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(S09E18) In a rather surprising move, both to us and to himself, Adam won the Head of Household in last week's competition on Big Brother 9. This season has definitely turned into a house divided and Adam leans to one side, yet gets along with just about everyone in the house. He's played it safe all along, but now he's in the position of power. It's unlikely that he'll don a robe and a "Princess for the Day" tiara, for sure.

Read on past the jump for the review of tonight's show!

I don't know about you, but I'm here on the East Coast. Thanks to March Madness basketball, the show started nearly an hour late most likely wreaking havoc with DVRs far and wide. Thankfully I was home, but I still found it annoying. In the summertime, we have baseball delays. I should be used to it, but I wanted to whine and fuss a bit about it anyway.

Okay, one more fuss and whine, then all the surliness should be out of my system. In the beginning recaps, I believe we saw Matt evicted three times and Adam win HOH twice. Now, I understand the purpose behind a brief recap just in case folks missed something. But the repeated recaps at the starts of the episodes this year are getting to be a bit much. One Matt eviction and one Adam winning HOH would have sufficed. Thank you enduring my surliness. I'll try to be all sweetness and light for the rest of the review.

Not only is the house divided, but what the houseguests might say to each other is very different from what they address to us in the privacy of the Diary Room. For example, James is acting respectful and decent with his fellow hamsters. But the Diary Room segment tells us a completely different story. In that segment, he's vindictive and tells us they were all stupid to vote him back in. Oh, my.

Natalie, on the other hand, is missing her Mattie in front of the houseguests and weeping for her loss in the Diary Room. I honestly think that she thinks he likes her as much as she likes him. She thinks he's her real soulmate. Later on in tonight's episode she made a comment about people always leaving her. I think the girl has serious issues. Perhaps it's some sort of need for attention but one day she'll have to face the fact that her Mattie isn't her Mattie, it ain't gonna happen.



In the Diary Room segments, Adam tells us he really didn't want to win Head of Household. He didn't want to be the one responsible for putting people on the block. It wasn't a part of his game plan at all. But it's not like it's his HOH at all, anyway. Call it Sheila's HOH or even better, Natalie's HOH. The houseguest holding the title can always expect people to try to influence him or others begging and pleading to be kept off the block.

But I don't know how bright Adam really is about the game. He's been easily swayed by others all season. Natalie is looking upon his reign as her HOH and plans to make all the decisions for him. Sheila tells us in a Diary Room segment that "we'll" seek vengeance for Matt as if Adam is joined at her hip or something. Both Natalie and Sheila gush all over Adam declaring him their hero. Blech! Ryan also played up to him, using the Boys Club card and revenge for Matt motive.

Joshuah, quite a possible target for the week, knows that he can work Adam and torment Sheila at the same time. First he told Sheila that he heard that Adam might be nominating Sheila and himself (Josh). If he can't do anything else, Joshuah knows how to push Sheila's buttons and get her going. He then tells Adam about what he told Sheila and strikes a deal with him. He'll promise not to put him on the block if he wins HOH next week if Adam doesn't nominate him this week. "I'll be your bitch," says Joshuah. Adam went for the deal.

Adam told Sheila that he was considering putting her on the block. As I watched the scene in the kitchen, I kept watching Joshuah -- he almost choked on his juice trying to keep from laughing out loud. He figured that Adam was probably just putting her on for reaction, but Adam told us in a Diary Room segment that he was seriously considering putting her on the block.

Well before Adam even made his nominations, Natalie was at Chelsia telling her she knew exactly what would happen and one of "them" is going home this week. "Them," of course would be Chelsia or James. That's what Natalie has been pushing on Adam and she's sure it will happen. At least she didn't quite play Amber and call herself psychic.

Adam's HOH room brought about an embarrassing surprise for him. No, it wasn't the cute doggie photos, nor was it his "power shot" in a suit which actually made him look very nice. Nope, it wasn't the childhood photos, nor the photo of his parents. It was the baby food. Yep, we're talking canned baby food. There were cases on the table and more in the refrigerator. Hey, he got the good stuff -- strained bananas! Natalie hoped he would share, but Adam just cringed and vowed to us he'd speak to his mother.

My favorite houseguests, the guinea pigs, had their moment of fame tonight. In what I thought was a very cute segment, Sharon talked baby talk to them, fed them, gave them attention, and called them her "babiiees" and her "fur-ieinds." Joshuah mocked her in the Diary Room and Adam also thought it too much. But, to me, it's obvious that these two houseguests should be up for the half-million at the end of the season. They're always entertaining and much better than the tarantulas last season.


The houseguests had their first (and possibly only) luxury competition of the season! It's a movie prize, thankfully not another Will Ferrell movie as they have done before. This time it's the new movie 21 -- the card counting gambling movie which just hit the theaters. Naturally, Sheila had to tell us she's the biggest movie buff ever. Just like her, eh? She always knows all about everything and is always more deserving than everyone else in the house.

The entire backyard was done up like a mini-Las Vegas with all kinds of gambling machinery and flashing lights. Adam was the announcer and he told them that the game of blackjack is easy if you count the cards. But their game of blackjack has a special deck of cards. On each card is a houseguest's face along with the card value (2, Ace, King, etc.). When competing, they had to buzz in and tell the houseguests whose cards added up to 21 in each hand.

If one got a hand right, he earned a chip. If he/she was wrong, the houseguest was eliminated. The first one to four chips wins the movie and will invite three others to join him. Ryan blazed by the others. James was out, then Sheila, then Joshuah. Ryan kept on going and won, inviting Adam, Natalie, and James to join him at the movie. I was a bit surprised by the choice of James, but not as surprised as Sheila. He said he invited James because he had a bad week. Sheila was miffed. Oh, I like it when she's miffed.

Oh, but then ... Adam told Ryan he had a chance to bet everything on a $21,000 VIP trip for two to Las Vegas. What to do? Well, Ryan was pretty confident in his ability to play the game, so he took a shot. He stopped at 18 while the house got 19. Oops, there goes the trip and the movie! Now the other side of the house will see the movie instead. So, it will be Joshuah, Sheila, Sharon, and Chelsia for movie night.

Then it was back to working on Adam for the nominations. When Adam told Natalie he was thinking of putting Sheila on the block to prove they weren't working together, Natalie was incredulous. She told him that it was a bad idea and he should really nominate Chelsia and James because that's what she wants him to do. Well, she didn't say that end bit, but we know that's what she wants.

There was an odd segment with Natalie seeking guidance from God, then discovering that there are at least seven groups of eight objects in the house. Eight windows with pink curtains in the room, eight rubber ducks, eight quotes, and so on. Then, when the houseguests discovered the new smaller table, there were eight chairs, eight places, and eight of everything! Perhaps it's because they're down to eight houseguests, I'd say. But Natalie thinks it's a sign. They don't know an Evel Dick visit is planned, yet Natalie mentions there are eight letters in his name and that he was on BB8. Huh, maybe she is Amber psychic!

After leading us to believe that he might put Sheila on the block, we were reminded of the power of editing. At the nominations ceremony Adam said no one has done him any wrong in the house and what he did isn't so bad. The key order was: Natalie, Sharon, Ryan, Joshuah, and Sheila. Sheila looked about ready to cry as the keys came out and they weren't hers. At least, if not nominating her, he made her sweat it out to the last key.

He told them he nominated Chelsia and James because he didn't want to backdoor anyone. Each would have the opportunity to fight to stay in the house and win the power of veto. James and Chelsia seemed to be expecting to be on the block, so there was no drama at the ceremony.

The drama was kept for the Diary Room. Natalie was all antsy-excited telling us that instead of Nice Natalie, they will see Naughty Nasty Natalia. My first thought was that Natalia might be a stripper name from her past. Well, it could be! James promised us that Adam's decision will come back to bite him on the butt. But then, isn't this all James' decision nipping at his own butt a bit?

CBS is running another audience involvement thingee in which we get to vote for the hosueguest we'd like most as President. (Um, none.) Hopefully it won't turn out like the fiasco in which fans voted Alex back in and the hamsters chose James to return. You can see the details and vote your choice at the CBS website contest page.