Big Brother 4: Why Nathan Lost

Nathan was one of only a few people in a perfect position to ride out the battles of Big Brother’s “X-Factor.” He came in without an ex-girlfriend. He said himself that he was going to lay low and let the exes fight amongst themselves.

It was a good plan. So why am I now writing about why Nathan lost as the 2500th article posted on RealityNewsOnline?

To begin with, Nathan almost immediately blew his supposed strategy by winning the first HOH competition and thus being the first to make nominations. He proved himself to be a threat and became a target. He further blew it by winning the Veto competition a couple weeks later and taking Alison off the block as the only time the “Golden Veto” has been used to date.

Nathan blames Alison for his eviction. And she did indeed play a large part in it. She begged and pleaded with him to Veto her off the block when Dana wanted her gone. She flirted and made out with him, claiming later that it was all part of her strategy. Then, after he had done what she wanted and she didn’t need him anymore, she tossed him aside, to be evicted by her ex-boyfriend and his cronies.

But Nathan can’t pin all the blame for this one on her backstabbing ways. He chose to Veto her. He allowed his emotions to override strategy and rational thought. He allowed Alison to convince him that it was the two of them against the rest of the house – and in doing so, he set up a situation where it became the two of them against the rest of the house. Nathan saved Alison because he convinced himself that was the right thing to do. She betrayed him because she doesn’t care about “right” or “wrong,” but about winning – which is the proper attitude to have in a game like this.

Nathan hit on the issue himself before his eviction when he talked to Jack and Erika about what David would have done had he still been around. He would have stuck to the plan to get rid of Justin. Alison didn’t. Nathan paid the price.

Going into a game like Big Brother, you don’t want to be perceived as a threat. A 23-year-old buff personal trainer automatically looks like a threat, so Nathan was at a disadvantage from the start if you look at it from that standpoint. However, his advantage was the lack of an ex. He could have played off of the fighting exes and then just made sure to avoid the crossfire. But he didn’t. He stood up, noticed the target on his chest that had already been placed there because he was a threat, and then made sure everybody else saw it.

Nathan is not a strategic genius. He, like so many of the others this season, played the game more with emotion than with rational thought. Once those emotions got the better of him, he made a move that he couldn’t take back and he couldn’t overcome. He was put up on the chopping block at a time when the Veto competition favored teamwork – and he had no team to work with. He was put up against a guy who is well-liked and not viewed as a threat in challenges. The “decoy” would not be voted off this time.

Sure, he was stabbed in the back, but that’s not an unusual occurrence in Big Brother. Nathan should have stuck with what was best for his overall alliance and not allowed himself to be charmed by Alison. Would he have won if he hadn’t Vetoed Alison? Probably not. But he likely wouldn’t have lost this week, and every week you’re in the house means a better chance of winning it all. Nathan burned his bridges and then found himself getting burned in return. That is why he lost.

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David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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