Trouble is in the air
The tension is already in full gear as soon as April made the nominations. April knows that many in her alliance want Jessie out of the house, but she just doesn't care. She's the Head of Household and they've been working on the One Mind Alliance concept all season so far. Jessie is the pawn and her target is Memphis. Jessie feels somewhat secure, but his buddy Michelle knows that it's been traditional that the pawn is often voted out. Oh, but April promised Jessie he'd be safe. What if the One Mind Alliance doesn't agree this time?

America's Player assignment
Dan's task for this episode was to hug one houseguest chosen by America for at least ten seconds. I think he was hoping for a girl ... but we chose Jessie. Hunka-hunka-hug, huh? I had to crack up a bit myself as Dan cracked up in the Diary Room over our choice. But Dan's a man with a plan. He knows that Jessie has a soft heart and he knew how to tug its strings.



Dan took Jessie aside for a personal talk. You see, he's really concerned about his girlfriend Monica. Will she still be there for him when he returns home? Will she move on? Will she still care about him? The tears flowed, the voice shook. And Jessie fell for it hook, line, and sinker. He consoled Dan and they hugged ... and hugged. It went well past the ten seconds, clocking in at seventeen seconds. Jessie left the room and Dan gave the camera a big grin and the victorious fist pump. Task completed. His next task is to work on getting the nominee of our choosing evicted. Jessie or Memphis? The voting at the CBS website ends at midnight PT.

Cat fights (MEOW), brouhahas, and one pathetic birthday
Oh, now here's where this episode goes classic. It all started out innocently enough. It was time to pick players for the Power of Veto competition. Sure, they all have something on the line here -- Jessie and Memphis more than anyone else. After all, April thinks her voting orders have to be followed. So you would think that she'd only worry about Memphis winning veto and saving himself.

So, what happens? April took the first pick out of the bag and pulled Michelle. Jessie was happy with that pick as she's his woman. The next two picks were house enemies. I love it! Jessie picked Libra while Memphis picked Jerry. I sat snickering at their misfortune. I know ... I have an evil streak. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Renny was chosen to host the comp. That just isn't exciting in an evil kind of way.

April is none too pleased with the picks. In the HOH room, she's fussing. "Jerry would only win a nose-picking competition!" As April went on about how horrible the picks were, Libra got the feeling that they doubted her. Hurt, she left the room. Of course, that led into April declaring, " Libra has an excuse for losing every comp she's been in!" So, Libra surely had reason to feel like they were doubting her.

Libra and Keesha had a "bitch about April, the bitch" session in their bedroom not realizing that Jessie was listening to everything they were saying through the wall. Keesha's mad that April thinks she can tell her who she can or cannot talk to (i.e. Memphis). Libra is hurt and feels her own alliance thinks she's useless. And, it's all directed at April.



Jessie ran right to April and Ollie in the HOH room and reported it all. This set the stage for one of the best brouhahas and cat fights ever seen on the show. Oh, this truly beats out any Cappy fight ever. It beats out the entertainment value of Evel Dick dumping iced tea on Jen. You've got Keesha screaming at April, Libra crying because she's hurt, Keesha screaming at Jessie, Michelle screaming "what's it all about?," Jerry looking befuddled ... and in the middle of it all ... it's Keesha's birthday.

Renny had made a very ill-looking but the thought was nice "cake" for her. After all of the screaming and shouting, they all gathered in the kitchen to sing "Happy Birthday" to Keesha. It was the most pathetic birthday gathering in the history of mankind. I guffawed here, how 'bout you? One of the few accomplishments of the brouhaha is that it put Jessie in a bad light -- listening at the wall and reporting. Keesha and Libra both say he made things up, but it didn''t sound to me like he did. Oh, well. Jessie's in trouble now!

Jessie's cheeks always get flushed when he's flustered. When Libra was ending the "conversation" while saying her part and cutting him off, they turned bright red against his otherwise pale face. The body boy is no match for a mad Libra. She called him out for listening through the wall and that's it, the end! As they um ... celebrated Keesha's birthday, Libra apologized. Jessie, not helping his case and definitely not showing any maturity, apologized "for being honest." More screaming, more yelling, Keesha going totally off the wall, lots of blurred hand gestures. You gotta love it. It certainly perks up an episode! Happy birthday and peace on earth, folks.

Power of Veto - Slapshot Competition
The six players all donned jerseys emblazoned with their names. They were given hockey sticks, perhaps not the best tools of destruction for these tools in the house. Production should be happy that the hamsters didn't just go at each other using the hockey sticks as weapons. Although, that could have been good TV, eh? Instead, they were to hot a puck into a hockey net. In the center of the net was the veto, then numbered spaces leading out from the radius. In each round, the person furthest from the veto was eliminated.

This comp had prizes for each person as they're eliminated. As the rounds are played, the newly eliminated can keep their prize or trade for a prize already granted to another. The triumphant winner of round five (last round) has the choice of any prize previously won or exchanged, including the veto.

In the first round, everyone else did well, but Memphis didn't even make it in the net! His prize? Why, it's just what he wants, what he needs ... it's the power of veto. Alas, it's not a good time to win it as someone else will surely snag it down the line. In the next round, Michelle fails to get the puck into the net. But she's a happy camper about winning a trip to Hawaii. And, nope, she doesn't trade Memphis for the PoV. She's sure Jessie will have a chance at it as the game winds down.

The game didn't wind down much for Jessie as he got the boot in the next round. He pulled a car which read "Slop Surprise." Without knowing exactly what the surprise was all about, he traded with Memphis for the veto. Uh-oh, still kind of early to hang onto that, don't you think? April was out in the fourth round. She received $10,000 in Big Brother gold bars. They can be split with others if she chooses or she could buy her way out of a nomination. Upon eviction the bars are turned into real money. Since she has no problem with Jessie having the veto and, of course, she's worked so hard this week and deserves it, she keeps the money.



So, it's between Libra and Jerry in the last round. Libra hit a perfect score (even though "she always has an excuse for losing") and wins the round. Jerry goes to his prize ... a letter from home. He makes a deal with April to split the money with himself and Libra, then takes the veto from Jessie leaving poor Jessie with just a letter from home. Since the alliance has the veto with Jerry, when Libra found her prize to be the infamous red unitard for the week, she quickly snagged the Hawaii vacation from Michelle. It turns out that the "Slop Surprise" Memphis ended up with was a slop pass for a week for himself but he had to put someone on slop for the week. He chose Jerry, no surprise there. Jerry doesn't care -- he has the PoV.

Wah, the unitard, and MEOW!
Now, I can understand being upset about losing the Hawaii vacation and ending up with the red unitard instead. I totally understand that. But I also can't blame Libra for taking the trip to Hawaii. Sure, if Jessie or Memphis had the PoV, Libra would have been expected to go for the veto for the sake of the alliance. Maybe if the ten grand was intact, that would have been an option. But the Hawaii trip was the best option available.

I have never seen such a hissy fit on the show! Michelle decided that Libra was a bad mother for not taking a letter from home and taking away her trip. And, worst of all, she's humiliated! She has to wear the red unitard for the week! According to the venom spewed from Michelle, "Libra's children should be taken away from her. She's a rotten mother. She's a [bleepin'] whore, slut, skank!" Oh my. How vitriolic of her. All of this stems from losing the Hawaii trip and having to wear the silly unitard? What vile hatred over such a stupid thing? I'm not a huge fan of Libra, but this reaction is a bit scary.

Michelle went on turning her back to the Diary Room camera. "This is the only way you'll see me from now on." She feels she's been made the fool of the show. Little does she realize, most of the viewers I've encountered on the internet think that position has already been claimed by Jessie.

Was the Power of Veto used?
Nope. Of course not. Jerry made a deal with April for his share of the Big Brother gold bars. Jerry's a military man. A deal is a deal. Jessie seemed to hold out a little hope and Memphis knew that he and Jerry have been enemies since Day 1. The veto is back in its box.