(S09E08) And they're okay! After their medical emergencies, Allison and Amanda returned to the house to open arms and new attitudes. The hamsters went all "Care Bear" after their ordeals. I don't like Care Bear hamsters. I like cranky, hungry, irrational hamsters.

In other hamster news, Adam has been fired from his job for his very off-color comment about autistic children. Those of you may remember that the houseguest called autistic children "retards" and went even further to say that since he worked with them, he can call them whatever he wants. Well, he doesn't work with them anymore. And he'll find that out after he gets out of the house.

After the jump, a recap of last night's Big Brother 9...

The Road to Eviction
Operation Brodown? Okay, no more "operations," please. I fear my supplication will fall on deaf ears though and we will indeed see many more operations named after birds and many more bird impressions from James.

I don't think it was ever really a question who was going home tonight. James wanted Alex and Amanda to go and it's early in the game. As we've seen before on BB, early HOHs usually get their way as houseguests don't want to ruffle any feathers early on. (Wow, that bird reference worked rather nicely there.) Allison, however, did bring up a good point to her fellow houseguests. Matt and Natalie are a strong couple, mostly physically, not as much mentally. It could be a good idea to take them out early. But this suggestion didn't stick in the long run and Matt and Natalie worked hard to secure votes for themselves.

The Eviction: "No Bueno."

The hamsters cast their vote live after two less-than-memorable speeches from the nominated couples. What was with Alex saying that they're a Big Brother family? Has he seen the show before? In previous seasons, they houseguests have been anything but a family. Matt said a whole lot of nothing and then apologized for being nervous. Natalie just begged not to be sent back to the Beaver State. She says "Beaver State" a lot.

Sheila / Adam: Amanda and Alex
Joshua / Sharon: Amanda and Alex
Ryan / Allison: Amanda and Alex

After the Chenster announced that Amanda and Alex were evicted by unanimous vote, Amanda started weeping and didn't stop till the end of her exit interview. Alex admitted that while Amanda was probably responsible for their nomination, he may have been to blame for their eviction since he didn't campaign. I hate when people don't campaign. Again, has he seen the show before? You could put a saint in that house and if he/she didn't campaign to stay, then he/she would go home. Hint: hamsters like to make deals.

HOH Competition: Sharon and Josh have been studying.

Well, someone's been reading those quotes BB put up all over the house. Sharon and Joshua rocked this competition. First the ladies played. Julie asked questions about the framed quotations. All could be answered with one of the following: Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, Goethe, Wilde, or None of the above. Sharon answered correctly and eliminated Allison. Sharon answered correctly again and eliminated Sheila. Sharon answered correctly AGAIN and won the ladies' round. The men's round went almost the same way. Ryan got the first question wrong and eliminated himself. Joshua got the next question correct and eliminated Matt. Joshua got the last one right and won the game.

These competitions are telling because the houseguests have to eliminate their fellow players. I always think it's revealing who they decide to eliminate first when they get a question right. This time around was no different. Sharon quickly eliminated Allison from this competition. Was it just because she thought Allison is smart and might win or is there something deeper between the two couples? Also, Joshua eliminated Matt first but would he have eliminated Ryan had Ryan not screwed up the first question? I didn't see Ryan really congratulating Sharon or Josh when we were left spying on the houseguests at the end of the show. I didn't Allison in the kitchen at all. Was she there?

Final comments / questions:

• What was with the Chenster's outfit? She's usually so well put together. Whoever picked out that super reflective sweater should be fired.
  
• Alex's speech when he ran his hand across his shirt as he said, "Keepin' it Real" was awesome. I wanted Natalie to do the same with her "Heart of Gold" shirt.
  
• My prediction for Joshua and Sharon's nominations? I think Ryan and Allison will definitely go up, unless they strike a brilliant with the HOHs. I also think Sheila and Adam may go up.
• Who would have thought that Joshua and Sharon would come out so strong in the competitions?