Aaryn nominated Elissa and Helen last week, as per the secret instructions of her allies in 3AM -- Amanda, McCrae and Andy. Aaryn Diary Rooms about how her nomination speech was very strategic, which I believe I remarked on at the time. Helen DRs that she'd be worried if she didn't have a final-three deal with Andy and McCrae -- a deal which is, of course, fake, and which Andy and McCrae only initiated to keep Helen in the dark. Elissa DRs about how sad she is to be nominated against her closest friend in the house, because she's still playing the game as it existed a month ago… which makes sense, because she's hardly been seen for a month. Helen tells Elissa to be nice to Aaryn and that one of them has to win the Veto in order to send Spencer home instead of one of them. That seems like a lot of ifs, even with the incomplete information they have.
Andy and Helen have a chat as well, in which Helen cries about Elissa's lameness and her need to save herself, which is pretty hard on Andy, so at least he doesn't have to act that much as he pretends to feel bad for her. But he does agree to see if he can talk Aaryn into shifting her sights to Spencer.
Elissa's charm offensive gets off on the right foot when she walks in on Amanda and McCrae making out. Amanda tells Elissa what they were up to, meaning, "Get out," but Elissa wants to hang and have a conversation with them. She says that she's sensing that Helen blames her for being nominated. Amanda's only too happy to encourage them to turn against each other, which will force the one who stays to look for a new ally… like Amanda. So Amanda tells Elissa about Helen's Elissa-bitching from the other night, which Elissa partly believes as much as she mistrusts Amanda. Still, Amanda figures Elissa will be in her pocket after Helen leaves. Just how big are Amanda's pockets anyway?
Andy then tells Spencer that Helen is after him, warning him that Spencer needs to win the Veto. Of course, winning PoV is that last thing Andy himself wants to do, because that might require him to make a move. At the very least, it might reveal his true allegiances.
The Veto players are drawn, and half the house is pretty invested in Spencer either getting chosen or not chosen. Aaryn draws GinaMarie's name, Helen draws Spencer (much to her dismay), and Elissa gets Houseguest's Choice and picks Andy. Just what he didn't want.
Later, Andy fake-commiserates with Helen about Spencer getting to play in the PoV competition. Helen idly wonders if GinaMarie might be willing to take part in backdooring Spencer, then asks Andy if he's heard anything about people wanting to send her home. Andy claims nobody would say anything about that to him, and runs down the fake votes that Helen has in her fake bag. Andy is actually feeling pretty guilty at having to lie to Helen that he's going to A) try to win the veto and B) use it on her, neither of which is the case.
Upstairs, Andy joins Amanda and Aaryn in the HoH room and complains about not wanting to win the Veto. Amanda warns him not to throw it until he knows it's safe and DRs that Andy's not going to be able to keep his hands clean. "You're not a dick, it's a game," Amanda tells him without looking up from her manicure.
This PoV competition features a fake forest setting, and the return of the giant-faced, question-asking, name-demanding Otev. Except this year, Otev has taken the form of a crying beaver. Aaryn, Helen, Spencer, Elissa, Andy and GinaMarie take up kneeling positions at the top of the waterfall ramp that usually features in the Otev competitions. The beaver exposits that he's been writing love letters to evicted houseguests, but a flood scattered them all over the yard. He instructs them to listen to a poem about an evicted houseguest for each round of the competition. Then they'll have to go searching through ponds, mud pits and wood chips for a letter with that person's name on it and bring it back. But as always, the last person to return at the end of each round will be out of the competition. The last one standing wins PoV. Your basic Otev contest, in other words. For round one, Otev alludes to a former houseguest's rant about wine. That is, of course, a reference to Jeremy from Week 2. Helen is the first one back to the top of the ramp with an envelope bearing his name. Elissa is in second place, but she was also smart enough to take note of the location of other names while she was searching for Jeremy's. Aaryn is third, then Helen, then Andy. And then they have to wait forever for GinaMarie to finally make it up there, with mud on her face and a fake eyelash coming loose. GinaMarie's out, and didn't even get to search for Nick's name.
In round two, Otev's mention of a grizzly bear shirt is a dead giveaway for Judd. Spencer is the first one back this time. Then Helen finds a letter for Judd, but it's a mad rush up the hill and everyone passes her -- even Elissa, who went from completely underwater in the pond at the foot of the waterfall to sprinting up the slippery ramp without even bothering to use the rope. Even Spencer is impressed at that. They all have the right answer and Helen's out. Though she still thinks there's a pretty good chance that Spencer can be backdoored if Elissa wins.
The third round makes mention of a clown, which of course means Candice. Spencer's back first again and then Aaryn, while Andy and Elissa are left searching. Helen suspects Andy of not trying hard, but lucky for him, Elissa totally flattens him on the way up the ramp, so he's out anyway. "I got Enzo'd!" he says. That leaves, Spencer, Elissa and Aaryn. Otev mentions someone chiseled from stone, so they go racing in search of a letter to Howard. Aaryn loses this time, so it's down to Elissa and Spencer to find the last letter, which refers to someone who traded $5,000 for a Veto. For all the good it did Jessie. Elissa beats Spencer to the top of the ramp with the correct letter, so she wins PoV. Elissa's thrilled -- as is Helen -- but Spencer? Not so much, already anticipating his sixth nomination. In the DR, Amanda says Helen shouldn't be so excited about Elissa winning. "Helen, you're going home." Yes, but you don't want her to know that, Amanda. I mean, I'm sure part of you does so everyone can know how much smarter you are than everyone… but not yet.