TVSquad

(S09E12) "We can only come out of this stronger." - James

I think he meant "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." While Big Brother 9 probably won't be responsible for the physical deaths of any of the houseguests, it just might ruin whatever social lives they may have once had. I'm continually amazed by this group, usually not so much in a good way. I think I'm more amazed along the lines of Dumb and Dumber.

But first, I must mention the recaps which start each show. Tonight we had three recaps within the recaps. We saw Allison and Ryan at the door twice, Allison booted solo twice, and Ryan win Head of Household twice. Stop that. I find it annoying. I understand the reasoning behind the recaps, but things shouldn't be repeated numerous times within the recaps. I can only hope CBS understands that while the cast of this show might not know how many letters are in the alphabet, we have some brains.

Well, it's Day 28 in the house and while I might not be thrilled that I had to see Allison booted so many times between two shows, Joshuah apparently could watch it over and over again. He's jumping for joy that he saw Allison evicted twice -- once with Ryan and then the solo eviction. If Josh only knew how many times we saw it, he'd be jealous, eh?

Both Josh and Sharon are worried that they'll be targeted to go on the block since they're the ones who put Ryan up. But I think Ryan definitely knows that the only reason he was on the block was because of Allison. That's why I think the couples bit did the show no favors, nor the houseguests. Ryan is kind of a victim of circumstance and with the unanimous vote to evict Allison, it's doubtful that he bears any grudges.

That doesn't mean that Matt didn't quickly go to him to tell him he's his buddy, of course. Hey, Ryan's the HOH -- everyone is willing to be his best friend now. Sure, if the need comes up, Ryan will go right under that reality show bus which makes its rounds. But for now, he's got it made in the friends department.

Matt was pretty quick to tell Natalie that she's out of his bed. She's sure he's just as much smitten with her as she is with him. This girl seriously needs a brain. She has absolutely no sense when it comes to men. I'd say she's too good for him, but that's not the case. I don't think either is a prize for the opposite sex, but they definitely aren't for each other! Matt thinks he might have to play dead to get rid of her. Don't do it, Matt. She'll feel the need for endless mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

James and Chelsia aren't happy with the splitting of the couples. James really likes Chelsia and thinks she might desert him. His lack of self-confidence when it comes to her shows. He looks like a lost puppy dog abandoned on the roadside. Sure enough, she starts flirting with Matt making James wonder if she ever liked him or whether it was just gameplay. Uh-oh.

Natalie had an epiphany when reading Joshua in the bible. She read aloud to Adam, "What goes into a man's mouth doesn't make him unclean, what comes out does." Natalie comes across as a mindless bimbo to me most of the time, but that described Joshuah to a T. I wanted to like Josh, but ever since he was so cruel to Amanda (not that I liked her), hitting such low blows about her father's suicide ... his mouth is poison. He might think he's oh-so-smart and oh-so-cute, but his words are the most hurtful I've ever heard in the house.

Josh also has a real attitude about looks. When they all checked out the Head of Household room made up for Ryan, Josh told us how "nothing stood out about his family" in the pictures and that Ryan is "just a boring straight guy." Remind me to never show him any pictures of my family! Meanwhile, Matt thought Ryan's sister was hot and said he'd love a call. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder, but Josh is way too critical.

Sheila is crying. She's not quite beating the Amber record set last season, but she's got the record for this season. She's worried that she'll be on the block. She's upset that Allison, the only one she could talk to, is gone. She has no one. She's all alone. And who is she crying to? Adam, naturally. He's a bit reluctant to come out and say he has her back, but he did listen well. She's thrilled to have a bedroom all alone where she won't have to listen to him snore, make noises, and move around. But she still wants him as her ally in the house.

Adam may have new plans, though. Matt and Ryan want to create the Four Bros and he's a bro they want. Ryan accepted Matt's apology for the vote (maybe the lie, too) and it's Bros Against the World! The fourth bro is James who's noticeably a bit cool towards the idea. He doesn't trust them and really wants only to ally with Chelsia in the house. That is, if she will have him.

Natalie ended up having another epiphany! The guinea pig cage holds clues! James had already thought the wooden puzzle held clues, but she went a step further. The four colors of the puzzle, the alphabet blocks in the cage ... what's it trying to say? Natalie said, "The blocks, 27 letters in the alphabet..." What? 27? "Yes -- w, x, y AND z." Matt tells her "and" is NOT a letter. D'oh. I repeat, will someone give this girl a brain?

The food comp had them split into two teams. The blue team was James, Natalie, Matt, and Adam. Natalie wasn't in Matt's plans as he grabbed the blue bandanas, but she just snagged one because she knew he wanted her. The red team was Josh, Sheila, Sharon, and Chelsia. Ryan, bing HOH, was the host. He eats for the week no matter who wins.

Each person had to slide down into a pool of liquid chocolate, far from gourmet quality from what I could tell, retrieve letters from the bottom of the pool, spell a food word with the letters, then write it on a chalkboard. Even though she thinks letters have nothing to do with spelling, Natalie was stronger at the task than Sheila. Sheila totally crumbles at the competitions and kept her record.

The winning team will receive all the foods they spelled correctly while the losing team gets Big Brother slop all week. I was sort of surprised that both groups went for "yogurt." I personally think the best approach to do this challenge would be to go more generic and they did so with some food groups. In the end, the blue team won. They will eat a decidedly odd diet for the week, but it's better than slop!


Ryan made a deal with the devil. Yep, after the food comp, Joshuah approached him, promised never to put him on the block, and said he'd be his "bitch" for the week. Ryan shook on it. Now, I don't think Ryan is a smart player. I believe he was recruited for the show due to Jen. I'm not sure he knows all of the sneakiness which is a huge part of the show. I'm sure since he gave his word, he'll keep it. The deal made Josh such a happy boy that he danced in the morning. Heck, even Matt joined him, but for a moment.

Then they had to get all serious again. Ryan has to make the nominations. Who? Who? He invites input from the bros. James thinks he should put up Sheila and Sharon. That's a bit self-serving of him as he'd keep his precious Chelsia. James told him that if he puts up Josh (someone none of the group likes) it might come back to bite him if Josh isn't voted out. Then it was JAMES who suggested Chelsia and Sharon, not Ryan or Adam or Matt. James thinks that Sharon would be the target and the bros won't catch on that he's still with Chelsia. That could backfire.

In the nominations ceremony, Ryan said the decision wasn't personal, it was purely strategy. The key order went down this way: Adam, Natalie, James, Matt, Sheila, Joshua. That means that the two nominees for eviction are Chelsia and Sharon. Ryan said they're both strong competitors and it will be an epic battle of the females. Um, okay.

Sharon took it all in stride. She's willing to fight to stay in the house. As I watch her, she seems to be one of the smarter players in this game. Like Matt, she plays everyone, but she's not so blatant about it. Chelsia, on the other hand, is very unhappy. James, the one who suggested putting her on the block, is worried he'll lose her. What a silly boy he is! He shouldn't have planted the seed.

Oh, and they let loose with Adam's nickname "Baller" in the episode. I don't want to know. Don't forget that there's still time to vote at the CBS site for the houseguest you want to return!