Kevin Implodes, Final Two Deals Everywhere

It’s pretty rare for big moves to be made this early in a season, but this is “Big Brother All-Stars,” as several Houseguests pointed out throughout the night.

In most shows, that raises the stakes for everyone and we start seeing bold moves right off the bat as people try to make statements. When you’re dealing with all-stars, they’re far more likely to respect big game moves than having their feelings hurt or voting emotionally at the end.

Coming into the night, though, it wasn’t clear that everyone knew that this was “All-Stars.” Hell, we’re not sure they all know they’re on “Big Brother.” The two nominees, in particular, have been a bit of a mess.

Kevin is on an emotional roller coast that’s been going since he walked in the door while Keesha is rocking a pretty classic deer-in-headlights look. This week’s episode didn’t inspire any hope in us that she’s playing this game at all.

Kevin is playing, but he’s playing terribly. He might as well have worn a t-shirt that read “I don’t want to put you in a bad situation–” as he seemed to be saying it to anyone ahead of the Power of Veto competition.

He was fretting that if he pulled the Houseguest’s Choice chip, he’d have no allies to call on. But he was so unnatural and timid and afraid in trying to corral some, it made everyone uncomfortable.

Easily his most awkward approach was with Ian, where he let a huge, long, uncertain pause linger in the air before he even finished asking his question.

We do feel bad for Kevin, as it seems like many people in the house are more than willing to talk alliances — they’re just not talking with him.

One of the things we got in “Celebrity Big Brother” with Omarosa was real talk about what was going on in the world outside the house. We weren’t sure if the issues of today would creep in, so we were so glad producers gave us some real moment

It not only helps us connect with the contestants, but it stays true to the idea of this being a microcosm of America. When Kaysar talked about trying to represent Iraqi people against stereotypes during his first times playing, it resonated, especially as he related it to the ugliness outside those walls.

It was a real and vulnerable moment, and not the only one. Ian also opened up to his fellow housemates about the fact he’s on the autistic spectrum, talking about how rocking in the hammock is relaxing and soothing for him.

It was a moment he was clearly uncomfortable sharing, but as pointed out in the house in both instances, it’s so important to use this platform to have these talks, and perhaps break stigmas and stereotypes.

Here’s hoping this is just a hint of more real talk to come throughout the season. There is so much going on in the world and so much ugliness, we’d much rather have this type of “Big Brother” talk than some of the problematic, racist and misogynistic talk of past seasons.

Final Two deals are a “Big Brother” specialty, and so far this season those are the only alliances that are forming among the 16 All-Stars. And not everyone is getting in on the action.

Actually, we’ll take that back. It seems like Tyler is once again over-extending himself. In his defense, everyone is approaching him about these deals, but not in his defense, he is enthusiastically embracing each one.

There are ways to downplay those allegiances, and he’s just not learned this technique. It cost him the game last time he played, and he’s headed down that same path.

Outside of that, it’s no surprise that Cody is suddenly finding himself in alliances — the reigning HOH is always in a power position. He’s secured a Final 2 with Nicole F and separately with Enzo. Which is he more loyal to?

Nicole F made it clear she’s more loyal to Cody, but she still made an all-winners alliance with Ian (a safe move). They even dubbed it the “Million Club.”

Enzo and Cody are “The Roots,” while Da’Vonne and Bayleigh threw around the name “The Movement,” but didn’t quite make it official. We dig it, though. Our favorite, though, might not even be real, but we are digging Kevin’s “Downlowmance” alliance proposal with Cody.

It’s only a matter of time before these alliances expand and new ones form, but it’s always fun to look back on those early Final Two deals, because sometimes they carry through the game.

The way the Veto played out also showed that Kevin doesn’t really have a good grasp on the game yet. He seems to be intimidated by the All-Stars and too much in his head to really observe what’s going on.

Cody and Enzo have a tight alliance, and while they’ve not necessarily been obvious about it, Enzo also wasn’t particularly warm to Kevin’s bathroom approach to try and get him to play for him in the Veto.

So when he did pull the Houseguest’s Choice chip, he probably shouldn’t have picked Enzo. That said we’re not sure he had a better choice.

This is All-Stars, but despite what everyone said, no one seems really ready to play. Cody is a new-school player so he chose old-school targets. If it were the other way around, old-school would probably choose new-school. They’re all looking at easy divides and targets so far.

Unfortunately for Kevin, he fumbled again at the Veto, which could have been his if he’d kept his eyes on the clock and/or just been happy with his then-winning total of 19 fruits and vegetables stacked.

But he was afraid of Keesha who had a large stack but with far fewer items on it. Thus, Enzo won. His choice to play won, but there was no cause for celebration as he ultimately didn’t use it and nothing changes.

Cody Calafiore looks like he’ll survive this HOH relatively unscathed. From there, he needs to fade more into a background mode for a bit, but he’s aligning himself well with several options, and everyone is coming to him with intel — a good place to be in if he can hold onto it. Grade: A

Enzo Palumbo is setting himself up well in this game. He’s aligned with Cody, who is already sliding into a power position. Plus, clearly no one seems to suspect their alliance, which can make them a dangerous duo as they come from different schools of play. Grade: B+

Nicole Franzel is doing something incredible. She seems to be making people forget that she’s already won this game. Cody even suggested Ian should be targeted as a winner, but he has a Final Two with Nicole. She’s got one with Ian, too, in her back pocket. But she’s not fooling Da’Vonne, so she’s not completely in the clear just yet. Grade: B

Da’Vonne Rogers and Bayleigh Dayton are laying low and staying off of everyone’s radar. They’re playing it cool and quiet, which is the right move right now. This is a smart alliance if they can keep their cool as both are very astute players, and right now neither is on the house radar. Grade: B-

Memphis Garrett suggested an alliance with Cody based on their similar gameplay, but we’re not entirely sure Cody went for it. Since then, he’s just been lingering in the house, like Christmas Abbot, David Alexander and Nicole Anthony. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if they’re not careful, they could wind up on the outside of everything. Grade: C

Tyler Crispen is making the same mistakes he did last time, being too enthusiastic about every deal that comes his way. It worked once, but it seems unlikely to work again. He needs to solidify something real and real fast before people start comparing notes. Grade: C-

Ian Terry made a smart move aligning with Nicole F, as we do believe she’ll remain true to it as a secondary option to her deal with Cody. As such, she’ll protect him as much as she can. That said, he’s still a huge target, so it’s going to be rough going unless he does a lot more work. Grade: C-

Janelle Piterzina and Kaysar Ridha are now tied at the hip (for the third time) whether they like it or not. It’s not a terrible thing, as both are strong competitors, but they’re definitely in a vulnerable position heading into next week as the new-school players will probably want to break them up. They’ve got their work cut out for them in their social game to get off the early-game radar. Grade: C-

Kevin Campbell is fumbling in the areas he should be doing well. His social game is so anxious and awkward. Then, he made himself a bigger target by almost winning Veto. He has no alliances of note right now and he’s made himself a bigger potential threat than Keesha. Could that doom him? Grade: D-

Keesha Smith is not playing this game. She says her social game will win her the day, but we’ve not even seen much of that yet. Is it possible to be a floater this early? Where’s Rachel Reilly when we need her! That said, we still think Keesha will go first, as Kevin will be loyal to anyone who saves him and Cody might take him up on that. Grade: D-

• “You guys, don’t shun me.” –Kevin (to the house after getting nominated)
• “I don’t trust Janelle as far as I can throw her and I can’t even pick her up.” –Nicole F
• “This could be the beginning of a downlowmance.” –Kevin (talking working with Cody after noms)
• “We should really try to keep a low profile.’ –Janelle (to Kaysar)
• “How?” –Kaysar (that’s a good question)
• “Are we going to have the courage to stand up for what’s right? And I look at what’s happening, the protests and the kneeling, and it’s like, people shout because you never listened in the first place. We’ve got to get to a point where you can hear their whispers.” –Kaysar
• “When we have conversations like this, this isn’t even about the game. This is just people, being able to relate and taking the opportunity to use our platform for something good.” –Da’Vonne
• “This is ‘Big Brother.’ When people come up to you with a deal, you don’t say no.” –Tyler (trying not to make deals with everyone again … and making deals with everyone again)
• “I’m trying, but these people are, like, iconic. I must have done something wrong.” –Kevin (losing hope)
• “Then I see saddles on these bananas. I don’t even want to touch that one. Literally.” –Dani (at the Veto comp)
• “I think the best way to keep that banana moving is to use the back-and-forth motion, if you will.” –Ian (at Veto comp)
• “I think our best chance of winning is next to each other.” –Ian (to Nicole F)
• “If they make them choose to pick someone to win twice, you know? If you give them the option to give it to someone once, they’re gonna go with that.” –Nicole F (to Ian)

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