The idea that there are seven houseguests on Big Brother 14 is laughable. In reality there is one HG and six playthings for his amusement. It’s Dan’s world and everyone else is just living in it. In this episode he finally wins a competition and uses it to completely manipulate each and every player so that everyone hates everyone else and he gets away smelling like a rose.

For the past two days I’ve rewatched all of Big Brother 10 to remind myself of Dan’s greatness, and even though he’s playing a slightly different game, it’s really the same. He’s still playing with people’s minds, making them trust him when they absolutely should not. Heck, Dan even resurrects the Renegades, his two-man alliance with Memphis. The fact that he’s allowed to do this without anyone noticing is ridiculous and a testament to how amazing he truly is.

After the Nominations

Frank and Jenn claim Ian’s nominations are purely personal, which, of course, they’re not. We also have to suffer through another round of Jenn getting fired up about how she thinks she’s the target. It’s hilarious how cocky she is, thinking that she’s a real threat when, in reality, she’s an utterly useless floater that everyone in the house would LOVE to sit next to at the end.

Frank takes it a lot better, thinking that he’s “golden” because he’s in an alliance with Dan and Danielle and has a Final 2 deal with Dan. If he’s such a huge Big Brother fan, how does he not remember that Dan NEVER sticks to his word? I think when the game is over he and Ollie should get matching shirts that say “I Trusted Dan and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt.”

The best part is that because Ian pulled out Dan’s key last, Frank thinks Dan would be a replacement nominee, so Frank considers throwing the Power of Veto competition to Dan so his Final 2 deal partner doesn’t get backdoored. Which is EXACTLY what Ian wanted Frank to think when he purposefully put Dan’s key last.

The Power of Veto Competition

It’s Otev, the Absent-Minded Alien! The HGs must find corn with the answers to Otev’s riddles. I prefer the Broadway Clam from season 12, but the annual Otev challenge is always good for a totally random and absurd competition full of aliens, corn fields, hay and barbed wire.

Danielle is out first and Shane tells her NOT to hug him because she’s so sticky from the competition. I’m sure that didn’t hurt her feelings at all.

Ian is out second and he’s ashamed that he lost to Joe. That’s mean, but understandable.

Joe is out third and he’s upset because he claims crawling around in goo and dirt is in his wheelhouse. That’s not something to brag about.

Jenn is out fourth, so it’s down to Dan and Frank. Dan tries to get Frank to throw it, but he ultimately refuses because Frank has trust issues, as well he should.

Dan wins the Power of Veto! So his first win of the season is a PoV competition that featured hay, just like in season 10 (when he won during the double eviction).

The Power of Veto Ceremony

After winning the Power of Veto, Dan goes to Ian to form Renegades 2.0, which was the name of his “to the end” alliance with Memphis from season 10. That’s perfect for Ian, because he’s such a super fan that being a part of the Renegades (complete with the double slap finger guns) makes him so happy. Dan is almost gloating in the diary room when he talks about how this is his third Final 2 deal, alongside Danielle and Frank.

Dan’s plan is to use the Power of Veto on Jenn (to pay her back for last week and to earn her loyalty and trust). He then manages to convince Ian that this is a good idea for him while making sure Frank and Jenn think it’s best as well. This is almost on par with his replacement nominee roulette game from season 10, where he knew EXACTLY what he was going to do, but he got all of his ducks in a row first to ensure maximum chaos and minimum blowback on him.

And that’s just what he does. Dan convinces Frank and Ian that he’s working with each of them while also making sure they act like they hate him to disguise their alliances.

At the end of the day, Dan uses the Power of Veto to save Jenn, claiming it’s to repay a debt, and Ian acts like he’s angry about this before nominating Joe.

Tomorrow night it’s a repeat of five weeks ago with Frank and Joe on the block. Only this time there’s no reset to save Frank. And it’s a second live double eviction episode!

(Image courtesy of CBS)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire DiariesSupernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.