Big Brother 4, August 23: The Lone Gunman

Recap recap recap. Expect the unexpected. Blah blah blah.

As a result of Justin being voted out, we get the usual commentary from everybody else. Rob is sad he left but happy to be here. It’s on! (Ack! Nobody else on Big Brother should ever be allowed to use those words again.) Jack says Justin is a great guy but he had to go, and Jack further points out he has said that from the beginning.

Alison says she voted to evict Justin because she figured she would go along with the rest of the house and buy herself another week. Rob says it hurt to see him leave. Jun says she was able to take a big step closer to the half million dollars. Alison says he was her security blanket. Having him walk out kind of scared her. But Jun says Alison is definitely a “wack-job.” Her tears were like all the other tears – insincere. They probably come from some little tube attached to her eye that she controls remotely. Heh.

Jee reflects that it was tough to have to choose one over the other. But Erika says it was the biggest alliance in the house and she had to break it up. Jack tells her that he told Justin he didn’t take any personal comfort in his leaving. He was the toughest competitor of all four BB houses. He says they both regretted that circumstances put them on opposite sides.

Moving on to the HOH competition, Erika wanted Jack to win, but she knew he hadn’t been doing well at, um, any of them. And that streak continued. Jack says he was sick at heart – he choked. (AGAIN!)

Robert says Jee won and they’re not looking back now. He keeps repeating that he’s “so happy for you.” Baloney. He’s happy for himself!

Erika says Jee is a huge threat. He’s won two HOHs and there is a possibility that anybody in the house could go up. (Yeah, right.) Jack figures he’ll go, but the others say you never know. (Yeah, right – again.)

It’s the usual march to the HOH room, where Jee gets knick-knacks and photos from his girlfriend, Carmen. Also, a little glass heart from her. Awwww. It means so much to him. Yadda yadda yadda. He gets a Richard Marx CD so he can listen to some love songs. I remember when Richard Marx came out with his first CD, lo those many years ago when I was in college – I saw him in concert when he opened for REO Speedwagon (I think that’s who he was opening for). Hell, I didn’t realize he was even still putting out CDs.

Later, out in the yard, Alison is crying to Erika that it couldn’t get any worse – it’s the worst possible scenario – they’ll probably put her up. Naw, Erika says not to worry, they will put herself and Jack up. Alison still worries about the twist. She’s so nervous. Oh please. She continues that she thinks Jee and Jack have been close, so Jee will come after her. Why? “Because I’m a huge threat,” Alison says, hurriedly adding, “Not that you’re not.” Ego, thy name is Alison.

Jee is worried about the twist, as it may change the targets he’s going after. Erika, on the other hand, is kind of excited. Well, sure, it’s not like it can be any worse for her! Jack says he doesn’t have a clue. He must think it’s part of a challenge to come up with what it might be if he’s that clueless.

Alison says she wants Erika in the final three with herself and Jun. I’m not sure why, since Erika is more likeable than either of the other two and would likely easily win over either of them, but whatever.

Erika asks Robert if she and Jack are going up. Robert confirms that Jack is gone and then Erika will join with Robert. But she is not to tell anybody. Cut to Jack and Robert in the kitchen, where Robert tells Jack not to worry, they have plans. But he is not to tell anybody. Hmmm.

Jack doesn’t trust Robert. Can’t imagine why.

Jee says to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This is quickly becoming a phrase that should be banned (along with “It’s on!”) from reality contestant usage. The enemy in question this time is Alison, who is pleading with him that he shouldn’t think she’s playing both sides, because she’s not. Uh huh. Apparently, she thinks Jee has the word “moron” tattooed across his forehead. She repeats about a hundred times that she is not now and never has been on the other side. Methinks she doth protest too much. Jeethinks it as well, saying privately that he has never trusted her and if all goes well, she will be the “next target.” (Note he doesn’t say she’ll be the target this time. I suspect this quote was taken out of context to make us think Jee would be nominating her.)

More on Alison as Jun repeats that she’s a wack-job. Jack thinks the entire house wants Alison out. Jun claims she will try to get Jee to nominate her. Of course, since Jun has a secret alliance with Alison, I rather doubt that is true, but Jack and Erika don’t know that.

Oh, now it’s time for a wonderful segment on Robert’s “tics.” Jun says he wiggles his nose, touch it, move it, scratch, etc. Erika says he’s a very nervous person. Jack says his eyes dart, hands move. Robert admits he has a lot of these habits, playing with his face, touching his ears, etc. He can’t just sit still ever. Jack says it shouts of lack of self-confidence. Robert says the game gets him nervous – at any time, things can backfire and you’re gone.

And from there, we move to the John F. Kennedy assassination. Oookay. Jack says the FBI has a reading room devoted solely to the assassination. Jack says they have never found any evidence to indicate that there was more than just Oswald – which is not to say they will never find such evidence, but it’s not there now. A very scientific explanation by Jack! Erika notes that it’s likely that if there were such evidence, it’s highly likely that it would have come out by now. Jack agrees. Jack goes through and explains the various misconceptions people have, like how could Oswald have gotten off his shots so quickly, where they hit, etc. Rob says he knows that Jack has really done his homework and so he’s convinced. (If only it were so easy to convince the real conspiracy-mongers using the simple facts and evidence!)

Jack says he spent so much time on it because Kennedy was like his hero and he made him interested in public service. As they drift off to sleep that night, Erika tells Jack that she found JFK, the movie (the one that takes the side of the conspiracy-mongers) “completely enthralling.” But it doesn't seem to be because she's a conspiracy-monger, rather that she was talking about the style of the film rather than the content. Jack says they got exactly two things right in that movie: The identity of the victim and the date it happened. Heh.

Jack tells us he originally wondered about the Warren Commission report – like so many others, he couldn’t believe just one man had done it. But when he became an agent and got to look at all the information on the investigation, he realized that they got it right, Oswald acted alone – as did Jack Ruby. That’s it.

That was actually a pretty informative segment. Thanks, CBS!

And now, it’s time for… The Twist!

Whoops. No it’s not. It’s time to lock up the desert room and say goodbye to Cuff and Link, the tortoises. Jack says he and Erika have taken care of them the entire time. They’ll miss them. We get to see some “memory” type footage. Aww. Alison calls them “filthy little beasts.” Yeah, they think the same thing about you.

Jack says he’s sad to lose the room because he and Erika have used the room as a sanctuary and they won’t have that room to discuss strategy. Jun says the room provided shelter and security for Jack and Erika (remember that Erika frequently went to that room instead of the HOH room last week!). It’ll be interesting to see how Jack and Erika handle the lack of privacy now, she says.

Now, some talk about the cameras! We see Erika notice that a camera is following her in the kitchen. In the Diary Room, she says she doesn’t mind ‘em – she doesn’t have anything to hide… except maybe her boobs. Heh.

Jee says it’s so weird – there is no privacy. Even when they’re sleeping, if they accidentally let out a fart, “they’ll know.” Robert says knowing that the cameras are always there adds to his nerves. Alison notes that having cameras in the bathroom makes her nauseous. We see an older shot when Justin pulled her out of the shower without a towel – lots of blurring, which, of course, is not there on the live web feeds. She says she knows that her naked body could be all over the Internet. Not “could,” Alison. Is.

Cut to a more recent shot of Jun boxing Jee while she is wearing just a towel, which, of course, falls down. Privately, she says she doesn’t mind people seeing her the way she is. She’s here to play a game that takes place under a microscope with big fancy cameras. It’s a way of life there and you get used to it.

OK, getting back to the game. Erika enters the HOH room to talk to Jee. She tells him that she respects whatever move he makes – she won’t tell him who to put up. He says that with the twist hanging over them, he doesn’t know exactly what will happen, but she and Jack are the opposition – and they are the biggest threat because they are the strongest alliance (something she should certainly understand). But that’s not set in stone yet.

Jack is next into the HOH room. Jack tells him that Jee was never a target – but that Justin and Rob were likely going to try to get themselves into the finals, but he wanted it to be Jee, Jun, Erika, and himself in the final four. This means Alison and Robert have to go next. Jee sees the big flaw in this just as I’m sure all viewers do – that would require Jee to turn on Robert immediately! Jee says he can’t believe Jack would even bring that up and, frankly, neither can I. It’s one thing to get the guy in a bad situation, locked in a cage, and convince him to leave in order to save himself. It’s quite another to try to convince him to completely turn on his one remaining partner! Not smart, Jack. Not smart.

Jack thinks Jee was receptive to putting up Alison. Maybe. But not Rob.

Jun goes in next and tells Jee how funny it is to see Erika and Jack pleading for their lives. She asks who he wants out next. He says he doesn’t care which of them ends up going, but he wants to break up their alliance. She tells him that to make the whole house happy, he should consider taking out Alison. Huh?! Well, apparently it’s reverse psychology – she wanted to throw him off so nobody suspects she is aligned with Alison. Well, yeah, trying to get her booted would definitely throw everybody off! But anyway, Jee says Robert wouldn’t go for that. Jun says he doesn’t have to tell Rob anything anymore – he has to look out for himself. And he says he has her back so she should have his too. And watch what you say!

Jee says privately that he can tell about people when he has the power. Can he trust them? (Shot of Robert.) Can he not trust them? (Shot of Jun.) Should they be the ones to be nominated (Shots of Jack and Erika.) or not (shot of Alison). Talk about foreshadowing.

Hey, Julie is here! What’s she doing here on a Saturday? (Well, okay, she’s not really there Saturday as it’s not live. But you know what I mean.) She says the Big Twist is that they will compete for Veto before they even know who has been nominated. Ooooooh. And the person who gets Veto will have to inflict a great deal of pain and suffering on their fellow housemates. Oh please. What is it, time on the rack? An iron maiden? Drawing and quartering? No. Wait a few minutes and you’ll see.

She says a special competition is beginning. They cannot talk to each other, make hand signals, or communicate in any way ‘til it’s over. They are sent to separate areas of the house and Julie tells them that it’s the Veto competition – but the winner’s identity will not be revealed until after the nominations.

Jee says he was shocked and worried. Jack says it turned their world upside down.

One at a time, Julie asks each person to go to the Diary Room. Alison is first. She has each one pick it up and hold it, feel the power. Oh please. That power could be yours… if the price is right! Whoops, wrong CBS show. Anyway, they all say the Veto is really important (like we didn’t know that).

What would they say if she were to offer the Power of Veto right now? Erika, Jack, and Robert all immediately say, “Yes!” Jee wonders, “What’s the catch?” Smart guy, that Jee. If you take it, everyone in the house except him will be on PB&J diet until the end of the game! That’s more than a month. Whoa.

Jun laughs. Erika wonders about it. Alison and Robert consider it privately.

Jee says he couldn’t put people through that for a whole month. Jack declines. Robert says no. Jun turns it down. Erika won’t accept it. Alison doesn’t either. Why not? She wouldn’t want to put people through that and be the only one eating – it’s wrong. (Oh, like she is suddenly concerned about what is wrong?!) She notes that she has to live with these people!

What about if they reduce the time so they only have to eat PB&J for two weeks? Alison immediately says no – she doesn’t want to deal with these people on PB&J for two weeks. Julie notes that Alison has been playing all sides against each other for weeks – is she sure that Jee wouldn’t object to seeing her leave? Alison says she’s not sure, but she is sure she doesn’t want to stay if they’re on PB&J for two weeks.

Same thing to Erika – she just evicted one of Jee’s best buddies. He might retaliate. Erika says she can’t think, she’s having an anxiety attack. Over to Jun, who Julie calls one of the two floaters. Jun says Jee might nominate her, but she doesn’t want the whole house to hate her for PB&J.

Next, to Robert. Nope, he won’t do it for two weeks either. Jack says no as well. He’d rather take his chances and see how the vote goes. All decline. Jee says he can’t be that selfish.

Julie gives Alison her final offer – one week of PB&J. Alison considers… Nope. Jack rejects the offer again. He doesn’t want it at that price. Jun says no – it’s her final answer. Robert says no, not even for a week. Jee… accepts!

Julie gathers the HouseGuests back in the living room and tells them that at least one of them has accepted the offer. So at midnight, everybody but the Veto winner will be on PB&J for a week. She’ll announce the winner a few hours after the nominations.

Robert gets pissed. He’s always hated PB&J. Jee figures he can’t have been the only one – certainly Jack and Erika should have wanted it as badly as he did (and he’s right – they should have!). Jee finds Rob out in the backyard. Inside, the other four discuss who it might have been. Not Robert. The others say it was not them. They figure out it was Jee.

Robert says Jee should put him up if it is two weeks (they don’t seem sure how long the PB&J sentence will last). Jee says he’s come too far to let one week get him down. Robert says who knows what they took! It might be two or more! Rob says whoever did it didn’t need it! He knows Erika didn’t do it. Maybe Jun? Inside, Jee says she doesn’t understand – he’s HOH, so what’s he worried about. Um… Let’s see. Last time he was HOH he nominated a target and a decoy, and the decoy was booted out from under him. He stood by and watched as Alison was later targeted by Dana but was Vetoed off the block. Gosh, I can’t begin to understand what Jee is worried about!

Erika notes that Robert is the most pissed-off. Alison gets Jee to admit it was him – and PB&J is just for a week. He tells Robert that he can be pissed off, but it’s a game and they needed to make sure. Alison chimes in that “we” had to get this Veto, so somebody like Erika didn’t. Robert says he’s not mad at Jee, just at Jun, who he still thinks also accepted it and might have done so for more than one week. Alison says they are all swearing that they did not accept. In that case, Robert decides it was a good move after all. So, just to get this straight. If somebody did it to support his team, it’s a good move. If somebody had done it to support their team, they’d be in the wrong. Yes, folks, the Sun does rise and fall with Robert.

In the kitchen, Jee admits that he took the offer for a week. Jun says of course he had to be honest – it’s gonna be revealed anyway! She later says that people are wondering why he took it. He tries to explain but she says that anybody who took it would know that they might be safe for this week, but next week they’d be a bigger target. Oh please. People are not going to alter their alliances and strategy because of one week of PB&J. Jee privately says he doesn’t like the fact that Jun put him on the spot in front of everybody else – she could have talked to him privately about it. In any event, he says he will suffer through the PB&J with them, even though he is exempt because he took the deal.

Erika privately notes that he must really want the nominations to stick and he’s willing to put the house through hell to do it.

Jun continues that Jee screwed himself by taking the deal. Erika says that Jee went from not being a target to being a target. Oh please. He should have been a target anyway – he would be much worse to go up against in the finals than somebody like Robert or Jun or Alison. Hell, if anything this might have tarnished his reputation to the point where he might be better off kept around, in case anybody holds a PB&J grudge and would vote against him in the final two!

I continue to maintain, as I did when we first found out about the twist and the nominations over the Live Feeds, that Jee made precisely the right decision.

So who will he nominate? Well, if you don’t know already, be sure to check the above article or our Big Brother 4 Spoiler Page to find out.

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

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