['Big Brother 12' - 'Power of Veto #10, Eviction #10, Head of Household #11 Start']

Things have gone really funky in the scheduling of the last week of 'Big Brother 12.' Tonight, a Wednesday, was a "live" eviction show that wasn't live at all. Thursday night will be a live show, but a good portion of it will be previously taped.

It's enough to make a certain hamster scratch his head and ask, "Huh? Duh ... did I miss something? Is this something new?" Yes, Lane, it's new. Of course, the ditz music has to be playing during his response.

Tonight's not-live show featured Julie Chen and a live audience, but it was taped on Tuesday evening. This whole charade just isn't cool. The live feeds have been blocked since early Tuesday, yet Showtime aired blocked (but non-eventful) footage last night. Unless I missed it, there was no mention during tonight's CBS episode that the eviction wasn't live. Stop messing with us, 'Big Brother'! If folks don't have the Internet, they're going to bed thinking the final three are still swinging on vines.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here. The vines don't come into play until the end of the show. Before that, we had lots of taped bits that were known taped bits -- as opposed to the "pseudo-live" eviction and the HoH competition start. Britney, no doubt doomed with the Brigade numbers against her, tried her best to fit in with the boys while Hayden and Enzo grew suspicious of the Lane and Britney relationship. Enzo once again made all kinds of plans for when he actually wins a competition. Okay, he won one before, but that was by quick sheer brute force, not due to brains or endurance.

When the Power of Veto competition actually needed game knowledge memory brains, it seemed like Britney just might have a chance. Instead, she set things up neatly, matching her poster face clues on the ground. While she was doing that, Enzo was just haphazardly throwing the posters up on the board hoping for the best and Hayden was winning it all. What was Lane doing? Um, well ... scratching his head, staring at the posters and saying "Duh," while goofy Lane ditz music played. He didn't have one clue, not one poster in place when Hayden won.

The really big news outside of competitions was the Brigade Reveal to Britney. Now, this is something she should have known long ago. Ragan told her but she thought she was working with the boys, too! How wrong was she? Her bestest bud Lane used her and left her out to dry! He didn't really, though, as he was torn. Although a dodo, he is in the house trying to win. At this point, with Hayden holding control, he can't save her. He has to save himself.

And so it went, they evicted Britney in the name of the Brigade. Although I consider this whole season to be the Season of Doofus Dudes, this final four was quite different from most in the past. Despite being "used" by the boys, Britney honestly likes them and they like her. While it can make for rather namby-pamby viewing, it does offer a different perspective than the usual backstabbing hatred until the final two rule the nest. That said, I'd prefer less namby-pamby in future final four scenarios, thank you.

Then, as if it were really live, Julie Chen introduced the start of the first round of the final Head of Household competition. The winner of this round will automatically advance to the third and final round. The competition, "Rumble in the 'Big Brother' Jungle" wasn't something Britney could ever win. They were suspended on rope swing thingees being rammed between two walls. Then it rained. Then the show ended.

While I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about the show's doings, I'm not sure how they're going to do things from this point on. The live feeds supposedly return tonight. On Thursday's show, the end of this first round will air, a jury segment in which Ragan learns of Matt's wife-disease lie and part 2 of the final HoH comp will be live, according to Julie Chen. Sunday's show, the penultimate one of the season, is usually "never seen before footage." So do we have the three in there until Wednesday? If the final part of the HoH doesn't take place Thursday, this sad sack season of Doofus Dudes will be dragged out until then? Yikes! I hope I'm wrong!

'Big Brother 12' airs on Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8PM ET on CBS.