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Thursday, July 23, 2015

Big Brother Season 17, Episode 14 Recap

It’s the fifth day of Audrey’s meltdown and all #BB17 fans except those who only watch CBS know that tonight is her swan song. Her breakdown got literally only five seconds of coverage on last night’s show. Lots of people have speculated that the audience will be stocked with friendly CBS employees and that the show won’t even be live, all to make things easier for Audrey. How much attention will Audrey’s mental health get during the eviction episode? Let’s find out.

First, an editor’s note: Once again this is John (@uselesstraffic) writing, subbing for Scott (@bigbrothrgossip) — he’ll be back soon. As before, I’m writing this live during the east coast airing and without the benefit of a DVR, so sorry there’s no photos. If I got anything wrong, please do clarify things via comments below ... nicely. :-)

“When Audrey didn’t show up for the veto meeting, her behavior started trending on Twitter,” says Julie Chen to open the show — an admission which actually surprised me. The narrator says in the opening summary that Audrey's fight with Clay sealed her fate. And Julie asks, “Now everybody is wondering: Will Audrey leave the game before the house gets a chance to evict her?”

It’s Day 33. Vanessa talks about how it’s history-making for the replacement nominee not to attend the veto meeting. Shelli, Jason, and Squeaky John talk to the DR about Audrey, either lamenting (Shelli) or rejoicing (the others) that she’ll be gone.

CBS flashes back to six hours before the veto meeting, showing Audrey wearing her cloak and disappearing into the Diary Room. And we see her going to sleep on the DR room’s chair while the other house guests talk about that she’s starting to melt down.

“It shows less pride to walk out the back door,” Shelli says. Austin speculates to the DR that Audrey might be walking out. Jason: “Me and Audrey have had plenty” to disagree about, “but I’d like to see her go out with her head held high.”

Now the caption tells us it’s one hour before the veto meeting, and the house guests in the kitchen notice that Audrey just reentered the house — confirming she was gone for five full hours. Everybody keeps speculating that she might leave because she just can’t handle the game any longer.

James takes an omelette to Audrey in her Have-Not cave where she’s been hiding with the lights out — a nice gesture, actually. A bit later, Audrey goes back to the DR with her cloak and sunglasses on.

Now we’re back to Julie Chen, confirming for all of us that Audrey did indeed remain in the house all week, not quitting early — and there she is, in the living room with the others, looking pretty and presentable. It’s commercial time. Wait, CBS, is that it? Audrey spent forever in the DR and there’s nothing more you can show us? Nothing about all the rules she broke (missing the veto meeting, eating real food, turning the lights off without permission)?

Julie starts talking with the house guests. “Thought I would lighten the mood a bit,” she says, and addresses Jason and the Whackstreet Boys. “The Whackstreet Boys have taken the country by storm!” Julie claims, to audience cheers (ugh!), and shows the house guests a tweet from the real Backstreet Boys. She makes them do a live performance at the front of the living room while the TV shows a live view of the studio audience clapping. (Is that Liz or Julia dancing along with John and Jason?)

Now Julie takes us back to the Audrey story, wondering aloud how Audrey’s family must be reacting to the season. Now we’re in Audrey’s real family’s living room, watching them watch the show as she confessed her transgender status back at the beginning. We hear from Audrey’s parents, who seem to me like genuinely nice people. (This sort of episode recap might typically include sarcasm, but let me be very clear: at this moment, that’s not my intent whatsoever. They seem like a normal, lovely family, talking with reasonable candor and insight.) One of her family members notes that Audrey started playing the game “from the get go” while other house guests were just trying to get their bearings. And her family admits to the camera what I’ve said and many of you have said: Audrey played the game too quickly and managed to get herself excluded from friendships and alliances in the house. Julie sends us to commercials before the eviction vote.

Julie says Audrey receives one penalty vote in advance for breaking the Have-Not food rule. I’m actually shocked that CBS acknowledged she broke the rules.

Audrey’s eviction speech starts with a plea for fans to follow her on Twitter (ugh!). She tells the house guests “This is what you’ve wanted for a few weeks now, so merry freakin’ Christmas.” Squeaky John’s eviction speech is … WTF? I could barely understand him. CBS, would you please let the poor guy speak in his normal voice? Because the way you make him talk makes him appear ridiculous!

Clay and James vote to evict Audrey, but Austin votes to evict John. Jason says “For Da’Vonne, I vote to evict Audrey.” Vanessa, Becky, Jackie (in a rare appearance), Steve, Julia (Julie introduced her that way, clueing us into which twin is in the house at the moment), and Meg all vote to evict Audrey.

Audrey hugs Vanessa and then walks out the front door to a cheering audience. Julie says she’ll talk one-on-one with Audrey next, and we go right to commercial - which is very odd! Will it be a pre-taped interview? Will we get to see house guests’ recorded goodbye messages?

After the break, Julie does interview Audrey, asking her about her admission of being transgender and how she felt on the first day being so accepted in the house. “It was a spectacle moment in my life I’ll always remember.” (That's not a typo -- it's what she said.) “Was playing BB harder and different than you thought it’d be?” Audrey said she felt she didn’t play the game the way she had thought she would, and she talked a bit about  her “allies” Shelli and Clay (and Vanessa, Julie prompts).

Julie does play goodbye messages from Shelli, Squeaky John (to whom I say, STFU!!), Jason (who is fairly nasty to Audrey), and Steve. No hardball questions to Audrey from Julie before she sends her on the way and viewers directly to the live HOH competition. (By the way, BigBrotherGossip.com's IndyMike notes that Julie also didn't mention the Twins Twist to Audrey. Is there a chance that Audrey isn't really going home?!)

For this week's HOH, it's a (the?) music memory comp. Players have to remember whether the music to be played is from HOH, BoB, or Veto comps. Steve and Jason are up first, and Jason gets it right. John and Austin go next; Austin’s right. Jackie then eliminates Becky. Vanessa & Liz (really Julia) go next, and Vanessa rings correct. Jackie and Meg will go next, but Julie takes us to commercial.

Jackie rings correct. Austin and James are up (to the audience’s amusement, given the wide disparity in their heights -- they totally reminded me of Schwartzenegger and DeVito in the movie "Twins"); James eliminates Austin. Next, Vanessa rings in correctly first. James and Jackie are back (Julie says one will become the first HOH); James rings in first but incorrectly, so Jackie is the first HOH! I’m already looking forward to this.

Now it’s Vanessa and Jason for the second HOH spot: Vanessa rings in first and correctly, so she’s the second HOH! We go to commercial.

Now it’s time for Julie to visit with Brittany Haynes (of #BB12 and #BB14), “one of the most likable and hysterical house guests of all time.” Julie asks Brittany about motherhood first, and then about why #BB17 is one of her favorite seasons. “I love Jason - we could have been the Twin Twist. I really like Vanessa as a player. She’s smart and has a good read on people. And who doesn’t love Johnny Mack right now?” (I don’t!) “Nobody knows what he is right now. Is he human?” They talk briefly about the Twin Twist, and then Brittany says “Vanessa has a great shot” at winning the season. “Either Shelli or Clay will get picked off pretty soon.” She comments on Jackie being a mostly-absent floater, but now she’s HOH. “I just saw her for the first time!” Ha — okay, that interview was slightly more entertaining than I thought it’d be.

Julie promotes the Twin Twist for next Thursday — if the twins survive next week’s eviction, they’ll both be in the house as players. And … that’s it! We’re done for now.

Should CBS have given us more in-depth coverage of the Audrey meltdown, particularly her hours and hours of time in the DR? Now that “staff member” Jackie is HOH, giving her a chance to actually do something of substance in the game, do you think she will work with or against Vanessa? Is Audrey being sequestered for a possible return even though it's not jury time yet? Comment below or hit me up at @uselesstraffic.

8 comments:

  1. They softened her melt down. They mentioned it a little. I expected them to coach her and have her prepped like a witness at a trial. Then have almost no mention of all her issues.I think they didn't mention the twin twist because they don't need another reason for her to snap.Glad she is gone. I think they were forced to do something because twitter blew up and they would cause more problems by not addressing it at all.

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    1. Are any of the other evictees out-and-about or are they all in seclusion still? I don't think CBS wants her back on the show but she could be back. If Lixia didn't make it the five weeks without eviction, they would have two less players than they otherwise would at week six. Given the extended season, they may bring multiple HGs back. I don't want her back, the HGs don't want her back and I really don't think CBS wants her back after her meltdown. Should be interesting if she is somehow excluded from a return.

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  2. Oh and I liked Brittanys shot at Jackie on being a floater.

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  3. Someone else pointed out to me that in previous exit interviews, Julie asked the evictees about the vote: "Who do you think voted for you to stay?" Even though this was expected to be a unanimous vote, and Austin cast a hinky vote to stir things up, Julie didn't discuss the vote. I think we've not seen the last of AG's "historic" stunt houseguest. Guess we'll find out for sure later today if she's made available for exit interviews without interference from CBS.

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  4. #LUSTIN. http://imgur.com/hvVSo74

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