Originally Aired Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Episode Rating: ****1/2 (four and a half out of five stars)
Episode Overview: An all-important Power of Veto competition is held before a surprising live eviction.
Episode Highlights:
Howie goes on a (possibly) staged rampage at the jury house.
Erika and Janelle, finally, become aware of their position in the house.
The Good Doctor says farewell.
Recap:
Man, it just feels like CBS wants this season to end, what with three evictions in three episodes. Tonight is a special live show and Julie Chen welcomes us, curiously clad in fatigues. Before we get to the HouseGuests, let's check in on the sequester house, shall we?
With a hurricane on it's way to pound Cabo San Lucas, the evicted Big Brother All-Stars are moved to another jury house, this one in an undisclosed location. Howie and Marcellas fight over...um, actually I'm not sure. Howie throws out a number of personal attacks to which Marci gamely responds with some slurs of his own. Howie splashes water on Marcellas. Take that!
Danielle arrives, much to the chagrin of James. He is genuinely upset that Danielle still isn't in the game. It's almost touching. Chicken George arrives covertly, bearing DVD's of action from the Big Brother house. They all sit down to watch it and, out of nowhere, Howie flips out and starts berating George. Seriously, Howie goes freaking insane. This might be 'roid rage, this might be staged, this might be symptoms of a severe mental breakdown of America's number one man-child. Who knows? The fact is George doesn't deserve to get personally attacked by a buffoon on national television for no apparent reason.
(All this sequester stuff feels staged. We know this. But to what degree? Are they literally directed, told where to stand, what to say, how to react? It feels that way. Danielle's entrance could have been filmed numerous times, and Howie may have done a number of flip-out takes. I really couldn't care less about the sequester house and if you have to stage drama, than the whole concept isn't worth it.)
ChillTown, with Mike as HoH, feels comfortable with their position, no matter who wins Power of Veto. They think that either Janelle or Erika would vote the other out.
The Power of Veto competition again uses the cubicles to separate the HouseGuests from each other. On the wall in front of each HouseGuest is a ten-pointed star, each point bearing a fact that pertains to one of the evicted HouseGuests. Behind the HouseGuests is a tub of colored water, in which are circles with the picture of one HouseGuest. The contestants must retrieve the pictures and place them on the star accordingly.
Not a terrible challenge, but if you don't know whose going to win before the competition starts , you haven't been watching this season. Janelle, of course, is victorious.
Erika immediately begins working on Janelle, now that she holds the only vote for the next eviction. If one had to choose the exact moment the tide turned on Big Brother 7: All-Stars, this would be it. Janelle and Erika, together, gain a little self-awareness for the first time. They finally realize the degree to which they've been played. The hardest part for them is, not surprisingly, admitting they've been manipulated to such a large degree.
At the live eviction, Janelle evicts Will, much to the surprise of Boogie, but not to Will. Will seems pretty angry as he exits the Big Brother house, and I'm of the belief that Will is far more competitive than he lets on. Julie has a long interview with Will where he says all the right things, and he is far more comfortable in front of a camera then Julie Chen. CBS, hire Will as new host. The show would become far more enjoyable. Please.
Time for part one of the three part final Head of Household competition. Since it is the last one, the outgoing HoH (Boogie) is allowed to compete. The winner of part one moves on to part three automatically, while the other two contestants compete in part two for a spot in the final comp. There is a large volcano set up in the backyard, with wall-climbing grips attached to the bottom. The contestants must stand on the grips and hold on to a large metal key that juts out of the volcano.
In a fairly bad-ass move, almost immediately after the competition starts, Mike asks Julie, “Do you remember Richard Hatch?” and then jumps off the volcano, continuing, “They both have to take me to the final two.”
Janelle is so shocked that she takes one hand off the key and is eliminated.
Hmm, crazy episode. Will is gone and that is upsetting, but Boogie is a man on a mission and we'll see if he can step out of his friend's shadow.
- Oscar Dahl