Sunday, July 31, 2016

#bb18 Power Rankings(Week of July 31st)

What a wackadoodle week in the Big Brother House. By wackadoodle, of course I mean predictable because for the majority of the house the last week's outcome did very little to aid their game. A Frank ouster which what we were privy to last Thursday benefited very few and my rankings will clearly illustrate who I perceive has gained an advantage in the house. As always, feedback is recommended and I hope you thoroughly enjoy!


11.Natalie-On numerous occasions on Rob has a podcast last week, live feed correspondent Alex Kidwell referenced that in his humble opinion Michelle was, to steal a poker analogy "drawing dead" While I feel there a few entrants in the house that have been perma dealt a 7-2 off suit, Michelle still has time to see the turn and the river. Natalie on the other hand could be dealt any hand and misplay it. Her inclination to solely side with James, at least that's what the live television show is portraying  has her stuck between a rock and a hard place. Strategically, her downfall as mentioned has been following the footsteps of James because he's as clueless as they come. Bridgette's a lone wolf, someone who initially was in the "Spy Girl" alliance alongside Natalie which makes it extremely difficult not to scream at the television set yelling for her to come to her senses and reignite a fading friendship. Here's essentially my reasoning for ranking Natalie dead last, and try to follow if you can but her winning this first America's Care Package is the final nail in the coffin. She now has a false premonition that she's the most popular houseguest and her allegiance to James has endeared her to America. The truth of the matter is that the super fans out there are waiting a few weeks to reward a more enticing game oriented package to one of their favourites. James has invited her onto the RMS Titanic when in reality she thinks she's riding first class on the Gronk cruise. I genuinely feel bad for Natalie as this sweet innocent girl will be vacationing the rest of the summer under false pretenses and at best is playing for second place.

10.James-The general of what seemingly projects to be a failed duo between himself and Natalie. The "Jatalie" hashtag that is affectionately trending across North America is flattering as it's captured the hearts of the nation but conversely provided an adverse effect within the house as they've destroyed their games respectively and have become fodder for the rest of the house. As discussed ad nauseam, there was no reason whatsoever for James to target Frank. James wasn't on Frank's radar on the slightest and although pandering to the house's desires is admirable, unless you're in a position of power it ends up being a mistake and due to the fact that James is not in a power position, you can understand the detriment he caused to the not so "Dynamic Duo".James can recover if he can properly, which who are we kidding, he probably won't,benefit from te probable Da'Vonne demise. How can he do that you ask? When I assess the dynamics of the house, I'll suggest to you that if James can vocally stand up for Mamma Day in this plan to backdoor what it will prove is he exhibits loyalty and someone like Paulie who lives for loyal minions, he may take it as a sign of goodwill and re-amp his trust in James moving forward. James has never been one tot take a stand hense the second last ranking but if he puts his foot down I'd see no reason not to significantly elevate the prankster next week.

9.Bridgette-This is an interesting ranking on a few different levels. I didn't want to rank Bridgette too high with the oft chance she goes home this week which remains a distinct possibility. However, her survival this week could lead to a several week free pass as the house has turned as with the split by Paulie and by extension Nicole will have created chaos in the house and what will have happened is you'll see the likes of Zakiyah and Michelle come full force for the Paulie's of the world allowing Bridgette to be forgotten about. This is the week that Bridgette could win the game. This storyline has played out far too often on reality Television for me not be convinced that we could be seeing another reincarnation this season on Big Brother. This screams Natalie White on Survivor:Samoa or Todd Herzog on Survivor China where you have these respected but non-intimidating players that have their strategical games overlooked purely due to perceived innocence. Paulie gave a Big Brother 101 diary room session when he eloquently stipulated that Bridgette is now a number who has no allies.For all  purposes, Paulie has scooped her up which could potentially be beneficial to both but I firmly believe moreso to Bridgette. Paulie's ranking later on will shed some light on the type of game he is currently playing, which to reference the spoiler alert is vastly overrated. Could Bridgette bite the dust this week? 50/50 chance of that happening however the house just may  be making a colossal mistake holding on to the travelling nurse.

8.Da'Vonne-If we were ranking the most disingenuous people casted this summer, Da'Vonne is an unquestionable number one. At time I have a difficult time pinpointing my displeasure with Da'Vonne but to do my best breaking it down, she comes across as bigger then the game. Unless I'm wrong about her placement last summer in regards to Big Brother seventeen, she was the second one eliminated. HOw does one who had such a disappointing reign last summer hold such a high horse pertaining to her attitude. It's as if the game owes her something., No Da'Vonne, your egregious gameplay led to your demise in the summer of 2015 and will surely lead to a similar fate this summer. This has the making to be a carbon copy of Johnny Manziel's failed plea to reignite his NFL career. Earlier this week, and to refresh the memory of some when it comes to the former Cleveland Brown quarterback Manziel, he's dealt with a magnitude of drug and alcohol issues this past year and a half but approached the media this week claiming sobriety and a will to put the work in and resume his fleeting football career.........while at a bar. The message here is some people don't change. Manziel can't stay off the booz and no matter how much she believes it, Da will never be a quality Big Brother player.

7.Paulie-You know that person in your life that on the surface appears to have it all and you become jealous and want to start acting like that person? Well, according to this evening's edit on the Sunday show that's Paulie wanting to be Paul. I've seen very few edits in my day that have been less accurate as by no way shape or form does Paul have Paulie wrapped around his you know what. The predicament for Paulie is this, and I attempted to touch on this last week is that when you're still in the pre-jury stages, it's not advantageous to assert this much power in the house. Sure, it may have worked for Derrick but it didn't hurt that in Big Brother sixteen you had so many players that were willing to giftwrap their game to the cop. Okay, I know what you're thinking in that the competency level of this cast isn't much if it all better than that group of contestants but the point remains in tow that unlike Derrick, a lot of players and you know it's a sad state of affairs when even Natalie can pick up on the notion that Paulie is running thing. Paulie's game began to head south when he so publically elected to ingratiate Victor is newer, modern alliance at the expense of losing trust from some members that were responsible in the Frank eviction. Personally, I think it's a better game move for Paulie to  go to war with Paul and Victor but not when others have become skeptical and could conceivably use that distrust against him. I'm positive oddsmakers view him as the favourite to win but I'm not nearly as bullish as most.

6.Victor-For somebody that prior to their first eviction was so glaringly delusional, his time spent on the beach somewhere in Los Angeles has allowed him to reevaluate what his goals were and he's come back a new player. I haven't seen such a glowing transformation in an individual since  Edwin Encarnacion transferred from the Cincinnati Reds to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball. Even though Victor conquered a string of "Battle Back" competitions, it doesn't seem to of caused any kind of trepidation when dealing with Vic. In those first two weeks before he was evicted, it was honestly tough to watch as I'm not sure if he was prodded to say what he said in the Diary room but if it wasn't, his feel on his opposition was grossly offbase, but like I mentioned earlier in this summarization, he's turned it around impeccably. His stoic nature when vetoing the concept of putting himself up as a pawn beside Bridgette speaks volumes to his character. Are any of you slowly getting reminded of Fabio from Survivor Nicaragua? It's  a great comparison because both at the beginning of their seasons were just there to have a good time and fool around but as the season transitioned both became coherent strategists. The only difference of course it didn't take a boot for Fabio to figure it out. I'm not for a minute suggesting he'll win but he possesses the people skill and has an intriguing personality and speaks fluently to ascertain a thought that a Victor deep run isn't so far fetched as once believed.

5.Zakiyah-Very much like Bridgette, this ranking can exponentially rise if a couple different scenarios play themselves out this week. Zakiyah is in a vulnerable position because if she doesn't elect to go to bat for the house and turn on the house then all of a sudden she becomes public enemy of the house and could go out as early as next week. Conversely, if Zakiyah can "go to work" and attempt to convince the Paulie/Nicole leadership hierarchy that keeping Da'Vonne is in their best interest then I surmise she'll have repositioned herself into a enviable position. If the reports are true, which I have no doubt not to believe them, there was a falling out between Paulie and Zakiyah which could serve as the blessing in disguise she desperately needs.  Michelle is getting loads of hate on social media but her authenticity towards her bond with Zakiyah is legitimate and as much backlash as "Big Meesh" will receive in the post-season it's her loyalty that will assist Zakiyah in making the big moves against the people in their way. In my feed update that I received tonight I was brought to the attention that Michelle and Zakiyah were bashing Paul and as sad as it sounds, turning against Paul is one of the few ways where Z can graduate to winner contending status once again. With  Paul out of the picture, it strengthens the bond between herself and Paulie and if assessing the rest of the house is any indication, latching onto Paulie at least for the time being may be  a recommended premise.

4.Nicole-Similarly to what I just mentioned about Michelle, that synonymous hatred has segregated across America for Ms.Franzel as well. It's completely shocking being as how she was a finalist for America's favourite player in her first season but I think I've figured why this is, so please if you could let me indulge into this theory of mine. Nicole presents herself as this nerdy superfan. A superfan who unlike most has a captivating appearance but that's neither here nor there when you open up the Big Brother historian files, we've seen too many of these types of players come in and succeed and I think as a general statement we're starting to grow tiresome of this. From Steve Moses to Ian Terry to Sarah Hanlon to John Cochran is it possible that the reality television fandom is looking for a new type of winner and piles on rigorous criticism because it's no longer enjoyable to watch the quiet super fan weasel his or her way to the finale? I think there's some merit to this theory as think back to the  last few America's favourite player winners and you'll quickly agree with the notion that the more obnoxious one is the more love they receive. I mean, I posture that Paul is the likely candidate to receive the award this year and he's about as out there as one can be. As a gameplayer, Nicole's logic is mostly sound with the exception being that she's inherited a leadership position to early and will more then not succumb to a similar placement to where she finished on Big Brother sixteen.


3.Paul-Contrary to popular belief, I maintain that Paul has handled his H.O.H reign exceptionally well. The group meeting I'm led to believe he initiated to determine who will go up as the "pawn" was brilliant because it left no blood on his hands. Paul has created what could be construed as a cult following in the house and why....one word, personability. You can be the worlds best strategist(Dan and Derrick) but at the end of the day if you're not fun to be around, the majority will find a reason to send you out the door.Paul oozes charisma but let's discuss what he can do to further his standing in this game. The Paul/Paulie alliance has left him in a unwanted? position of power, I suggest possibly unwanted because Paul strikes me as an individual who'll do anything to revert the target from himself and by being all buddy buddy with the player who you might as well refer as the Tom Brady of Big Brother sixteen, it's bringing his name up in pertinent conversations more then he's comfortable with. Having Victor under his wing is propitious because you get the impression that there's nothing Paul can do within the confines of this game for Victor to cast a vote against him.  Now the  basic reason for why Paul is not ranked number one on this list has to do with Victor again. Unless I'm reading the situation wrong which I very well could be, would Paul actually chop Victor in favor of Paulie if the scenario arose? I genuinely believe it would which would be an unforgivable game move and for that reason I was hesitant to rank him in the top two. Number three for the second week in a row.


2.Michelle- The infamous "drawing dead" remark heard all across the Rob has a Website conglomerate is something, with apologies going out to Mr.Kidwell I have to strongly squabble with. Having  a communications background I would love to get on the podcast and go mano a mano with Alex arguing the (flawed) reasoning behind this tangent. We MUST differentiate perception from reality. Perception would  agree with Alex because she's receiving such a bad rap from the public eye that it can understandably cloud the judgment of those with an appreciation for the game. Inside the house, she's that lovable super fan who we as a viewing audience aren't caring but the peers inside are finding her charming unless your name's Bridgette. The one faux paus Michelle has made is not accepting Frank for who he was, someone that would've never come after her and would've likely coddled her until at least the final five. Also, and much more importantly it's realizing that her core alliance consists of a plethora of catty ladies who, not saying Michelle isn't, but their personalities are a lot more blunt which will provide difficulty to win jury votes against her. If it's Zakiyah v Michelle in the final two, or even Nicole v Michelle, I think the bluntness that Zakiyah and Nicole exude, and let's face it, neither is a great speaker could present Michelle with a nice fat $500,000 check come late September.

1.Corey- It was awfully kind of CBS to grant Survivor Gabon alumni Marcus Lehman a second chance at reality television. O right....it's not Marcus it's actually look alike Corey Brooks but as opposed to Marcus' plight, Corey stands  a great chance to win the game. The kinship he's built up with Nicole does wonders as he's virtually a target of no one. When somebody gains the kahunas and actually decides to target the pair, who's going to say Corey over Nicole??? Nobody! To climb further up this three, in a scenario where Corey and Nicole are pitted against one another and Nicole is inevitably sent home, it's apparent that Corey would then side with the bros and for example say he parlayed himself into a tight alliance with Paul and Paulie, who's being sent home, sure as hell ain't Corey. Corey has so many bases covered that it's no surprised he's affiliated with baseball. I do worry about jury management and his ability to sell his game but take it to the bank that at the very least, we'll be seeing Corey in the house on finale night.



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