As you may recall, we waited an hour on Sunday for Aaryn to nominate Howard and Spencer on Day 36, exactly as we knew she would at the beginning of the show. Tonight, she starts off the episode by explaining her nominations in the Diary Room, which is that she's nominating Howard because everyone (read: Amanda and Helen) wants him gone, and Spencer because nobody cares about him except Howard. As for Howard himself, he DRs that another player who isn't controlling anything was nominated, as though he can't understand it. Well, duh -- if you were in control, you wouldn't have been nominated. Spencer is pinning his hopes on the third nominee. Helen DRs that she's glad Aaryn did what she said she'd do.
In fact, Helen goes up and thanks Aaryn, joined by GinaMarie and Elissa. After the bosses leave the room, GinaMarie worries to Aaryn about possibly being the third nominee again. Amanda comes in, asking if Aaryn knows how long she's been trying to get Howard and Spencer nominated. We all do, because that's all Amanda ever talks about.
Howard heads into the Have-Not room to pray, but is interrupted by Jessie, who has come over all verklempt about how winning could change Howard's life more than most of the other people in the house. Her point is that she wants him to win the Veto. Howard's grateful for her support, and promises to fight. Real meeting of the minds there.
Spencer seeks some assurances from McCrae that Howard really is the target this week, regardless of who the third nominee ends up being. He not only gets them, he receives encouragement to win the Veto, because McCrae is trying to split up Howard and Spencer and cultivate Spencer's loyalty. He also lies to Spencer about who he, McCrae, wanted nominated, in order to gain Spencer's trust. Odd, that. Especially since Spencer doesn't believe a word of it, as he tells us in the DR.
That evening, Spencer and Howard play pool in the backyard together, alone, ignored by the others. Spencer remarks on their status as pariahs and says he doesn't want either of them to go home. They're trying to stay positive, but Howard decides that he's gotten a bum rap and heads inside to make a little announcement to set things straight. He probably should have rehearsed it a bit, though, because he's not making any sense to anyone. To their credit, everyone listens patiently and politely and waits for him to be done. Howard seems to think he made his point, but Spencer says in the DR, "Major fail. [He] freaked people out."
Afterwards, some of the houseguests head up to the HoH room to try to decode Howard's speech. Judd seems particularly relieved to realize that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand what was going on, but most of them seem to think Howard was lecturing them individually. Amanda's just happy that this makes her self-appointed mission of getting rid of Howard that much easier.
Later, McCrae and Amanda cuddle in the hammock, pretty comfortable both literally and figuratively. Which is always cause for alarm. They start worrying about the MVP nomination, and Elissa jogs by to start spreading the rumor that Andy got MVP this week. Somehow she thinks that also means Howard got it last week. As soon as Elissa continues her run, Amanda says to McCrae, "There's no way he got it." But now they are worried about Howard being MVP, which could end up being trouble for either one of them.
Everyone gathers in the living room to pick players for the Veto competition, but first they have to find out who the MVP's third nominee is. And it ends up being… Amanda. She takes her seat between Spencer and Howard, the latter of whom she blames for nominating her as the MVP. And Howard is pretty happy about this, saying Amanda's a bigger threat than he is. It's all about the Veto for both of them now. Spencer, Amanda, and Howard join Aaryn at the front of the room, and the two randomly selected players are Candice, who's happy about the chance to save Howard; and Jessie, who is there. Aaryn names Helen as the host for the PoV competition, and Helen reacts like she just won all the Oscars ever.
As the group breaks up, McCrae says tells Spencer that the MVP screwed him, and he's convinced it was Howard. Spencer doesn't buy it, and to be honest, McCrae's mainly just trying to mess with Spencer's mind. I don't know why he seems to want Spencer to compete harder for the PoV, given that one of the people he'll be competing against is McCrae's girlfriend.
Aaryn comes in and mutters to Amanda, "So now we know it's definitely not America." Like America knows what it wants. She joins the general speculation that it's Howard, which McCrae is still pushing hard. Meanwhile, in the Have-Not room, Spencer floats his own theory to Howard and Candice, which is that the MVP is Elissa. Candice agrees. Which is stupid, because Elissa is terrible at playing it cool. If she'd won again, most of the house would know before she did.
In the storage room, McCrae and Andy talk about Howard's alleged betrayal of Spencer. Amanda of all people is the voice of reason when she enters the room, saying it's not so obvious to her. And she DRs that she needs to find out who it is. So Amanda goes to the Have-Not room to confront Howard, who maintains that he's not MVP. He thinks it's either still Elissa or America, but he knows it's not him. And then he doesn't help himself by unspooling a convoluted theory about how being MVP is a disadvantage anyway. Amanda backs up, advising Howard that he needs to start making more sense when he talks. Howard responds with something that makes no sense, and insists he's not MVP. And he tells the DR that if he were, he wouldn't tell her. Helpful. Amanda's more frustrated than when she came in, and DRs that she just wants to know who put her up on the block. "Did you put me up on the block?" Back in the Have-Not room, she invites Howard to share any thoughts he might have, and he just wishes her good luck. I'd say she got off easy.
There's a pointless bit about Andy waking up early and spending some alone time meditating in the hammock, only to be startled by a low-flying bird. This is what the show is reduced to if it wants Andy to be on it.
Helen, dressed up in some mad scientist costume, tells everyone that it's time for the Veto competition and calls everyone to the back yard. A small part of the yard has been blocked off to look like a lab in a 1950s sci-fi movie, only cheaper. The conceit is that the PoV medal has been destroyed, so the Veto players have to travel back in time to recreate the original one. I know this makes about as much sense as Howard pitching a movie script, but it's not my fault.
Helen ushers them into a cabinet, and some tacky special effects later, they step through the other side to discover an even cheaper prehistoric setting in the main part of the yard. Dinosaurs, swamps, volcanoes, basically 10,000 Years B.C. as directed by Max Fischer in Rushmore. Helen talks to the players over the headsets they're wearing, explaining that each player will have to race to collect their own color-coded puzzle pieces to fit together into a large fake stone shaped like PoV medal. First one done wins. Helen calls go, and the players start racing around to collect their pieces while the players sitting it out layers watch via a monitor on the other side of the wall. Mostly this challenge consists of watching people lamely try to fit pieces together while they talk about it in the Diary Room.
And oh my God, are most of these people terrible at this. Except possibly Amanda, who seems to be taking an early lead, while Spencer is getting motivated to catch up. But then Amanda has to rush off and find more of her pieces. Spencer's missing one too when he gets to the end, but only one, and he finds it and puts it in place before Amanda finishes. So Spencer wins the Veto. Amanda's a little disappointed, but she's still hoping that Howard will leave instead of herself. In fact, Candice and Howard are more upset than she is, having both lost the chance to save Howard. But saddest of all is Aaryn, who is now going to have to come up with a replacement nominee. Being Aaryn is always the hardest.
McCrae is looking on the bright side in the HoH room with Amanda and Aaryn. Aaryn has it in for Candice, blaming her for all her problems in the house and saying that if she isn't nominated, she'll vote to keep Howard. Andy and Helen join the party as Amanda adds that Candice will vote against her. Helen goes along, though she says she'll want deniability from the group.
Downstairs, Spencer asks Howard and Candice what their move is, as though he needs to care any more. Candice has correctly deduced that she'll be the replacement nominee, but Spencer would rather see Jessie take that spot. He leaves the room with the implication that he's going to try to make that happen, but Candice knows better, so she heads off to talk to Helen herself. She starts to make a pitch for Howie to Helen, but Helen warns her that pushing for Howard could backfire, and lies that it's up to Aaryn now. Candice lamely offers Helen a deal with herself, Spencer, and Howard in exchange for booting Amanda, which Helen says is a tough sell. Candice doesn't see that, and starts sprinting to Helen's bad side by pointing out all manner of other deals that have been going down in the house. Helen denies this, because she can't have anyone knowing she runs things. Candice keeps pushing, and Helen ends up storming out.
So Helen resolves to prove to Candice that she can't accuse her of controlling the house, by controlling the house into showing Candice what happens when you accuse the person controlling the house of controlling the house. She gathers a bunch of houseguests -- Andy, Spencer, Aaryn, GinaMarie, Amanda, and Jessie -- that Candice is out of hand and issuing threats. Which everyone totally believes.
Before the Veto meeting, Spencer drops the not-quite-bombshell that he's going to save himself, though he wishes he could save Howard as well. Amanda DRs that she hopes Aaryn sticks to the plan and nominates Candice in Spencer's place. As for Candice herself, she DRs that she's made herself a target by defending Howard. More than once, in fact. Howard is not optimistic that Aaryn will defy Helen and Amanda, and I can't think of a reason why he should be.
Spencer convenes the Veto meeting and vetoes himself with little preamble. Aaryn sends Candice to Spencer's spot, just as planned, and that's it. Candice DRs that she's not surprised, but if she survives this week she'll be going after her "friends" Helen and Elissa for their part in this. Aaryn DRs about how Candice needs to go because she's "crazy" and is a "time bomb" and "objects to Aaryn's bigotry." Though Aaryn didn't mention that last one. Amanda is glad that the focus is on the showmance rather than herself. "Which one shall go home? Not me." But Howard vows that he needs to find a way to turn the house against Amanda. Good luck with that. Actually, at this point, Howard's best move would be to deliver an impassioned speech in her defense. Best-case scenario for Howard: everyone would start asking questions about her. Worst-case scenario for Howard: nobody would understand it anyway, so no harm done.
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.