Big Brother 2: Alliances Formed, Alliances Destroyed
by Jeffrey Clinard
-- 07/10/2002
Throughout Big Brother 2, a number of alliances have formed. Yet now none remain -- all have been broken apart. It seems that all attempts to gain power in the house have ended up causing loss instead. What happened to the power of alliances?
I've written before on the different factions of the Big Brother 2 house. Once there were four factions: Chill Town, the Untouchables, the Odd Couple, and the Independents. Now only three houseguests remain; one from Chill Town, one from the Untouchables, and one Independent. Ironically, attempts to gain power in the house have only led to the destruction of that power.
So what happened? Chill Town was the first power in the house. If this was Survivor, they might have made it till the end. But this is Big Brother 2. Chill Town quickly alienated themselves from the rest of the house. They were not just a power, they were a NOISY and PUBLIC power. The house immediately stripped the power away from them, leaving only Will. Will has used this lack of power and his own manipulation skills well and successfully avoided eviction. He's not a person to be trusted, but some people just can’t seem to get that through their heads. It's gotten him a long way, and maybe even put him in the winner's circle. He still has his friends from Chill Town, and he's let the other houseguests piss off many of the other evicted people. He can win if he's up against the right person.
The Untouchables should have been a major power until the end. What happened? Krista couldn't keep her mouth shut. She blabbed, Will spread it around, and it collapsed. Only one remains; Monica. Monica has never been a noisy houseguest; she's been flying under the radar, making no real enemies while consolidating her position. She can win if he's perceived as the least objectionable person.
This leaves Nicole. She was an early target, but she's survived based on both luck and skill. The house resented the attempt by Mike to control the eviction, and tossed Sheryl instead of her. Since then, she calmed down, and has lately reverted to bitch mode much of the time.
Kent and Bunky are both gone. Hardy and Nicole can kick themselves for not tossing Will instead of Bunky, but it was really a non-event. In fact, it was better for them to toss Bunky; Will was less of a threat than him. The real problem was the Hardy/Nicole pact was very public, and seen as a definite threat. They had a public pact and only a one in three chance of pulling it out. Once Nicole was out of the Head of Household (HoH) competition, they were dead meat. Monica was smart to put both of them up and let Will toss either one. If she had put up Will, he'd be gone, and she would have been the target next time unless she won HoH for a second time in a row. As it stands, she's probably still a target, but her odds are better against Will or Nicole than against Hardy. If Will had won HoH, he'd have put them up as well, and given the power to Monica.
What has happened in the game is that any public power structures have been broken by the house. Chill Town was doomed because they were a power. It didn't help that they were hated by the other houseguests. Untouchables were doomed because one of their members blabbed. The Hardy/Nicole alliance was doomed because in the end game, that power was a threat.
So who do I want to win? Well, Monica or Will, preferably Monica. Monica has played the game smart and well. Will has done incredible things to survive in the game, and that is to be commended. I don't forgive his earlier actions, but if he can pull all these stunts to last until the end, then maybe he deserves to win. Besides, both of them are strong people. Nicole's constant crying and whining has grated my last nerve. Nicole, if you didn't want to postpone your honeymoon or not be there for your husbands 40th birthday, you should never have gone into that house. It was your decision, and you went into it eyes open. There is a price for your participation in the show. Don't complain about it and expect viewer support.
Jeffrey Clinard is a graveyard shift computer expert working for two major Las Vegas resorts. He has a Master's degree in marketing, a job he could not be paid enough to return to. He makes use of both his intuition and logic in his occupation and in his hobbies of reading detective novels and analyzing reality TV shows.
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