Big Brother 4: Why Jack Lost

Jack was nominated three times. First, he was up against Alison and then Dave when Alison persuaded Nathan to Veto her. Then he was up against Nathan. Finally, he faced Erika. In each case, he was assured that he was safe. And the first two times it was true. The third time, however, the people doing the assuring were in no position to promise anything, as they didn’t hold the real power in the house.

Jack was not a threat in terms of the competitions. He didn’t win a single thing – it was so bad that people assumed he was throwing them, but he wasn’t. He is a smart guy, but some of the plans we saw him making – or attempting to make – were not exactly the best deals we’ve ever seen on a reality show. No matter what, though, Jack is definitely likeable.

That was probably part of his downfall. Well, that and the fact that he has a Y chromosome. When he was put up against Erika, it was because Jee wanted to break up their alliance. Smart thinking – exactly what Erika did to the Stooges’ alliance the previous week. However, Jee and Robert really wanted Erika to go. Erika had other ideas, and she glommed onto the secret Alison/Jun alliance as a way to oppose the remaining Stooges.

As much as I complain about Alison, she is generally a smart player. By this point, she knows that Jee and Robert are connected at the hip and are not going to willingly bring her along to the final two. Even if they did, she can’t beat either one of them in the jury vote. Her best chance – her only chance, really – is to face Jun in the final two. For that to happen, she needs to get rid of Jee or Robert next.

Jun, of course, faces the same situation, complicated somewhat by the alliance she has had with Jee since almost Day 1. She has to know that she will need to break that alliance because she simply cannot beat him in the final two. Once again, her only chance to win is against Alison.

So why am I going into a long discussion about Alison and Jun in an article that is about Jack? Because they are the force behind his eviction. They did it to further their own plans.

If they had caved in to the pressure from Jee and Rob, allowing Jack to stay while Erika left, they had to know that Jack was likely to team up with the other two guys. All along, we’ve heard Jack talk about what great players they are and how sad it is that they ended up on opposite sides. That’s not exactly what he says about Alison and Jun, who were ostensibly on his side at one point! Without an alliance of his own anymore, Jack was likely to help Jee and Rob get rid of the “floaters.”

Erika, however, had pledged herself to the other two women. She is unlikely to side with ex-boyfriend Robert, even if she can’t stand Alison (feelings which she had apparently hidden well). By keeping Erika around, Jun and Alison leave the “floater” roles and become the strongest alliance in the house just like that.

After the vote was done, both Robert and Jee admitted that the women had done the right thing strategically. (Later, Rob privately let fly with a number of insults directed at the women, but that’s not terribly surprising.) And as much as I hated to say goodbye to Jack, the fact is that Alison and Jun made the right decision.

Jack was a threat. No, he wasn’t going to suddenly wake up and win all the challenges. But he was always thinking, always trying to figure out a new angle. More importantly, he is well-liked, and at this stage of the game, that factor will work against a contestant. Finally, Jack was likely to side against the very people who could cast the majority votes this time! So if you pull all of these facts together, you can only come to one conclusion: These are the reasons why Jack lost.

Want to keep up with important events in the house? Check out our Big Brother 4 Spoiler Page for news on who wins contests and other ongoing info.

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

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