Another in a long line of non-surprises. Bunky is voted out after the first tie-breaker. Who will win HoH now? Nicole needs to, but then so do Will and Monica. At this point, a single move could mean the difference between half a million dollars and zip.
It’s day 61 on Big Brother 2. Whoa. That’s two months. It really doesn’t seem that long. It seems like only yesterday that we first got to know and hate Chill Town, but most of them have been gone for weeks now. Even Will, who is physically still there, isn’t really acting like the final member of Chill Town, but more like an amusing side show. Still, there are three more weeks left before we see the winner crowned.
Once again, this episode featured live votes. Also again, there were no surprises here. Yes, Nicole was shown getting mad at Will last episode, but it was pretty obvious that she would be voting according to strategy, not emotions. In fact, I was so sure about the outcome that I sent in an article to an online e-zine about Will’s strategy (an update of an earlier article). Had I been wrong, there wouldn’t have been time to resubmit something else.
Before Bunky officially got the boot, though, we (as usual) got to see a little bit of what went on and hear a few words from the houseguests. Monica talked about how Hardy and Nicole were trying to control everybody else and acting like they ran the place. And we saw that Will did apparently annoy Nicole a bit more – enough so that she said she got a warning from BB for threatening him! A few words of advice, Will: Don’t get her drunk in the kitchen!
Indeed, Bunky tried to take the opportunity to convince Nicole and Hardy to get rid of Will instead. Nicole even tried to talk to Hardy about it. But Hardy was apparently sure he had Will in his pocket. Will, of course, only laughed at what suckers Hardy and Nicole were.
As one of the side-trips, we saw interviews with Will’s brother, Ian, and Bunky’s husband, Gregg. They talked about whether the people we saw on TV were really like that outside the house. Ian said that Will was not really the “evil doctor,” but was a compassionate man. Um, yeah, okay. We’re still not even sure the guy has real emotions, but whatever you say. Bunky, of course, not only has real emotions, but shares them at the drop of a hat. Gregg said that in their 13 years together, Bunky has cried over quite a few things. He also shared that Bunky’s sister has a mental disability and he hates (and cries about) the word “retard.”
As a prelude to the vote, we also saw that Gregg was there to meet Bunky when he was voted out, and Ian and our old friend Shannon were there for Will. I didn’t see Shannon’s boyfriend with her, waiting for Will, but that would have made for an exciting ending (if Will had actually been voted out, of course).
In the live portion of the show, Julie Chen asked Nicole (again) how important winning Head of Household (HoH) was this time. Nicole responded that it was the most important one yet and said upfront that it was no secret she needed it to keep the game moving the way she and Hardy wanted it to go.
The final speeches of Will and Bunky were less than inspiring – probably because both already knew how the vote would go. Will thanked everybody for keeping him around this long, and said he’d really been having fun the past couple weeks. Bunky said he loved everybody and sent love out to a bunch of friends and relatives.
The next segment was supposed to be about changes in Hardy. Unfortunately, the local station found it necessary to warn us about gasp a thunderstorm (heaven forbid they break in during a commercial). There was heavy rain, intense lightning, and hail. Hmmm. So maybe it was about how Hardy has been acting lately after all. So most of you probably got to see Hardy, but I got to see three freaking versions of the radar while the weatherlady dragged on and on and on.
Apparently, she ran out of things to say and actually let us watch a bit more of the show before the next commercial. We got to see Chen ask Hardy what would happen if Nicole didn’t win HoH. He said he really hadn’t thought about it and didn’t want to. She also asked how it would be to vote for the tie-breaker, if necessary (which they had to know it would be), in front of everybody. He said everyone knew that his vote would be based on strategy, and wouldn’t be personal.
So, the votes were cast. Monica voted to evict Will because Bunky is her friend and nobody is going to tell her to vote for. Nicole voted to evict Bunky because Hardy had told her who to vote for. So it was up to Hardy. He cast his second vote (his first being the one cast through Nicole) for Bunky, again emphasizing that he loves the guy but strategically, he has to get rid of him. Bunky shared hugs all around, and surprisingly few tears on his part. He reassured Nicole and Hardy by noting, “It’s just a game.”
After Bunky left, we were all able to hear some wonderful nose-blowing thanks to the microphoned players and the producers.
In his final meeting with Chen, Bunky said he wasn’t surprised (join the club) because he’d talked it over with Nicole and Hardy. He felt Hardy had given him quite a compliment by saying Bunky was a threat. She asked some other inane questions that I’m not going to waste time going over, and then asked if he would change anything about what he did in the house. Bunky said he regretted voting against his friends, such as Autumn and Kent and Krista. Krista? C’mon, Bunky, that was one you really did the right way! Overall, Bunky found it to be a life-altering experience where he learned about himself, lost 20 pounds, and tried new things.
In brief goodbye messages from the other players, Hardy said he had to do what he didn’t want to do (no, he didn’t have to do it – he chose to do it) and added that Bunky taught him about himself. Will said Bunky helped teach him tolerance and sensitivity, and added that the helicopter ride was his favorite experience of the house (ouch – I hope Shannon wasn’t paying attention to that) and he couldn’t have imagined sharing it with anybody else. I’ve got to say, I really think Will was (for a change) being honest and not just trying to play Bunky for a vote at the end. Nicole said Gregg is the luckiest man in the world.
Chen kept trying to get Bunky to admit to having some bitter feelings, but Bunky wasn’t going for it. He said that, sure, sometimes he was mad at one or another and might have said something in the Diary Room, but overall, he liked them all. Sorry, Julie, no fighting here.
After the obligatory welcome home from Gregg, we moved on to the HoH competition. Or should I say the beginning of what looks to be a loooong HoH competition. Will, Nicole, and Monica were each told to get on the bed that was set up out on the basketball court. They had to put their keys in the nomination box, keep at least one hand on the key and their feet off the ground, and… wait. The last one there would win HoH. The only thing they could have is water and, frankly, if you’re sitting and can’t get up to go to the bathroom, that’s not the first thing you really want to have. Nicole quickly realized that this meant no cigarettes (which puts Will at an advantage).
For his part, Hardy was laughing it up.
A few minutes after it began, Chen tried to convince somebody to bail out with a pretty stupid offer: a weekend spa getaway for two in Santa Barbara when BB2 is all over. Hmmm. Let’s see here. A weekend for two or chance at $500,000? Tough call. Needless to say, nobody took it.
So, there they sit. Monica made it clear that she would pee in the bed if need be, so it looks like it’ll be a while. The next episode will also be a while – skipping the Saturday show and then having three in a row next week on Tuesday, Wednesday (an hour early), and Thursday. The Wednesday episode will feature a visit from former Survivor contestants Gervase, Sue (who apparently has the goal of appearing on every reality TV show on the air), Jeff, and Alicia.
And that’s where we leave off. It will remain a surprise to find out who wins HoH, but after that the surprises will again be over for a week. If it’s Nicole, she will nominate Will and Monica. If it’s either of the other two, they will nominate Hardy and Nicole. It all comes down to who can stay on the bed longer.
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