HOLLYWOOD—Most of you know by now I’m an avid fan of CBS’ “Big Brother.” It has been a guilty pleasure of mine since its first arrival and the series has continued to push the envelope each season to keep the audience and contestants on their toes. I had such high hopes for “Big Brother 16,” but I’m starting to get the fatigue of wanting to check out for the rest of the season. Why? Nothing game-changing is happening!
This season was touted as the most twisted season of “Big Brother” yet, but where the hell are the twists. The two Head of Households only made the game more predictable and the Battle of the Block was a complete waste of time. The contestants quickly picked up on keeping the weakest players around for as long as possible, taking out other strong ones along the way. One alliance has dominated the game, and the Detonators have literally made watching “BB” a bore. None of these people have a mind of their own. This could be the result of the producers casting mainly twentysomethings for this year’s cast. Hey, why aren’t there more adults in the household? There has been a groupthink theory since the first week and nothing has changed since.
Our remaining eight is a battle of 6 vs. 2; the Detonators on one side, Donny and Nicole on the other. Yep, “BB” introduced the return of a houseguest to the compound to shake things up, but not much was shaken. The problem is that neither Nicole nor Donny won HOH to shift the power dynamic. With the super alliance in power once again, Donny and Nicole saw themselves on the block with each other battling for survival once again. So it looks like a fan favorite is leaving on Thursday, which will leave one person to do battle with six others.
Why is this intriguing for the viewers, we will always root for the underdog, in this case Donny or Nicole. They are the only two who seem to have a brain, and are well aware one person is pulling all the strings: Derrick. Derrick is a terrific strategist, the problem is he’s not likeable; he’s not genuine in the diary room.
The audience knows it; I think he is starting to notice it. You can’t fool America idiot, we can see it a mile away. The same applies for his Team America colleague Frankie, the social media guru whose sister is Ariana Grande. The house made this seem like an issue of importance, who the hell cares, as Zach emitted. That should put a larger target on his back, but it really hasn’t.
Other members of the alliance include Christine, the married woman who can’t keep her hands off of the flirt, Cody. Cody is a polarizing character because he talks a big game, but does absolutely nothing. He is so Derrick’s puppet and will feel the same pain that Danielle from season 14 felt when Dan betrayed her. We also have Beast Mode Cowboy formerly known as Caleb. He has grown as a character, but his stalker type behavior towards former houseguest Amber, was downright unbearable to watch. Take a hint, no, means no. If he can tone down his sensationalized stories and level of arrogance, he’d be one to root for.
Oh, I forgot to mention Victoria. Yeah, she’s not worth discussing. This woman may have been the worst casting choice in “BB” history. She has NO CLUE of the game and the fact that she is not playing or attempting to make any moves is frustrating. Those nasty goodbye messages will be nothing to the truth she faces when she exits the house. America might cheer extra loud just to know you’re no longer in the game.
This brings me back to Donny and Nicole, Nicole got a second chance as a jury member and if she survives Thursday she must fight for her life to win HOH, there is no other option. Give the rest of the house hell; trust me it can be done, Frank (BB14), Rachel (BB12), Janelle (BB6), Evel Dick (BB8) and Elissa (BB15) all proved when the odds are against you, the fight erupts inside of you. Nicole was informed via Hayden to target Derrick and Cody. Her and Donny are on the same page, but without power nothing can be done to shake the game, but if she is crowned HOH, I am expecting Nicole to shock the house with her nominations.
This means Derrick will finally be in the hot seat and Cody will finally see that he can be taken out by his ally. Cue the fireworks. Secrets will be divulged and Nicole can use that knowledge to reteam with Christine and bring in maybe Victoria to make a run at the other houseguests. Yep, Christine did Nicole wrong, but keep your enemy close, but your friends closer. If Nicole were to make it to the final three and win the final HOH, that’s when revenge would be best served because it would leave Christine reeling, but she so deserves it.
If there are more “twists” to come, the powers that be better stop messing around before the audience all but tunes out. A game without any shift in power creates a predictable outcome, which no one cares to see. Not even a fan favorite like myself.
By LaDale Anderson
