Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Tuesday into the Evening - August 4

The loving couple and squirrel head

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap:

• James got his HoH camera today. He first went around sneaking up on people taking shots of them sleeping before they went to the posed photos.
• Austin couldn't figure out how to use the camera. With those huge paws, I'm surprised he could actually hit the tiny shutter button!
• Vanessa and Becky both complained how how messy the house is.
• Living like pigs! 
• Hmm ... would those be guinea pigs, a relative of the hamster?
• Clay apparently thinks it will be Shelli going home.
• Shelli doesn't think so!
• As I mentioned before, Shelli has been playing a much better social game and is likely to stay when the votes go down Thursday.
• To be honest, although she's not any kind of favorite of my own, I'd just as soon see her stay. I've been thinking about it. What I disliked the most was the one-sided winning. I hate when, in a divided house, one side dominates and wipes out the other. I like ups and downs and power struggles. 
• If Clay stays, it will end up one-sided once again. He'd be pretty easy to boot.
• Jason isn't the only one in the house still living with his parents -- so is John. He has heavy duty student debt. I don't believe he's living in the basement, though.
• Austin, working for the Save Shelli cause, told Julia that if Clay stays in the house, he (Austin) will be Clay's number one target.
• James and Meg told the twins that both Clay and Shelli want Shelli to stay because she's more likely to win the whole thing.
• And, of course, they're so deeply in love that they'll take the after tax quarter million and ride off into the sunset on horses from Clay's mother's ranch.
• Shelli asked Steve if he was still voting for her to stay. Of course, he is.
• Shelli cried some more.
• Are you surprised? It's kind of like a daily thing these days.
• Heh. Shelli actually thinks the reset Julie mentioned might mean everyone goes to jury? She could be with the love of her life!
• Blech.
• No way, anyway.
• They got to order take-out food. Or, to be more accurate, delivery food.
• Plus they got the usual minimal amount of alcohol (when you consider how many people imbibing).
• Tomorrow's show should be more interesting than tonight's live feeds.
• I hate lulls in my kerfuffles!

Look! They got a booze delivery!

Who's this? No hat, can't be Vanessa!

Sneak with the HoH camera

Meg having sun issues

Oh. The Hat is back.

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Overnight into Tuesday - August 4

Has no one to buff her armor

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of A House Divided:

• After some sort of kerfuffle (unknown to us as the feeds were blocked) during the PoV ceremony, things remained calm in the house.
• For the most part, Clay and Shelli stayed away from the rest of the house.
• Shelli mingled a bit more than Clay. She explained that Clay just needed some time away from people.
• Austin told Shelli he tried everything he could to make James change his mind and use the veto, but he knew it was a no go.
• Although James really wants Shelli out, I don't think that's going to happen.
• She's more of a threat for the win because she's smart and can win physical challenges. (That's why he would prefer she goes.)
• But, she's also a lot more social than Clay is in the house.
• I think both will get votes, but she probably has the edge to stay.
• The majority of the evening had small groups with small talk, lots of pool games.
• The big excitement was discovering a praying mantis they named Perry.
• It was boring.
• I wanted a brouhaha!
• Vanessa is continuing to work the Keep Shelli In Here program.
• As Becky has been some sort of self-appointed double agent, trying to play both sides. However, when it comes down to it, she'll be on the side of Shelli/Vanessa and Co.
• Meg, James and Jackie still don't realize she's doing this.
• Clay lamented that floaters will win this year.
• Aw, poor Clay.
• Had he not latched onto Shelli (or vice versa), he'd be a little lost lamb in the game.
• Both Clay and Austin continue to crack their necks. Make them stop.
• Again, Steve stayed up past the others, pacing about the yard reciting the comps and such.
• He said that James knows that's he's been playing both sides and, if he (Steve) wins HoH, not only will Meg kiss him, but he'll put Becky and Shelli on the block. Hmm.
• While he was out there, Clay and Shelli emerged and hit the hammock.
• Shelli and Steve talked.
• Clay probably wanted Steve to go away. He grunted a few times.
• Clay finally joined in when Steve and Shelli started talking about the pre-season interviews with Rachel and others.

Puckering for a kiss from Austin? Heh.

Drama free evening for the gals

All about the drama for this gal

Is he bitter? Yep.

Vanessa continues to support Chelli

Late night small talk

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Monday Daytime, PoV Meeting - August 3

Talking periodontal stuff

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Future Psych Patients:

• Vanessa swore her allegiance to whomever stays if the nominations remain the same.
• Which, of course, they did. James stayed true to his word and Shelli/Clay remain on the block.
• Shelli cried.
• There apparently was bad behavior from either Shelli or Clay (or both) at the veto meeting.
• The feeds are blocked for that, so we have to depend on what they say in the house after the fact.
• Austin, Liz and Julia all agree that they don't trust either Shelli or Clay. They want to keep Vanessa and Steve around, though.
• It sounds like it's going to be a bit of a toss-up which one will go home.
• James wants Shelli out because she's the stronger player and a larger threat for the win.
• On the other hand, Shelli has played more of a social game with those on her "side" of the house and it looks like most of them want to keep her over Clay.
• Vanessa is going to work on getting votes to keep her.
• Again, they're worried about a double eviction this week.
• Again, I doubt that will be this week -- too much stuff which has to be addressed in both shows, Wednesday and Thursday.
• After the veto meeting, Clay and Shelli exiled themselves and have been sleeping most of the day.
• I can't really blame Shelli -- she went through that grueling knight sword 2400 times within 24 hours stuff, then was up past dawn trying to talk James into using the veto.
• At least Clay got up to eat Meg's chicken and/or chips. I haven't seen Shelli.
• That's it for now! 

He's chosen a side

They didn't throw that hat away. Grr.

Will the Save Shelli movement work?

Stuck to his guns

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Monday Morning - August 3

Will he waffle?

They made up for the lack of game talk during the veto punishments yesterday by going at it all night. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Tense Turmoil:

• Clay and Shelli have played such an honest game, y'know.
• Just ask them.
• Wait, no need to ask them! They'll tell you without any prompting!
• They're scrambling.
• That's what they are.
• First they try to throw Vanessa under the bus.
• It's not like James is thisclose to Vanessa anyway. Yeah, he's willing to work with her, but he's smart enough to not really trust her 100%.
• Next, they go for Steve.
• Now, the Steve bit has been ongoing, but James and Meg have planted a few seeds to see if it would grow.
• James has told Steve he will not put him on the block.
• And, that's a promise he's going to keep.
• As the night progressed, their latest target became Austin.
• Oh, gee. They're giving James the option of definitely breaking up the power duo, hopefully sending the brains of it (Shelli) home against a huge doofus who's probably not got a chance of winning a comp.
• Before the present as I post this meeting between Clay, Shelli, James, Jackie and Meg, James and Meg had both claimed the nominations will remain the same. The plan is to just let them talk, gather any info they'll give and keep the nominations as they are.
• Even though Shelli spills about Judas/Austin, I doubt James will change his mind.
• James is really good at this stuff. He's not making any promises. He's just saying he wants to make sure the person who goes home needs to go home. He won't say one person made worse decisions than another at this point. 
• James thinks show fans probably don't like him now because he put Clay and Shelli on the block.
• Au contraire, silly James! From what I can tell, the sentiment has gone overboard in approval even.
• Despite how much they lie about playing an honest game, despite who they throw under that proverbial reality television bus ... as James says, "The train has left the station. One of them must go home."
• Heh. He ain't no Vanessa.

Making promises, telling lies.

I just don't know.

Steve plays the hammock strings.

Sad Shelli

Better in a shirt, thank you.

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Sunday into the Evening - August 2

Shelli workin' that sword!

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Kinda Sorta Medieval Times But Not Quite:

• I've made it clear that I'm not a Shelli fan. Oh, I don't hate her or anything like that. She's just not someone who'd be a friend of mine in real life, I don't think.
• But I have to give her credit where credit is due. She rocked that punishment! (Which, by the way, was given to her by James who then took the veto away from her.)
• To give her even more credit, whomever runs her official Twitter is following my Twitter -- first hamster account to do so. Hey, maybe we could be friends in another life!
• 2400 times in 24 hours, she had to walk a triangle in the yard. First she had to hit a hanging punching bag with her sword, then put the sword through a target, then knock a bar down with it.
• She did it, finishing about two hours shy of the 24 hours she had.
• Meanwhile, Clay has been little but a bad example of a recruited player.
• He's going around saying that people should vote him out and let Shelli stay in the game.
• True, she has a better chance of winning it all than he does.
• That's why James and Company want her out instead of Clay.
• Clay isn't much more than an interfering oaf who thinks he's all that and a bag of chips.
• Steve even apologized to the camera, saying that he's sorry that Clay took a space instead of those who would really play the game and want to be there.
• You don't throw away a chance to win a half-million dollars for someone you met a month ago!
• Julia had an interesting talk with Meg and James. She totally gets that Shelli is the more dangerous player and why James made the nomination choices he did.
• I only wish she didn't come with the baggage of Austin and Liz. If they offed Austin, Liz would probably be better off. But I do see why Julia is the "nice twin." She's also the smarter one, I think.]
• Clay seems to think being on the show is his ticket to Big Time Hollywood. Silly boy.
• Vanessa is still worried that she'll be backdoored.
• @@
• I think Vanessa is paranoid a bit too much. She too would drive me crazy in real life.
• Hmm ... when I think about it, I believe all of them would get on my nerves. Don't let me in that house with a sword!
• A skywriting plane flew over the house merely writing "I <3 --="" a="" didn="" it="" li="" love="" name.="" specify="" t="" you="">
• They all freaked out. 
• Huh. This morning's wake-up music (blocked on the feeds) was 'Psycho Killer' by the Talking Heads. Appropriate.
• They had photo booth today. Whoopie.
• The time came for Vanessa to stop shining Jackie's knight armor, but Jackie is still stuck in the armor for the week if I'm not mistaken.
• Hey, at least she won't be on the block in it!
• There ya go!

Jackie in shining armor

Leave 'em both on the block!

Willing to give up his game

Steve apologies to us for Clay taking space

Big Brother 17: HoH Endurance Winner, Nominations Show Blog Party

Good evening! Ready for a blog party? Tonight's episode will show the outcome of the HoH endurance comp ... which many of us already know about, but ...! "It's going to be a tense week." And, we love tense!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest. As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Recap, recap. (Of course.) Cut into the endurance comp in action. The rain comes down, the wall tilts forward and the stuffed birds attack. Now they're getting glopped with "bird poop." Steve out first, immediately followed by Austin. Julia down, then Meg. More stormy weather and bird attacks. In DR, Johnny Mac thinks it's awesome.

Jackie's out. James knows he needs to win it. Liz is out. Vanessa tells us anyone but James would be okay for her. Becky out. Clay out. Shelli tries to make a deal for safety for her, Clay and Johnny Mac. James agrees. Johnny Mac goes down. Shelli jumps. 

James is HoH, promises to get blood on his hands and go for big targets. To us, that is, not to the fellow hamsters. Shelli is sure he'll keep his word.

Heh.

They show Julia has shown up on the Memory Wall but don't point out that they put her in place of Jace.

Liz and Julia talk about Austin. Liz tells Julia that Jason twisted everything. Julia is less than thrilled with him. She doesn't trust him at all. I like Julia!

Vanessa is bothered that Shelli didn't include her in the safety deal with James.

James, Meg, Jackie and Becky talk about how Shelli and Clay are running the house. "What they did to us, we'll do to them." James wants Shelli out.

Becky runs to tell Chelli that a backdoor plan is in motion.

Vanessa ran to James to make her own plea for her own safety, throwing Clay and Shelli under the bus -- about the Jason thing and the fact Shelli didn't include her in the deal. They never showed James's HoH room reveal. Is that a first? She offers him a safety deal down the road.

Clay and Shelli visit James. They throw Austin under the bus. James is just telling them what they want to hear at this point.

James tells Meg he might just throw both Shelli and Clay on the block, that way one would go home.

Nominations Ceremony time! James nominates Clay and Shelli. Ha! He says his contract wasn't valid. Shelli pleads her case. 

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 2, 2015

Good morning! Welcome to my weekly off television topic reflection of the past week in both words and photographs I've taken along the way! This post is a year 'round "feature" on the blog. If you're looking for Big Brother posts, they can all be found at this link right here. If you're not interested in this particular post, please feel free to skip on by it. I'll be posting a Big Brother blog party post coinciding with the East Coast airing of the show and, late this evening, another live feeds post. Stay tuned.

Here in the NJ/Greater NYC Metro Area, we had another hot week with temps hovering around and often going over 90 degrees. While the city itself (NYC) didn't have enough 90 degree days in a row to qualify as a heat wave, we in the inland areas did. The heat never actually broke. But, storms coming through towards the end of the week broke the humidity a bit. By tomorrow, the humidity is expected to return. I am NOT a summer, high heat, high humidity person! I would like autumn weather, please.

I had another rather uneventful week here -- working, working on the blog, not enough sleep, rinse, repeat. I kind of wanted to take my folding chair and head across the street for a free outdoor showing of Selma the city was putting on Friday night (raindated from Thursday). It was right at the Aristacare center where I would have gone for rehab after knee surgery had I been forced to do time in rehab.

But I guess I'm getting too old and crochety or something. I thought of lugging my chair which is wood and heavier than a lawn chair, jaywalking across the street with it, bug bites, the heat and how tired I was after work. I ended up posting a BB live feeds update on the blog, then napping. After napping, I went to bed.  Such is my life these days.

Onto this week's photos! Due to the heat, I didn't take a ton of shots, nor really seek out photography fodder. I went for the easy stuff that was right in front of me. If you click on an image, it will open it up in a larger version.

Posing pigeon

The two young pigeons born this past spring at the Bridgewater Train Station seem to have a real curiosity about my camera. As a result, I often end up with many photos of them.

Help me! Help me!

Oops. I should have posted a human head on his face to be posting "Help me!" with this fly shot. I believe this is a flesh fly, not the kind of housefly you might have to battle with in your home. (Of course, I let Vincent the Cat battle flies that might sneak in here.) They feed off dead animals and such. Ew. But he was kind of cool to photograph.

Eek! A bus!

While it might appear that I'm risking my life for the shot, I'm not. Or, to be more accurate, I wasn't. I took this shot of the 59 bus headed to Newark from the westbound platform of the Plainfield Train Station. It was rounding the corner from Gavett Place to North Avenue. 

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Overnight into Sunday - August 2

Becky in her outfit

Well, it hasn't been a big game talk night with all the punishments from the PoV comp going on. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Jousting Knights:

• Heh. James thinks watching the show on television is much easier.
• Of course it is! I prefer to mock them from afar. But I wouldn't be caught dead in that house. Real life is hard enough.
• Another reason the game talk has died some is that James has been adamant that he's keeping the nominations the same.
• I think he will. 
• There's a lot of buzz going around about a double eviction. However, I think that's unlikely this week what with the endurance comp, punishment costumes and actions in the PoV, first solo HoH and all this past week. They have a lot of fodder for the show on Thursday. I'd say the soonest for a double eviction would be next week.
• But I could be wrong.
• Gee, there was some talk about them seeing "older" people in the last stages of pre-season and how they must have been cut by casting.
• Heaven forbid you have someone over 40 years old on the show!
• Becky didn't expect to make it as far as jury.
• I didn't expect her to do so, either. See? I can be wrong.
• Becky who? There's a Becky in there? Oh. That gal who goes on the block.
• As part of the punishment from PoV, Vanessa must buff Jackie's knight armor for 24 hours.
• At least the punishment has Vanessa in a red beret. Someone needs to throw that green knit hat over the fence. Please.
• Shelli's punishment has her doing battles with a sword. She has to walk (or run) around poking her sword into set targets on the lawn, then ring a bell when done.
• As of 4:30am their time she hit her halfway mark of 1200. 
• Unless she falls on her sword, she should make it.
• I bet it's a fake sword. They wouldn't trust her with a sharp long pointy object.
• Would they?
• Sigh. They had a card which said their "friends on the live feeds" want them to play Spin the Bottle.
• No. I don't want that. 
• I'd rather a brouhaha, please. They never ask us to vote on a brouhaha. I'm sure we would ALL vote for that!
• Before she got so involved in her punishment, Clay and Shelli tried to come up with some way for one of them to come off the block.
• I think they realize that resistance is futile.
• And on it goes.

Shelli hit the halfway mark at about 4:30am

She has a sharp weapon!

A captive audience

Clay in a cape

Vanessa and Jackie

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Saturday Daytime, PoV - August 1

Too bad, so sad

Greetings, hamster watchers! I just want to start this live feeds report by mentioning that I don't post the live feeds moment to moment live as they happen. I'm just me. I work a full-time real job and do this in my "spare time" -- ie: when I should be sleeping or taking care of real life things. During the BB seasons, this is more of a Reader's Digest condensed version of what's gone on since I last posted. There are more than a few sites out there with many people reporting every breath taken on the live feeds. Here, the commenters often pipe in with happenings when I can't post. I will say that I generally live cover every TV episode and endurance comps. But no one single person can be expected to cover every minute of the live feeds.

That said, here's what happened so far today inside that Big Brother House of Love on the Block:

• BB woke them all up very early today. Well, early for them, that is. It was about 8:15am their time.
• Liz, Austin and Julia tried to sleep in in their Have Not room even though it's not all that comfortable.
• It still took them over two hours after wake-up call to hold the meeting to pick veto players.
• In addition to Clay, Shelli and James, we have Austin, Becky and Vanessa. Julia will host the comp.
• We never see the comp. We used to get FOTH (Front of the House), then music and trivia, the last few seasons Jeffish (Jeff Schroeder segments with highlights and interviews).
• We know that Becky doesn't want to win it -- she and Johnny Mac talked about that. James really wants to win it himself so he can retain complete control of the nominees.
• James wants Shelli out.
• Vanessa really doesn't want to win it. It would make her make a decision.
• We know how she hates to make decisions.
• Shelli cried some more.
• The latest cry was that people are treating her differently.
• Go figure.
• Austin told Vanessa (and I agree) that she has to think of what's best for herself in the game if she wins veto.
• He doesn't want to win it, either. He's scared that Liz will go on the block if he wins and saves someone.
• Best to not win it at all in that scenario.
• Shelli continued on with her "nobody wants to talk to me anymore" saga.
• Vanessa continued with her "woe is me, what should I do" saga.
• Steve had been predicting this PoV would be the one with vacations, money give, a unitard/costume, etc.
• He was apparently right.
• The PoV went down and James won it! Now the noms should remain the same -- Shelli and Clay.
• Becky won $5,000. Clay won a trip to Ireland. Shelli got a punishment -- doing 2400 knight routines in 24 hours. Jackie and Vanessa have to be chained together.
• Clay started telling everyone to vote him out and let Shelli stay.
• @@
• Both Johnny Mac and Meg got all teary. Stress? I dunno.
• Vanessa cried.
• Out of them, the only surprise is Johnny Mac. I flashbacked on the feeds and can't see why he cried.
• They both have imbibed some, though.
• Shelli thinks that James will buy into her plan of assuring him jury votes from her and Clay if they can stay.
• I'd have a better chance of selling him the Brooklyn Bridge.
• So, that's that. It's practically guaranteed that either Shelli or Clay will be out the door this week.
• What a darn shame, eh?

Worried about being targeted next week

Not worried about being targeted

Austin makes me want to stab my eyes!

Crying again, she's too naive methinks

Bug Brother 17: Live Feeds into Saturday - August 1

Hula hoop made it indoors

It's always nice to see a power couple grovel in the house. Yeah, that's my mean streak talking. But ... isn't it? Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of For Whom the Bell Tolls:

• As I mentioned in the previous bulletin, James nominated Shelli and Clay for eviction.
• Yes, feel free to take a moment to savor the news.
• The rest of the people in the house are pretty much prepared for any "throw us under the bus" retaliation/scrambling by Chelli.
• While Clay had some kind of outburst before the live feeds returned, it was Shelli on the live feeds telling Vanessa that the 6th Sense was OVER.
• Vanessa tried to reason with her that if all goes to the wayside at this point, she'll definitely blow whatever game she might have left.
• Both Clay and Shelli blame Vanessa, Austin and, of course, James, for being on the block.
• Heck, Shelli even blames production. Why? Because they started the nominations ceremony before she and Clay could talk to James.
• They only had 16 or so hours, y'know.
• James tried to convince them he only did it as a strategy move -- he knows he can beat just about everyone else in the house in comps but them. He thinks everyone else will be easier to deal with via winning comps. They are both a threat.
• Chelli go on about how their word is good as gold as they spew lies to try to save themselves.
• Although, when you think about it, perhaps they're not seeing the lies and betrayals they've done as lies.
• But, when anybody else does it, it's lying.
• Meanwhile, Jackie is working more on Johnny Mac to draw them to their side. He's been straddling the line a bit.
• James's prediction says it all: "It's going to be a tense week."
• Y'think?
• Vanessa knows that the saving of Austin/blindsiding Jason put all of this in motion. But it's Shelli who goes and tells Austin that.
• Does he really care? I'm pretty sure all he cares about is his own game.
• The cracks in the 6th Sense alliance appear to be a bit like Humpty Dumpty -- all the King's men can't put it together again.
• Shelli cried because she doesn't want to go home.
• Shelli cried because she doesn't want Clay to go home.
• Shelli cried because one of them will probably be out before jury.
• "We'll be separated!" Shelli cries.
• Um. I believe that's the point. If she and her boy toy have any sort of real relationship, it surely can wait until the last week of September.
• Of course, with all this crying going on, Vanessa had to get in the act and cry, too.
• After all, she's feeling the wrath.
• Perhaps she should be thankful she's not feeling the sting of nomination?
• Jackie thinks that they (her side) have to win veto. They don't dare let Shelli win because they think she would save Clay with it.
• James would prefer the noms remain the same and Shelli goes.
• Clay says he will take Shelli off if he wins it.
• Aw, true love. How touching. Throw away the chance at a half-million for a month-long fling.
• It goes without saying that if one of them is saved with the veto, they have several options on replacement -- Austin, Vanessa, twins. They don't really have a backdoor target; it's either Clay or Shelli going out, preferably Shelli.
• Meg all of a sudden has taken on the persona of a tough gamer. Huh. Go figure.
• Johnny Mac does not want to win the veto. I think he'd rather play things a bit cooler with both sides and not be in the position to draw a line that cannot be erased at this point.
• Of course, he didn't tell THEM that.
• He told Becky that they both need to NOT win the veto.
• You do know they have a secret alliance of two, right?
• Apparently they do.
• Vanessa hatched a plan with Steve to try to convince James that Becky needs to go on the block as a replacement nomination.
• Does she really think that will work?
• Meanwhile, Johnny Mac and Becky are telling Clay that Vanessa isn't on their side.
• Shelli told Clay that she doesn't know why they chose to be on the "dark side" of the house.
• Shelli cried some more.
• You know, she can't be without him an hour without missing him!
• Steve has difference telling the twins apart.
• Unless they're standing together, so do I.
• I wish they'd wear t-shirts labeled with L and J.
• Austin told Liz that if he wins the veto, he won't use it -- he's afraid Liz would go up on the block if he does.
• Austin is also on trying to get Becky's name in there as a renom.
• It ain't gonna happen, I say.
• Clay suggested Steve as a renom.
• It ain't gonna happen, I say.
• How desperate are they to keep trying to get people who are not in any way targets at the moment in as renoms? At least work with ones you know are on the hit list! Oh, wait. They already tried that shortly after nominations!
• Now, after throwing their 6th Sense peeps under the bus, Shelli thinks they need to keep the alliance together.
• @@
• Vanessa thinks Becky is playing both sides of the house.
• Well, duh. She is.
• They're in an indoor lockdown as the PoV comp set is being built in the yard. PoV should be sometime today.
• We'll see what happens then.
• I think we're in for a tense week (as James put it).
• Good. That's how I like my Big Brother.

Throw up your hands like you just don't care

Look! He's TWINS!

Why keep a beach ball on the counter?

Johnny Mac being Johnny Mac-ish

That's not pretty hair; it's just a lot of hair.

James is the top pop (lollipop)