Big Brother 4, July 22: Pop! Goes The Dana

In the Head of Household Room, Jee and Robert kvetch that Dave can’t use the veto or he’ll never be trusted again! “If Dave uses that veto to save Erika, and then expects me to put up Dana, the message I’m getting is that you guys don’t care about me at all!” huffs Jee I’m Completely Forgetting That Earlier I Said I’d Be Fine With Putting Up Dana in the Diary Room. “Bring him in here!” Jee I’ve Let Being Head Of Household Go To My Head orders Robert. Dave tells us that he really wants to use the veto to put Dana up, but he’s running into a stumbling block in that he told Jee I’m Clinging To This Point Like A Pit Bull earlier that he wouldn’t use the veto. Dave again points out that while he understands why Jee would want Erika to go, Dana is a bigger threat. Jee I’m Starting To Sound Like A Broken Record rehashes that Erika going is the will of the majority and Dave PROMISED he wouldn’t use veto! “I’m expecting you to hold up your end of the deal! But I’m not threatening you,” says Jee I May Have Seen The Godfather One Too Many Times. Dave correctly points out that the majority of the house actually would like to seize the opportunity to oust Dana, but Jee I Have A Bad Case Of Tunnel Vision isn’t hearing of it. “All of a sudden everyone’s looking out for their own best interests,” he snits in the Diary Room. Well, duh. “Well, how about I look out for MY best interests for once?” harps Jee I’m About To Take My Marbles And Go Home. “There’ll be consequences,” he whispers ominously to Dave. Oh, but once again, he’s not threatening him or anything. He harps some more in the Diary Room about how people wanted Erika out but now have the nerve to want Dana out because they see her as a bigger threat. Oy. First he says that he can’t put up Dana because it’s not the majority opinion. Then, when he finds out it indeed is the majority opinion, he starts kicking and screaming about how people shouldn’t be changing their minds! Just how popular does Jee I Can’t See The Forest For The Trees think this’ll make him with his fellow HouseGuests in the future?

By this point, Jack, Nathan, Justin, and the kitchen sink have joined in the discussion. Jack and Nathan try to talk some sense into Jee My Word Is Final, but no dice. Justin points out that Robert’s known Erika for longer than any of them and if he thinks she should be out, they should take his word over their own. Because it’s not like Robert might have any personal bias in the issue or anything. Shut up, Justin. Jee I’m Not Budging seizes this opportunity to point out that with Dana’s credibility being shot, she’s not that big of a threat. Eventually, they give up and file out of the room. Nathan tells us that while it’s true that no one will believe a word Dana says anymore, if they keep passing her by and passing her by, eventually she’ll wind up holding a half a million dollar check. Dave tells us he thinks Jee’s being extremely shortsighted and blinded by Robert’s hatred of Erika and it’ll bite them in the ass.

Erika tells Jack she’s nervous. Nathan comes up with the idea of “blitzing” Jee: Since Jee has to nominate someone else on the spot, if Dave blindsides him by using the veto when he’s not expecting it, perhaps he’ll put up Dana because he knows everyone else wants her out and thus she’ll pop into his mind first. Jack thinks it’s a big risk, but Erika says screw it - they’re screwed anyway so why not do it? She doesn’t think Jee would have the “balls” to nominate Jack or Nathan. Jack brings up the idea to Dave as Erika reminds us she’s the most vulnerable of the Original Seven and hopes Dave will use the veto.

Jee I Won’t Drop It and Robert are rehashing the same points yet again in the backyard when Dave calls them in for the veto meeting with a gleam in his eye. Robert tells us they’re scared because they have no idea what Dave will do. Dave calls the meeting to order and gives Erika and Michelle the opportunity to tell him why he should save them. Erika says she trusts his judgment; Michelle agrees, saying, “I trust whatever decision you’re going to make, so… make one!” Everyone laughs.

In perhaps my favorite veto speech yet on this show, David says, “After considering that, which I really didn’t, because I already had my mind made up, I choose… to use the veto on…”

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is completed. Casting begins for Survivor 89: Proxima Centauri. The War and Peace One Word Per Day reading group starts and completes. A Passions character actually does something.

“…no one!” With that, Dave closes the veto medal inside the box before most people even seem to register what just happened. He tells them all that he decided not to use it based on personal interest, and he thinks everyone can understand because they’re all out for themselves in this game. He tells us the meeting went exactly as planned - he didn’t use the veto and got to mess with everyone’s heads. Heh.

Oh, mother of pearl, Dana starts yapping about how Dave confused her and made her nervous! I start looking into the cost of skywriting “CHIARA - ALL IS FORGIVEN.” Jee I’ve Said Quite Enough For The Night similarly yaks about how Dave freaked him out by messing with his head and tells his little group on the couch that Michelle is safe. Robert beams that Erika will be gone! Unanimously! And he has 43 unhatched chickens; why do you ask? Erika tells us she is not confident AT ALL that she’s safe! Meanwhile, Michelle perkily tells us she is confident she’s not going home! Awwww. You know, she may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer in this game, but I swear - evicting her would be like evicting Bambi. Jack gets the final word: “The exes want Erika off… but that’s not going to happen.”

Tomorrow night: Will Erika or Michelle be evicted? And how many DRAMATIC PIVOTS can Julie Chen squeeze into one hour?

Want to keep up with important events in the house? Check out our Big Brother 4 Spoiler Page for news on who wins contests and other ongoing info.

Brian James is an actor/writer/singer in New York City and the Assistant Editor of RealityNewsOnline. An avid reality show, Passions, early Ryan’s Hope, retro music, and Internet discussion board junkie, he can be found holding up "Will Snark For Food" signs in subway stations as he continues to search for that elusive "day job." Brian would like to stress that his writings are based solely on what he sees in each episode of each show, and realizes that there may sometimes be more to the story and that people may behave quite differently under normal circumstances. Comments and cybertomatoes accepted at BrianJamesRNO@earthlink.net.

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