Then she declares they can’t keep Elissa in the loop on anything. Helen is really going to feel like s**t if or when she discovers who the real culprit is.

*In a sweet non-game related moment, Amanda and McCrae profess their love for each other while taking a bath together.

Spencer and Aaryn have another conversation about him going up on the block. Not much is resolved. Aaryn has made a deal in exchange for protection. Spencer tells her he thinks she should take this opportunity to shift the power in the house. He also tells her that there are other people in who can also keep her safe. It sounds like a conversation out of The Godfather.

Howard spends some quality time with Aaryn who tells him that Candice told Helen if Aaryn put herself or Aaryn up, they would come after them, I’m guessing by them she means herself, Helen and Elissa. Just as she did with Spencer, Aaryn tells Howard that her safety in the house relies on doing what the majority wants. Howard plays the flattery card and tells Aaryn he knows she’s smart enough to realize who’s running the house and it’s going to take someone bold to change the trajectory that the house is currently on. He tells her that if she shakes up the game it could ensure her more than one week of safety.

Poppy Montgomery, the star of the CBS show Unforgettable makes a brief cameo to set the stage for the Have/Have-Not competition. For the “Unexpectedly Unforgettable” challenge, the backyard has been set up like a police station. The houseguests have split themselves into three teams. For the first round of the challenge, each team has to take individual pieces of “evidence” off  a set of shelves and balance all of the items on a desk. The first team to get all of their evidence stacked will earn an advantage in the second round of the competition. The losing team from part two of the competition will be the Have-Nots for the week.

Aaryn, Andy, Elissa and McCrae are the first team to stack all of their items. Amanda, Candice, Judd and BBhavenotcompGinaMarie come in second while Helen, Howard, Spencer and Jessie come in third place. For the second round, the teams find out they have to replace each piece of evidence back on the shelves in its original position. Each team gets an envelope with photos of the certain items and how they should be placed on each shelf. The winning team from part one, gets the most help — 10 photos — out of the total of 24. The second place team got nine pictures while the last place team received eight. Amanda, Candice, GinaMarie and Judd wind up the Have-Nots for the week.

Candice tells Howard that she’s convinced that Aaryn is going to nominate him and Spencer. She can’t decide if she should put herself at risk by talking to Aaryn. Candice says it’s time for Aaryn to make a power move, and she should put up Amanda and McCrae. Howard is all for Candice putting her ass on the line to save his. He tells her it’s time for her to go get her bed, metaphorically of course.

Candice goes to talk to Aaryn, and their conversation is just a regurgitation of the previous ones that Aaryn has already had with both Spencer and Howard. She doesn’t want to do it, blah, blah, blah, but she has to honor what the rest of the houseguests want, blah, blah, blah. Candice suggests McCrae and Amanda, but Aaryn won’t even really consider them as an option because she feels Amanda has helped her remain in the house. Candice suggests that Aaryn might want to question Amanda’s motives. She also gets in a little dig by saying that Amanda isn’t afraid to make bold moves.

After her unproductive conversation with Aaryn, Candice expresses to Howard how much she regrets talking to her. Candice feels that since she brought up Amanda’s name, and Aaryn feels loyal to Amanda, she just put a bigger target on her own back. She also feels that Howard baited her into copping a plea on his behalf. I can’t help but to agree.

Up in the HOH room Andy states he thinks Howard should go unless he wins the BB MVP. Aaryn says she’s going to do what everyone wants to do, but she’s concerned that the only true threat to her in the house is Elissa. Andy and Jessie reassure Aaryn that if Elissa came after her, they’d have her back. Apparently, the BB house is full of toxic mold because all of a sudden everybody has the racist’s back. She hasn’t miraculously changed into a good person. Now, every person who has just decided to no longer hold her accountable is someone I can’t wait to see voted out.

Aaryn decides to put her personal vendetta against Elissa on hold and nominates Howard and Spencer. She says that it isn’t personal, just what’s best for her game. Out of the two, Spencer really is the bigger threat, so I think this move is ultimately going to be her downfall.

Wednesday Night

BBaarynnominationsAfter the nomination ceremony is adjourned by Heather #1 (Aaryn), it’s time to watch the houseguests deal with the fallout. Aaryn has explained her motives again and again, so nobody, including the two nominees are surprised. Howard says that Amanda, McCrae, Helen and possibly Elissa flexed their muscles and convinced another HOH to put up a player who isn’t controlling anything. Spencer is bummed to be put up against his closest ally and is hanging his hopes on the BB MVP nominating a bigger threat.

Helen is pleased that Aaryn honored their agreement and feels if Aaryn continues to be her b***h, the two can play a very good game together. Aaryn may have no choice, but if a better offer arises, Aaryn will not remain Helen’s puppet. What’s surprising is how likely it is that not only will Aaryn make it to jury but possibly the finals.

Helen immediately heads to the HOH room and does her usual obnoxious celebratory dance when things go her way. Elissa, the only person in the house apparently surprised by the nominations comes into the room and gives Aaryn a huge hug and thanks her for not putting her on the block. It looks like Helen has dropped Elissa, at least temporarily, as her closest confidant.

As Howard starts to pray in the Have-Not room, Jessie bursts in and says she needs to talk to him. Jessie tells Howard she knows how much this opportunity means to him. She starts to bawl and says that she knows there are some people in the house whose lives won’t be changed by winning the money. That kind of money is life changing for anybody not on Forbes magazine’s wealthiest list. Is it because he’s a black man from Mississippi that she feels he’s more deserving or rather needy? Jessie tells him not to give up and to win the POV. I’m curious if when it comes time to vote, if she’ll even consider crossing the majority and vote for Spencer. This whole scene seems like a premature mea culpa.

Spencer talks strategy with McCrae. He asks McCrae if Candice or GinaMarie were to be nominated if Howard would still be the target, and McCrae tells him absolutely. He says Howard is a “monster” — physically speaking. McCrae is trying to separate Spencer from Howard because he believes he can work with Spencer once Howard leaves. Spencer doesn’t believe anything McCrae has to say. He knows the only reason Howard is on the block is because they consider him a threat to their alliance.

As if Howard isn’t in a precarious enough position, he decides to hold an impromptu meeting with the other houseguests. He doesn’t make much sense. The only thing I can get out of what he’s trying to communicate is that he wants everyone to know he hasn’t talked behind their backs. Howard is frustrated that with all the double dealings and backstabbing going on, he feels it’s hypocritical that he’s still being punished for being part of The Moving Company. Amanda said herself, that was the primary reason she wants him out. It’s just unfortunate that there’s a disconnect between his brain and his mouth. He just winds up confusing the group and making several people, especially Andy, paranoid.

It’s time to pick the players for the Power of Veto competition and to reveal the MVP’s third nominee. bigbrotheramandablockAmerica is a fickle mistress. Last week, viewers chose Elissa (after Aaryn) and this week, they want Amanda out. Amanda is pissed and convinced that Howard is the MVP. She thinks that by putting her up, it gives him a better chance of staying. Aaryn goes ahead and picks the players for the Veto comp. She picks Candice and Jessie.

McCrae is a little crazed by this latest development. He tells Spencer that the MVP just f***ed him over. Spencer questions McCrae regarding whom he thinks is the MVP and McCrae alludes to Howard. Spencer swears there is absolutely no way it is Howard, and McCrae says he would bet his life on it. McCrae doesn’t think anyone else has the motive to do it. Are you kidding? Everybody in the house has a motive. McCrae needs to start thinking with the head on top of his shoulders and opposed to the one between his legs. Spencer says Howard would tell him if he was the MVP. McCrae is trying to intimidate Spencer, so that he’ll play hard for the Veto. As if he wasn’t going to anyway. And, if he wins, how does that benefit McCrae? There is no bigger threat than Amanda to go up in Spencer’s place, and there’s no way in hell Spencer would use the Veto to save Amanda. You’re flailing McCrae.

Amanda isn’t 100 percent convinced that the MVP is Howard. She’s also taking the news far better than her boyfriend. She does admit that it is one thing to be nominated by the HOH but frustrating to be nominated by some anonymous person. It’s interesting that it doesn’t even occur to her that she might not be a favorite among the viewers. I guess I wouldn’t want to think America hated my guys either. Determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, Amanda confronts Howard. He tells her he’s not the MVP, and he believes it’s either Elissa or America.

BBpuzzlevetoThe time arrives for the all-important Veto competition. The game is called “Back in Time.” Basically, the players have to put together a puzzle with a pre-historic theme. Spencer wins the Power of Veto.

Aaryn wants to put up Candice stating that she’s been the primary cause of every painful thing she’s gone through. She also says that if she doesn’t put Candice up, she’ll vote to keep Howard. Amanda’s on board because she’s convinced Candice would vote against her. Helen says she’ll do what the group wants, but she wants to at least tell Candice that tried for her, which she says with air quotes, to talk to Aaryn. Way to save your own ass Helen.

Rather than saving her own ass, Helen gets it handed to her by Candice. Frustrated, by Howard and Spencer’s ambivalence about their predicament, she decides to talk to Helen. Candice knows that Helen is pulling Aaryn’s strings. Helen warns Candice not to make waves. She also says that she talked to Aaryn, but her opinion held no sway. Candice says this is a game of making deals and even though she knows that Helen has the numbers with Amanda and McCrae, she thought Helen had loyalty to her too. Helen says she does and that she loves Candice. Candice questions why Helen won’t consider voting out Amanda and making a deal with her, Howard and Spencer. Helen says she thinks it would be tough because everyone wants him out. Candice points out that Helen found a way to save Aaryn’s ass when she was public enemy number one. Helen immediately denies playing a role in that even though she already admitted in to be true earlier.

Candice than accuses Helen of making all sorts of deals and pronounces that it is obvious that Helen, McCrae and Amanda are running stuff. Helen starts to panic because she fears if Candice goes around telling rumors that she’s the power of the house, it could put a huge target on her back. Helen claims if she had any power Aaryn would have gone home, and Candice points out that Helen made a deal with her. Helen lies and says Aaryn came to her with the proposition. Mama Helen is getting called out big time. Candice points out that she’s more of an ally than Amanda, and she’s coming to Helen with a deal. Candice is in many ways a very savvy player. It’s just too bad she’s so inconsistent. Helen says she said she would try and then storms off in a huff. Helen immediately runs up to the HOH bedroom to tattle on Candice.

The Power of Veto ceremony gets underway, and there’s no doubt that Spencer is going to use it on bbspencevetohimself. Aaryn says, “This won’t be a surprise, Candice, saddle up.” She is just oh, so charming. Candice isn’t the least bit surprised at being nominated. She is taken aback by the fact that she thinks both Helen and Elissa had a hand in it. She says if she survives the eviction, she’ll be going after both of them. I hope Candice stays because at least she has some motivation and drive. Howard has been a dud in every conceivable way. He swears he’s going to find a way to turn the house against Amanda, but I find that highly unlikely. He should have started planting those seeds weeks ago instead of sitting around and whining about how unfair the game is.

Thursday Night

Spencer, if he has any hope of salvaging his game, has to find a way to make sure that Amanda, and not Howard, goes home tonight. It’s adorable he thinks there is any way that he can get enough people to back him to make his dream a reality. Andy and Jessie are staying cozy with McCrae, Helen and Elissa. Aaryn has already said she won’t cross Amanda. Howard is also foolishly hoping that one of the flock strays from the rest of the herd, but nobody has any incentive to do so. Howard has nothing to offer.

bbcanhowaarynCandice starts to immediately implode after the Veto ceremony. After Howard assures her they aren’t going anywhere, Candice tells him Aaryn should have just said, “Grab your rebel flag, black people on the block.” Howard tries to convince her to not be so negative, but Candice feels she’s just being realistic. If he wants to instill confidence, he should get off the elliptical machine and go scramble for some votes. He’s literally getting nowhere.

Since Spencer considers GinaMarie an “underling” he pleads his case with her. She seems amenable to a deal, stating she has no allegiance to Amanda. Both Spencer and Howard tag team Andy and explain that if someone doesn’t make a big move soon, the game is going to settle into the same routine every week. This means that eventually Andy becomes expendable. Everything they are saying is right, but many people play week to week which is a gamble. On the other hand, nobody can predict what might happen long term either. Who would have ever though Aaryn would still be in the house much less HOH.

Spencer’s best bet is Candice. He tells her they need to stay on the same side. He makes it clear that he wants Amanda out.

Andy tells Amanda in the storage room that he made a fake deal with Spencer and Howard along with Judd to flip and vote her out. Amanda makes Andy promise he won’t flip. What comes next, a pinky swear? Andy swears she has nothing to worry about but that doesn’t stop Amanda from a few seconds of severe pouting.

In the backyard, Spencer tries to engage Amanda in some small talk, but she lays it out for him real quick. She says she knows what he’s trying to do, and it’s not going to work. Amanda also makes it clear that all Spencer is accomplishing is making himself a bigger target. Spencer plays stupid about the whole thing. If Amanda has the b***s to confront him, he should have the b***s to be honest. He says if he was going to get anybody out it would be Candice. Spencer is unwilling to be intimidated by Amanda.

Amanda says she understands Spencer not wanting to go against Howard, but he shouldn’t go against her because that will hurt him. If she’s so confident, than why does she give a damn? She says if he does decide to try and get Candice out, she can help him. That’s when Spencer kindly tells Amanda that he really doesn’t give a s**t. She tells him he should. He accuses her of threatening people and trying to act like a badass, but he’s not a punk b***h who’s going to kiss her ass. He tells her he knows she’s the reason why he’s even on the block. She tells him she doesn’t yield that kind of power, and in this case, she’s right. Spencer simply tells her to shut up. His misogynistic side is now out in full force. She calls him a bully. He denies it. He says she knows who he wants out, so they should leave it at that and get to Thursday.

Helen who was jogging outside during this whole scene, immediately goes to tell Candice that Spencer said he wants her out. Helen tells Candice she’s not supposed to be the target this week and that’s what makes her mad. Candice says it might be time for a “keep it real with Candi” moment.

I don’t know why BB saves all the good fights for Thursday night, but tonight is full of nasty confrontations. BBcandicespencerfightCandice calls a house meeting in the backyard and calls Spencer out on all of his lies. She also reveals that Spencer supposedly told her he wished Amanda would pop an implant and choke to death on her own saliva. I don’t know if the live feeds can back this up or not, but I didn’t witness that conversation on After Dark. She urges everyone to vote how they want to vote and promises Spencer that if she stays in the house, she’s going to send him home next week. What started out as a fib to cover his tracks has now blown up in Spencer’s face. Now he really does want Candice to leave.

All of a sudden, Jessie, Aaryn and GinaMarie are all scared s***less of Candice. None of them want to be called out the way Howard was even though he deserved it. Jessie and GinaMarie are constantly in tears anyway, so they really can’t handle the thought of having to answer for their actions. Aaryn thinks Candice is lying about Howard and doesn’t want to give her more time in the house to make up lies about her. Aaryn, sweetie, there isn’t a thing Candice can do to you that you haven’t already done to yourself.

Big Brother cameras head to Judd’s hometown, so viewers can see that he is not some evil genius in disguise. For some odd reason, several of the houseguests, seem to think that blank expression and simple mindset is just a ruse. Well, after meeting a few of Englewood’s residents, it is safe to say, Judd is exactly what he seems to be.

Helen, Elissa, McCrae, Judd, Andy, GinaMarie and Jessie all vote to evict Howard. Spencer votes for Candice.

Most of Howard’s exit interview with Julie isn’t worth rehashing, but she does ask him why he didn’t confront the racist behavior and tell the offenders he wasn’t going to put up with it. Howard claims he didn’t want to lose his temper, and he chose to take the high road. He didn’t want to stoop to their level.

As many of the houseguests have been speculating all week, the HOH competition is one of endurance. The competition is called “Bull In a China Shop.” The game requires each player to stand on a barrel while holding on to a bull’s head attached to long pendulum. If a player lets go, the bull swings forward and breaks a shelf full of glass. The last houseguest standing wins HOH. Oh, and the barrel moves. Elissa almost loses it immediately but is able to right herself. I wonder if she also has trouble walking while chewing gum. Julie announces there will be no Have-Nots this week. She also tells the houseguests that the first three to drop will get to open one of three boxes. In one of these boxes is $5,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start a Discussion

Main Heading Goes Here
Sub Heading Goes Here
No, thank you. I do not want.
100% secure your website.