What a difference a week makes!!! Last week I was ready to completely write off this season. The girls were weak, and the bro’s were driving me nuts with their backslapping misogyny.
Then halfway through the week there was a glimmer of hope when a loose gathering of previously unconnected people turned the game around by voting out Zakiyah instead of Michelle. Yet it still didn’t look good for “our side” when Corey won the double eviction HOH and POV, leading to Bridgette’s departure.
The tide has continued to turn, though, and you’ll see just how that happened on tonight’s show. If correctly edited, this episode will be a guaranteed smile for those tired of Paulie’s dictatorship.
Tonight’s show begins with Julie Chen signing off on Thursday and Michelle in the nomination chair crying. Paulie mouths off to her and Natalie, and then Nicole starts in on Michelle about what she said during her speech. “It’s going to be very, very awkward, and a long week”, says Michelle. She notes that they are down to three girls, so she yells out, “hey Natalie and Nicole...final three?”
Natalie then talks in the diary room about the craziness of the last 24 hours, especially between her and Paulie. It starts with Natalie asking Zakiyah to help pick out her eviction night outfit, but it’s really for Natalie to inform Zaliyah how Paulie is using her. There’s footage of him flirting Natalie and making comments about her “latin booty”. She also says that he’s part of the decision-making that led to her being on the block. “If he was really protecting you and he wanted you in the game, he would have used that veto.” Zakiyah says she appreciates Natalie telling her everything.
Zakiyah then asks to talk to Paulie, and repeats everything that Natalie just said. “I got frickin’ attacked.” In his usual cocky way, Paulie denies everything. “She’s the one that always drops hints” that she wants to date or marry him. He’s pissed that just when things were going good with the two of them, Natalie “decides to stir the pot a little more”. He says that if he wanted Zakiyah gone, she would be dead meat. “Is that supposed to make feel good?” He goes on to talk about how much he hates Jersey girls.
Back in the bedroom, Natalie decides to let James know about the moves Paulie has made on her. “There you go. That’s your friend.” She now wishes she had told him before, but “it’s not a really big deal”. “It is a big deal”, he replies.
In the have-not room, James questions Paulie about Natalie’s comments. He says that he compliments all the girls, and doesn’t deny the date line. “In all actuality, I would never go after Natalie...because Jersey girls can eat up Southern boys for breakfast, lunch, and dinner”. He’s pissed, and is going to go after her head on. As Natalie is going to bed, Paulie comments on how Michelle is going home tomorrow and “you’ll be going home next”. It’s not a threat, though. It’s a “promise”. She says she’s honest, but he replies “you’re about as fake as the things on your chest”. They go back and forth a bit more before Natalie finally enters the bedroom.
She then lets Bridgette, James, and Paul know about what just happened, and Bridgette’s mouth drops when she hears the fake breasts line. James is also not happy. “You treat a woman with respect even if you get upset and this is not ok.” He’s going to go talk to Paulie about.
He does head to the HOH with Bridgette, and James asks what just happened. Paulie admits to the fake breasts line, but is not apologetic at all. James reminds everybody that it’s a game and not make it personal, but Paulie says Natalie has been hitting on every single guy in the house. Bridgette if offended that he talked about her boobs. “It was a metaphor for her personality.” Bridgette’s not impressed.
Zakiyah leaves the room and tells Natalie about what’s happening upstairs. Natalie jumps out of bed and rushes upstairs. “What’s going on?” She wants to know why he spoke to her like that? He then repeats the “certain way” she acts around the house, and she does say she’s flirtatious. She adds that Paulie is the only one that makes her feel uncomfortable. “I’m sorry but you need to get over yourself”, he says. “I genuinely love James. He showed me how to love a man.” Well, let’s not go too far. It keeps going for a bit before James and Natalie leaves the room. Paulie and his pal Corey laugh, but the rest of the room is kind of shellshocked. Paul is pissed. “He’s a ticking time bomb.” Paulie tells Bridgette that he “if you’re trying to make feel bad, I feel nothing”.
So that’s the end of the first segment, which I wrongly predicted on last night’s Big Brother Gossip Show would not be aired on tonight’s show. Oh well, I’m glad they did!
After commercials, it’s right after the double eviction episode a number of people are hanging out in the kitche. Paulie comes downstairs and says he wants to talk. We now go back in time to 90 minutes before showtime, when James informed Paulie, Corey, and Nicole that Michelle is indeed staying. “I’m clipping your girl.” He thinks that letting them know beforehand will work better for him in the long run. I’m not sure if that’s the case, but Paulie is pissed. “Those girls put this together?”
Paulie storms out of the room and asks Paul when he was going to tell him about the Michelle plan. Paul plays dumb and says that James is going to eliminate his vote. He holds his ground, though, that he knew nothing about it. “Why are you coming hard on me like that?”
Returning to the other room, Paulie asks James if this is a direct shot at him. “You just blew a lot of shit up to protect three fucking girls. One that’s fucking playing the shit out of you. And America ain’t saying you’re standing behind your girl.” Again, we hear the Jersey girl bullshit. (Last night’s show has 3 minutes of that garbage.) Paulie then threatens James that he needs to win this HOH.
Back to the time where this scene started, Paulie is actually apologizing to James for getting caught up in the heat of the moment. “I was pissed, and I get heated.” James says he’ll forget on a personal level, but never on the game level. Wait, is that backwards.
In the storage room, Victor and Paul celebrate. They have figured out that they are the two middlemen between two three-person groups. They can just run to which ever side works best for them, and they then play around at jumping from side to side.
Paul now tries to talk to Paulie, but he’s not buying it. The only person that has Paulie’s back is Corey. Paul just wants to “move forward”, and says he wants Paulie to think they’re good at the moment. They’re not.
It’s now HOH time, and it’s called “Hollywood Squirrels”. It’s a question comp, and two at a time face off. There’s a grid of squirrel pics and they have to pick the correct squirrels. One person is eliminated each round until there’s only one person left. It’s James and Michelle in the first round, and James wins. He then chooses Paul and Nicole to go after each other, and that makes Nicole whiiiiiiiiiiiiine as usual. It’s not surprising that Paul wins as Nicole is the worst competitor ever. Natalie is lined up against Victor in the next round. Again, it’s not surprising that Victor wins this round. He then picks Paulie and Paul for the next round, and Paul wins. In a pairing of James and Victor, James is now eliminated. The final round is now Paul versus Victor, a “win-win situation”. Paul wants Victor to win, and he does. Paulie thinks he can now just sit back and cruise. Well, that’s not the case.
They all head back inside, and Victor knows he and Paul will now have to pick one side. They head into the bedroom, and Paulie again talks about how it would be an easy week. Michelle is obviously who has to go home, but Paul and Victor have no plan to do that. In fact, they now sit in the bathroom and discuss putting up Paulie and Corey. “One of them is guaranteed to go home.” Victor is a bit unsure, but payback sure does sound good to him. (Remember, Paulie backdoored Victor a few weeks ago.) They want to talk to James, though, to ensure this plan works. James is brought into the discussion, and is told “they’re playing us for fools”. James agrees, and Paulie watches as those three exit the other bedroom.
After more commercials, most of the house is napping when it’s time for the America’s Care Package segment. This one is depressing, though, as it’s been awarded to Nicole. Why “America”???? Ok, it was funny when it landed on Natalie’s head. Nicole has one the power of “super safety” which means she can’t be nominated, but must wear a “super safety” costume. Of course. She’s the queen of dumb costumes.
Back to the game, and James now informs Natalie that Victor is putting up Corey and Paulie. “Thank God.” She loves that the person who is the biggest threat and biggest competitor is going up. Those two walk in, and Natalie says she’ll work on Michelle. “Friendship, bro”, says Paul.
It’s the moment of truth. Will Victor actually come through? (Too bad they didn’t show footage of Paulie working on a speech he planned to interrupt the ceremony to say.) Everybody gathers at the table, and Victor turns the keys for...Paulie and Corey!!! “Paulie, you’re the strongest competitor in this house, and if I have a chance I have to go for it the same way you would. Corey, you’re just guilty by association. If you put a plan in place to take me out, you’d follow suit and it would be me going out. I still love you as people, but this is a game.”
Victor says his nomination proves “I can forgive but never forget, and payback is a bitch.” Paul says, “ohhhh, look who’s blindsided? I guess you shouldn’t have been scheming behind my back. Sorry, Paulie, but you dug your own grave and I threw ‘PP’ in there with you.” He then does a blindsided dance. Corey says something, but it’s too much of a monotone to figure it out. Natalie says “justice is served...have fun fist-pumping your way back to Jersey, Paulie. Peace out.”
We end with a tearful Paulie crying that “I’ve been with that kid (Corey) since week one. That was my everything.” He’s a competitor, though, and he knows he’s going to win the veto. “If I come down, then he’s going home. It almost makes me not want to win it just to keep him here.”
OOOOOOOH, this was a great episode. What did you think? Are you happy that the tides have turned? Did you touch yourself when Paulie cried like one of my Big Brother Gossip co-hosts? Let me know your thoughts!!!
