Hi again!
Last week’s ep was somewhat a letdown after the absolute banger week four was. However, I’m still loving this season and especially this random ragtag group of rookies. Being filmed in beautiful, sunny, temperate Croatia makes a big difference too! Love is in the air, the Big Brother alliance is in shambles, and we have some entertaining AF newbies.
What did y’all think of the episode? Let’s see.
Player of the Week
- Logan — 60
- CT — 53
- Gabo — 36
- Berna — 10
- Nany — 5
At first I forgot who won the mission so I was already annoyed with all the CT stanning. SORRY, guess I should relax. CT and Berna killed the mission despite her struggling with math. He “got another puzzle dub” and had other entertaining confessionals. The two got no blood on their hands, because both competitors in the Lair wanted to go in — and Aneesa going home means no woman needed to go into elimination. Great job to both of them.
Logan won the elim, though I’d say this was a “bad win,” like Allan Aguirre says. It was much closer than expected, and Logan struggled with climbing the rope. Looking at him and Gabo, you’d expect the lighter, lither, and smarter guy to succeed at this elim… Except Gabo showed no signs of fatigue despite lifting himself all the way up tot he puzzle key. So Logan won, good for him, and I hope he performs better the rest of the season.
He also managed to bed Big T and have like 17 confessionals and upgrade his partner from Anchor Aneesa™ to Nany. Not only is Nany a better competitor, she’s also fluent in Spanish, has much stronger allies, and doesn’t ogle / objectify people in the shower season after season. Great job, Sampedro.
Gabo had a banner episode too. 16 confessionals and his quote being used as the title and doing well in the elimination (if only he had some hustle, or as Bamber said, “a fire in his ass”). Oh, and he also went from zero to hero. Pretty much nobody was a fan before this week, and now most people on reddit are clamoring for his return next season. Gabo got to show off his goofy personality this episode, lots of funny soundbites, AND it seemed he had a great social game — by Nany wanting to have him back as a partner, to Ashley and Amanda telling him to flex in the Lair, to everyone applauding as he walked away. We didn’t see that much earlier, but this ep made me a fan of Gabo too!! The beefy physique doesn’t hurt either 😏
And then Nany had two fit af rookies fighting over being her partner. Oh, and also Hughie. Who knew she was so in-demand? But her strengths are undeniable. Social game and allies the house down boots dot com.co.uk.
Best Political Game
- CT — 90
- Devin — 33
- Logan — 19
- Nany — 17
- Josh — 7
Like I said, CT & Berna reigned as the Agency without pissing anyone off. Why he got 90 votes and she got only 3, I don’t know, but regardless. They both showcased good politics, even if they didn’t really do anything to strike this deal or have Gabo and Logan volunteer for elimination 🤷🏼♂️
What did Devin do? What am I missing? Plz enlighten. His political ties are still good, but what did he do this ep?
Logan got his wish to go into elimination AND was able to pick his own partner. Doing so royally pissed of Hughie, but it seems the house was on Logan’s side, so it wasn’t a bad political move.
Nany backed up and pepped up her previous partner Gabo and also upgraded her partner from Hughie to Logan. That’s all good news. Except her girlfriend Kaycee sided with House Target Fessy and even told her good friend Josh that “We’re done.” Josh and Nany are close… So how will this play out? Seems needlessly complicated, and Nany ought to’ve guided Kaycee to not burn the bridge with Josh. Maybe she tried and we didn’t see it, but… Her politics were not on fire this ep, not sorry to say.
Were Josh’s? I think most competitors sympathize more with Amber and Josh than Kaycee and Fessy, so maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that KC tossed Josh to the side. Time will tell, of course, but I think Josh’s politics are more on lock. He has Devin and therefore people like Kyle, CT, Amanda, Ashley, Nelson, and Cory. And he defended then comforted Amber, who should feel loyal to him as a result. That’s a lot better than just Fessy-Kaycee-Nany.
Best Social Game
- Nany — 86
- Big T — 19
- Gabo — 16
- CT — 14
- Devin — 13
No surprise here. Nany always has good social game, and we saw that this episode with Logan AND Gabo AND Hughie all vocally wanting to be her partner. AND when her friend Aneesa got hurt during the mission, she immediately decided, “Fuck it” and went to help/comfort her instead of trying to win. THAT is loyalty.
Big T is also renowned for her social prowess. Did we see that this ep? I don’t think so, but she did flirt and other F-words with very fit newbie Logan, so that might as well be social game, right?
Gabo seemed universally loved by the house AND even by TJ. Well, maybe Emy isn’t a fan of his, but he got a hero’s goodbye after sadly losing the elim — in which several people were cheering him on and giving him pointers. Hot take incoming: I would so much rather have Gabo than Logan. I don’t get the appeal of the latter. Sure, he’s vaguely attractive and obviously fit. But… He is not good TV. No charisma, no comedy, no drama. Just a snooze 😴
CT and Devin continue to be chummy with almost everyone, so good social game is recognized. Especially want to point out how CT was cheering up Emy after the mission. He doesn’t have to do that, but he is (just like Big T last season) — and I love the support he’s giving the rookies.
We also need to recognize that Ed is really killing it on this show. He is a total newbie who entered late, so he would typically be a scapegoat to go into elimination. Yet he seems to have integrated himself well in the house, and people love him. The dance moves scene this ep prove it! 🕺🏼
Best Edit
- Gabo — 73
- Logan — 38
- CT — 16
- Devin — 12
- Nany — 11
Gabo & Logan both had HUGE edits this past week. And while Logan actually did more during the episode — performing better in the mission AND elimination AND bunk bed — I think Gabo did more with his edit. He was entertaining as fuck, giving us MULTIPLE hilarious quotes. “Good wibes and Gladiator.” “I pray to Mike the Situation.” “I want sports cars and watches.”
What did Logan do? Refer to Tula as an octopus and talk about Aneesa protecting him like 18 times? Right… Next.
CT won the mission and had great TV presence and confessionals as well. Devin… Has fans.
And Nany was showcased in a golden light. People fighting over her, immediately going to Aneesa’s aid, telling Hughie to pipe down so Gabo could talk, etc. Oh, and the editors left her out of all the Big Brother drama despite how she is extremely close to both Kaycee and Josh. THAT’s a good edit.
Biggest Misplay
- Hughie — 83
- Kaycee — 25
- Gabo — 23
- Aneesa — 18
- Fessy — 10
Hughie very nearly went into a second consecutive elimination only because he wouldn’t shut the f*ck up. He got everyone annoyed at him, most of all Gabo, Ashley, and Nany. AND it was all for naught because he got his partner taken by Logan anyway!! And now he’s with fellow Popoff Queen Emy. Best of luck to them as two hot-heads AND as the only rookie-rookie team left!
Kaycee for some reason chose to stay aligned with Fessy (and Esther) instead of hopping off that sinking ship to stay with Josh and his web of allies. You must be like, silly.
Gabo failed spectacularly with the math during the mission and then had zero hurry during the elimination — not even calling for a puzzle check when they’re free and unlimited. He didn’t play well this ep, but he DID capture our hearts, so really — who’s the true winner here?
Aneesa hurt herself again on The Challenge, after her twisted ankle on Dirty 30, broken foot on Champs vs Stars 1, and blown-up knee on Inferno 3… And maybe some other stuff I’m forgetting. This time, she dislocated her shoulder because she was so gassed on the climbing wall during the mission. It’s like… Maybe it’s time to hang up your jersey, hon.
Fessy didn’t do anything this episode to get votes here, but I’m guessing it’s a holdover from his spectacularly bad play the previous week. I suppose there was a miniscule skirmish with Bamber during voting? Whatever. People hate Fessy and that ain’t news.
Back or Buh-Bye?
This question is back! Sorry not sorry for last week. But I think the wording I used this time will work for now… Unless we get more than 2 boots in an episode, like during weeks 1 and 2, with Nam and Lauren leaving without a goodbye. So it might be imperfect but we’ll run with it.
Aneesa somehow had 53 people say yes, they want to see her back next season. Uhm, why? Fortunately, two thirds (116) voted no.
Quite the different story for Gabo. 142 want him on S38, with 39 opting for buh-bye. If he didn’t have such a stellar episode this past week, tho, I’m sure it would have been the opposite. He didn’t do much all season but went out with a bang. Hopefully that’s the case for people like Jeremiah, Bettina, and Priscilla too, because we haven’t seen anything signif from them yet. Hope they show out soon!
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I still haven’t figured out the Google Sheet with the data, but tell me — is anyone sorely missing that? Let me know and I may buck up and finish it.
’Til next time!
🧡
