Couples are dangerous in Big Brother, everyone says it. There is an alliance that is even more dangerous than a pair and it’s a trio. Currently there exists a three-headed monster in the Big Brother 17 house. Their names fit together so perfectly for an alliance you could argue it was divine province. In reality they’re so annoying and vain it’s more like their bond was forged in the depths of hell. It’s Austin and the twins, Liz and Julia, or more succinctly the AusTwins. Though the alliance between these three is incredibly tight no one, moronically, seems to be targeting them.

Warning! This article contains spoilers from the Big Brother 17 Live Feeds.


Vanessa Is The Reason They’ve Lasted This Long


The reason for the AusTwins continued survival is pretty easy to pinpoint. Their lives in the game can almost solely be attributed to Vanessa. Liz and Austin also had back to back Head of Households runs. Those two are also not bad at competitions in general. Julia is a different, much less successful, story. It’s not their competitions skills though, it’s all about Vanessa. 

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The AusTwins aren’t playing a terrible game. They have a severely self-inflated sense of ego but they’ve done well for themselves. The biggest strength of their game is positioning Vanessa in front of them as a shield. Johnny Mac stated it well in his own stuttering and guffawing way when he was evicted. The AusTwins make deals that they’re going to work with people and agree that Vanessa is dangerous. When it comes down to crunch time though they stab their “friends” in the back, send them out the door and leave Vanessa still in the game. Somehow for the past three weeks, this strategy has worked. The remaining players in the Big Brother house remain blissfully unaware of the AusTwins’ treachery and blame everything on Vanessa. 

Vanessa is a dangerous player no doubt and she probably should be voted out if other people stand a shot at winning the game. With only eight players left in the Big Brother house the solid trio of Austin and the twins are the far bigger threat for now. They not only have three shots to win Head of Household each week. (OK since Julia is one of the three it’s more like two and a half.) They’re almost half of the house by themselves. The AusTwins’ numbers give them the controlling majority of who will be evicted each week for the foreseeable future. 

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Could Julia Go Home in Week 10?


The luck of the AusTwins might be finally running dry. We know from the live feeds, James won the Power of Veto and pulled himself off the block. Vanessa was forced to name a replacement so she nominated Julia but Vanessa still wants Meg out of the house. Vanessa knows she’s at the bottom of the Austin Angels alliance but she’s too paranoid to not have that option open for her in the future. What’s best for Vanessa might not be in the best interest of the rest of the house.

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There’s very little argument to be had over if John, James and Steve should vote Julia out of the house over Meg. Even though there is no official alliance between John, Steve, Meg and James it’s clear they’ve all been the Big Brother 17 outcasts for quite some time. If they evict Julia they could bond together and be the new voting majority. Though Vanessa has a final three alliance with John and Steve, the two guys would probably be better served making a final four deal with Meg and James. They would all have the best shot winning that way.

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There is no doubt from the Diary Room sessions and Jury House segments that Vanessa’s game play has impressed the most people. It’s unlikely that anyone could win against her in the final two. Against each other, John, James, Meg and Steve have a fighting chance. If James, Steve and John evicted Julia, it would not only break up the AusTwins but benefit their Big Brother game in the long run.

Is There Hope for the AusTwins Still?


Steve, James and John should evict Julia but that doesn’t mean they will. John and Steve would be foolish to appease Vanessa and vote out Meg. They would leave a major threat to their game and just momentarily please someone who is notoriously fickle. They, Steve in particular, might be too scared of Vanessa to go against her though. John and Steve know the wrath of a Vanessa scorned better than anyone in the house. Vanessa probably needs John and Steve more than they need her but the guys might not want to anger their new ally by evicting her pawn.

Even if Julia does go home, Austin and Liz still have a solid chance of making it to the end. Of the remaining pairs left, they have the most combined Head of Household wins. They’re egomaniacs but Austin and Liz do have some competition wins to back up their inflated sense of self. Julia was nothing but a number to their cause, she’s never won a PoV or any competition really. The only time Julia was Head of Household when she was posing as her sister in the beginning of the game. Liz is the one who actually won earned that position. Liz and Austin are the real threats of the AusTwins. Losing Julia would weaken them but only a bit, the core of the AusTwins remains. 

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Maybe Vanessa will flip and Julia going home will be all but certain. It wouldn’t be the first time Vanessa stabbed an ally in the back. Maybe John and Steve will decide it is in their best interest to align with James and Meg. They’ve talked about doing it before. Maybe Julia will persuade her fellow Big Brother houseguests to keep her. Yeah… probably not.

The AusTwins have been more lucky than shrewd up in Big Brother 17. If the house doesn’t recognize them as a threat and starting targeting them maybe one of the AusTwins deserves to win Big Brother 17. Everyone else would just be too foolish to earn the cash prize.

But what do you think? Is Julia going home in Week 10? Are the AusTwins the new public enemy number one? Or are they collectively playing the best game? Could one of them win Big Brother? Or is a new power alliance of John, James, Steve and Meg about to form?

Big Brother airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 8pm and Thursdays at 9pm on CBS.  

(Images courtesy of CBS)

Derek Stauffer

Contributing Writer, BuddyTV

Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.