'Big Brother 12' - Nominations #1 Recap

(S12E02) Between 'Big Brother 12' and 'Persons Unknown,' I feel like I'm living my summer in a 'Clue' game video -- either that or an Agatha Christie cozy mystery. If you haven't heard, those lovable house guests have been infiltrated with a saboteur this season. Complete with altered video appearances and shenanigans, the saboteur is out to wreak havoc on the house.

Now, from a viewer's point of view, it's just darn funny. The intrigue! The mystery! The fear in those little hamster eyes as yet another video is shown! The saboteur is supposed to be good for five weeks' time. What will they do after that? Or, more importantly ... what went down tonight?

As anyone could have guessed, much of the show concerned the saboteur's identity. Most of the hamsters feel that either Brendon or Andrew is the culprit because they were out of their seats. Enzo told Andrew he doesn't think it's him. Most seem certain that the person nearest them never moved. Watching the show last week, we can't be sure what we saw wasn't edited. What if the lock was put on before the blackout and no one noticed as they hadn't needed to enter the storage room? We just don't know. I'm personally holding out with my Matt theory, although I have no basis other than a gut feeling.

As it's only the second episode, they're all still getting to know each other and some are out to make alliances already. Then there's the "Blinded Me With Science" Showmance ... Rachel and Brendon. So much for them keeping those lofty advanced degrees and scientific prowess under the cover. Instead, they're likely to be under the covers together!

Then there's the gay connection. Annie told us that she didn't want anyone to know that she's bisexual. I personally don't see the big deal about it. But Ragan, an openly gay dude, is in the house. So, she goes running to him and tells him. Sure, it was a touching moment and all that jazz. Yes, he'll probably keep the secret. But honestly now ... will the others even care? I don't. I just see her Lily Tomlin as the killer woman on an old 'Homicide: Life on the Street' episode looks and I'm scared she'll put on a hat with a veil and start singing opera.

Next, we have the first major alliance of the season, The Brigade. It's reminding me a bit of the Four Horsemen from season five. Perhaps if they called themselves "horsemen," Lane would know what it meant. He has no clue what a brigade is and thinks Enzo just talks funny. Enzo does talk a bit too stereotypical Baynonne, New Jersey. But, at least "brigade" is indeed a word. The Brigade, complete with Enzo's nicknames, is his promised Meow Mafia. Matt is Brains, Lane is Beast, Hayden is Animal and Enzo is Meow Meow. OK ... not quite the Four Horsemen, are they?

Beside the nominations tonight, the other big event was the Have/Have Not competition. Oh my. They had to drag themselves through caramel, go under a straw and then dig through a ton of popcorn looking for missing teeth (which were perhaps six inches square or so), then return the tooth to the start point. Divided into three teams of four with Hayden being a tooth fairy host(ess), the last team became Have Nots.

The caramel looked like glue as they tried to get through it. Early on, most discovered they had to make the least body contact with it as possible. That meant Rachel had to keep her boobs out of it or she'd still be in it today! (Are those things even legal in the 8 PM hour?) Kathy, the sheriff deputy, just wallowed in it, causing her team to lose. When the team -- Kathy, Ragan, Rachel and Matt -- were shown the Have Not Room, they all but gagged. Looking like a derelict abandoned crack house complete with jars of maggots and worms, it's their new home for the week. They have old cheap lawn lounge chairs to sleep on.

Then the saboteur must have duct-taped X's over the photos of Britney and Kathy on the Memory Wall. The women had argued over which one was the weakest in the comp and Britney had actually (accidentally) kicked Kathy in the head. Oh, the mystery starts all over again! Who could have done such a dastardly deed? And why? What is the saboteur trying to say? Another video appearance didn't really give any answers. He/she told them "observe, listen and watch their backs." Um. Right. It is 'Big Brother' -- that advice should be common sense.

After the Have/Have Not competition, the nominations themselves were almost a letdown. Although Andrew is a suspect for the saboteur, he's safe this week due to sitting out the HOH comp. All through the episode, Hayden let it be known that he doesn't care for Brendon. He's a saboteur suspect and he's a strong competitor. With Rachel at his side, Brendon is leaps and bounds ahead in the game. Take one out, the other crumbles. So he put Rachel and Brendon on the block.

Did Hayden's key order make any sense to you? He didn't seem to go with any sort of order -- Annie, Ragan, Enzo, Kristen, Britney, Matt, Monet, Kathy and Lane. Lane seems in tight with Hayden, yet his key was placed last. Was this just random on Hayden's part? Was he trying to hide his alliance by spreading their names out? Of course, Enzo thinks he's in charge and Matt knows he's a genius. Maybe they did the order for the Animal.

All in all, I'm into the season. I'm still figuring out which hamsters I really like and, of course, which one is the saboteur. The next show isn't until Wednesday night, once again giving the house a lot of down time. Although the POV has been played and the meeting already held in "real time" on the live feeds, please don't post any spoilers here on the episode post. Most folks who read this don't want to know the spoilers and the comments would have to be removed.