Big Brother recap August 21, 2011

We’re given a quick recap of last week’s action leading up to the current Head of Household competition which began at the end of the last show. Keep in mind, too, that Julie has told us that next Thursday is a double eviction episode, so we’re going to see some culling of the hamster pack. The question is, who’s going to be culled? Will they come out of one alliance or another, or will the floaters get the axe?

The Head of House competition has the House guests slipping and sliding on a soapy tarp to put little cupfuls of soap into a large bowl with a ping pong ball in it. The first one to fill the bowl and cause the ping pong ball to fall out from the lid is the HoH winner. It’s an intense competition as there is a lot at stake by winning the HoH key with two alliances hanging in the balance and a couple of floaters who could get an early exit.

There are quite a few spills of players and cups’ contents along with it! It’s looking close with Jeff having a slight lead and several other players including Jordan all filling up their bowls at almost the same rate. After a little more than an hour, the players are having difficulty seeing as soap bubbles from above get into their eyes. Adam takes a fall, “Whammo, whammo right on my butt. That hurt!” Jeff seems to find a routine, doing a short sprint and then sliding to the bowl, pouring it, then sprinting half way back and sliding to the cup filler. He’s also covering his cup to eliminate any possibility of spillage. And Jeff wins the HoH competition!

Jordan is happy and Rachel is happy, saying “come on, girls” in the diary room, mocking Porsche and Kalia (who are clearly not happy, as they face possible nomination). Jeff says in diary room, “Daniele might think she’s safe because of whatever conversation we had earlier (cue truce talk flashback), but I’m going to do what’s best for me in this game.” It’s clear now that the three players in danger are the alliance of Daniele, Kalia and Porsche. Rachel, Adam and Shelly look safe for now unless there’s a change in the alliance dynamics.

Shelly meets up with Daniele and ever-ready snack eater Kalia and she’s mocking Rachel. In diary room, Shelly says, “Rachel’s trying to get her claws into Jeff.” Kalia is now worried that she’s the main target, even if they might later claim she’s a “pawn”. Daniele tells Kalia that she has no control over what Jeff and his alliance will do, so they’ll have to take what comes. Daniele “prays to God” that they won’t target her.

Jeff calls everybody in to see his HoH room. So far it’s been all ladies in HoH, so Jeff is the first guy and Jordan is proud of him, thinking that he “definitely deserves it.” Jeff show some family pictures and a boyhood picture. He also gets letters from his nieces. Jordan tells us Jeff is great with his nieces and that they love him. Jeff’s so happy he won, as the letters give him more motivation to win.

Now that they’re alone in the HoH room, Rachel is chatting and laughing it up with Jeff. Daniele, Shelly, Kalia and Adam hear the commotion in the HoH room and mock Rachel. Jordan drops in, followed by Shelly. Shelly goes after Rachel in the HoH room and tells her how to act with the four of them in the alliance. Rachel holds her ground and snubs Shelly back. Jeff tells them both to bite their tongue and Rachel holds her silence and Shelly walks out. Jeff says in diary room, “Bravo, Rachel. For the first time in this game, I’m proud of Rachel.”

Daniele, Porshe and Shelly talk about food, and peanut butter & jelly Shelly says she’s never heard of half of the stuff Daniele eats. We find out that America has chosen hard-boiled eggs and jalapenos, displayed on the dining table, for the Have Nots. Jeff gets to choose three people as Have Nots. He chooses Daniele, Porsche, and Kalia. Ouch, not only is Daniele’s alliance now out of the HoH room, they’re going to starve! Daniele is worried about the slop routine since her “body doesn’t handle it very well”. Porsche and Kalia aren’t pleased either, considering the non-stop snacking they’ve been doing!

Kalia talks with Jeff about her being put on the block and suggests Rachel as a better choice. Jeff sees through this, “Kalia does what everyone else in this game does when their back’s against the wall. They try to throw someone else under the bus.” Jeff is not impressed, not forgetting events of the past (cue flashback videos). Kalia is looking like a sure nominee at this point.

The dining table just got smaller in the kitchen, seating eight people rather closely together. It marks a milestone that House guests have gotten this far and they all do some high-fives.

Afterward, Jeff and Daniele talk. Daniele asks him what he wants her to do. She openly assumes that Porsche and Kalia would be up, if not her, since they’re in her alliance. Jeff says in diary room that he “wants Daniele to feel safe as possible.” Porsche meets up with Jeff and tries, as Jeff put it, “to talk game first the first time in 49 days.” He’s thinking too little, too late. “But, uh, we’ll see,” he tells her.

Jeff and Jordan have a private powwow and they talk about who to nominate, with Daniele the focus of the conversation. Jeff’s “biggest dilemma at this point is Daniele”. He doesn’t want to put her on the block yet, as she would know for sure that he’d be reneging on their deal. He’s expecting negative repercussions from her if he nominates her and wants to hold off doing so for the moment.

Now it’s nomination time! We’ve been given some clues who Jeff would put on the block, and it looks like any two of the Daniele-Kalia-Porsche alliance. Jeff says he holds a lot of power and it comes at a crucial time. First safe is Rachel, followed by Shelly, Adam, and Jordan. So far, it’s as expected. Who’s next to be safe? Daniele! Kalia and Porsche are on the block. Jeff tells Porsche that she has to prove that she can play after talking game only about a minute out of 49 days. He tells Kalia now she knows what it’s like to be on the block and it’s up to her to get herself off.

Jeff says he put Porsche and Kalia on the block to make a statement: “It’s time to play.”

And he’s playing to win!