Big Brother 4, August 16: Bullet With Stooges’ Wings

Justin dozes on and off in the hammock; Jack tells us that when they saw he was asleep, he and the others would seize the opportunity to talk to Jee, who admits to us that he was hurting badly physically. Apparently, the deal is that if he were to leave the cage, he would be safe from nomination. Erika tells him that Robert and Justin would ditch him when it came down to the final two because they know everyone would vote for Jee over them. Jee asks Alison what she thinks. She tells him she knows he trusts them, which is important, but at the same time, they won’t take him to the finals; she doesn’t know if he’d rather deal with that now or later. He tells Jack and Erika that he doesn’t know that he can betray Robert and Justin; they tell him they understand. He says if he did decide to take them up on their offer, it would have to be in some way that would seem believable to Justin and Robert. Erika tells him she completely respects his honor and that she knows being in an alliance of three is a tough position to be in. She tells us that she knew she had to convince Jee to cut the cord with the “Amigos” because at some point an alliance of three has to become two. Erika tells him to take his time; Jack tells him that if he were to exit with Alison after a respectable time, Jack would follow them out shortly thereafter. Jee tells them it hurts him to even consider doing this to Justin and Robert and that he needs more time to think. Erika reminds him that after the game, he never has to see them again. Jee cries to us in the Diary Room that he can’t do it! He can’t betray them! They’re his friends! They’re his brothers! Oy.

It’s now five hours and thirty-eight minutes and there’s much whispering and conspiring in the cage. Alison whispers to Jee that she wishes Jack would leave so she could go; she also emphasizes that they have to vote Robert out if it’s a choice between him and Justin. (Gee, that’s not self-serving of her at all.) Jack reiterates to Jee that Justin will go, or if someone vetoes him, then Robert, but Jee will absolutely be safe either way. Jee asks him if he’s sure; Jack reinforces that they never wanted to come after Jee. Per the plan, Jack leaves next at six hours and seventeen minutes. Justin, awake in the hammock, congratulates Jack on a game well played. Jun comes out to tell them it’s twenty after one (they started just before seven their time); in the cage, Erika says they have to do this now. Jee finally cracks and says he can’t do it anymore; he exits at six hours and thirty-one minutes. “Enough time,” Jack encourages him in a whisper as he leaves. Jee tells us it was hard because he had to turn his back on Justin and Robert; he knew that would come eventually but wasn’t expecting it this soon. He apologizes to Justin, who tells him not to worry and that he did a good job.

Back in the smallest cage, the final round of wheeling and dealing begins. Alison asks Erika to reiterate that she won’t put Alison up for eviction; she concurs, as long as Alison doesn’t nominate her next week. Alison tells us it crossed her mind to doublecross them and steal Head of Household, but realized that wouldn’t make her look very good in the long run. Um, no. Plus, I doubt she could have outlasted Erika even if she’d wanted to. She leaves and Justin comes to free Erika, who after six hours and thirty-three minutes is the new Head of Household! He places the Head of Household key around her neck, which he tells us was bittersweet because he was placing his fate in her hands. Jack tells Erika she was terrific; she tells him she could - and would - have gone forever if she had to. In the Diary Room, Erika does a happy dance - no, literally. She tells us she couldn’t take the risk of losing Jack. She and Jack discuss that it’ll be nice for him to finally be able to relax a week. Indeed, he was starting to become this year’s Amy for a while there.

In the bathroom, Jee tells Justin he wants to talk to him about Erika, which Justin says scares him a little because he still doesn’t know what deals were made. In their bedroom, Jee apologizes once again to Robert and Justin (who reiterate that he did fine and they’re not upset at all) and tells them to get some sleep while he gets a drink. Jee tells us that while it hurt him a lot, he did have to realize that in the end, there can only be one winner. In the kitchen, he and Erika congratulate each other on a game well played and she and Jack tell him once again that they respect how hard it was for him to make that decision; he tells them he’s still kind of upset with himself for it. We see him in the living room sitting alone as he tells us how upset he is that he betrayed his “all for one” brotherhood. OK - I can understand up to a point, but after a while, in the grand scheme of things, this ain’t exactly Sophie’s Choice. Besides, the sad thing is I can’t picture either of the other two agonizing nearly this much were the circumstances reversed.

Erika tells us she slept in the Desert Room that night even though she could have moved right into the Head of Household Room because she’s such a creature of habit that moving is going to be a big deal for her. The next morning (or possibly afternoon) she holds the weekly room unveiling, and while I don’t focus too much on fashion as a rule, even I know that it’s a bad idea to put a tie-dyed shirt with bottoms with a print as she’s wearing for her unveiling ensemble. (“We f**king have to go,” notes Robert, the epitome of class and grace, to Jee.) Jun tells us it was nice to see Erika kind of happy. Erika takes one look at the pillows from home and pictures of her dogs and her mother and starts crying, which the others tease her about. Erika admits to us that there are certain things that tug at her heartstrings and her family is the biggest of all of them. She sits on the Head of Household bed with her headphones on, clutches her pillow, and sobs as she tells us it was nice to be taken back to a place in her life when life was a little simpler and be reminded her family is out there rooting for her. While I can certainly appreciate the sentiment, overall at this point I’m thinking there are certain movies you don’t want to watch with Erika without adequate flood insurance.