Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Monday Morning - August 10

Why is Jackie reminding me of Yoko Ono?

After a day of little game talk, the night was ALL game talks. Oy. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Mini-Meetings:

• Vanessa poked around her usual sources -- Steve, Austin, Liz -- for any news on what Becky might do.
• She obviously doesn't really believe the Johnny Mac renom story she's been fed.
• She WANTS to believe it, but her paranoia tells her that she will be the renom.
• Her paranoia is right this time!
• Austin checks in with Becky who confirms Johnny Mac will be the renom (with the target being Shelli).
• He reports back to Vanessa.
• Meanwhile, Meg tells James he needs to be nicer to Johnny Mac because "he's on our side." Becky told her that JM will target Austin and the twins.
• She also told him that Johnny Mac wants to go after Vanessa.
• Yep, on their side.
• Of course, they (Meg, James and Jackie) know that the Johnny Mac renom is nothing but a red herring in the whole PoV renom debacle.
• But they feel better knowing for sure that he too is gunning for Vanessa right now and they can be safe-ish with him.
• That would be opposed to Jeffish, mind you.
• Hahahaha! I crack myself up.
• Ahem.
• Becky and Jackie worked on Becky's speech for the Vanessa renomination.
• Becky told Meg that she might tell Austin (and thus, twins) about the planned renom just before it goes down. It bothered her that she knew about Jason being the target so far ahead, yet would also feel bad being totally left out.
• Although we know Steve knows Vanessa is playing him like a fine fiddle, the others (Meg, Becky, Jackie) have picked up on it. They don't know he knows. They can't really figure out Steve.
• The three women, plus James, also made note how the twins bully and pick on Steve. They're worried that he'll buckle in if he wins HoH in a double eviction.
• Time for them to bring Steve to their side!
• But, first ... Vanessa corners Steve, asking him questions about whether he's ever heard Johnny Mac say anything about her. He denies hearing much except for a bit after the big Clay smackdown.
• "You know I hate liars," Vanessa says.
• Um. Yeah. Whatever.
• Vanessa ranted about how everyone has lied to her! What did she do to deserve this?!?!
• Steve said to her that he doesn't think it's in Becky's best game interest to send Shelli home. (Of course, he's still thinking John will be the renom.)
• Vanessa said that if she goes up as a renom, she's going to blow up Becky's game.
• Steve told her it's a shame she's not because that would be interesting.
• Heh.
• It certainly will be.
• After Steve told her he was close to Johnny Mac, Vanessa told Steve that Johnny Mac never had his back and, since he's a recruit, he doesn't even understand gameplay in the house.
• Bwahahaha! Johnny Mac is the superfan who claimed in the pre-season interviews that he wasn't going to tell people he's a fan.
• But Steve should have picked up a bit on it from his talks with JM.
• Steve left and Vanessa continued her loop with the twins as the night progressed.
• Steve told us in a secluded moment, "I think Vanessa is going up."
• Well, yeah.
• Steve ended up talking with Becky. She laid it all out to him and told him he should open himself up more to James, Meg and Jackie -- they'd be receptive.
• I personally don't know about Meg. She really seems to personally dislike Steve some.
• He tells us that he must throw the next HoH, he should be safe right now. He does not want to win the DE HoH.
• He also thinks he's playing both sides too much.
• He's right. With Vanessa out this week and the only good comp player Shelli being left on the one side, it's time for him to permanently drift. The twins will have each other, Austin can't win anything for the life of him. Steve would be odd man out on either side. He may as well go with the side that might benefit his game the most and keep him in the game longer before he needs to step it up.
• That's my thought, anyway.

Steve is buying what Becky is selling?

The big Steve/Becky talk

Vanessa continues to spin her web

It's not paranoia when they are after you!

The Shelli/Jackie talk

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Sunday into the Evening - August 9

Chillin' in his chair-bed

Sundays are usually rather uneventful in the house. Today wasn't much different. Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Pool Sharks:

• Hey, let's sleep past noon!
• Lots of small talk in the backyard.
• Missing clothes and a big bug dominate the talk for a while.
• Meg and Jackie think they definitely have to get Shelli, Vanessa and Steve out.
• Maybe not necessarily in that order! The Vanessa Backdoor plan remains in effect.
• Johnny Mac told a tale about killing a wolf with his bare hands. True or just a tale, I'm not sure. I personally don't think he could do it. 
• Steve is still crushing on Julia.
• And, Steve is still not (and probably never will be) her type.
• Julia and Liz want to make sure he knows she likes him, but not THAT way.
• Julia thinks it's absurd that a guy like him would even think a girl like her likes him.
• Oy.
• No, he just might be too good for her.
• They held a mock eviction with Larry the Llama, the Top Hat and the Tinfoil Voodoo doll. The Top Hat got backdoored.
• The DR gave Becky a big inflated shark. So, they rode the shark, mostly capsizing.
• Vanessa and Julia talked about Shelli thinking that Johnny Mac will be the renom. 
• They also talked about Austin possibly throwing HoH comps and how he's not even trying.
• Hmm.
• He certainly didn't throw that last HoH comp. He had severe problems coping with the slippery stuff.
• Vanessa decided to be Steve's personal stylist or something.
• He told us he knows she's playing him. Supposedly she wants him to save Shelli with the veto so Johnny Mac would go up.
• Like that's gonna happen!
• Becky thinks Steve is a cross between Ian and Dan. Apparently he really impressed in the Veto comp. They think he's playing them all.
• Tomorrow is the veto meeting. I fully expect Steve to save himself and Vanessa Backdoor in motion.

Who could this be?

Mingling, but missing Clay

Will Meg win anything?

Shark alert!

Shark wins riding the shark game

Big Brother 17: HoH Endurance Comp Outcome, Nominations Show Blog Party - August 9

Good evening! Ready for a blog party? Tonight's episode will show the outcome of the slip and slide HoH endurance comp ... which many of us already know about, but ...! 

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!

Okay, let's get through this recap and into the HoH comp! Ohh ... they're going to show the Clay/James brouhaha! Goody, goody.

Huh. Austin says he feels like a baby gazelle on ice. He looks more like a wooly mammoth to me. Lots of falls, Becky in the lead.

Ah, to the brouhaha! James and Johnny Mac talking about Clay giving his game up for "love." JM tells Clay that sending him home isn't best for his game. He thinks Vanessa is behind all the evictions. Clay goes to Vanessa telling her that James is telling Johnny Mac that she's after him. She confronts James. He says he did NOT tell Clay that.

James confronts Clay while Vanessa finds out from JM that James is telling the truth. Johnny Mac said he came up with the story about Vanessa being in Shelli's head and gunning for him (JM). Johnny Mac points out that Vanessa's off the wall crying has sent home each person so far. Thus, he needs to win HoH.

Back to the comp. Becky gets the Never Not pass. Becky gets the money. Becky gets the HoH! She tells us she wants to send out a big fish.

Shelli cries. No Clay. She's completely alone. Call a WAHmbulance.

Becky tells us she trusts Jackie, James and Meg more and has now (finally) declared a side.

Johnny Mac tells Steve they have no worries this week. Steve is worried that Vanessa will be targeted. He considers Vanessa his biggest ally outside of John. He would like them to get along. JM hinted that Vanessa might be targeted.

HoH room time. She got healthier food in her basket than most.

Becky tells her new crew that she'll put up Shelli and Steve, act like they're going after Shelli ... then backdoor Vanessa.

A segment on Steve's strangeness.

Shelli cries to Becky. Becky goes and tells Shelli she wants Vanessa out. Hmm.

Becky tells Vanessa that she plans to put Shelli and Steve up, Shelli is the target. Immediately Vanessa vows to help her (Becky). Wants to make a deal. Becky tells her she's done with deals and alliances. Heehee. Vanessa reads it right -- she's going to be the backdoor target.

Becky and JM talk. She tells him that Vanessa will be the replacement nominee. He's thrilled. JM says Vanessa is a smart Audrey. Becky tells him that the rumor will be that he's the backdoor target.

Nominations ceremony time. Becky nominates Shelli, then Steve.  Shelli, hard to put you on the block, but the fights. Steve -- you need to get your hands dirty.

Steve tells us that Becky is his next target because everything she pointed out to all is his strategy -- superfan, laying low, no blood on his hands.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - August 9, 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.

Yep, another week come and gone. While the children in some states are going back to school, things don't start here until September. That's more like it was where I attended school. Only college began in August. Of course, if school was year 'round, it would prepare the children more for the realities of real life!

Some random observations and musings from the past week:

• Plainfield Police seem to be chasing the ne'er-do-wells from the 4th Avenue side of the Plainfield Train Station to the North Avenue side and leaving them there. Every morning, riff-raff is occupying all the shelters with benches on the platform and the lawn on the North Street side. People using the train to commute back and forth to work, shopping, whatever, shouldn't have to deal with this! I'm talking MORNING. Nighttime is even worse.
• The humidity has been gone for most of the week, but it's still warmer than I like. I really don't care for temperatures over the early 80s. 
• I enjoy the fact that my apartment building superintendent is named Mario. I can call him Super Mario. I just can't get him to address me as plain old "Jackie." He's always so formal with me! I hope it's not because he thinks I'm old.
• The elevator button light for my floor still doesn't work. At least the elevator itself works.
• I'm spending an inordinate amount of time working on the blog and, though I do love the community it generates, I'm not getting much income from it. There used to be a time that writing BB through the summer would pay my rent for three months. Sigh.
• My new-ish neighbor remains quiet. I found out it's actually his brother I've met in the hallway and elevator. The brother's about my age, perhaps a bit younger. Late at night, I can occasionally hear the thumping of the wild child now living below them.
• I'm biding time until my week off from work next month.
• It's too long away!

Onto the photos for the week! Clicking on an image will open it in a larger form.

Train/bike combination rider

This man gets off the train in Plainfield every workday morning with his tie, suspenders and bicycle.

Look into my eyes

I'll tell you no lies. The pigeons of the Bridgewater Train Station remain curious about my camera. Or me. Not sure which it is.

There was a rabbit

I'd say this looks like a new one born this past spring. I kind of wonder about that growth on his nose, but he's cute nonetheless.

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

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Sunday - August 9

Taking out the queen

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

• Y'know, eventually all houses of cards fall down.
• Vanessa claims that production screwed up on her medication times and it messed with how she did on the PoV comp.
• Again, I ask, much as I've asked for many seasons: What the hell is it with all these young people on various medications? When I was the age of these house hamsters I had no psych meds (although I admit I probably could have used them). I had no anti-anxiety drugs. And, if the hamsters are taking medications, why do they drink alcohol whenever they can? Maybe BB should look into hamsters who don't need Mother's Little Helper to get through the day.
• /rant
• More info about the PoV comp was brought to light. It was comic books, as I said before. Vanessa was the Mad Hatter in hers. Liz is a bit upset as she was "The Evil Twin." After Jace's photo was removed to make room for Julia, they were glad his face was included in the comics. Apparently Audrey's comic had her in her shroud (whatever).
• Becky told her group (Jackie, James, Meg) that she'll take the heat for putting Vanessa up because Vanessa has nothing to dish on her.
• Huh. Steve doesn't know who Howard Stern is. What a sheltered life the boy leads ...
• Johnny Mac thinks Austin should be targeted as he's close with Vanessa.
• Heh. Liz doesn't like Austin's ponytail rat-tail beard and said it! Plus, she mentioned Austin's girlfriend at home. You just know, when it comes down to it, she'll be with her sister and Austin will be tossed to the wayside.
• Shelli told Austin that Liz doesn't like his beard. He told her his girlfriend (ex?) didn't like it either. But he just might trim it for Liz.
• I say, don't bother. Just keep your shirt on.
• Does Julia really like Steve? Hmm.
• Vanessa questioned James about what Becky might do. He said he really doesn't know other than she told him she was going to stick to the deal. Of course, he's implying the deal he and Becky made for his safety.
• But there's another deal entirely -- the Backdoor Vanessa deal.
• Becky talked to Shelli, telling her that she is targeting Vanessa over her because Vanessa isn't trustworthy.
• Meanwhile, Vanessa told James that if Becky backdoors her, she's going to be a bitter jury member and turn people against her.
• Um. As Becky mentioned afterwards when James told her, the first jury member can't "poison" anyone. Everyone is already in the house and knows what's been going on. It's the later jury members who might taint others.
• James told Vanessa he'd rather Shelli go as she bullies people into voting the way she wants. Hmm. Liar, liar, pants on fire.
• James reported the talk to Becky.
• Becky told Vanessa that she thinks she'll put Johnny Mac up as the replacement nominee and Shelli will be voted out.
• Liar, liar.
• Vanessa thinks that, if she goes on the block with Shelli, the votes might be there to keep her in.
• Ha.
• Becky complained that Austin and the twins aren't really playing the game -- it's as if they think they're at summer camp.
• Steve and Shelli had a long and pleasant non-game talk. At least it was a good change over Vanessa's paranoid non-stop ramblings.

Is Vanessa cheating on her hat?

Good social game, bad knees

Keep the shirt on, PLEASE

The Meow Meow reincarnated?

Becky! Don't lie on your transmitter!

Cold without her armor, I guess.

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Saturday, Power of Veto - August 8

Examining an apple

Since the live feeds were blocked so long first for the picking of the PoV players and then hours for the PoV comp itself, today is a bit short and sweet. Here's the latest from that Big Brother House of a Jeffish Day:

• Shelli and Steve believe they're on the same page.
• Well, they're surely in the same nominations chairs!
• Vanessa told Steve that if she wins PoV, she'll take him down. She is going to try hard for it because of her (very valid this time) fear of being backdoored.
• She honestly thinks that Becky will put up Johnny Mac because she made deals with everyone else.
• Vanessa doesn't know that Becky and Johnny Mac are working together.
• Meg, Austin and Vanessa will be playing for veto with Steve, Shelli and Becky.
• Vanessa told Steve (and Shelli) that if Shelli picked her for Houseguest's Choice, and she won, she'd take her (Shelli) off the block.
• And, guess who got Houseguest's Choice?
• Why, Shelli did. She told Johnny Mac she chose Vanessa because Vanessa would freak.
• Finally, after more than five hours, the PoV comp was over. It was something to do with comics and art.
• STEVE won the Power of Veto!
• Becky and James are thrilled, Backdoor Vanessa in motion.

How I feel

Containing a guffaw

Llama up for eviction

After PoV, the winner relaxes

The PoV shirts

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Saturday pre-dawn - August 8

Time for the armor striptease

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Flipflopping Flunkies:

• Vanessa is scrambling. She's paranoid, as usual. However, this time it's rightfully so.
• She asks Austin to let her know of any plans he might hear that she's a backdoor plan.
• Hey, Vanessa ... you're the backdoor plan!
• I said that, not Austin. 
• Although he knows she is.
• Becky is now thinking that she'd rather take Shelli off the block than Steve.
• She's worried that Shelli would be angry with her.
• Hmm.
• I guess Steve being angry with her is just fine. She doesn't think he'd come gunning after her.
• Enough people would probably vote Vanessa out, but it's still playing with Steve's life in the game.
• Jackie finally got to take off her knight armor-tard.
• Johnny Mac has switched his game on. About time!
• He told Shelli that Vanessa had made plans to take the remnant of Clay/Shelli out to protect herself.
• He told her that Vanessa had been behind all the evictions so far in the game.
• He told her that she (Shelli) is only there because Vanessa wanted her to stay one more week, not Clay.
• Johnny Mac told her that if he wins veto, he would save her (Shelli) from the block.
• Steve thinks he's the only superfan to make jury. He doesn't count Austin, I guess. And he doesn't really know about Johnny Mac.
• Vanessa thinks that Austin and the twins trust Becky more than them.
• Oh, I'd say they'd float to wherever the power might keep them safe.
• Then, the most interesting thing of the night happened -- Johnny Mac "talked game" with Steve.
• He told Steve that if he won Houseguest's Choice for the PoV, to choose him.
• He told Steve he wanted blood on his hands.
• He told Steve that he (Steve) is in the alliance with himself and Shelli and that Vanessa was by herself.
• (Johnny Mac didn't mention his private alliance with Becky, mind you.)
• Instead, he told Steve that if Vanessa didn't go out this week, it would be him -- Johnny Mac going as the secondary backdoor target.
• He told Steve that if he won the veto, he'd save Shelli.
• Say what?
• He got Steve to promise to pick him if he got HG choice AND to throw the veto.
• When Johnny Mac gets his game on, he really gets his game on.
• After Johnny left him, Steve cried. He said he needs his mother. He has promised to keep the Johnny Mac talk secret.
• But he has the SOS alliance -- final two -- with Vanessa.
• Is he loyal to her? Should he be?
• Should he tell Johnny Mac about SOS and Freaks and Geeks?
• Yeah, I'd like him to tell him.
• Heh.
• That's all for now!

Grumpy cat

Tell me if I'm the target!

Johnny Mac talking game?

With Steve?

In turmoil, he needs his mom

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds Friday, Nominations - August 7

Our illustrious HoH hard at work

Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Wayward Boys and Girls:

• First, I notice there were questions about the Diary Room "leak" with James saying, "America's Player card? Thank you." -- I have no clue. I did hear it. I even replayed it a few times to make sure it's what I heard. I even checked other sites and they heard it, too. But that's all there is to it. Unlike Steve, James doesn't talk to us.
• All of the hamsters were sore today from the falls in the comp yesterday. I believe it. If I had taken some of those falls, I'd probably have a cast or two today. They're fun to watch, but I always think someone could actually hurt themselves.
• The day started off with Ants Marching. No, not the Dave Matthews Band tune ... actual ants all over the kitchen. I always cringe when I see them spraying Raid on the counters and near the food. That can't be healthy. But I've never had any sort of rampant insect invasion in my kitchen (knock on wood), so I'm not sure what I'd do.
• Vanessa fussed that Becky didn't want to listen to her. She was even to the point of being hostile to her, claims Vanessa.
• Well, Vanessa ... I often don't want to listen to you, either. You talk too much, make the same points over and over again and it's always a mile a minute. You give me a headache.
• And that green hat needs to go. Someone called 'Vanessa's Hat' has started following me on Twitter. I might have nightmares.
• Once again, the HoH chose the Have Nots. In continuing the fairness, everybody needs to be one sometime theory, Becky chose James, Meg and Jackie.
• I miss the old food comps in which the entire house had to win the foods they'd eat for the week. Plus, they were the only comps we'd actually see on the live feeds.
• Liz and Julia, fairly sure they won't be going on the block, think they need to win the veto so the nominations will remain the same.
• They are quite worried that people will think of them as the next "couple" who needs to be broken up. Neither seem all that worried that Austin will be targeted. 
• Jackie told Meg and James how Vanessa had been going around telling everyone James was bullying people about the vote.
• I never saw any bullying from James. I'll admit I saw him play the pity card in that he made this big move and really needed people to back him.
• That's not bullying.
• Clay bullied James. Jace bullied Steve. That was physical intimidation and bullying.
• Steve thinks the target is Austin.
• It's not.
• From late night talks, we know that Becky intends to put Steve and Shelli on the block with the backdoor target of Vanessa. Of those, it's expected that Vanessa would go home ... or Shelli would.
• Vanessa went on to Shelli that she thinks she's going to go on the block and, if nominated, she's going to hold up a flip-flop.
• Vanessa and Shelli think Becky has totally forsaken them.
• She has.
• Steve is very worried. He's still upset that Vanessa told Shelli about the Freaks and Geeks alliance. He thinks he might be targeted.
• Blocked to the feeds, the nominations ceremony went down.
• Surprise, surprise ... Steve and Shelli are on the block.
• Becky told Shelli that Steve volunteered to go up. Hmm.
• Steve now realizes that it's Vanessa who's the target, not Austin. He doesn't think that's good for his own game.
• Hmm.
• Vanessa has an epiphany! She tells Shelli they can get Johnny Mac on their side because she can PROVE Becky's in with James, Meg and Jackie.
• Well, duh. I think he realizes that. He's a lot tighter with Becky than Vanessa knows.
• Vanessa went on and on (and on and on) about how Becky is a flip-flopper.
• And on.
• And on.
• James, Meg and Jackie wonder if it would be better to get rid of Shelli than Vanessa.
• Meanwhile, Austin and Vanessa actually think they can get Becky to backdoor Johnny Mac.
• Oh, the drama of it all!

Not too appetizing?

Are we boring you, James?

Happy gals

Jump ship entirely or not?

I never get hair like that.

Armored for a full week, I guess

On the block again ...

How dare Becky flip-flop?

Big Brother 17: Live Feeds into Friday - August 7

Becky takes all the prizes!

Oh my. My blog pool person is the new HoH, plus she also got the Never Have Not and the $5,000. Whatever will she do as HoH? Here's the latest from inside that Big Brother House of Slippery Sliding:

• Shelli cried. Now, she wasn't the worst -- Meg, Austin and Vanessa can take credit for that. But, she wasn't all that close in the running in the comp.
• Becky rarely fell while Austin spent a lot of time down.
• Johnny Mac looked sad and seemed to be crying. He's tried very hard at the last two comps. We should keep in mind that he, like Steve, Jason and Austin, is a huge fan of the show. I think he's been planning to make his big moves last week and this week and failed.
• I could be wrong.
• Becky SEEMS to have chosen a side ... Jackie, James, Meg. Apparently something Vanessa said set her off against those other folks.
• Johnny Mac wants all to band together against Vanessa.
• While Johnny Mac and Becky are buddies, it seems like every single "band together" plan has flopped this season.
• Or, flip-flopped. Or waffled.
• Johnny Mac told Steve about the target Vanessa plan.
• Hmm.
• Steve told Vanessa that they (he and she) might not be safe this week.
• I think he's absolutely right.
• Vanessa tried to defend whatever happened during the fight pre-show. Gosh, she can yap a mile a minute and leave you totally befuddled.
• In her whirlwind of words, she told Shelli about the "secret" Geeks and Freaks alliance. 
• Loose lips do what?
• When she told Steve that she told Shelli about it, he wasn't happy.
• Shelli continued to creep me out by talking about how much Clay looks like her brother.
• Okay, this week's plan (if it actually works) is to nominate Steve and Shelli, backdoor Vanessa.
• That's according to Becky, Meg, Jackie and James and then by Becky and Johnny Mac separately.
• A worried Austin promised Becky safety if a double eviction comes up. He's hoping not to go on the block.
• He really shouldn't worry -- he's rather inept at comps and his social game is far from the best. I don't think he could ever be a threat to win it all.
• Vanessa tried to make a deal with Becky, but no way. Becky said she's done with deals.
• Becky keeps harping on how Steve needs to play THIS season, not keep spouting facts about past seasons.
• She's actually right.
• In privacy, Becky told Johnny Mac her one true target and the only person she "hates" in the house is Vanessa.
• The twins and Becky agreed not to target each other.
• Heh. No more deals, eh? 
• Just not deals with Vanessa, Becky's new found nemesis.
• Vanessa's paranoia is kicking in. She went to Austin to see if Becky made a deal with him. He told just the original double eviction safety deal. Vanessa told him that Becky is bragging about her group -- James, Meg, Jackie.
• Austin said that was puzzling because he thought he and the twins were close to Becky.
• Of course, we know that Johnny Mac is the one closest to Becky.
• Vanessa thinks she's going to be the backdoor target.
• Methinks she's right.
• Whoa? A diary room "leak" seems to have James receiving an America's Player card. Hmm.

New green hat?

Feeling safe

Summit meeting

Inner circle meeting

Pawn? Target?

Safe this week?