Big Brother 3: Josh's 'Strategy'

Was there a method to the madness behind Josh’s picks for nomination? Why did he really tell Lisa to pick Lori and Marcellas?

I think I know why Josh wanted both Marcellas and Lori out of the house. People seem to agree, Marcellas at the beginning – well he was whining and complaining, so it made sense for him to be nominated. Usually the first person out of reality shows such as BB3 are evicted because they are so irritating (Sheryl last year was one notable exception – she was put up against Nicole, who was nominated for being irritating – but a revolt against Chill Town led to Sheryl being evicted). Josh also saw Marcellas as a “patsy” so he was put up on the block. And if you read Kent’s article about Marcellas, it actually made sense to nominate him first.

But why did he put up Lori, the houseguest from Wisconsin? What did he have to gain by asking to have her nominated?

I think I know. I don’t buy the argument, “it had to be someone so it had to be you.” Or “she won’t hold a grudge.”

Who brought up the word GRUDGE? Josh! He was holding a grudge when he nominated her. Why?

Looking at the BB3 tapes over and over, it came to me. Eureka! She took him out of the Head of Household (HoH) competition, saying she would rather have Danielle as HoH than Josh. Oh no! Then Julie tells Josh to sit on the stools with the rest of the group that was out of the running.

Someone doesn’t like Josh! Josh is shocked! Everyone likes Josh, and someone didn’t think he was all that! Josh had planned to win the HoH competition. Josh is supposed to be in charge. How can anybody get in his way?

Josh is a legend – in his own mind of course. He went into the house like Richard Hatch went into Survivor 1 – assuming that he is the winner, and spending his half million prize money in his mind.

The problem is that Richard’s plotting was unique. It would and could never be duplicated.

Josh seems to be following strategy that is half Mike Boogie and half Will Kirby, the winner from last year’s house. But Will could pull this type of strategy off. Will played the game brilliantly, by lying and saying whatever it took, but the other houseguests knew he was a snake and couldn’t trust him. Well, most of the houseguests. Will was one of those rare people – a liar and a charmer. You believed his lies, even when he told you repeatedly that he was a liar! And when it came down to the wire, he played better than Nicole (even though Nicole gets points for cooking and cleaning), and he won.

Think about it. If I lie to someone, they know. I am that transparent. I honestly think most people cannot make good liars. That is the way we are made, programmed by our parents and that story of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree.

But Josh started lying right out of the starting gate. On the very first episode, Josh told the group that he is a substitute teacher, and then gloated when Gerry bought it. Of course, Gerry had no reason not to believe him because it’s such a stupid and meaningless thing to lie about. On a scale of lying, this is petty, but it shows what kind of bizarre plan Josh has.

According to the BB3 website, Josh’s favorite movie is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He probably fancies himself as Charlie, with a little bit of Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka thrown in for good measure. The problem is that he is more like one of the other four children. Charlie had a heart of gold. Josh, well, it sure doesn’t seem that way.

On the live feeds Josh is heading for a breakdown. Indeed, some of the houseguests have made comparisons between Josh and Justin, who went psycho last year. Uh oh. Too much plotting gives you the mother of all migraines. You don’t know who to trust.

Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, said an ancient wise man. “Don’t forget the sword of Damocles is hanging over your head,” said Mr. Burns in reference to Homer Simpson.

So he nominated Lori; well someone had to be nominated. She was a good choice because she won the tree sitting contest. Heck, at first I thought this was why he singled her out. But it would be petty to nominate someone this early in the game for that reason. So why Lori?

Lori isn’t going to win. That much is obvious. Watching her on the live feeds, all she talks about is her ex, her marriage, and her children. To me, she reminds me of Karen from the first house. I even stated in my preview article that Lori would be begging to be evicted after a month if she hasn’t been already, like Karen did. She’s missing her children way too much (for which I certainly don’t fault her), and all the talk about her ex is going to wear thin with the other guests. Tell a story once or twice, it’s entertaining. Tell the same story over and over again, and it’s annoying. Lori may be crossing the line shortly to annoying in the other houseguests’ minds. But I digress.

So, yes, it could be that she thwarted Josh’s plan to be HoH? Ah! That’s it! The woman must die! And if she cannot be evicted this time, she will know that her days are numbered. And Josh told her this gleefully, when Lisa, the HoH told him NOT to.

You have to wonder if Josh has ignored the last few seasons of Survivor. Did he honestly expect the rules to be exactly the same as last year? Did he not see that even the UK house changed with those awful “Heaven and Hell” bars?

NEVER ASSUME.

Instead, of playing like Will, he has played like Mike Boogie. Josh should have laid low; instead, he has taken the lead but in a paranoid fashion. You do not lead this early in reality TV! You follow. Who won three out of four Survivors? Tina, Ethan and Vee. Followers. Not leader material. People who knew when to talk and when to be quiet. And even Richard, though he was a leader, did his best to keep the leading hidden, so he gave the impression that the others were making decisions.

Remember last year when Nicole cheesed everyone off at the beginning with her leadership and personality? Ugh! Josh did exactly the same thing! He is only lucky that he is (at least right now) in the alliance with more people.

Josh should have followed the examples of those who have gone before him. He didn’t. His paranoia may be well deserved. He brought it on himself.

Here is how Big Brother should turn out this week. Gerry, who has the power of veto, should remove either Marcellas or Lori. Lisa, who wants to off the snake, should put in Josh. Josh gets everyone’s vote and buh-bye. Home to your girlfriend and your cat. It would be shockingly good TV.

It won’t happen, but I can hope. Still, Josh may well be the second person evicted from the house, where they really don’t need this backstabbing malevolent poser. I know that sounds harsh. But you make your bed, you lie in it. Too much plotting and stabbing, too much drama, as Vee would say.

On a positive side, the house has only been open less than a week, and thing can be turned around. Nicole changed last year, though she ended up half losing her mind near the end. If I know anything about men from NY/NJ, they have moxie and the stuff to get by and become successes. They keep working when other people have given up. So Josh, you can turn it around.

But if you don’t, your days are numbered in the house. Your strategy will backfire, and if it gets any worse, I will be nominating you for the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

Susan can be reached at sschechter@earthlink.net.

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our BB3 articles at the Big Brother 3 page and take a look at our sections on Mole 2 and The Osbournes. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about reality TV, be sure to check out RealityTVFans.com and SirLinksALot!