We join this week's Head of Household competition still in progress, with Michele, Natalie, Jeff, Russell, and Kevin competing while outgoing HoH Jordan watches from the sidelines. We already saw the can-dropping challenge begin during Thursday's episode, after Lydia's eviction. The main difference now is that it's better edited so we can see what's going on. This is not to say that it's any more interesting.
Flashback to the moments after Lydia's exit, when everybody expressed their sympathies to Kevin. Except for Kevin, who apologized to Natalie for voting to keep Lydia. Jeff explains in the Diary Room that they passed up the chance to backdoor Russell, just because the numbers aren't on their side yet without him. That makes sense. Which worries me.
After the level of difficulty is raised by the extending shelf below the platform, Kevin and Jeff are in a tie for the lead. Jeff Diary-Rooms about how Russell was to him, crashing into the railing and jinking up Jeff's aim. Jeff develops a strategy whereby he dangles the can by the tab to help it fall straighter. It does seem to extend his lead. Jordan announces that the two lowest scorers will also be Have-Nots for the week. Kevin gets a nice lucky shot when a can hangs up on his shelf, then rolls down into the tube. At this point, the game gets more complicated: Jordan announces that each player has six gold cans, and if they get one into their tubes, they get to close off someone else's tubes for sixty seconds. Kevin pulls ahead with 20 to Jeff's 15. "Stay in your home!" Jeff Happy Gilmores at one of his wayward cans. Russell uses a gold can to shut Kevin down, allowing Russell and Jeff to catch up. Kevin gets Russell back, and during Russell's time-out, Jeff takes advantage of Russell's temporary stillness to get within two cans of the goal. Kevin's up to 23 cans, and a moment later, so is Kevin. That makes it sudden death, and when Jeff gets his 24th can, he has won his first HoH competition. As the bottom-feeders in the competition, Russell and Michele are the Have-Nots for the week. That bedcube should be party central now.
Kevin and Natalie both think they're going to get nominated, as the members of the losing alliance, but Russell admits that he's worried as well, since he's "the strongest competitor in this house" and all. Jeff DRs that it might be time for him to "make an unexpected move." Actually, the only thing that Jeff could do to surprise me right now is nominate Jordan.
After the competition, Kevin tries to act the pathetic loser so that Jeff doesn't consider him a threat. As the only other person still left in the house who's never won-HoH, Natalie's right there with him. Later, in the red room, Kevin and Natalie have a whispered discussion about their chances of making a final four deal with Jeff and Jordan. Natalie seems to think it's worth a shot. Since her angle is that she and Kevin are more trustworthy than Michele and Russell, I think she has a point.
Jeff's HoH room isn't much of a departure, except that Jordan looks pretty disenchanted that he used to have a bowl cut when he was a boy. Deal-breaker?
Outside, Jordan and Michele talk to Jeff about the Hawaii trip he won, and how she'd like to go along. Jeff says he's "not just making out" for seven nights. They kid each other about it, except it's the kind of kidding that's not that funny. Jordan, if you want Jeff to take you to Hawaii, you might just have to give up the booger.
Unsure of where he stands, Russell wants to "clear the air" with his allies, Jeff, Jordan, and Michele in the HoH room. Jeff asks Russell about Kevin's "lie" that Russell and Michele where scheming to turn on Jeff. Which, again, wasn't a lie, but Kevin and Natalie don't know that, so it still kind of is. Russell reasonably points out that Kevin and Natalie would have their own motivations for saying that. Unfortunately for Russell, Michele doesn't really back him up. Jeff agrees with Russell that Russell wouldn't have any reason to do that. For now.
But later, Jeff and Jordan are alone. Jordan doesn't trust Russell, so Jeff suggests they work it all out right now. So Jordan goes out and ambushes Russell in the hammock, telling him about the stuff she's heard about him. Russell stays calm (for Russell), saying he never said that, but admits to Jeff that he'd try to take him out in a final four situation. That doesn't seem to calm Jeff's nerves as much as they might hope.
Jeff waters the vegetable garden, and the music gets all porny as Kevin and Jordan ogle him. That's all.
Michele and Russell discover the churros & chitlins add-on to their slop for the week. That's all.
Natalie plays poker with Russell and Jeff, and when Jeff wins the hand, Russell and Natalie jump all over each other. That's all. Oh, if only they'd completed the HoH competition during Thursday's episode, we could have had even more of this pointless crap.
Russell and Michele sit out in the backyard late at night, wondering what Jeff is going to do and whether there's anything they can do about it. Michele decides to approach Jeff to see what's what. She goes into the HoH room to confirm the plan, and Jeff tells her what she wants to hear, although he DRs that it's really up to him in the end. Jeff does let these things go to his head. Michele reports the good news back to Russell, who still has his doubts, to the point where he's expecting to be nominated.
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Michele talks to Jeff about her job as a neuroscientist, which he doesn't really get. She explains about the competitiveness in her field of research, and how it means she and all of her coworkers work in their underground lab, seven days a week, and never go outside. Which is how she can just disappear off the face of the earth for three months.
Kevin and Natalie make their move with Jeff, stating their case that they've been loyal to people throughout the game (just not Jeff), as opposed to Michele and Russell, who haven't been loyal to anyone. Jeff seems open to it, and he tells them the first step in their plan to evict Russell: he's going to nominate Kevin and Natalie. Then whoever wins the Power of Veto, they'll use it and Russell will be backdoored. Sounds like a solid plan, provided Russell doesn't win PoV. Which means Russell will win PoV.
Jeff takes this to Jordan, and also mentions a plan B: put up Russell and Michele to cement their new alliance with Kevin and Natalie. All Jordan cares about is that Russell leaves ASAP. All these machinations are too complicated for such a simple girl.
Nomination day. Russell is worried, and DRs that if he were in Jeff's position, he would nominate himself and Michele. Too bad he isn't in Jeff's position, because then he'd be safe this week. Michele DRs that if Jeff saves them, it shows they'll be in the final four together. Natalie hopes that Jeff sees the advantage of getting rid of Russell, and Kevin says he and his one remaining alliance-mate may be about to be picked off.
Jeff calls the nomination ceremony. He congratulates everyone on making it to the final six, and pulls Russell's key. Michele's key is , and of the three people left to fill two nominee spots, Jordan is the smiliest non-safe person I've ever seen on this show. Of course she gets the last key. Jeff tells Kevin and Natalie that he nominated them "for no other reason than I just don't like you as people." He's kidding. That's actually a little funny. Actually, he supplies plausible reasons that should convince Russell and Michele that their alliance is still solid, but those aren't any more true than the original ones. But Michele and Russell seem reassured.
Jordan DRs that Jeff did a good job of keeping it light, Natalie DRs that she's still hoping that Russell will be the one to leave, and Kevin bemoans the end of his non-nomination streak. Russell seems to be relieved that his alliance is "somewhat" intact, but Jeff DRs that he just wanted to make Russell feel safe, even thought Russell may be leaving the house on Thursday. Then maybe Jeff should ask Kevin and Natalie to quit smiling so much right after they got nominated. I'm just saying.
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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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