Big Brother 17

[Killick]

Starts next week, if anyone still watches. I kinda bailed on last season, but producers promise (all together now) "It'll be the biggest Big Brother EVER!"

Anyway, meet the cast, including a transgender houseguest for the first time:

Meet The New Cast Of Big Brother - Big Brother Photos - CBS.com

A few thoughts:
• Of course, there's the obligatory gay guy
• And CBS casting apparently still can't find black people to play. Another lilly-white group, with one black chick and an Asian dude.

 

[Batman]

The gay guy was easier to spot than the transgender.
Three houseguests from Georgia? That should be interesting.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Early look. ... I haven't looked at all of them yet, but I am intrigued by Vanessa. High-level professional poker player.

 

[Amy]

Every season I swear I am not going to watch and every season I get sucked in. I expect the same to happen this summer.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Surprised no updates. I actually missed the first two episodes, but caught up yesterday.

I like the new group so far. Even the annoying people will be fun to watch -- except for Meg maybe, who is going to be VERY annoying. Jace has put a huge target on his back and I think he will go early in the game. Austin has a natural target on his back, but I am hoping he sticks around. I like James, but winning the first HoH is never a good game move. He is going to be on radar screens as a threat.

I don't think Audrey is going to last. They will tiptoe around her a bit, but ultimately she will be a goner.

Vanessa has to be the odds on favorite to win, but it is too easy of a pick. Clay will stay around a while, because everyone is going to like him and he is not going to do anything to annoy people. He is making a mistake with Sheli, though.

DaVonne personally annoys me. But I can't tell if she will play it too hard early and get evicted, or if she actually has game. I think she will overplay her hand too early.

I can't figure out John the dentist. I think he has zero game, though.

In any case, if I was placing odds so far, I'd go with something like this:

1) Clay
2) Vanessa
3) Austin
4) Liz
5) James
6) Steve
7) Jeff from the Amazing Race
8) Sheli
9) Jason
10) Jackie from the Amazing Race

 

[Killick]

I think Jason's trying a little too hard to be the BB Gay Guy. And you're right, I think, about Vanessa. Right after they got the news that she and Davonne could spare another player each, she went right into game mode and made a wise decision.

On a hormonal note, I'm really digging Rebecca, the girl from Colorado. She has a sorta Hillary Swank thing going on, but I like it.

Who do you think has a twin?

 

[Killick]

Oh, and Davonne will implode sooner or later under the heading of "keeping it real!" Too soon to set up an alliance, and already trashing an alliance member. I give her three weeks.

 

[The Big Ragu]

Who do you think has a twin?

It is Liz. The fan sites have already given it away. Apparently her twin slipped up yesterday in a conversation with Austin yesterday and referred to "Liz" as someone else. From what it said, Austin didn't miss a beat, so he may be pretty slick.

I agree with you about Rebecca. She is very pretty.

 

[Killick]

Liz? That's the catty (at least in intro with "I'm so pretty" BS) blonde with the deep voice, right?

 

[Killick]

BTW: Quote of the year via Hamsterwatch...

James: We're the Brady Bunch during the day and the Manson family by night.

 

[Killick]

Well, that was no surprise... Jace was a douche.

 

[Killick]

Da'Vonne to James: People in this house are COWARDS! That's why I'm getting put up, I don't tiptoe against anyone!

I am Nostradamus. KEEPIN' IT REAL, YO!

 

[Killick]

... and she's gone in Week 2. But at least SHE KEPT IT REAL.

 

[The Big Ragu]

So Austin and Vanessa are HoHs. They also are my two favorite players, with Steve third.

The whole house knows about Liz / Julia, but with Austin and Vanessa, they may actually be safe. Austin had already aligned with her (them). And Vanessa is smart. She will keep a target around. If they have guts, they will go after Clay. I want him out so bad. But I can see someone like James or Jeff being the target. No target on them, but enough of a threat to do something without going after someone who is a bigger threat.

 

[sportsnut2002]

SPOILERS INCLUDED



I can't stand Clay. Just never have been a fan of his. And this week's HOH (with Liz and Shelli having won the comp) is so lame because everyone knows the boys (Austin and Clay, respectively) are doing a lot of the string-pulling. They need to put a rule in place where if you get nominated two weeks in a row and survive that you can't be nominated for one week, regardless of whether you win HOH. Seeing the same people up every week just gets so boring, so fast.
I was hoping someone outside of the power alliance would have won (assuming they took Shelli's spot in the HOH) and put up Shelli and Audrey. Then, assuming they stay on the block, you have options after a possible veto: If Audrey comes down, put Clay up. If Shelli comes down, put the twins up. That would be a fun vote.
Oh, and Vanessa getting so upset about how someone lied to her about saying they'd vote out Jeff and, instead, voted to keep Jeff (despite it not working) is silly. Someone needs to tell her that it's Big Brother - Everybody Lies.

 

[sportsnut2002]

ANOTHER SPOILER ...






Jackie and James won Battle of the Block, meaning the twins were dethroned and Shelli is still HOH.
Jason and Johnny Mac are still on the block, but judging from last night's conversations it looks like Jason is the target, with Becky as the fallback if Jason gets off the block. So, Johnny Mac should be safe.
Veto comp is tomorrow.

 

[The Big Ragu]

I agree with you about Clay. Can't stand him. Can't stand Shelli either. They make my skin crawl.

I liked Austin at first, but he has crossed over to creepy. He tries too hard and has annoyed me more and more as the season has gone on.

I am still on the Vanessa bandwagon. And she won one of the two HOH's yesterday. She is playing a strong game. My only concern (since she is who I am rooting for now) is that she isn't under the radar. But she is who I am wrong for. Steve would have to be my number two choice. He just seems like a good egg and has the right attitude toward playing.

Becky is way under the radar and might be floating by to end up in good position. ... or she might just be a floater. You don't see her much on the edits. But I get the feeling she can compete in a competition of she absolutely has to. It could be an OK strategy if this is by design.

Jason annoys me. But maybe not quite as much as when he first went in. But I would go nuts being around him 24 hours a day.

Same with Meg. She just bugs me. But I am not outright rooting against her, even if I don't think she is going to win.

I am probably pretty neutral on everyone else. James is weird as hell. I am not rooting for him, but I don't hate him. He seems to always be eating. I am in love with the twins. But I am not really rooting for either of them to win. I just want to stare at their bodies in a pervy old man way (even more pervy than Austin doing it). They both seem to know how to flirt to their advantage. Jackie won one of the two HOHs, but she is a nothing player and is floating. She bugs me a little, but not as much as some others.

And that leaves. ... Johnny Mac. He is hysterical when he is trying to be, and even more so when he ISN'T trying to be. I hope it works to his advantage and he stays in there for a long time. He may be one of my favorite BB players ever.

As an aside, I was really happy to see Audrey go. Everyone walked on eggshells about her because she is transgender. But she still lied a whole lot and was a baby about her game. She was gleeful to vote people out and try to stir ****. ... but when it came back to bite her, she couldn't take being targeted.

 

[Batman]

My wife and I have decided that Johnny Mac's voice is a dead ringer for either Bobcat Goldthwait or Captain Caveman.

 

[Batman]

My wife is a much bigger BB fan than I am (she watches it and I usually listen while I'm on the computer), and has complained she hasn't been able to get into it this season. The characters are just too unlikable to her.
To me, it seems like all of the houseguests are way too serious about "the game" way too early. To succeed, you really need to just not **** anyone off until the field gets whittled down to 10 or so. Last year's crew seemed to have a pretty good handle on that concept. A couple of people tried to strategize early on and were gone pretty quickly. This year, it seems like every time I turn on After Dark there's some strategy session going on, and we're still in the first freaking month.
It's a marathon, not a sprint, people.

 

[Bradley Guire]

My wife said the same about the dentist.

"He sounds like the Police Academy guy!"

Which one? Mahoney? Tackleberry? Sweetchuck? Sgt. Harris? Proctor?

(I'm clearly ****ing with her at this point.)

"No, that one crazy guy!"

"Zed? Because he doesn't actually talk like that."

Silence.