Nicole Picks Fight with Janelle, Tyler’s Nominations

Tyler is a part of The Commission and Tyler likes to make big moves. Now that he’s Head of Household, the biggest move in the “Big Brother” house would be putting Janelle and Kaysar on the block together. Is it the best move?

That’s arguable, because everyone seems to be gunning for these two like they’re the biggest threat in the house when they’re just not. They’re big threats and great players, but there are 14 people in this house.

Plus, is it really a good idea to eliminate the biggest targets in the house when you are a big target yourself? This is the dilemma Tyler faced as he looked to make his nominations. The house was ready to see them put up and his allies Cody and Memphis didn’t have the stones to do it.

Instead, they put up lame duck nominees that wouldn’t ruffle anyone’s feathers. But The Commission has held power every week of this game so how long is that a good strategy?

The added drama of the Safety Suite was rendered null and void after Memphis successfully convinced most everyone to play last week. Now, everyone who could play was aligned with Tyler, making it totally irrelevant.

The only interesting element of it was who would get the Plus-One safety. This is where players have to realize that it is always game time in the “Big Brother” house. When Da’Vonne started pitching to Dani and Enzo to give her their Plus-One because she wanted the punishment costume (she’s never had a punishment before), they immediately grew suspicious.

Or should we say, Enzo grew suspicious. Dani seemed to know exactly what was going on, but she wasn’t above stirring the pot a little bit to sow distrust between Tyler and Da’Vonne, and possibly create a little more trust between her and Tyler. Dani is playing a very subtle game, but it’s also very effective.

In the end, Tyler went with what the house wanted, and what he wanted, throwing Janelle and Kaysar on the block together. Now, they need the Power of Veto to save them. Janelle’s a competition beast, so it’s certainly possible.

That said, if one of them isn’t evicted this week, it will happen sooner than later. What will be interesting to see is if the house calms down once one of them is gone. Is it the duo they fear, or will they keep gunning for the one left just as hard?

What’s remarkable is that the people in the middle — who aren’t really doing much of anything — seem afraid to make a move against the will of the house (i.e., six people). If they could get it together and work with Janelle and Kaysar, they could flip the house.

But Tyler has done a great job of keeping them fractured by forming alliances with various groupings of them just enough to assure a majority can’t form outside of his influence. It’s an interestingly complex strategy that is working beautifully so far.

One thing that seemed unnecessary, and was not a good look, was Nicole getting catty and petty when choosing Janelle as a Have-Not. She then tried to play it off like it was an innocent accident, but even her confessional showed this not to be so.

The problem is Janelle knows Nicole can be very shitty when she’s in power, and she knows she’s lying here. And while Nicole likes to be dirty in underhanded ways, Janelle likes to have it out in public. We’re not sure Nicole knows what can of worms she’s starting to open.

We got just a glimpse of it this week as Janelle immediately shot back at Nicole pretending it was an accident to call out Janelle like that for doing what everyone in the house is doing.

Lest Nicole forget, she’s a former winner so getting too cocky and acting nasty toward people could rub people wrong beyond just her targets, and she’ll want them to think she’s a good person if she wants to win again.

Tyler Crispen has quickly risen into the strongest position in the house. He’s great at comps and he’s just so much better at this game strategically than all the other players in his power alliance(s). What’s amazing is that everyone knows this, but they still seem to trust him. Grade: A+

Cody Calafiore is riding high aligned with Tyler and The Commission (and even the fake Slick Six alliance). At this rate, though, he’s going to find himself second-best again if he doesn’t figure out how to strategize and play a smarter game of his own. Still, he’s got plenty of time. Grade: A

Daniele Briones is making such clever little moves, forging strong relationships and sowing mistrust a little here and there. And yet, for the time being, Dani is on no one’s radar. It’s an impressive social game and the kind of game that can win. Grade: A

Nicole Franzel doesn’t need to be picking fights with Janelle, or anyone for that matter. She’s a little too comfortable in power and it brings out her ugly side (which we’ve all seen before). She can be petty and nasty and she needs to remember that she’s won this game and no one is going to forget that. So don’t let anyone see that side because she’s going to need all the friends she can get. Grade: B+

Christmas Abbot is just sailing through this game with safety for the second week in a row. She’s a comp beast no one has recognized yet, and she knows how to be loyal and play a good team game. Right now, she’s in a great spot and she’s got the tools to run when needed. Grade: B

Memphis Garrett got away with a reckless HOH and he’ll probably get away with throwing the Safety Suite so obviously. But everyone knows he’s a comp beast, and they know he’s not necessarily trustworthy to anyone but himself. While he’s needed as a number, he’s good, but when that changes (or bigger targets are gone), he could be in trouble. Grade: B-

Enzo Palumbo making a connection with Christmas shows that his head is in this game and he is looking to forge relationships he maybe hasn’t yet. While he’s kind of in the middle, it’s the perfect time to make friends with future HOHs so they don’t want to target him. Grade: B-

Bayleigh Dayton continues to lay low. And even though her Slick Six alliance is effectively fake, it will buy her time deeper into the game. If she steps it up then, she can still make a run, but she needs to be careful. Grade: C+

Da’Vonne Rogers slipped up twice this week, forgetting every move is seen as strategy or showing cards (now Tyler thinks she doesn’t trust him because she wanted a punishment) and being overheard talking to the “enemy” (aka Janelle and Kaysar). Her mouth always gets her in trouble, and even when she’s keeping her cool, it seems to be stirring pots. Grade: C

Kevin Campbell, David Alexander, and Ian Terry are in the house, too. The latter are laying low for good reason (David after being so visible and targeted last week and Ian as a former winner), but Kevin seems determined not to play this game. They’re going to have to or they’ll just be easy votes. Grade: C

Janelle Pierzina may have one saving grace this week, if Veto doesn’t change the nominees. The girls are already aware that two of their number have left the house and they may not be keen to go down to an 8-5 deficit male to female — especially in a game where male alliances have often formed and dominated. Grade: D

Kaysar Ridha, on the other hand, could fall victim to that and become the first male out of the house. This duo just wasn’t going to be able to play together a third time. Either of them in the house alone and things would have probably gone down way differently. It’s a shame, because they’re both so good and so fun to watch. Grade: D-

• “They’re pretty close to figure out my entire alliance. And now that I’m HOH, it’s my time to cut that head off.” –Tyler (targeting Janelle & Kaysar)
• “The Slick Six is a good alliance to have but not an alliance that has a lot of my loyalty.” –Cody
• “Okay, I’m gonna pick someone who hasn’t done it before, and likes to talk about me: Janelle.” –Nicole (throwing shade picking Janelle as Have-Not)
• “Nicole has been on my radar since Day 1 because she plays a snake game. She likes to play victim, she likes to backstab and lie and then cry about it. Like, that is her M.O. She doesn’t like confrontation, but guess what? I do.” –Janelle
• “Why don’t you guys say why you’re on the block.” –Tyler (joking about nominating Janelle & Kaysar)
• “I’m not concerned about being safe or anything, I just want a damn costume.” –Da’Vonne (wants to be someone’s Plus One to get a punishment)
• “Truthfully I think she just wants the punishment, but I’m going to egg him on. ‘Yes, Tyler. That’s very sketchy.” –Dani (riling Tyler up about Da’Vonne)
• “Memphis’ number is an absolute joke. I knew he threw the competition.” –Janelle (she’s not wrong)
• “There’s a greater chance that the global pandemic would be resolved than me not going up on the block.” –Kaysar