Big Brother - Season 9, Episode 25 Recap

Here we are once again for another edition of Big Brother. Tonight’s episode will not only show us the veto competition but the subsequent veto meeting, but lots and lots of footage of Natalie, Sheila, and other whining to Adam for his controversial decision to not put James up for nomination.

With that in mind, I have a Windsor/Coke prepared so I can play the Sheila/Natalie drinking game. Anytime Sheila mentions how “hard” this game is, or says the phrases “thank you” or “are you frickin’ kidding me”, I must take a drink. For Natalie, it’s mentions of the Bible, Team Christ, or “evil-doers”. I have a feeling I’ll be drunk within ten minutes.

After the recap, the whining immediately begins. Oh wait, even in the recap I must take two drinks from one sentence out of Natalie’s mouth. We start the reaction with Sheila. “I’m not happy about this. You could have chose anyone but me. What he did was devastating to me. I just would have never, ever done this to him.”

Sharon, who routinely volunteers to be put up, hugs Adam and says it’s ok. Ryan, though, is not so happy as he angrily walks past Adam. “Don’t be mad at me, all right?” he says. In the diary room, Ryan responds that “Adam’s nominations are very cowardly and spineless. This is going to totally screw me in the end.”

James is relieved that for a couple of days at least he’s not on the block. “(It’s) an extraordinary feeling. I don’t think people in this house know who I am. I gave my word to Adam that I won’t use the veto, and I want to show people in the house that I’m honest.”

Natalie pretends to congratulate James on not being on the block, and the key word is “pretend”. “My alliance is really pissed off at Adam right now because he didn’t nominate James. But there’s no harm for me playing both sides, because if James wins the veto he won’t come after me next week.”

Adam shakes James’ hand, and says in the diary room that he felt sorry for the guy because “he was really, really sobbing. I fell for the tears; I was a little bit choked up for the moment.” He acknowledges to James and Natalie, though, that Ryan is pissed.

He’s forgetting one other person who is also not happy with him at the moment, so it’s her cue to get off her bed to complain. Don’t worry; I have my drink in hand. Adam asks her if she understands why he made the move, and after saying yes Sheila adds that “I’d never have done that to you. But that’s ok. It’s a game. I can take it. I’m a big girl.” False alarm – no drink necessary yet.

Adam shares a smile with Sharon after that outburst, and Sharon tells us that “Adam has now made himself the biggest target in the house. Probably bigger than James at this point. It’s definitely the smartest move for me to sit back, let it ride out, and keep my mouth shut as I’ve done this entire game.” You think?

Oh wait, time to grab my drink again. Big Sheila’s back for more. “So you put me in a position where I need to win something. And I will. Thank you.” She goes on and on about how she’d “never have done this to you”. Adam tries to calm her down, but there’s no stopping Sheila when she’s on a roll. “I don’t need you to take me off the fucking block. You fucking put me on it! Durrrrrr!” (I should have put that non-existent word on my drinking list.)

Sheila’s not done yet, as she’s now letting off more steam in the bedroom with Ryan. “I can’t believe him.” We get even more “I would have never done that to him” lines, along with how Natalie or Ryan better win POV if she doesn’t. “Never” would have been a great word for tonight’s drinking.

It’s now Adam’s turn to tag in for the bitching session. “Adam’s an idiot if he doesn’t think that James would use the POV to save Sharon. Then that would force Adam to put myself or Natalie up, and then James and Sharon would control the house.”

He points this issue out to Adam as he’s asked once again if he’s mad at Adam. “If he wins POV you’ve got a great decision between me and Natalie.” “He says he’s not going to use it,” Adam counters, which James confirms. “You’re assuming the negatives. If you really want me out of here that bad, then get the POV and take Sharon or Sheila off the block.” “I’m just assuming that you’re going to take your girl off,” replies Ryan.

It’s later in the night, and while Sharon and Adam sit outside, the brain trust (Natalie, Sheila, Ryan) continue to bitch about Adam. “What the hell is wrong with him?” Sheila bitches, but Natalie tells everybody to calm down because they’re going to win POV and put Adam up next week. “That makes it easier for us three…to turn on him later.”

Meanwhile, Adam questions Sharon on whether James will use the POV to save Sharon. “I do not know what to tell you,” she answers. He asks her if he did the wrong thing, and Sharon gives an answer almost as smart as the last one. “I don’t know. I don’t know what the right or wrong thing is. You never really know.” Good girl. Adam now thinks he did the wrong thing.

After commercials, Adam is now asking Sheila what he was thinking. Oops, that’s the wrong person to ask. “I think I knew why you did it. I understood why you did it. I just thought, ‘wow, that’s really risky’. I just never thought it would be you that put me on the block. You know I wouldn’t do that to you.” Oh no, not that line again. Sheila agrees that he may have cost himself the game. “I want to believe in you. I really do”, but she can’t promise the others still trust him.

Adam goes off to kiss Natalie’s ass. “You’re going to have to win the POV to redeem yourself,” she tells him. Both Sheila and Natalie affirm that Ryan is pissed at him. “I’m a moron! Satan’s tongue got to me.” Ryan walks in, and Adam again apologizes. “I swear I’m going to make it up to you. I was not thinking, dude.”

This goes on for a few minutes before all of a sudden Natalie yells out that she’s “going to be warrior princess Natty!” WTF? In the diary room, the warrior princess goes back to her grade school voice to tell us she feels much better now that Adam has apologized, but “I’m still not ready to forgive him yet because it still puts me at a risk.”

Ok, now I’m pissed. At this point in the feeds, Natalie led the five of them in a completely ridiculous prayer asking for God to forgive Adam for messing up his nominations. Not only would that have been great comic material, but I’d have downed at least half of my drink.

Instead, the three girls are out in the kitchen, and suddenly Sheila believes he did the right thing. Natalie disagrees, and says it’s “because you’re safe”. She doesn’t believe for a second that James won’t save Sharon. Cue James to walk in, and he once again says that he won’t use the veto if he wins it. “That’s my word that I gave. I told Sharon straight up.”

As the conversation continues, Sheila goes up to the HOH to listen to Adam’s CD. “Don’t be talking smack about me.” Oh boy. Adam tells James that everybody is pissed at him, and Natalie tries to sugarcoat her concerns that James would use the POV. “It’s a trust issue still, but until that happens I’ll believe it when I see it.” Suddenly, Natalie’s open to James’ ideas, and claims that if he wins POV and doesn’t use it she won’t put him up next week. Yeah, right.

Sitting outside a little later with Sharon, James claims that the only person who will want to change the nominations is Ryan. “Natalie will want to change it. She wanted you out last week. Why would she leave you her this week? You took away Matt. That’s like shooting her in the foot.” Good point, Sharon. James informs Sharon that Natalie has said she wants to work with him, but that he needs to “keep it on the down-low”. Sharon says she’s “blown away” by this, and is understandably upset.

They continue this conversation as they’re lying in bed. “I’m not evil,” says James. “I hate this good versus evil thing. I just get really frustrated some times. Yeah, I have a Mohawk and tattoos, and I get angry, but I really don’t hate people.” “It’s just hard” is about all that Sharon has in response, and talk moves to how they miss Josh and Chelsia. It then becomes a bit over-the-top as the piano music comes in while Sharon sheds tears over missing home and Jakob. There’s no need to transcribe this sap.

It’s almost time for the veto competition, but first we have to see how Sheila is the mother figure of the house that’s supposedly constantly cleaning. “I feel like I’ve cleaned up after 14 kids. It’s beyond the Brady Bunch over here.” Yes, we get it, Sheila. You do all of the housework. “I just want a kickback for being the maid here for two months.” You’re always the martyr.

Finally, it’s veto time. Natalie is amazed by the palm trees and the “giant face made of stone and rock…it just looked like a desert paradise.” Oh boy. Adam babbles on some more about how important it is to win, as does James.

The contest involves a past event in the house, and the competitors must find a rock with the number that corresponds to the day of the event. Sheila already knows she’s in trouble, as she “never knows what day it is.” I’ll skip the obvious joke.

The first question involves the day Chelsia was evicted. Natalie says this “game is perfect for me. It’s based on numbers, and nobody counts more in this house but me. So I should win this game.” Again, oh boy. Sharon explains her strategy in figuring out which day Chelsia was evicted, and it’s even more confusing than Natalie’s play on the number nine.

James is taking his time picking his number, and finally is ready. The answer is day 49, and Ms. Numbers is the first eliminated because she’s the farthest off. Excuse me while I chuckle for a few minutes. “I thought I was 100% correct.”

Next we have a question regarding the day Amanda “fell ill”. James and Ryan are still both determined to win, and Sheila is still confused. Yeah, really? Were their quotes necessary? The answer was 16, and James and Sheila were both furthest away. Because James was ready first, it’s Sheila who is eliminated. Natalie’s starting to get nervous.

The next question is the day the couples split, and Adam knows that answer because “it was a monumental night”. Hahaha! Everybody picked 28 except for James, and everybody applauds as his dream is now over.

It’s all a bit anti-climatic as we finish up the competition. The next question involves the day Evel Dick came into the house, and Sharon is now evicted. Ryan and Adam conspire before the final question, with Ryan suggesting they both take the same answers but have Ryan kneel down first to win the POV. It’s rather fitting that the last question is the day of the mystery box. Ryan tells Adam to grab 35 before he kneels down first. Adam, though, picks 34 but since Ryan had the correct answer he won.

Sheila is ecstatic, but she’s especially happy that Ryan won because she still doesn’t trust Adam since he put her on the block. Get over it, girl! Sharon is also happy since they’re in a secret alliance, but she realizes that he’ll probably take Sheila down to not raise suspicions. James vows to continue to fight. Good luck with that idea, buddy.

Back from commercials, Sheila and Natalie are still celebrating. “(On) Matty’s birthday day, he’s gonna get his birthday gift.” (Suddenly, my stomach’s feeling a bit unsettled.) Ryan joins them in a silly little dance that I’m sure will make Joshuah wince. “See what a little Bible reading does for you there, buddy? Matty gets his birthday present.” Oh, time for a drink.

Later, Sheila sits outside with Sharon, and is informed of James’ claim that Natalie has been trying to work with him. Sheila can’t believe it. “Oh my god.” Sheila adds that “I know that ultimately she will betray me”. In the diary room, Sheila again plays the martyr role, saying that working with James shows her that Natalie “has no faith in me. I’m alone in this game. I trust only myself.”

Sheila begins working on her behalf by going up to Ryan to tell him that when it’s time for them to start turning on each other, it won’t be her that turns on him. ‘Not frickin’ me.” Ryan immediately knows she’s referring to Natalie.

James attempts to work on Ryan, who claims the decision falls on Adam. “I don’t know what I have to offer to the both of you.” After a brief silence, Ryan asks if Natalie has been approaching James with deals. “Yeah.” Ryan tells James that Natalie’s story is that he’s the one who is always trying to make deals with her. James tells him the POV story from earlier in this episode, and we have now some fake suspense into lead to the veto ceremony.

Now this long hour is almost complete, and we’re still led to believe that Adam is actually considering James’ offer. Sheila says she wants to stay to “prove to everyone that I really am playing a stronger game”. Say what? Sharon does her usual “whatever he decides, I’m ok with.” Adam then does as expected, and only Sheila is surprised that she’s been taken off the block. James is once again nominated, and as the episode ends he once again promises to keep fighting. Good luck with that, my friend.