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Redemption is a classic story arc in entertainment. Some of the oldest storytelling involves a character who experiences a major life change and vows to change their ways for the better. It is ingrained into our collective psyche to enjoy the idea that the person who reforms and repents becomes worthy of whatever reward they receive.
In that sense, the fan response to Rachel’s winning Big Brother 13 should be pretty easy to predict. People like a comeback story, and Rachel has certainly filled that quote. From the time she was split from her fiance, she became a new player. That person, the Rachel that won Big Brother tonight, had managed to do something that few thought possible at the start of the season- she redeemed herself.
With the end of the season nigh, events in the Big Brother House are speeding forward. This week was no exception, and fans of the show and feeds saw major events happen in the span of two days.
The end of the week saw two evictions, Kalia and Jordan. In both cases the writing could be seen on the wall, but in one case the writing was apparently not in a language the extremely verbose observer could understand. In the other, the writing had been there and read thoroughly for weeks.
In the end, Shelly can only say she did it to herself. During almost the entirety of the season to date, Shelly was able to manipulate her way through multiple alliances without garnering any real blowback. She masterfully weaved a tapestry of game play that saved allies and caused chaos for in-house enemies without her face being seen as the target- until one week ago.
It was a move Shelly made nine days ago that sealed her fate. By moving from her initial vote-switching target of Adam to Rachel, Shelly made her game moves transparent. Suddenly, her lack of loyalty that had been seen as “working recon” had been exposed for what it really was- a game move designed solely for her advancement. In truth, it wasn’t a bad move to make as I discussed last week. It was, however, poorly executed.
There is an old saying, that “the Road to Hell is paved with good intentions.” It isn’t often that a proverb can be used to describe a reality game show, but both of tonight’s evictions can certainly be tied to it. One eviction was somewhat expected, and the other was a blindside. However, both can be seen as originating from good intentions.
Two major players removed from the game in a short period of time will lead to drama, and from all reports tonight’s feeds following the live show lived up to that in spades. Had Daniele been the only power player to leave tonight, that alone would have created an interesting night. Add to that the defeat of Jeff (and the breakup of the last pair in the house), and all Hell has broken loose. Power has shifted, possibly for the rest of the game, and as a result we now have a new layout for the game.
In the history of Big Brother, there have been few HouseGuests that have managed to come back into the game in the same season. Big Brother has only performed the Revive-a-Player move in four seasons. Twice, the returning player has managed to last more than a single week. BB3′s Amy was the most successful, and she only got to Fourth place. Oftentimes, the returning player is seen as a “major threat” that “must be sent packing.”
The problem with a returning HouseGuest, of course, is that the rest of the house loses whatever momentum had been building. Energy must now be spent in getting the returned player back to whence they came, and in that sense the week they go is lost. Based on this logic, it is easy to see why Danielle’s own analysis was that the last two weeks were a failure.