Recap, Week 8 (8/29)
DANI OUT ON FANNY? Janelle Wins PoV, Dani on Block Janelle wins the PoV in an amazing single minute of mad competition, forcing Erika to choose a new nominee. The Black Widow is left to wonder what happened to her alliances as Chilltown work their magic on Erika and orchestrate Dani's nomination to the block. AND THEN THERE WERE SIX Even though she's on the block, Janelle is showing few signs of weakness, but admits privately, "I feel like they're definitely targeting me and not Chicken George. They definitely want me out of the house." George is shaking his head at Chilltown's ability to still be in the house after all this time. "How Chilltown made it this far, I have no idea," he marvels. Janey heads up to talk with Erika, telling her that if she wins the PoV this week, she will not be targeting Erika, but rather Chilltown. Erika considers the offer a good one and they agree to a deal. Will, Danielle and Boogie are playing cards in the backyard while they discuss the nominations. Will admits that since James' eviction, Danielle doesn't trust him any more, and he doesn't trust her. "Something's not adding up around here," Danielle sighs, "there's something wrong with this picture." THE WILL OF THE HOUSE GOES UP & DOWN Will is in heaven with the arrival of the trampoline. Danielle worries that he is going to hurt himself with his gusto for nonstop bouncing. "This is an accident waiting to happen," Chicken George sighs, watching Will do his best jumping-bean impression. Erika settles easily into the HoH Room, enjoying the comfort and privacy of her new digs while the rest of the HouseGuests scramble and scheme for survival. Danielle gets some early housekeeping out of the way, hitting up Erika with the ultimate question: "Are you going to take me to the Final Two?" Erika curls into her cushions and smiles, "Hell, yeah!" The girls discuss the dangers posed by the Chill boys, and confer on what they will do if they can win the PoV. Danielle suggests removing George from the block and replacing him with Will. Erika seems to like the idea and announces in the Diary Room that she would most likely replace George with Will if they win the PoV. Danielle is adamant about wanting Will out of the game. "I am salivating for this to happen," she declares, "to kick Will out of ALL-STARS." SANTA COMES TO BIG BROTHER Will dreams of Neil Patrick Harris. In fact, Harris is the Doc's favorite actor. Well, it just so turns out Harris is "a huge fan of the show" and pays an unexpected visit to the sleeping HouseGuests. Waking them up, Harris plays host to the house's Christmas in August celebration. Will is like a kid on Christmas morning, getting a hug from Harris himself. Janelle finds enjoyment in watching Will get so excited, grinning, "Will was so happy, because all he wanted for Christmas was Neil Patrick Harris." Will offers his hero a genuine BIG BROTHER: ALL-STARS experience by inviting him to try some slop. Bravely accepting the challenge, Neil Patrick Harris gingerly nibbles on his spoon and remarks, "Wow, that's all kind of nasty." George gets into the spirit as he decks himself out in full Santa suit and leads everyone outside to the Christmas tree. In the Diary Room, Neil Patrick Harris reveals, "The HouseGuests got a lot of clothes, which they need, because if I see Mike Boogie wear another Dolce shirt…. I mean, seriously." WHAT A SHOCK! In a shocking revelation, it turns out that the chicken man was indeed once hit by lightening, lightly frying his young body to a "smoky" state. Will and Boogie are electrified by the disclosure and the ramifications it may have on how they may use George in the game. Will cannot wait to ask the question on everyone's lips: "Did you have any super powers afterwards?" George cackles at the ridiculous query, chortling, "Come on Doc, I would have showed them by now." Meeting someone who has been struck by lightening is a first for Boogie, who looks at George in a new light, a brilliant flash of light, in fact. Will is a man with a plan. He talks with Boogie, who reassures him, "I'm going to drop the Danielle thing tonight." True to his word, Boogie starts to work on Erika as soon as she turns off the lights and snuggles in next to him in bed. As she kisses him, Boogie goes about explaining why Danielle needs to be dealt with this week, running through the final two vote scenarios that end with Danielle winning the game if Erika doesn't act now. "Wow, you really want me to PoV her? To put her up like that?" Snuggling in closer, Boogie nods. Erika doubts him a moment, sighing, "If I find out you're playing me, I'm going to kick your ass." Boogie shifts uncomfortably and deflects her suspicions before rolling over. THE EYES HAVE IT Erika asks the HouseGuests to assemble in the living room, and everyone pulls a number to determine their order in the PoV Competition. The housemates then retreat to their separate areas and wait until they're called to compete. Boogie is the first to play Two-Faced. In this Competition, partial images of two evicted HouseGuests flash on a large video screen in front of the players. The fastest player to recognize and correctly identify which two HouseGuests are represented each time will win the PoV. Boogie starts the clock and saunters over to the board,where the names of the former houseguests are listed. It is pretty obvious Boogie is not in a hurry to win. He finally finishes and Erika is next, but has trouble identifying certain features. She races in an attempt to win the PoV, but can only hope others are having trouble too. Will is next, but also has difficulties. George is more than a little challenged by the competition. Janelle races through the course, and Danielle competes last. "I really want to win it, possibly to save Janelle, possibly to get rid of Will." http://wwwimage.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother7/show/wk08/photos/tue04.jpg After everyone has competed, the HouseGuests assemble for the moment of truth. Who has won the PoV? As the times are revealed, the tension mounts, but finally, Janelle is declared the victor, winning her fourth PoV. Danielle hugs her, saying she is still positive about her chances, "Erika and I have this deal, and she told me she isn't going to put me up." Erika is now "stuck with the dilemma" of putting someone up in her place. "Yeah, it's a real dilemma," she frowns. SMOKIN' & SCHEMIN' APLENTY Janey is outside celebrating with a ciggie. "All right, who do we get rid of?" Erika asks as both puff away, adding, "Let's talk." The babes finish their ciggies and head inside. Boogie and Will smell blood in the water as they review the performance times. Will is all admiration as he admits, "Janelle is hands down the best reality competitor I've ever seen." Later, Boogie heads upstairs to work on Erika, to weaken her resolve to protect her girl-power partner Danielle. "We'll be your hit-men," Boogie tells Erika to relieve her guilt over nominating Danielle, adding, "At some point you're going to have to be bad, or you're going to finish fourth." When Will hits her with simple reason and numbers, Erika listens. "I don't know if it's time to turn on Danielle," she agonizes in the Diary Room. "It sucks." In the storage room, Danielle asks if Erika's putting her up for eviction. Erika says no, but then exits, claiming she has some thinking to do. Erika appeals to Janelle for advice, coaxing, "Give me some thoughts." Janey is relaxed and immediate in her response: "All three of them have to go." Erika knows there is a lot of truth in those words, but seems hesitant to act on her own. "Oh my God, they're going to hate me," Erika sighs. Janelle suggests Will is a good target this week, as he is just as dangerous as Danielle. Next, Boogie visits to reiterate the need to evict Danielle, but his confident smile freezes in place when Erika sighs, "It makes me nervous to keep you and Will together." Boogie dodges the bullet by kissing her, cooing, "It's going to be fine, don't stress out. You're America's Choice." COLLATERAL DAMAGE Erika is an emotional wreck, frowning, "I have to choose between two people I am aligned with." Danielle joins her by the pool. After a moment of silence, Erika tells Danielle softly that she cannot beat her in the Final Two, adding, "You are just too strong a competitor to keep in here." Erika is crying as Danielle gets up to leave, sighing, "Okay, that's fine." Later that night, Danielle doesn't appear to be "fine" and complains, "It doesn't make any sense to nominate me." Smoking nearby, Erika watches as Dani rants at George, who gets more and more uncomfortable being in the middle. Danielle approaches Erika, beginning to yell. "You put me up," she accuses. "You won't get my vote, because I gave you my heart, Erika…. You nominating me is the ultimate betrayal." Erika heads inside, mumbling, "Oh my god, I can't do this." Running to find Will, Erika wakes him up. "Danielle is hysterical," she whispers as they sequester themselves into the HoH Room. Will consoles her as Danielle makes her way upstairs, ringing and ringing at the HoH door as Erika and Will ignore her from inside the HoH bathroom. Will proposes there may be worse to come, suggesting, "If she's like this now…." Will is determined not to let Danielle's voice be the last one Erika hears before the Veto Ceremony. Good to his word, Will curls up next to Erika to keep watch over her all night. ALL ROADS LEAD TO CHILLTOWN Next morning, Janelle considers the Veto Ceremony. "The last 24 hours have been complete chaos," she observes. "Danielle lost her mind." Janelle is cheerful as she calls everyone to the living room and commences the Veto Ceremony. To no one's surprise, she uses the Veto on herself, and Erika names the replacement nominee. It is Danielle, who takes her seat next to George. Still livid about her nomination, Danielle snarls, "Shame on me for trusting her!" Chilltown are sitting pretty, controlling the two strongest women in the house with "showmantic" relationships. Janelle is safe for another week, but how much longer will she maintain her winning status? Danielle is the unexpected new nominee for eviction. Will the HouseGuests send her or George to the Jury house this week? Find out in the next LIVE episode when not just one, but two HouseGuests will be sent packing, on BIG BROTHER: ALL-STARS, Thursday, August 31, 8pm ET/PT, only on CBS. http://www.cbs.com/primetime/bigbrother7/show/wk08/tue01.shtml

Big Brother: All-Stars, August 29 - When What to My Wondering Eyes Should Appear? by Sandy Lamparello -- 08/30/2006 The days are growing short in the Big Brother: All-Stars house! There have been three evictions in the past 12 days and the remaining houseguests are scheming and changing strategy minute-by-minute. There’s a veto competition to be held—will the results affect the nominations? Sandy’s back to bring you all the details! Hello Big Brother fans! Did you miss me? I’ve been on special assignment checking out the RealityNewsOnline West Coast offices, conveniently located on the beach in Southern California. Rested and refreshed, I’m back to take you through the home stretch of Big Brother: All-Stars! Voiceover guy recaps everything we’ve seen up to now. Six houseguests remain in the house. HOH Erika has nominated Janelle and George for eviction. It’s day 54 in the Big Brother house. Cue the theme music! Black and white video shows Mike pulling Will’s key out of the cheesewheel of fate. Erika nominated Janelle and George. Janelle is a huge threat, and George would be a vote to keep her in the game. George carries the cheesewheel as Janelle puts her head down on the table and then gets a hug from Erikia. Our picture turns to color and Janelle says when she was nominated and Erika told her she admired her and “all that crap,” she really wasn’t all that grateful, she was more annoyed. She feels like they are targeting her over Chicken George, and they want her out of the house. Ya think? George says being in the hot seat is really not that bad. He’s used to it and was expecting it. Erika put Janelle up because she is an awesome competitor. She’s a threat to win the game and Erika is trying to take out the players she doesn’t thinks he can beat in the end. Will says any time Chill Town is not nominated he is thrilled. He doesn’t know how Mike did it, but through his “showmantical work” he got Erika to not nominate them. He’d rather keep Janelle than George, but as long as it’s not him or Mike, he doesn’t care, anyone can leave. George mimics bowing down to Mike and says, “There’s still a lot of Chill left in the Town.” He wonders how that is possible. Mike says George idolizes Chill Town and of everyone he knew what Will and Mike could do. They are deadly and have knocked a lot of people out of the game and George is onto them. George marvels that the others are not messing with Dr. Will, instead going after “some guy who wears bearded chicken necklaces.” Will says George has won an HOH and a veto competition, while Will has won nothing. George is much more deadly than he is. Riiiight. Janelle and Will talk in the bathroom and Will tells her to go upstairs and talk to Erika, and give her a hug and tell her it’s OK. Which, of course, Janelle does. She tells Erika she doesn’t want her to be upset and Erika says she is and it kills her. Janelle says she is going to go after the power of veto and if she wins it she will not come after Erika next week, she’s still going after the people who took out her friends. Janelle continues that she doesn’t really have anyone left in the house and she would like to work with Erika if possible, if she stays of course. Erika doesn’t seem too excited by this plan, as Janelle continues that she is going to go after Chill Town, she’s sick of them and the way they’ve been playing everyone. It’s a fib (no, really?) but she thinks Erika might believe her. They hug as diary room Erika says she’ll take that deal. She can’t be serious. Nighttime. Danielle, Will, and Mike are out on the red couches, playing cards and talking. Will asks if there would be any benefit to keeping Janelle over George. Danielle asks if he’s lost his mind, then says no. Mike remains quiet. Danielle asks why Will would consider that and he replies that he’s not. Diary room Will says his relationship with Danielle is strained, and since the ouster of James she has become very suspicious of him. Danielle seeks confirmation that they are taking Janelle down and Will says he hopes so. Diary room Danielle wonders if something is going on—Janelle seems to be working with Chill Town and Erika won’t nominate Chill Town. Something is wrong with this picture. The houseguests emerge from inside lockdown to see the trampoline they won in the last food/luxury competition has arrived! Will is the first one to run out and start jumping on it. He plays on it like a little kid, and Mike joins him. Mike calls it the “pimpoline, the pimp trampoline.” Will jumps high up over the protective net as the others stand by waiting for the inevitable injury to occur. More Will trampoline footage. In the HOH room, Danielle asks Erika if she plans to take her to the final two. Erika says yes and Danielle says she plans to take Erika to the final two as well. She swears on her kids and says she always tries not to say that to people because she doesn’t want it to come back and bite her. So Erika can know that she is giving her word. Diary room Danielle feels that Erika is her strongest ally in the house, they strategize so much with each other and they think of every single option. Do I hear the twinkling bells of the foreshadowing fairies? They discuss Chill Town, and Danielle recycles Roddy’s nickname and says Will is the devil. Complete with little finger horns on top of her head. She proposes they win veto, remove George from the block, and put Will up. She and George will vote to evict him and it will be two to one and Will will walk out the door. Erika says it makes sense but in the diary room says she is technically part of Chill Town so she has a dilemma. It all goes back to who she thinks she can beat in the end. Danielle says her ultimate goal is to kick Will out of the house. She tells Erika “Danielle from Big Brother 3 is back! It’s time for Christmas in August! Will lays in bed as we see black and white clips of him talking about his favorite actor, Neil Patrick Harris. He says How I Met Your Mother is the best show on television. And who should sneak into the yard, wearing a Santa hat and bearing brightly wrapped Christmas gifts? None other than Neil Patrick Harris! There is already a Christmas tree in the yard with gifts around it, and he adds to it. In the diary room, Neil says he is very excited to be in the Big Brother house, he is a HUGE fan of the show and All-Stars is the best season ever. He enters the house and takes a tour, turning on the lights and saying, “Ho, ho, ho! Rise and shine everybody! Merry Christmas!” The ladies scream and Will gets out of bed to shake Neil’s hand and give him a hug. Neil tells them he is their secret Santa for the day as he hugs the other houseguests. Will tells Neil that he is a huge fan of his show (I am too) and Neil says he heard. They eat breakfast (or maybe it’s lunch, hard to tell) as Janelle explains that they won Christmas in August during the luxury/food competition. All Will has ever wanted was to meet Neil Patrick Harris, so he’s already won. Neil says he feels like he won some kind of a contest and Will jokes that they need security, there is some kind of a stalker in the house. Neil asks if the table keeps getting smaller and they tell him yes. He asks how many days are left and they tell him 24. Neil partakes of some slop, proclaiming it, “All kindsa nasty!” Will says it’s amazing for them because it’s been 60 days (well not quite, but close) since they’ve seen another person. Neil says he’s thrilled to be the other person. George says having Neil come into the house was a really good Christmas present. In the storage room, George dresses in a Santa suit that Neil gives him. Neil hands out the presents and says they all got clothes, which apparently they desperately needed. He says, “If I see Mike Boogie wear a Dolce shirt one more time on the show… really!” George gets new sneakers and is excited by the cool star they have on them. Neil says George is a little “simple.” Janelle gets a new bra and panties and Neil is mesmerized by her radiance. Everyone finishes opening gifts and heads to the trampoline, Neil included. Everyone says it made their day to have Neil there as he hugs everyone and leaves. Will is beside himself with glee at having the trampoline AND Neil Patrick Harris, and asks what’s next. He says, “I’m gonna win the show!” In the workout room, Will and Mike listen to George talk about how he was hit by lightning. Will says that was a life-altering event and it also explains his “unique behavior.” George continues his story, saying they told him about side effects but nothing was ever the matter with him. Cue shots of George in bizarre costumes. Mike asks how it is that they’ve been there 60 days and he hasn’t told that story yet. George says it was a long time ago. Will asks if he had any super powers afterwards and George says no, he would have showed them by now if he did. Mike says George is one of five people in the way of him winning all the marbles in this game, and if George has already been struck by lightning, what are the odds of him winning? Not great because lightning doesn’t strike twice. The guys laugh in the workout room. Will says he would like to get Danielle out of the house, and to that end he proposes removing Janelle from the block through the power of veto. He mentions the plan to Janelle, and says he is going to get Mike to convince Erika to put Danielle up in her place. Janelle loves the idea, of course, and is only worried that Danielle herself may win veto. Will starts to leave and tells Janelle he doesn’t want people to see them talking. Janelle protests that she has nobody to talk to as they leave the room. Will and Mike talk about their plan in the HOH room. Will tells Mike how to convince Erika to nominate Danielle and Mike says he is going to drop the idea tonight. It’s bedtime! But first, Erika wants to talk to Mike about the game. He says that’s fine. Erika says Janelle has to go this week, and Mike or Will have to win HOH next week and put Danielle up. Mike says there is no doubt both of them have to go but she has to be prepared to maybe have Danielle go this week. As he tells her this, he hugs her tight, using all his “showmantical work” to his benefit. They kiss a few times as Mike continues to explain his plan, saying that if Danielle is up against anyone but Chicken George in the finals she will win. Erika seems trouble by this and again says if she finds out he is playing her she is going to kick his a$$. Guess she better get her boots ready… It’s time for the veto competition! Since we’re down to six houseguests, there is no Wheel O’ Veto, nor is there any picking of balls from a bag, though Erika is holding the bag for some reason. They will play for veto one at a time, and they must all go to separate rooms until Big Brother calls them out to play. Danielle is in the red room, Janelle is in the diary room, Will is in the workout room, George is in the storage room, and we don’t see where Mike or Erika are. Mike is first up to play. He heads out to the yard, where a platform is set up. The competition, “Two Faced,” is once again similar to a past season’s competition. There is a screen on the platform upon which will appear various facial features of two houseguests. When the competitor knows whose faces are being shown, he or she must run over to the board and light up their names, then press a button at the other end of the platform. The houseguest who gets all five pairs right in the shortest time wins the power of veto. The houseguests named on the board are the evictees: Howie, James, Nakomis, Alison, Kaysar, Diane, Jase, and Marcellas. The first pair shows up one feature at a time. Mike focuses on the eyes, which are blue, and says there are very few of them in the house who have blue eyes. He guesses Alison and Jase, and he is correct. The second pair flashes on the screen, and after seeing an eye and a smile, Mike guesses Howie and Diane, which is also correct. For the rest of the competition, Mike intentionally goes very slowly so he will not win veto. He doesn’t want to put himself in a position to make Erika angry by removing one of her nominees from the block. He finally gets the final pair of James and Jase and heads inside. Erika is up next. She correctly gets Alison and Jase, Howie and Diane, Nakomis and someone (they are going so fast I can’t see who she is picking), and ends up with James and Jase. She heads inside. Will is the next player. He actually wants to win this one, so he can remove George from the block and follow through with the evict Danielle plan. He correctly guesses Alison and Jase, and a few others, then runs into some trouble before getting James and Jase for the last pair. George takes his turn at the game! He’s very nervous about playing and makes several wrong guesses (at one point the clock shows 14 minutes!) on just the first pair. It’s well over 20 minutes by the time he finishes. Janelle says she is very stressed and nervous so she’s been sleeping all day. I’m so over the off-the-shoulder shirts she’s been wearing. She correctly guesses Alison and Jase, Howie and Diane, James and Marcellas, a pair we don’t get to see, which is Nakomis and someone, and James and Jase. Danielle is the last to play and says she feels safe but she may want to win it to possibly save Janelle and get rid of Will. You hear those fairies? She gets Alison and Jase, and then we see her ending with James and Jase. It’s time to find out who won the power of veto! George’s time was 24:23. Erika’s time was 1:51. Will’s time was 3:19. Janelle’s time was 1:00. Danielle shoots her a gaze that would surely kill her if looks could do such a thing. Will pretends to throw a tantrum as Janelle says she didn’t think she did that well. Danielle’s time was 1:23, and Mike’s time was 7:42. Janelle wins the power of veto—AGAIN! Unlike last year, I refuse to name the power after her. Call it sour grapes if you want but that’s my final decision. Janelle hugs Danielle and celebrates. Danielle says she has a deal with Erika and she hopes it sticks. Will says he hopes that Erika will nominate Danielle. Erika says it’s a real dilemma for her to have to choose who to nominate in Janelle’s place. Scheming takes place as everyone marvels at Janelle’s ability to win competitions. Will says she is the best reality competitor he has ever seen. Mike and Will go into the storage room and beat each other with a pillow to celebrate the coming together of their plan. Mike has to work on Erika, because her showmance and his best friend don’t want to go on the block, but Danielle is her best girl friend in the house. Mike and Will get to work. Erika doesn’t want to put Danielle up but they tell her they will be the hitmen. Erika says she is playing emotionally and she doesn’t know what to do, but Will and Mike will help her decide what to do. Which, of course, is what THEY want to do and what is best for them. They promise her that she will be part of Chill Town if she follows through with their plan. She doesn’t know if now is the time to turn on Danielle, and asks Mike about nominating Will. Mike says she shouldn’t do that, and she asks him if he will take her to the final two. He says he thought they’d have a conversation about that down the road, and she says that his loyalty is to Will. Wouldn’t it be great if once, just once, SOMEONE actually carried through on their doubts about Chill Town’s veracity? And these are supposed to be the All-Stars? Erika and Danielle talk in the storage room. Danielle asks if Erika is putting her up and Erika says no. Danielle, however, is still wary of their deal. Erika says she has to think and they leave the storage room. Erika talks to Janelle in the HOH room. She says she doesn’t know what to do. Neither of them thinks they can beat Danielle in the finals, and Janelle says the guys kinda suck. They laugh and Erika says if she takes Danielle out then Janelle will have to team up with her to go against Chill Town. She asks Janelle if she should do that, or take Will out instead. Janelle says Will sucks and Erika says maybe he’s throwing the competitions. Janelle says no, he sucks. She continues that she is not really working with anyone right now, but she is not coming after Erika next week and is looking forward to working with her. They hug and Janelle leaves. Erika next invites Mike up to the HOH room. He asks what she and Janelle talked about and Erika says everyone agrees that Danielle is the biggest threat in the house. Mike says both Danielle and Janelle are the front runners to win the game. Erika asks about Will, saying he is a very dangerous player. Mike says Will doesn’t do s**t but Erika says it makes her nervous that the two of them are together. She feels like she will be “the Diane” and it will once again be “bros before hos.” Mike asks what her alternative is. Erika wonders whether right now is the timing to do it and Mike says the colored pictures are dwindling. He gives her a kiss and tells her not to stress out, she’s America’s Choice. Gag. More strategizing, Erika cries, and decides to tell Danielle that she is going to put her up. Erika says she can’t beat her at the end of the game and she hopes she understands that. More tears, but Danielle says it’s fine. She gets up and heads inside. That night, she drinks heavily while in the hot tub and rants to George about Erika. She says she is working with Chill Town. Erika comes out and Danielle continues to rant. Erika says nothing has happened yet but Danielle says she told her that she is going to be nominated. Her nominating her is ultimate betrayal, because Danielle believed in her and it hurts. Erika heads inside and gets Will up. She tells him Danielle is hysterical and they head to the HOH room to talk. They put the spy screen on to watch for Danielle, who does in fact come up. She knocks on the door and rings the bell repeatedly but Erika and Will ignore her. They go into the HOH bathroom to talk but Danielle refuses to give up. Will reminds Erika that sooner or later everyone has to go. Drunken Danielle continues to try to get into the HOH room, to no avail. It’s veto ceremony time! Surprising nobody, Janelle removes herself and Erika nominates Danielle in her place. Danielle is wearing dark sunglasses. I wonder why. Heh. Will smirks as he sees his plan, once again, come together perfectly. Erika gets choked up as she says she hopes that Danielle will reconsider her feelings and what she said (about not voting for Erika if she is in the final two), because she respects Danielle as a person and as a player. Danielle remains silent. So, there it is. Danielle and George are facing eviction. Danielle is angry, because she had Erika’s back, but shame on her for trusting Erika. Erika knows Danielle feels betrayed and it’s really really hard. Mike and Will have another one of their stupid diary room phone conversations and gloat about getting their showmances to do their bidding.