After any number of flashbacks to Casey's fiery exit on Thursday, we rejoin the Head of Household competition already in progress. Also, everyone reacts differently to the news that the cliques have been dissolved. Russell is motivated to win the HoH competition to protect himself, Jeff isn't sorry to be able to go against his former fellow Athletes, Natalie misses the cover that having three other competitors in her clique gave her, and Chima's like, "See you later, dorks!"
We left the nine houseguests save Jessie hanging on swings from a lighting grid that spun them around and bounced them against a giant diploma, with intermittent rain. The spinning continues, and there's like the tenth flashback tonight to Casey's exit, where he put down Jessie, and Natalie jumped all over Casey in Jessie's "defense." After Casey left, they all seemed to wonder who tried to vote out Jordan, but Russell isn't saying it was him.
Twenty-one minutes into the HoH competition, Kevin falls off his swing, and is honestly nothing but relived to have it over with. Lydia drops four minutes later, with Kevin's permission. Jessie, sitting this out as the outgoing HoH, tells Kevin he gets to be first to pick one of the "graduation presents" waiting on the table. Kevin goes with box number five, and wins a $5,000 prize. That'll go over well. Lydia wins a 42" TV, which she says will be an upgrade from the 12-inch VCR/TV she stole from her ex-boyfriend. Jessie's irritated with both of them, because even though he doesn't get to participate, this HoH competition is All About Jessie.
A while later, people are starting to gag and retch and throw up, and Ronnie drops off, 46 minutes in. Natalie's motion sickness finally gets the better of her and she slips off the swing at 49 minutes, although she dangles by her hands, letting it drag her for most of a circuit. That's dedication. That leaves nobody up there on Jessie's team but Chima. Ronnie's "graduation present" is an empty box, as is Natalie's.
to drop is Jordan, at 1:37. Jessie winks up at Chima as Jordan rolls off the pad. Jordan's prize is to get to be a Have, but she'll have to pick three Have-Nots at the end of the competition. I hope she's up for that kind of math.
As the competition continues, Chima is swinging and bouncing wildly at the end of her rope, but refusing to let go, even as her tiny form gets dragged over the giant diploma. As night begins to fall, she finally drops off at 2 hours, 22 minutes. Now it's down to Michele, Jeff, and Russell, none of whom is ready to give up.
Two and a half hours in, the grid has come to a stop, and everyone's just hanging there. Jessie takes advantage of the lull -- and the temporary absence of most of the other losers -- to mouth to Russell to offer to put up Ronnie if Jeff drops out. Russell whispers that to Jeff, who whispers back, that they'll talk about it when Michele drops.
Later, when the spinning and the raining has recommenced, the diploma has started to tatter after the beating it's taken. I mean, seriously, each houseguest only feels one hit, but that diploma feels every single one. Michele slips off her swing, but she can't even fall properly; her pants are tangled somehow and she's left hanging upside down by them, looking like the only way down is without trousers. The spinning stops, and Jessie gallantly comes up with a towel to wrap around her waist while Kevin holds her steady and Ronnie cuts her down with a set of bolt cutters at 2:41. That's Michele: always ending with dignity.
It's down to Russell and Jeff, which means it's going to be more about negotiation than endurance at this point. Russell maintains to Jeff that he wants Ronnie out, and will take Jeff's advice on the second nominee. Russell asks everyone else for privacy to he can make a deal. After everyone else goes inside, Russell tells Jeff that what he really wants is a letter from his dad, who apparently almost died during recent neck surgery. Jeff makes Russell swear on his dad to protect Jeff and Jordan. Russell twists around awkwardly to look Jeff in the eye and give his word. That's Good enough for Jeff, who lowers himself down at three hours, 38 minutes. Russell's the new HoH, and he Diary-Rooms that he has great respect for Jeff, and "anyone who can compete at my level."
When everyone has moved inside, Jordan draws her Have-Nots at random so that nobody can be mad at her. The first is Natalie, who's okay with it, because she's got a slop pass. Then it's Kevin, and then Jessie, who acts like a pissy little bitch about it, because you know how he is about his food. Looks like Jordan underestimated Jessie's capacity to be mad at her. But the one I really feel bad for is Kevin, who's going to have to be trapped in that bedcube with Mr. and Mrs. Macbeth for the week.
Later, Jessie and Natalie discuss the deal Russell made with Jeff to nominate Ronnie, versus what Russell actually wants to do, versus what Russell actually will do, which could be three different things for all we know at this point. Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jeff assures Jordan that he cut a deal with Russell and they're good. And then we see that Natalie and Jessie are fomenting resentment with Russell against Kevin and Lydia for dropping first and scoring prizes. Russell assures us he'll listen to them, but do what he wants.
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Nomination day. Ronnie recalls that he "kept Russell safe," (actually, Ronnie, you chickened out because it was "too early," but that doesn't mean he can trust him. Lydia is worried about the nominations, and Kevin realizes that he's an easy target after the HoH competition. And Jeff thinks he and Jordan are safe, which are pretty much all he cares about. Russell, in turn, says this is his week, and anyone who doesn't do what he says this week is "my target." Which I'm sure will frighten everyone after Russell is no longer armed.
Russell convenes the nomination ceremony. The first name is Jeff's, which should keep their alliance nice and secret. Actually, I think he's just playing it as a nod to Jeff for coming in second. Then it's Jessie, Jordan, Michele, Natalie, and Kevin, which means the two nominees are Lydia and Ronnie. In front of everyone, Russell says he chose Ronnie for "slapping him in the face" when he talked to Lydia and Kevin about him, while Russell listened outside. He calls Ronnie a snake and says, "You're gonna catch a snake, you gotta be a mongoose. And I'm that mongoose." He doesn't have anything to say to Lydia. I was hoping that he was going to call her a river salmon and himself a grizzly bear, or maybe -- you know what, there's nothing I can come up with that's going to be more ridiculous than snake vs. mongoose, so I'm abandoning this joke right here by the side of the road. Sorry.
Jeff DRs that he's happy that Russell "upholded" his word. Lydia vows to do what she needs to do to stay in. Russell only hopes that Ronnie won't get the mystery power and "turn us all into frogs." And Ronnie tells us in the DR that he's not just a snake but a king cobra, which he says sometimes kills the mongoose. Way to take a dorky metaphor and make it even dorkier, Ronnie. Anyway, let's see how this clash between these two classic overplayers comes out over the week.
M. Giant is a Minneapolis-based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, follow him on Twitter, or just e-mail him at m.giant[at]gmail.com.
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