Big Brother - Season 11, Episode 19 Recap

Welcome to another eviction episode of Big Brother! I probably should have included the word “live”, since unlike last week we are back to viewing the developments as they actually happen. Not just an eviction, either, as the house has yet to play the veto competition, let alone have the veto meeting. Add to that the start of an endurance HOH comp, and we have a full sixty minutes of action. Of course, tonight’s show would have been even more action-packed if Chima hadn’t ruined the yearly double-elimination special.

This is also the rare episode where we have no idea what’s going to happen. Even without the veto competition, we really have no clue who will be going home tonight? Did Russell’s pleas to Jeff and Jordan thaw the growing coldness between them? Is Natalie still Jeff and Jordan’s new best friend? Can Lydia survive another spell in the nomination chair?

After Julie’s intro, we start off with the reactions to Jordan’s nominations of Lydia and Natalie. After high-fiving Natalie, a pit-stained Lydia bitches about being nominated for the fourth time. “This is just a poopy feeling.” Oh boy. Natalie says the game has “changed for the worst for me. I’m outnumbered. I have no true friends at all in this game.” She threatens to go after Michelle after she wins the veto, but Michelle plans to play as hard as possible to win the veto. Meanwhile, Jeff calls the attempt to get out either Lydia or Natalie a “clean up operation” because they were both close to Jessie.

Jordan goes into one of the bedrooms with Natalie, and after asking if she’s crying, tells her that she’s “just a pawn”. She claims that she has nothing against her, but in the diary room Jordan says she has the right to change her mind at any time if it would be better to eliminate Natalie.

As always, Kevin has to cheer up Lydia, but Natalie comes in and whispers to Kevin what Jordan just said. Both Lydia and Natalie complain that they’re awful at competitions, and “I never lie” Natalie lies that she doesn’t believe she isn’t the target. “We just have to win the veto and take ourselves off.” Kevin complains that Lydia never listens to anything he says, so he thinks that using the veto on Natalie might be his smartest move.

We move on to another bedroom, where Michelle and Russell are chatting about being “lone wolfs”. Russell says that if she’s ever up, he’ll use the veto on her because they’re both playing the same game. Russell is worried about Jeff going against him, and at that very moment Jeff walks into the room. Russell says that the two of them are even, and if Jordan was smart she’d go after either him or Michelle.

We move back into the other bedroom, and Natalie asks Lydia how many times she hooked up with Jessie. Lydia won’t answer, but Natalie says that she knows. She eventually spills the beans about their “good times”, as we see footage of Jessie’s tent. Natalie says that’s why she didn’t like her, but the room gets a bit chillier when Kevin says that he was playing both of them - with Natalie being plan A and Lydia being plan B. Kevin complains in the diary room that the two women needed to has this out on their own, which they indeed do in another room. They both conclude that Jessie was an ass.

It’s now the next morning, and to make it so none of them go home he says they have to create a “complete fabrication”. Natalie’s idea is that they overheard a conversation between Russell and Michelle for a final two deal. “If this plan works, I am a genius”, claims Natalie. I hate to admit this, but she’s right. They also stupidly come up with a name for their plan, but I’m not going to waste time with it here.

Kevin begins the operation by talking to Jeff, although he says that it’s hard for him to lie. He claims that from this point on he’s going to be looking out for Jeff, and then tells the phony story of the overheard conversation. “Russell said that next week was important because we have to split up the couple. After he’s gone, us two can go all the way to the end.” Jeff stupidly tells Kevin that they were thinking of going after Russell next week, but they may have to do it this week. Even Kevin admits that Jeff is an idiot for believing this.

Jeff runs upstairs to inform Jordan of this conversation, but Jordan says she thinks that Michelle was just listening. Jordan still wants to evict Natalie, but Jeff says they may have to backdoor Russell. For once, Jordan is the voice of reason, pointing out that they need the numbers. Jeff asks if she thinks Kevin would lie. As Jordan says no, we see Kevin jumping for joy with the other girls.

It’s now time for Julie’s insipid talk with the house, and she starts with asking Jeff about the mystery power. He says he has no regrets, and that it was good game play. Kevin is then asked about feeling guilty for “HiroChima”’s expulsion, and he says that he felt he could do more to calm her down. Lydia is then asked about shedding tears over Jessie, and she emphatically says she’s completely over him. “Let’s just say that if I get put in the jury house, he’s got one angry pink-haired lady for a week”. I say she protests a bit too much. Julie jokes that she almost wants to see this happen. Jordan is asked what she thought was the best part of being HOH, and she predictably says the letter, pictures, and being able to take a bubble bath.

After commercials, we see Natalie claiming her HOH competition prize of the phone call from home. It’s sweet, but let’s get to the real stuff!!!

Ok, here we go with the veto competition, with everybody but Russell playing. The game is called “Before and After”, and they have to step ahead or behind based on two events that Julie describes. Everybody gets the first question correct, but Lydia, Jeff, and Natalie are eliminated on the next question. Everybody is correct again, but Kevin is eliminated on the next question. Jordan and Michelle are the only ones left, and they both are right on the next four questions, so Julie has a tie-breaker question of how many truffles were in the giant mud pit. Jordan guesses 60, and Michelle guesses 50. The answer is 104, so Jordan has won again!

It’s on to the veto ceremony, and Natalie and Lydia both spout silliness before Jordan decides to NOT use the veto. One of the girls is going home!

After commercials, we go right to the final speeches. Natalie goes first, and she talks about losing her two best allies but really wants to stay. “I have no alliances; no deals.” Lydia then says to vote for whomever will get them the farthest in the house.

Voting now starts with Russell, who votes to evict Lydia. Michelle also votes to evict Lydia, as does Jeff. Kevin, though, votes to evict Natalie. It’s 3 - 1, with Lydia off to spend a week with Jessie!

When Julie announces the news, Lydia doesn’t act too surprised. She hugs Kevin, while Natalie hugs everybody else for keeping her. Lydia’s not too pleased, though, as she almost sprints out the door in her Captain Unitard costume to loud applause.

Instead of watching the house react to Lydia’s departure, we head right to commercials before Julie’s interview with Lydia. Let me guess - lots of Jessie question. Not at first, though, as Julie asks why she snubbed everybody but Kevin. She says that Kevin is her only friend in the game, and that “everybody else can kick rocks” (what does that even mean?). Julie then asks about bonding with Natalie, and Lydia says “that was tough”. Good one! “I got a kid sister that I really didn’t want.” Julie notes that she seemed to throw in the towel in her last speech, and she admits that to be the case but it was worth it because instead of a half million she got a new best friend. Hmmmmm.

Julie then moves on to talk about Chima, and whether she was partly to blame for her eviction. Lydia agrees because her leaving really changed the game. “Having that strong female gone really weakened me.” She also is asked about Michelle, and Lydia babbles about “true colors”.

Ok, here’s the predictable question about Lydia being alone with Jessie for a week. “He’s going to need ice packs. He played Natalie and myself like a fiddle.” I bet they make up within an hour.

Finally, we move on to the HOH competition, and the players are on a ledge for a game called “Can Do”. they have to toss cans into a barell, and the first to get 24 cans wins. If nobody gets to 24 within an hour, then the person with the most wins. So much for an endurance competition. Kevin is the first to get a can in his tube shortly before we head to the final set of commercials.

When we return, Julie introduces a dumb “Mashup Video” contest, and Kevin and Michelle are tied with 4 cans a piece, with Jeff close behind at 3. To make the game harder, platforms start moving in and out. Yeah, exciting stuff, but that’s how we end tonight!