Everything I Like Causes Cancer

• I can't believe Dick and Zach stood on that pedestal under cold running water for 7.5 hours. Amazing. Dick had such a huge advantage having Dani there to encourage him. Although I guess Zach's advantage was not jonesing for a smoke the whole time.
• Zach's decision to take a calculated hit and nominate Dick and Daniele was good - curry favor with Jameka in the hopes that she would influence the Jury. And it would have worked if he'd gotten HOH.
• That said, Zach is a huge dork. When he asked Dick to "remember my inventions" in his pre-vote speech, I understood why no one liked him. It was weird. Plus, he admitted to Julie that he waited too long to form relationships.
• I love that Dick and Daniele opted not to throw Round 3, but to actually compete against one another. BTW, did you notice that when Dick hit the buzzer in Round 3, he broke it? It shattered.
• And, finally, America's final vote - who does Eric rally and vote for? Do we really care? You know those two have a deal and the money is getting shared.

Sorry this is late - as you can see from below I went out Tuesday night instead of watching the show. But I'm caught up and have this to say:

• Why was Dick acting so surprised that Dani took him off the block? Of course she did - there was no risk for her in doing it. Now, same situation earlier in the game where there's a chance she gets voted out? No way she does it. I think he made such a fuss because he so badly wants her approval and attention.
• It seemed like Jessica was mad at Eric. I really couldn't get a good read on what was going on there. But I was excited to peek in on the Jury House.
• If Zach has any shot he HAS to win HOH. I know that we could easily find out by reading the message boards, but I don't want to know. Although, either way, I predict Dani wins this game. Even if she doesn't win HOH, she'll likely win the veto. Most Jury members vote based on overall game play and she was masterful.

• It was a mistake for Eric to pass up the opportunity to backdoor Dick or Daniele. Zach hit the nail on the head when he said this was the perfect time to do it . . . the rest of the house guests, including Jessica, were either expecting it or hoping for it . . . they had the numbers to get one of them out . . . and doing so would have bolstered everyone's confidence in him and Jessica. As it stands now everyone else is fed up, disgusted, and planning their eviction. The worst part is that Dick and Daniele really are as dangerous as Zach and Amber were asserting; they saw the body language between Zach and Eric after the POV competition and immediately targeted Jessica.
• Do you believe the explanation Eric gave at the end in the diary room? That he let the nominations stand because of his assignment from America to get Amber nominated? Because I don't. The assignment only required her nomination. She got nominated. Task complete. Obligation over. Maybe he has a long-range plan that includes proposing to Jess, convincing her to take a dive so he's in the Final Two against one of the Donato's (a sure win), and then living happily ever after with her. Shut Up! It could happen.
• Amber and her weird praying. It's my position that a person's relationship with the deity of their choice is very personal and private so it follows that I think tearful praying in the diary room, where she knows her every word is being taped, is disingenuous. But the best part was when she asked God to bless himself. Can he do that? And even if he can, does he need to?
• When they showed the clip of Amber playing Power of Ten I was expecting her to ask, "What's pitbull mean?"
• I doubt she did it on purpose but I think it was in Amber's best interest NOT to win a large sum of money on Power of Ten. Nothing will kill you faster than the other contestants knowing you have money.*
• And finally, the money shot . . . Eric and Jessica FINALLY kissed! When he asked her if she wanted the lights off I thought, "Oh, yeah! It's ON!" And yay! He's a good kisser! I hate to admit it but, just like the Grinch, my heart grew three sizes when they talked about a wedding.

*I loved it when they all scoffed at the idea of Drew Carey as the new host of The Price Is Right. Hee!

• Yay! Yay for some serious flirting between Jessica and Eric! While the romantic in me is rooting for them, the strategist hopes they are careful. There can be fatal fallout from hooking up in the house; there’s a huge risk that the other houseguests will see the close bond as a threat and scheme to bust it up. Also? What the heck is this about Eric having a girlfriend? This was the first I heard of it. I couldn’t get a read on Jessica’s feelings about it. I hope she’s careful.
• Does Amber seriously think she could be a model? That clip was just more evidence that she’s still on the drugs. Or she did so many that the damage was substantial. Jameka had to have been blowing smoke up Amber’s ass when she encouraged her to follow the dream.
• I love Jessica even more after this episode. I’m not sure we could ever hang out but I love watching her play.
• And? I was so right when I said the Dick/Danielle stuff was going to intensify as the game progressed. Danielle’s emotional control amazes me. She does a great job of showing only what she wants seen. But the pressure is on and I think it’s affecting her ability to control her emotions about Dick.
• Eric has completed 75% of America's assigned tasks. Details here.
  
  As an aside to LM, Zach reminds me of Brian Menkhausen. Keep that in mind tomorrow night and let me know what you think.

I was on a plane Thursday night when this aired so my Tivo caught it for me. However, it must have been storming or windy here because there's a section of the episode that Tivo didn't capture. And it's right after we see Jen in the pantry jumping on Dick's cigarettes.

I was dying to know what happened so I did some websearch. I'm going to discuss what I read but keep in mind I didn't actually see what BB aired; I might have picked up more info than was actually aired because a lot of the authors of these BB discussion sites watch the Showtime after-hours show and the live feeds.

It's my understanding that BB replaced Dick's ciggies because the rules state players can hide another's property but not destroy it. After receiving his replacement smokey treats, Dick blew smoke in Jen's face and she burned herself on the lit cigarette in her effort to wave it away. In retaliation for BB replacing Dick's smokes, Jen ate real food. As a result of the eating, BB told her that she was going to receive a "Penalty Nomination" but she found a loop-hole in the rules and only received a "Penalty Vote."

Several things come to my mind:

• You don't mess with other people's things. Period. I was shocked to see Jen pull such a stunt. (And yes, I was even very uncomfortable when Eric put mustard on Jen's pillow.)
• There's a lot of chatter on the web that Dick burned her on purpose. I haven't been able to find any video of it but choose to believe it was an accident. What do you think?
• I'm really curious to see how much of this was aired. Please comment and tell me.
• I think blatant disregard for any facet of the game should result in removal.

It was quite an event. Do you think the antics of these two will change future games? Will BB pick more people like Dick to get ratings? Will they avoid it to avoid potential trouble? Will any of the rules change?

A couple other things from Thursday:

• Dick and Danielle have been like peas and carrots lately. I have a feeling they are going to be around for a while. The tension in this game increases as the number of players decreases. Do you think their "outside the house" issues will resurface and/or intensify as the game pressure increases?
• Yay for Jessica winning HOH! I have to admit that I despised her when the game started. I found her vacuous and annoying. But she has proven to be quite a competitor. Although, that said? I don't think she'd be in the position she is today without Eric. BTW, I missed seeing them flirt this week. Kiss already, dammit!

• Jessica is so very into Eric and so very obvious about it. I love how she works the word "Boobies!" into every conversation they have. And he seems clueless. LM mentioned a while back that she thought he might be gay. I'm staring to think she may be right. Either way, he's playing his cards very close to his vest. I can't wait to find out what's really going on here.
• What the eff is up with Amber and her "vision from God." I think she may still be on the drugs. I'd love to know what Jameka really thinks of her. Clearly Jameka needs her as an ally so she's not going to call her out on the bat-shit krazee, but what's her take?
• Amber again. Two bullets for Amber today because the girl is a trainwreck. I almost fell off the couch laughing when she gave up the farm to Danielle. All Danielle wanted was assurance that Amber wouldn't nominate her next week (assuming Amber gets HOH) and she handed over everything - she agreed to vote however Danielle tells her, she agreed to never nominate her, and despite telling Jameka that she would never swear on her daughter, she did just that - voluntarily! She couldn't negotiate her way out of a parking lot.

And finally, I missed posting after Sunday's episode because I had no Internets, but I simply can't stop obsessing over the "Amber's Vocabulary" montage. Are you kidding me? She is the poster child for stupid. For those of you who don't watch, the montage was a series of clips of Amber engaged in conversations with other houseguests and repeatedly asking, "What's _______ mean?" The words she didn't know? Charismatic, superficial, integrity, backdoor, outed, sub-alliance, perceived, implication, and peanut gallery. I feel bad for bashing her so badly here today because it's just too easy. I should pick on someone my own brain's size.

• Holy cow. The execution of Dick's plan to act like a full-on ass was impressive. That display was just awful. I like to think I'd be good at this game but I don't think I could have done that.
• Could there have been any more drama during the POV contest? That was really intense. I was certain Dick would blow it because he has a history of choking in the competitions.
• Daniele's outburst in the HOH room was so transparently strategy but I didn't see any of the houseguests' reactions to it. Do you think they bought it?
• And just what the heck was America thinking assigning Eric the task of giving Jessica the silent treatment? What possible reason is there for that? He's her best friend and confidant - she's HOH and relies on him for strategic input. That could have been deadly. Does anyone see any reason for this? Please, enlighten me.

• Oh.My.God. The incessant and senseless bickering between Dick and Jameka. I wanted to put a stick in my eye to make it stop.
• Then there was Amber's two-minute long (I timed it), tearful requisition prayer to God in which she asked Him "to make her do better in competitions" and for the willpower to eat better so she gets in shape.
• And, finally, how about Eric's next task being to get Dustin, one of his main allies, nominated? And then Dustin recommends the move himself? Wow. How lucky can this guy get?

• Did you see the gal in the piece about Dick who was wearing a shirt that read, "Jenuine Evel"? That's just good stuff.


• Eric? Hi? If you're going to play that hard you need to keep your strategy to yourself. I didn't want to see him go but I wasn't going to be surprised or upset if he did. That was a fatal error. He got lucky.


• And finally, let's say Eric does get voted out some week . . . will Big Brother announce his status as "America's Player" to the remaining houseguests? Or will they continue to tell them one by one as they come out? Leave your thoughts in the comments. I can't decide and I'm dying to know what you think.