Big Brother 14 -2012 #1

It begins ! That was yet another new twist ! Booting the first house guest before the first episode was over ! But Dan had to do it, she was physically the weakest player, but I thought he sort of put himself in a box right off by choosing all female players without knowing their capabilities. Yes, having one of them be a Playmate of the Month is understandable but he didn't know that when he picked her. The nurse choice was okay too, but the lady that he had to boot just wasn't up to that rather physical first comp.

And bringing back four previous players as coaches for their picks of teams of three is a genius move. Dan, Mike "Boogie", Britney, and Janelle. All legendary players. Whoever winds up winning the $500 k, his/her coach will win $100 k so the coaches have an incentive to try hard. They won't be competing in any of the competitions which is only right.

I thought that Britney made a mistake tonight though, having to pick the first HOH from her winning team and picking Willie Hantz as the first HOH. Almost everyone has figured out that he is Russel Hantz's brother which normally would put a target on his back right away but as HOH he now has the power to avoid that and being a Hantz is already boasting of his invincibility and how all the other House guests are mere pawns. Of course Russel talked the same way on Survivor, twice, and he never did win it.........so.......but listening to them bluster does get old. Hopefully as soon as he is replaced as HOH they can begin to scheme to boot him.

So now it's on to the live feeds which are coming up later tonight and Showtime After Dark at 11.

The country was in a uproar tonight waiting for the show to start and it didn't disappoint.

But there was one problem. It wasn't in HD. What's up with that ? I'm sure that CBS's cameras are capable, they were last year.

And Facebook and Twitter are playing a big role with fans this year but I see no reason to use them and I don't even know how to Tweet...

And oh, BTW AR, if you're worried that there aren't enough posts being made, that worry is over for at least for 3 months, from this quarter.

John's on the case right off the bat.

'Big Brother 14' Premiere Recap: Welcome Back to the House
Thursday, July 12, 2012

John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Oh, Big Brother, how I've missed you. It's just not summer without this voyeuristic obsession, and after witnessing the God-awful ABC rip-off The Glass House, it's good to have the original back.

Big Brother 14 has 12 new houseguests, four returning players and plenty of twists and turns along the way. And as always, the Chenbot is fully powered up and ready to lead us through the madness and I'm here to live blog the whole thing. So let's all pretend that there's nothing happening in San Diego right now and instead devote our live to this equally massive experience.

I've really missed the Big Brother voiceover guy, especially because he over-pronounces "cam-er-a" the same way Jenna Maroney does on 30 Rock.

Right away we learn one of the newbies will be evicted TONIGHT! Ouch, that sucks for them. And the returning players are indeed serving as coaches who aren't playing the actual game.

Meet the Newbies

Frank is trying really hard to get smart, although his ridiculous hair and leathery skin makes him look 40 and not 28.

Danielle is a southern nurse.

Shane flips houses.

Jodi is athletic and recently married a man with five kids. Yikes.

Ian is a chemistry nerd. Sort of like Rachel Reilly, only he's ACTUALLY smart.

Wil claims he looks like a "typical Southern gay" on the outside. Is that a thing?

JoJo (Spatafore) is the kind of chick who has probably rejected The Situation in a club. The main thing I thought about when I first saw her name was this guy :

Vito Spatafore is soldier under the Aprile crew. He serves under Ralph and is eventually made captain, turning into Tony's top earner in construction. Vito becomes part of the Sopranos inner circle and he spends time in the hospital when Tony is injured. In the final season he is outed as a homosexual after being seen in a gay bar and runs away to New Hampshire while the Soprano crew decides what do with him. ......what they 'did' with him was put a 9mm round in the back of his head when he came back from NH....

Willie is Russell Hantz's brother.

Kara is a model.

Joe is a chef.

Jenn is a tattooed lesbian Puerto Rican who was in an all-girl metal band,.

Ashley is a spray tan technician who claims she's not a total airhead. I beg to disagree.

Enter the House

As always, there are a ton of screams. Wil thinks his hair, combined with Frank's hair, will rule the game.

JoJo is tough as nails, but Ashley wants to turn her into a My Little Pony. Ashley is officially the worst.

Ian is a huge Survivor fan and is 99.9 percent sure Willie is related to Russell Hantz. Well, so much for keeping that a secret.

Danielle is the first person to lie about her job, claiming she's a kindergarten teacher and not a nurse. I hate these stupid job lies that seem to be commonplace right away.

Joe thinks Wil is one of the prettiest chicks in the house.

Ashley is a total ditz, but she kind of has a crush on Ian, which makes me hate her slightly less. But Ian only has eyes for Kara, who he describes as the cutest girl ever.

And rounding out the instant 'shipping, Danielle has her sights set on Shane.

The Returning Players Enter the Game

Big Brother 10 winner Dan Gheesling is now married, but still insanely adorable.

Big Brother 6 and 7 third place finisher Janelle Pierzina is also married and a mom, describing herself as a Real Housewife of Minnesota.

Big Brother 12 fourth place finisher Britney Haynes has ALSO gotten married since the game. I sense a pattern and she vows not to be so naive.

Big Brother All-Stars winner Mike "Boogie" Malin has become a dad since the game and he definitely thinks the social game is what matters the most.

The HGs are very relieved to learn the returning players are coaching them, not playing against them. Each coach picks three players and the coach whose player wins gets $100,000. OK, this is officially not a terrible twist because having people in the house who aren't playing but who are invested in the outcome adds a whole new component.

Everybody loves Dan. Frank doesn't want Britney because she's a diva. Ian is intimidated by Mike Boogie, and there's an awkward moment when Ian says he was 10 years old the first time he watched Mike. Everyone is kind of worried and in awe of Janelle, even fellow coach Britney.

Dan immediately notices that Willie is obviously related to Russell Hantz and Willie does a terrible job acting like he doesn't understand what he's talking about. Mike Boogie and Janelle also notice the resemblance and don't want him on their teams.

The Coaches Pick Teams

Not only do the coaches immediately pick their teams, but there's also a challenge right away where one of the newbies will NOT get a key and immediately get evicted. There's a schoolyard pick, and this is how the teams break down:

Team Britney
Shane
Willie
JoJo

Team Mike Boogie
Frank
Ian
Jenn

Team Janelle
Wil
Ashley
Joe

Team Dan:
Kara
Danielle
Jodi

Poor Jodi was picked last. And Dan got sidelined with an all-girl team, which is bad because men tend to do better in this game. On first impressions, I'd say Mike Boogie has the best team, as Jenn is tough, Ian is smart and Frank is likeable. That's a perfect mix.. .

The First HoH Competition

The teams are playing together, and the coach of the winning team gets to pick the first HoH. Even worse, the coach of the losing team has to choose who gets evicted first.

The task involves collecting bears by running across spinning and shaking mattresses. After 20 minutes the coaches can substitute out one player..

Dan's team is off to a miserable start, but everyone else seems to have trouble. Ashley tries to master it by pretending that it's Frogger, but that doesn't work.

It comes down to Jenn vs. JoJo vs. Ashley, with Dan's team not even in it.

JoJo gets the job done and, inexplicably, Britney's team wins.

After 20 minutes, substitutions immediately let Mike and Janelle's teams finish, meaning Dan is the big loser.

Britney chooses Willie as the first HoH. Ugh, stupid Hantz family. But it's smart thinking from Britney, because she realizes Willie needs the help to make deals so he can get the target off of him. Clearly these coaches are going to be helping to craft a deeper, more thoughtful and strategic game.

Dan thinks Kara is a good competitor and she's definitely safe. Jodi makes a strong case by going negative on Danielle as someone who gives up easily. Danielle thinks Jodi will cause drama. Then Dan is forced to make his decision..

Jodi is evicted!

Aww, poor Jodi again. Not only was she chosen last, but now she goes home before the game even begins. I'm hoping there's a second twist, because Jodi got screwed.

That's it for the premiere. On Sunday we'll learn who Willie nominates and there will be a new competition that gives someone a new power. Wednesday we'll get the PoV results and next Thursday is the first live eviction episode. And now the live feeds are on and Big Brother: After Dark premieres tonight at 1am on Showtime 2. I'll be back later tonight with any spoilers we can learn from the live feeds around Willie's nominees.


(Image courtesy of CBS)

Which coach are you rooting for?
Team Dan (Kara and Danielle)
Team Boogie (Frank, Ian and Jenn)
Team Janelle (Wil, Ashley and Joe)
Team Britney (Shane, Willie and JoJo)

It's too early to decide who to root for, and I negligently haven't been watching the live feeds until just now, but I sort of like Janelle as a coach and Jojo seems more down to earth than I expected and possibly a person to support. If they do succeed in booting Kara then Dan's team won't last much longer with only one remaining player. If Janelle and Britney are in cahoots that may put a damper on my support because Britney is a scheming beyotch while playing the "innocent, sweet little girl card", but she learned that this is a good strategy during her season.




'Big Brother 14' Spoilers: Who Did Willie Nominate for Eviction?
Friday, July 13, 2012

John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV

After Big Brother 14 premiered Thursday night, the online feeds went live and viewers got their first look at the scheming and plotting inside the house. It also revealed some of what has happened in terms of ceremonies and competitions.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains Big Brother 14 spoilers.

Frank and Kara are nominated!

Frank seems to be viewed as a huge threat, as well he should be, but naturally his coach, Mike Boogie, is fighting hard to get Frank safe. And while Willie seems to be siding with Frank, Britney and Janelle are trying to spearhead a movement to get rid of Frank.

On the other hand, Kara is a target simply as a way of finishing off Dan's team as quickly as possible since Dan already had to get rid of Jodi. It seems like no one actually wants Kara out, but no one cares if she stays either. The general consensus is that if Frank comes off the block, Kara will be going home.

In other news, Danielle, Shane and Wil are the players chosen to compete in the Power of Veto competition, which will be held Friday, and JoJo will host it.

It also seems that Ashley, Danielle, Ian and possibly Shane are the Have-Nots for the week, so it seems like whatever the competition was it ended with one member of each team being a Have-Not.

Here's a few of the highlights from what else happened on the first night of live feeds.

-Janelle and Britney spent plenty of time badmouthing Mike Boogie, with Janelle calling him "Douche Lord of the Century" for the way he played Erika during Big Brother All-Stars. There was also extensive talk about Mike having crabs and warts on his genitals. Basically, Janelle and Britney are completely working together.

-Wil continues to be incredibly flamboyant and totally obnoxious. He definitely plays up the stereotype when he's around Britney or Janelle.

-It turns out many people (ie Britney, Janelle and Wil) can't stand Ian and they find Danielle unbearable. Wil also has issues with JoJo because she's too loud and obnoxious for him and she drank his beer.

-Britney and Willie spent plenty of time laughing about the overly sensitive people like Wil, Joe, Danielle and Ashley. They even suggested that if Joe were nominated he'd be so forlorn that he'd drown himself in the pool.

-Drunk Janelle complained a bit about how Willie is so stupid and susceptible to suggestion from Frank and Mike Boogie.

-Jenn and Frank bonded over making fun of their teammate, Ian, who they think isn't here to play the game, he's just here to be on the show.

-JoJo and Shane have a special bond over their shared sense of humor and love of pranks.

-Ashley and Ian also have a special bond, giving each other massages.

This is the best site to keep up with what's happening, with or without live feeds. I couldn't remember the name from last year but finally found it. My life is now complete for at least 3 months..... 8)

http://www.bigbrotherupdates.com/index.php

Shane won the POV comp. today. I don't know the significance of that because I don't know anything about him , yet, or his motivations for saving either Frank or Kara but judging by the forums some think that he will save Frank and Kara will be booted regardless of who replaces Frank on the block.

You can see the POV on Thursday on CBS, I think, but the sched. is different this year so it might be earlier...

The Power of Veto Players were Willie Hantz as Head of Household, Kara Monaco and Frank Eudy as the Nominees, along with Wil Heuser, Shane Meaney, and Danielle Murphree. JoJo Spatafora was the host of the PoV Competition.

Shane Meaney won the Power of Veto

Will Shane winning the Power of Veto change Willie's nominations of Kara and Frank?

Willie pushes for his team to keep Frank over Kara.

Britney -the strongest argument we have to get rid of Kara is that it will kill Dan.

'Big Brother 14' Spoilers: Week 1 Power of Veto Results

John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV

The game is afoot on Big Brother 14. The premiere saw Team Britney win the first competition with Willie Hantz being named the first Head of Household. And already the house has had its first nomination ceremony and now the first Power of Veto competition.

SPOILER WARNING: This article contains Big Brother 14 spoilers.

Willie nominated Frank and Kara.

Shane won the Power of Veto.

Shane, Wil and Danielle were the three players chosen to compete for the PoV. It was hosted by JoJo.

So it seems Team Britney is off to a very dominant start, and right away the consensus is that they won't use the PoV and the nominations will stay the same.

Now it becomes a matter of campaigning. People seem to be flip-flopping all the time, but right now it seems like Britney and Janelle want Frank gone, but Britney's team doesn't.

If the vote went down right now, it could go either way. Ian and Jenn will certainly have Frank's back and vote out Kara, and I think Willie has effectively hijacked Britney's team and will get Shane and JoJo to do the same. Danielle will obviously vote to keep her lone teammate, Kara, while Janelle's team could go either way.

Since there are presumably only eight votes, a tie wouldn't be in Janelle's best interests so I suspect she'll get her team to regrettably go against Kara. I'm sure Britney and Janelle will spend most of this week trying to find a way to get Frank out without pissing off Willie, though that might prove difficult.

Of course there's nearly a full week until the eviction, and in Big Brother time, that's a lifetime and a half. Anything can and probably will happen between now and then.

Which 'Big Brother 14' Coach Has the Best Strategy?
Friday, July 13, 2012

John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
BB has always resembled a chess game, but this season the board turned three-dimensional. The addition of four returning players as coaches for Big Brother 14 adds a new dynamic to the game.

While the coaches are not a part of the actual game (and hopefully they never will), they each have their teams and are playing their own game. In some cases their plans line up perfectly with the plans of their players, and in other cases they are at odds with one another.

Premiere Recap: Welcome Back>>

After the first night of live feeds, we have a glimpse into the various strategies of each coach. And it seems like they're all playing exactly how they did the last time they were on the show. Let's see who's off to the best start.

Team Britney (Willie, Shane and JoJo)

Britney's team won the first HoH (given to Willie, who needed it since he was a huge target), so they're off to a solid start. But the problem is that Britney seems to be using the same strategy she did last time, letting other alliances and power players push her around. Britney has already struck up a very solid alliance with Janelle, wanting to work together to get rid of Mike Boogie and Dan's teams. The problem is that Britney, easily the least successful of the coaches, doesn't have the respect of her team.

Willie has nominated Frank and Kara this week, and while Britney desperately wants Frank gone, Willie doesn't. Willie has spent lots of time talking to Frank and he trusts him. This creates a huge rift between coach and player, as Willie is basically ignoring Britney's advice and doing whatever he wants. Britney is off to a bad start if she can't even control her own team.

Her additional problem is that many people (including those on Janelle's team) are getting fed up with JoJo, which gives Britney two targets on her team.

Team Janelle (Wil, Joe, Ashley)

Janelle has already formed an alliance with Britney and is basically controlling her every move. That's good for her because I'm not sure Janelle's team is going to offer much assistance. Ashley is in severe back pain already from being a Have-Not and Joe is generally regarded as a useless player (think Shelly from last season). That leaves Wil, but the problem is that Willie and Frank are eyeing Wil as an early target for them.

The biggest asset Janelle has is that everyone respects her for her accomplishments in the game, but while having Britney as her loyal minion is good, it only works if Britney is effective in the game, which she doesn't seem to be.

Team Mike Boogie (Frank, Jenn, Ian)

Mike Boogie is doing what he does best: psychological warfare. As the winner of All-Stars (who faked a showmance just to screw her over in the end), most people acknowledge him as a very dangerous player. And he's definitely using that to sway HoH Willie as best he can while also making sure Frank is his loyal disciple (it seems like Boogie doesn't even care about his other two team members). Boogie might be hated by the women, but he is very influential with the men, and if he can get Willie to defect away from Britney into his camp while keeping Frank alive for week 1, he could go far.

Team Dan (Kara and Danielle)

Dan is off to a rough start, losing Jodi right away and now facing a potential eviction of Kara. But that seems to be Dan's strategy, identical to what he did when he won. His team already looks like the underdog, the weak, injured bird that can't fly. While other HGs may want to get rid of his team, they don't really see Kara or Danielle as huge threats, either mentally or physically, so there's no real point.

Do you see what's going on here? This is the same thing Dan did during season 10, acting like a loner with no allies and no hope of winning just to float through the early weeks before dominating the game with his secret partner, Memphis, in the end. Dan could be playing possum again, or maybe he really is that week this time around. Either way, his perceived weakness and the fact that everyone seems to genuinely like Dan as a person might be big assets.


The four coaches of Big Brother 14 represent four distinct ways to play the game. There's the follower (Britney), the leader (Janelle), the intimidator (Boogie) and the possum (Dan). How the rest of the season unfolds may finally reveal which of those strategies is the best.