We're on a delayed start because of some sporty thing that I couldn't care less about, but at least it's only 8 minutes (well, closer to 12 by the time we get any actual new footage). Instead of jumping right into the HOH competition, we flashback to Thursday night's episode, where we see Candice trying to give her speech and GinaMarie rudely interrupting her. Thanks to the different camera angles, we see a lot more of the house guests all laughing at this exchange. I seriously would love some picture-in-picture during live evictions to be able to see all of the reactions.
Once Julie summons McCrae to the diary room, we fade into color and see Candice complaining that GinaMarie ruining her speech. She's not being very gracious, and it doesn't take much to get GinaMarie going. While I complained that GM went way too far and was a despicable person, it does seem like Candice got in some striking blows as well. Her argument here is more of the same "you are too old to live with your parents" nonsense that we heard on Thursday peppered with some annoying comments about GM's colored contacts and her so-called pageant titles. The other house guests just keep getting up to vote and generally try to avoid making eye contact, while these two go at it.
Candice claims that it is her right to be loudmouth and since GinaMarie called her defamatory things first, so she jabs that GM's crown in her HOH room is for "Miss Used-To-Be-Fat-America," so that's just delightful. Have they addressed GinaMarie's former weight issues on the actual show before? Or was that just on the feeds? GM counters with the fact that maybe Candice doesn't shower frequently enough, which would seem like an actual valid complaint about someone you are living with. Then adds, "You know what Candice? No one likes you, no one wants you… even your own mother."
There's an audible gasp from the other couch dwellers, and me here on my own couch. Even Aaryn thinks that this is a low blow that's gone to far, though she's mostly worried about her own game. If Aaryn thinks you've taken it to a rotten level, you've really crossed some invisible boundary. Helen in particular seems shocked by this comment and she DR's about how Candice's adoption is something that's very difficult, and the crack made her question GinaMarie as a person. None of the rest of racial comments she's said this season changed it before this?
Post-Candice eviction, we see all the house guests hugging Candice. And Amanda is happy that the explosion between GM and Candice took the heat off of her. Elissa says she can relate to how hard this experience has been for Candice. Really, Elissa? This show where you were gifted MVP because of some voting nepotism? The show where you've mostly just sat around doing yoga all summer and avoided making any waves at all? The sadness over Candice leaving is short lived, as Helen happily starts shouting about everyone being on the jury.
We jump to Aaryn winning HOH, she's almost teary in the DR, talking about how she didn't want to win because of the blood up to her shoulders. Jessie realized that Aaryn winning pretty much seals her nomination. I just noticed that Jessie's status just says Unemployed. Not even waitress? Student? It's as uninteresting as everything else about her. It does make me wonder if we could persuade the editors to change GinaMarie and Aaryn's occupations to Unemployed as well.
Post-HOH, everyone follows Aaryn into a room to quickly plead their cases. She's gunning for Jessie, but she contemplates putting GinaMarie on the block because she might be detrimental to her game in the long run. Spencer says people tell him that he's safe, but admits that he's clueless about what is going on. Yeah, we figured that out.
Aaryn wins POV, Jessie's miserable (shocking) because she feels like this was her only chance at safety. Aaryn's happy because she wants to send Jessie to jury. Helen hugs Aaryn and asks if she can backdoor Judd. Cue a perplexed look on Aaryn's face. We see some previously un-aired footage from 10 days ago, where Amanda, Helen and Aaryn talked about how Judd has lied to him about how he's voting and how he's really smart and how they have to take him down without him catching wind of a plan.
This may have been valuable to see BEFORE Thursday, so I wasn't sitting around scratching my head about why Judd went home. Still, I think they are giving good old Party Darty far too much credit. Aaryn is reluctant, but says if they can muster the votes she'll consider it.
She pulls Jessie into the have-not room, and demands assurance that she'll be safe is she removes Jessie from the block. It's cute, like she thinks Jessie is an actual threat. Jessie rapidly agrees, and then Helen comes in to say she's got Elissa, Amanda, McCrae and Andy on board, and that she'll be able to get GM to comply with the plan. She says that Aaryn will be safe for two weeks if she does it. Helen says that she doesn't want to waste a double eviction (well, maybe she should have won HOH herself then) and that they all think Judd is MVP and because he's such a good social player, he'll be impossible to beat at the end.
In the kitchen, Judd wonders if he has to campaign for himself as he stands around with Spencer and McCrae. GinaMarie goes to the have-not room, and then Judd notices that no one is around and goes towards that room, Jessie encourages him to go in to talk to the ladies. He asks GM and Aaryn who they are voting out, and confirms that it's Jessie. McCrae and Amanda pull Spencer aside and tell him to just go with the flow (he thinks he's getting voted out) and they said if the veto is used and he gets to vote, he should just vote for the replacement nominee.
Spencer happily agrees to any plan that doesn't involve him getting sent to jury. Andy sees Spencer leaving, and goes in to talk to McCrae and Amanda. Judd comes in to tell Andy that the girls are trying to keep Jessie and get rid of Spencer. McCrae says that Judd's obliviousness is heartbreaking. Andy calls it "icky."
I still don't exactly get why Judd is considered a big threat by these people. Have they all just really been so thrown by the MVP that he's a big target? Anyway, once he's on the block and waiting for the voting to start, he starts pleading his case like the saddest little puppy in the world. He says that he's never been MVP, and he'd happily work with anybody. He claims loyalty, and tries to get Aaryn to stop crying. She DRs that she's questioning her decision. Well, it was Helen's decision, really.
Helen comforts Aaryn by telling her that this is what's going to set her apart in the game. Judd then makes a remark about Jessie's smirk. She says she's not happy that it's him up for eviction, she's just happy to be safe. But there's a lot of animosity behind his asking about her smirk, and he calls her a snake. Did something go down between them that we didn't get to see on TV? Last we say they were smooching and friendly. Oh, the inconsistent editing of this show.
As he leaves, he tells Elissa he doesn't want her hugs and says the same to Helen. Let's just say that Helen copes with this better than Elissa. Amanda says that she's still sure Judd was MVP and he missed his shot to take her out. Elissa's whining that Judd is mad at her. She admits all she did was go along with the group, which isn't the same as sticking up for him or trying to get Spencer out instead.
Judd whispers to Aaryn that the betrayal stuff is not true, and then we just see McCrae and Andy bawling. Needless to say GinaMarie's also a mess, but she's always a mess. Amanda says she's happy there's no more MVP, and that Judd definitely was it, and he wouldn't have left otherwise. Guess who's gonna look like an idiot when she watches the show back?
Aaryn says that this giant backdoor plan made her realize how quickly things can change. Helen goes to hug Aaryn and says that this made her like Janelle, and this was the biggest move of the season. Helen says "no one is after you, for once in this game." Aaryn looks unconvinced. McCrae is still sobbing in the photo booth, and Andy's not much better off. McCrae says that Judd was his best friend, and claims he's a big wussy because he ended up caring about people more than he thought he would.
Amanda drags Aaryn to the have-not and says that after jumping through a million hoops, she finally proved her loyalty and that Andy, McCrae and she will take her to the final four. Aaryn agrees, but she's planning on sticking with Helen to the end. Aaryn asks for some wine. Gee, if she wasn't such a horrible monster person, we'd actually kind of like her right now.
McCrae: Still crying. Andy tells Amanda that Judd's plea to stay was like watching a wounded animal. Andy says this was the first eviction that really hurt, while GinaMarie stands quietly over his shoulder wearing Nick's stupid hat. Happily she doesn't mention Nick's name or his Week 2 eviction. Andy goes for a moment alone, and then Helen tells the rest of the house guests who are all devastated that it helps everyone's game. Look at Little Miss Mary Sunshine over here. Way to read a room, Helen. Spencer says that this quick turn on Judd was like watching wild hogs turn on each other. All I can think of now is the good old pigpen on Deadwood. I've got at least six houseguests I'd like to toss in there.
HOH is a diner setup, and I get all excited that it’s a gross food challenge. I quickly realize that it isn't and get really just depressed. I saw the sundaes and was hoping for them to have to eat bugs or dirt or anything. Instead, they have to balance a ball (aka "cherry") on a wooden banana platform and slide it down to the top of the sundae. They are going head-to-head in a bracket competition (agh, I can only deal with bracketology in March. Dislike!) and then earn their way to HOH. Also, the HOH gets to pick the four people stuck on slop for the week.
Jessie DR's that she wants to win to get rid of someone who is being protected… like Amanda? Spencer says its time for him to win HOH. Well, its time for him to do something. And Andy says he wants to win because it is big move time, and he doesn't want to fall victim to one of those moves. Adorable. He thinks that he'd be a big target.
The first pair is Helen vs. Jessie. They both seem to suck at it, but eventually Jessie gets it. Andy takes on GinaMarie and Andy wins. The third pair is Amanda vs. Spencer, and Amanda wins. Spencer admits he was terrible. Amanda says she's happy he's out of the running because she doesn't trust him. In the battle of Elissa and McCrae, he's being goofy and making a lot noises (says this is how he plays video games… which makes us never want to play Super Mario with him) and distracts Elissa long enough for him to win.
Round 2, Jessie vs. Andy. Andy says it is crucial that he wins because Jessie is a loose cannon. She wants to win so she's not on the block for a fourth time. Andy wins, and Jessie is mad that she can't overthrow the big powerhouse. Amanda vs. McCrae, in a match-up that seems like it shouldn't matter much given that the three remaining players are all in a pretty solid alliance. Amanda says she's up against her spider monkey and he'd better let her win. Way to be a strong, independent woman, Amanda.
McCrae missed the memo as he wins without even making too much of an effort. Amanda goes over to the sidelines and just starts crying. She doesn’t understand why he didn't throw the competition and sights BB competitors of yesteryear who gave up wins for their showmance partners. She's pissed… to an unnecessary degree. For his part, McCrae insists didn't want people to think he'd make any sort of concession for Amanda, but I think their faux-engagement nonsense already dug him in a big hole there.
Round 3, Andy vs. McCrae. Andy wins on the first try and he's really excited. McCrae seems genuinely happy for him. But his thrill of victory is cut short as he's reminded he has to pick the four have-nots. Helen raises her hand to volunteer, GinaMarie, Elissa and Aaryn follow suit. Aaryn says that it is in the spirit of "Aaryn the Good Witch. " Great that she's admitting this new "nice girl" attitude is just a façade to keep her in the game.
Andy says that his win isn't great because he's friends with everyone and now he has to un-friend people. Methinks this is going to be slightly harder than hitting a button on Facebook. In quick succession we see the DR's of almost every remaining house guest talking about how Andy's win makes them feel really safe and happy. Well, someone's bound to be wrong there.
Back in the bedrooms we see Amanda being extremely upset with McCrae. Still. Even though he didn't actually win HOH and there's a strong chance Andy (who had a real talent for ball rolling) would have lost too. She gripes that she hasn't seen her family and she's sad, and that she hasn't won anything and just wanted to win something. How about a little dignity? Is that a prize you can win for not making your "boyfriend" feel like a jerk because he didn't hand you a competition on a silver platter and instead made you actually work for something? His "I was barely even trying" excuse, doesn't do much. He just looks like he's over this shit. Can't say that we blame him. We're over it too.
Helen finds Amanda crying about being a loser in the have-not room. Helen gives a pep talk about how Amanda has kept them all in the game with her strategic moves because she's a great player. It seems to get through to her. Andy walks in, Amanda lies that happy for him but just angry that she's the only one in the house who hasn't won anything. She's also ticked off because McCrae competed when he didn't even want to win HoH. Andy reasons that she should have wanted to win on her own merits and not because someone let her. She doesn't seem to agree, and walks off saying she doesn't want to draw attention to herself. Well, that would be a first. Jessie, queen of the pity party, says that Amanda needs to get over it.
McCrae tries to shower and Amanda stalks him into the bathroom to still complain about not seeing her family or getting the letters and this is the only competition she had a chance of winning. He hugs her and tells her the same thing that Helen did about how she can control the game without actually getting blood on her hands. She offers a quick, "I'm sorry." He still looks beaten down, and we can't wait for the week he grows a pair and blindsides her.
We see Helen in Andy's HOH room, though we didn't see him do the whole "who wants to see my HOH room" spiel. He tells her he's putting up Jessie and Spencer because everyone wants Jessie to go home. Helen sighs and thinks that he should put up Amanda and McCrae. Not saying that she's wrong in wanting to make this move, but she might have wanted to listen to whiny Jessie last week when she got burned by tattletale Andy. He seems to quickly tell Amanda and McCrae everything, so Helen here might have made a gross misstep in the game. We don't see him talking to Amanda and McCrae about Helen's plan, but it will undoubtedly happen. That's definitely going to come back to bite her in the ass.
Helen argues that it is time to break up the power couple, because they are strong and they will eventually blindside everyone else. She tries to plan out the entire couple weeks of HOH's and the possibilities for their game. But there's no way Andy's going to go against people who he's been able to trust all along. While Andy says that Helen thinks his loyalty lies with her, he's got this deal with the duo who have apparently made up and are currently making out in the bathroom conveniently to a camera. Helen tries to get her point across saying that if you play it safe you can't win the game. Again, she's not wrong, but she picked the wrong HOH to try and make a power move with. He's way too wimpy.