Househappenings

Well, this certainly makes things less interesting. While it's too soon to figure out what will happen next or how the jury will vote, if someone forced me to pick the winner at this point, it would probably be Dick.

As IA mentions, it's quite likely that he'll be in the final two regardless of who wins the next HOH. I think he had a pretty good chance at beating either Zach or Daniele in the finals.

My total guess as to potential final jury votes in the only two pairings that seem likely:

Dick-Zach Finale

Daniele - Votes for Dick to Win
Jameka - Dick
Eric - Dick
Jessica - Dick
Amber - Zach?
Jen - Zach
Dustin - Zach?

I would see Dick winning against Zach by a vote of anywhere from 4-3 to 6-1

Daniele-Dick Finale

Zach - Probably Votes for Daniele to Win
Jameka - Dick
Jessica - Dick?
Eric - Dick?
Amber - Dick?
Jen - Daniele?
Dustin - Daniele?

Meh, I think it's too difficult to tell, especially in a Daniele-Dick finale. But I could still envision Dick getting the four votes he needs.

Of course, not to get too much into guessing about the HG's personal lives, but if their actions in the house are any indicator, I would imagine Dick will probably in some for another share (not neccesarily split) the winnings with Daniele if he wins. So Daniele is pretty much set now. I'd also question if Daniele would really be nearly as sharing with Dick if she were to win.

While a finale with Zach and Dick seems more satisfying (from what we have left to choose from), a Dick-Daniele finale might have an even less predictable voting outcome.

I hope they devote a good amount of time to the Eric-AP reveal on finale night, because that might be the most entertaining thing about the episode (and, I would like to get a bit more insight from Eric on playing as the AP).

And so it continues that I never get a final two on BB that I wanted to see. Even when I get to the final three and pick the two of the three I'd like to see, I don't even get that!

But I am still finding that, much like I liked Dr. Will and couldn't stand Boogie, I still want Dick to win even though I don't like Daniele. Much like I would root for Dr. Will and just try to forget he was friends with Boogie, I'll have to root for Dick to win and pretend Daniele won't get anything out of it! :)

Last year: Boogie and Will very close to being the final two, essentially one comp away.

This year: Dick and Daniele with a great shot at being the final two.

Does this illustrate the power of the solid two-person alliance in BB, even if it's a blatantly obvious alliance? Or does it just show that the HGs are dumb?

The 2-person alliance is always the ideal size, because anything more than that and there's usually one person who knows they are #3. I guess the Friendship would be the exception for BB.

What makes the Will/Boogie and Dick/Daniele alliances unusual is that they existed before their seasons started, everyone knew about it, and yet nothing was done. Even with Drew and Cowboy, their alliance was formed in the early days of the game.

I should say here that at least this season, there were people who tried to get Dick and/or Daniele out, and it would have happened during Jessica's first HoH week if not for the AP twist. On All-Stars Will and Boogie were never nominated together, and Boogie was never nominated at all. The one person who probably could have made it happen was Kaysar, but I think he didn't want to be the game-changer going out pre-jury again. So instead, he became the wimp going out pre-jury.

This is frustrating not because I really care who wins, but because it irritates me to see stupid things being done. And without Dick and Daniele both in the house right now, there would at least be a little uncertainty. Instead, the life has pretty much gone out of the game now completely.

No offense, kids, but I'm a little tired of hearing about how Dick and Daniele are where they are because other people were too stupid, didn't play well enough, made bad decisions, yada yada yada.
The truth is, these two have dominated the game this season on every single level that counts: strategy, mind games, physical and mental challenges, manipulation, and sheer will power.
It is not, in any way, unfair or unjust for them to be in the final two. Anyone else winning this season would've been the let down.
Sure, most of the players had their moments in the sun (and we can't hold it against the early evictees if they didn't get the chance to shine). But, one of them winning would've been a sheer fluke; they would've simply done better in one competition on one day. Dick and Daniele, on the other hand, have been steady, strong and inventive from day one. Yes, their alliance was a big part of it. And, to those who say Daniele carried Dick or Dick did all her dirty work, it matters not one iota. They were a perfect team of yin and yang - and that's what you need to not only win but to dominate. In fact, their strength from the beginning was what kept them in the house; everyone wanted to be alligned with them, whether they said it out loud or not. Don't believe me? Go through the list and look how fast they jumped if they were ever asked.
I think, if Dick and Daniele make it to the final two, it is exactly as it should be this season. To have Zach in the mix would be a monumental disappointment. Dick was right, he's nothing more than an ass kissing tagalong. He had no game. He's a nerd who chose to look at statistics (as he interpreted them) and numbers and wasn't ever smart enough to figure out the people in the house were not one-dimensional. I'm sure his family and his computer love him, but the guy's textbook dork and if BB hadn't given him a challenge or two where just being a big, tall galoot worked in one's favor, he would never have gotten his 15 minutes of fame in the last few days of the show.
Am I happy D&D will most likely be the winning two? Absolutely! Is it because I "like" them better than others? No way.
But, I do truly like the game and it's a rare thing when the best players, throughout the season, are actually sitting in the final two.
Good luck, Donatos! And, thanks for the best BB season to date!

Can't say it was the best season ever, I really was bored. Tired of raving rants by immature old men, and whiny bratty girls.
I hope, yes I know it won't happen, that all the others refuse to vote if Dick and Daniele are the final 2. Now that would be interesting.

I just feel like the AP twist has tainted the season. I don't know if I could be satisfied by anyone winning. It will always be in the back of my head "what would've happened without AP?"

Congratulations Donatos, for having America behind you when you were in sticky situations!

Most people that are successful in BB are successful both because of their own ability as well as because "other people were too stupid, didn't play well enough, made bad decisions."

The fate of most winners and of every final two totally hinges on the third person in that final three not winning HOH. So every player benefits from someone else not succeeding as much as their own success.

Jessica could have put D/D up, and probably would have if not for Eric's influence. Zach could have put up D/D. So D/D benefitted from those screw-ups. It doesn't mean D/D haven't played a great game as well.

Having just watched tonight's (Sunday's) episode, I was kind of surprised how Daniele and Dick resorted to typical end-game whining and the strange BB-brand of disdain where someone gets mad because the HOH did the same thing they would have done if the situation were reversed. Whether Zach "played" the game or not in the earlier weeks and months, I have to say that I agreed pretty much with everything he said in this episode. Of course he's right that Dick or Daniele will not take him (Zach) to the final two. I thought it was hilarious how Daniele was trying to explain away that fact to Zach (her strange hissy-fit during the HOH speech included what I guess was her suggesting that Zach was wrong in thinking that Daniele and Dick would not take Zach to the final two, but that is about the most absurd claim one could make in this game.)

However Zach may have screwed up before, and whatever chances he still has, he made the move anybody with any sense would have made at this point in the game. Dick or Daniele probably would have targeted Zach this week had they been HOH (although that's not even a given, as Daniele was suggesting getting Zach out before Zach won HOH, and Daniele and Dick may have also booted Zach for an easier competition in the final three-way HOH.)

I'm curious, as I can't really remember, but while I know that nobody beyond Dick, Daniele, Jessica, and Eric knew for sure of their "final four" alliance, did Zach (like Amber and Jameka did) have suspicions about that? If so, I would have thought he might have pointed out the hypocrisy that of course the viewers see of D/D breaking their alliance with Jessica and Eric and then absurdly (given how near the end of the game they are) suggested that Zach should hold to his "alliance" with Dick and Daniele.

Seeing Zach in tonight's episode kind of reminded me of Dr. Will talking about Kent in BB2. At the point that Kent called out Hardy and that all fell apart, I remember one of Will's many great DR segments where Will said something like "I don't like Kent, he's disgusting, but he really does know what's going on in this house." The same goes for Zach now (although there really is no deduction needed in BB8 at this point, it's clear what moves need to be made by each person.)

I'm certainly not quite prepared to say I'd like to see Zach win, but I do think he got somewhat of a raw deal earlier in the game (he rightly pointed out in tonight's episode how he was the outcast), and is making the correct moves even if it is at this late juncture in the game.

Dick has been cheating the WHOLE GAME!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKuLTnVC7w4

The thing is, though, that Zach needed to make his move a little sooner. Last Thursday we saw Jameka playing to finish 4th and Zach playing to finish 3rd.

I can understand why Zach would have found Daniele's visit extremely condescending, but I'm not sure confronting the Donatos head on was smart, if only because they're going to make his life hell for the next few days. He should have just told Jameka that he was going to nominate her for the sake of keeping the peace, and it wouldn't change anything because she'd have to win anyway (only difference being that had Zach won the veto, he would have had to change his nominations).

I agree that Zach should have made his move earlier than he did ... the veto ceremony last Thursday would have been the ideal time for him to make his move.

I'm not certain that it was such a bad move to nominate D&D at this stage. On the off-chance that he is able to get to the final-2, it is possible that he may have won over Jameka's jury vote

Dick Did Cheat and admitted to Cheating !! he should be eliminated or have a penalty vote or something.. just like Jen when she cheated and ate... it just shows- Dick was set up to win from the start .. Im disappointed

Balzac, your assessment that Zach "got a raw deal" early in the game because he was unable to garner friends or allies reminds me of his whiny, "it's not fair!" speech in nominating the Donatos.
Come on! It's not fair that other people dominated the game? Since when has BB been a democracy? Zach sounded like the dork he is during that ridiculous monologue, reasoning that he (and by extension, Jameka) deserved a chance to play. THEY HAD A CHANCE - they both blew it many times, and were also outplayed by Dani and Dick all the time.
Nobody in that house comes into the game "deserving" to win more than anyone else. To whine now because the pie wasn't sliced up equally among each of them - strengths and weaknesses be damned - is just juvenile.
I agree that Zach couldn't win against Daniele or Dick, but he couldn't win against anyone this season. Those who lived with him saw him as the floater that he is. The only difference between his floating and the floaters of the past is that usually the floaters are relatively popular in the house. They know how to make friends and endear themselves to people while remaining non-threatening. Zach, on the other hand, annoyed everyone and was not genuinely liked by anyone, except maybe Dick.
Certainly, his endless butt kissing and promises to every HOH could be considered game play; but it can't, by any means, be considered strategy.
As for Dick and Dani "bashing" houseguests after they are long gone, that's basic psychology 101. If they were to dwell on the things they liked about those people or spent endless hours mourning their demise, it would affect their game. You have to be ruthless to a certain extent, and putting personal feelings in the forefront is a recipe for failure (see: Amber, Nick, Jameka, Jessica, et. al.)
Any normal person would keep the "killer" mindset in this situation, and that includes freeing oneself of any baggage that may weigh one down, especially mentally.
Dick has made it clear in his actions that he enjoys Jameka. He was clearly enamored of Amber and Jessica and had a blast with Eric. He was obviously very friendly with Nick. Dani also demonstrated great affinity for Amber and Jessica, adored Joe, likes Jameka and Zach and loved Nick. She also had some great times wtih Eric and even Dustin.
So, don't put too much weight on their game talk or what they need to do to keep their competitive edge.
And, don't give Zach too much credit for ending up where he is. The guy never played to win - didn't play at all, in fact. He let his nerdy past ruin any chance he may have had by choosing to jump at the chance to align with what he obviously saw as the "cool" kids and leave his fate in their hands. He talks a good line about playing "stats" and "percentages" and not making the game personal, but that's exactly what he did in trying to rectify some lifelong unpopularity in the BB House.
I agree 100% with Kel's comments. The Donatos have earned this win and, barring some unforseen bad luck, will be sitting in the final two chairs facing the jury on their way to the big payoff.

I'm not even sure why they had a bb season this year. It would of been a whole lot simpler to just 'hand' the money to dick!!! There is no doubt in my mind that is what they have orchestrated all summer long. D/D are in the final 2 only b/c of AP. For some reason that I don't quite get, 'america' rooted for them. BTW, I would like to see the vote tallys from all those AP task. The only time they mentioned the percentage is when america voted to evict amber (i think). BB could just do what they wanted b/c we would never know the difference.

Balzac - Dick didn't cheat - he had INTENTIONS of cheating prior to coming into the house. However, he had forgotten all about the supposed 'code' he and his son worked out before going into the house. He only just remembered it a couple of days ago. He was HOH in the second week, so any information garnered from that note was very much a moot point. Despite what many people think, one think Dick isn't, is stupid. He could freely admit what was in the letter as it had no effect on anything in the game.

My apoligies. I said Dick was HOH on week two, but it was actually week three. I also didn't realize he'd received another letter from his son while he was ever so briefly HOH this past week. Still, I don't think the letter should result in any actions against Dick. The information is still moot points as much has happened in between time won and letter received for it to have been of any value. I just think it's trivial at this point and not worth another thought.

The only problem I have with Daniele making it to the Finals is the fact that she whines constanly. She will go on and on about how she hates being in the BB8 House, how it "sucks", and she can't stand it. She is like a spolied child. Yes, she is a good player in most aspects, I will give her that.She has the chance of a lifetime and she whines..ungrateful is the word that comes to mind. So should she win? I don't think so. While I am quite shocked at what they let Dick get away with (can anyone say ratings).I don't agree with alot of Dick's views, but I think with the Houseguests left, He should be the winner. He clearly dominated the game this season. Yes AP was big, but Dick made the show this year. even if we don't want to admit it.
I can tell you one thing, I wish I knew what was going on in that sequester house, does anyone else feel kinda cheated? I wonder whats that about, I can't think of a season that didn't have it....what DOES CBS have up their sleeve?

It looks like final 2 will be the same as in seasons past two least desirable players will be in it,(not giving much hope to Zach making final two), and the jury must pick the lesser evil of the two. Hard to say who that is. ED was in your face the whole game and Dani was hiding behind daddy's dirty work. And I too hated AP. It actually made the game more frustrating and I felt badly for the players who got sucked into bad decisions. I say let Eric vote how he wants to at the end.

Khomaha, I think cheating can still be wrong even when it's ineffective.

My guess is that we've seen the end of "letters from home" on BB.

I agree. obviously we are not going to see any punishment for this. He received a letter from his mother while he was HoH and constantly whined to the cameras "I want a letter from my son."

It just disgusts me that the same people who were disgusted by a turkey burger "ruining the integrity of the game" are glossing over this. I wrote some strongly worded feedback to CBS.

So breaking slop penalties is more important than ACTUAL RULES PERTAINING TO HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED?

Oh I am thoroughly disgusted.

Khomaha, I didn't say anything about Dick cheating. That was a post from somebody else. Just wanted to clear that up.

I haven't paid a lot of attention to the initials in the letter from home thing. I find it hard to believe that nobody else considered doing that prior to this potential instance. I'm sure BB "screens" the letters, but they would have no way of confirming if there are hidden codes. I've been wondering why they allow letters since the practice started. There are a million ways to send messages to somebody in such a letter: Initials, key phrases, etc.

IA is probably right, we probably won't be seeing letters from home anymore.

For that matter, when we get to the end of the season, besides hopefully seeing IA's updated list of all-time BB player rankings, hopefully we can also get a bit more into what changes should be made for next season (assuming we get another season). I've read some articles about how different the show is this season with one main producer instead of two, but I don't think the show has changed much at all, with the obvious exception of the AP aspect. I think they need to look at more drastic changes for next season, especially regarding the whole POV process.

Are you guys kidding with the "cheating" thing???
Did you actually LISTEN to the feeds when Dick was explaining the code to Dani?
He read a paragraph that started with a "J" and ended with an "E" word, and then pronounced that it meant Jessica and Eric were not to be trusted. He also had mentioned earlier that it obviously was written some time ago.
So, it wasn't Jameka or Jen? Maybe the "e" stood for "Eyeore" - the nickname the house had been calling Zach for weeks. Maybe the "J" stood for Joe.
This is so ridiculous. I agree IA though. I think you can cheat even if it isn't effective.
However, I don't agree you can cheat on your own. In other words, until someone can prove (including Dick) that his son actually remembered the deal and used the code and Dick read the letter looking for the code, then all this silliness is just so much BB chatter.
The game was not skewed to insure Dick would win, although I'm sure those who think that would never admit it was skewed to favor Kaysar two years in a row.
Honestly, if those who say they are into the show for the game were really telling the truth, we wouldn't have as much of this wacky whining at the end of every season.
If, in fact, the winner of BB is always the lesser of two evils as one poster said, then the show has truly fulfilled it's promise of being a microcosm of the real world.
After all, who is rewarded more handsomely in our world, the teachers, nurses, volunteers, fireman, police or military?
No, it's the 20 year old bimbos with silicon implant and a penchant for dropping their panties. It's the ruthless businessman, the doped up pro ballplayers, the self-absorbed actors who collect children like others collect pottery, and the uneducated rappers and rockers who still live the thug lifestyle, only with more bling and drugs and respectable "friends."
If we don't like the kind of people rewarded on shows like Survivor and BB, maybe we should spend less time railing against the casts and producers and more time looking in our respective mirrors to see how we have added to the problem.

His son boasted about the code on Survivor Sucks, and that his dad didn't quite figure it out. New HoH packages are made every two weeks, so it couldn't be that old. There is a youtube, and screen shots of the post on SS. I don't know how there could be any more proof.

Yes, people may have cheated before, but we can only speculate. This was confirmed, by the cheater himself gloating, and a foot needs to be put down.

kailey, I have no idea of Dick did cheat, or if there is proof of cheating, nor if anything should be done even if he did cheat in this fashion. But your description of the possible cheating leaves it absolutely impossible to prove that the cheating took place. How could they possibly prove that Dick's son "remembered" the deal and used the code? He could easily claim that he didn't remember the "code" and just wrote the letter and the initials just happen to match what Dick described the code as. This type of cheating is serious if it is going on.

If anything, Dick shouldn't be penalized only because there really is now way to prove this type of cheating one way or the other. The producers just need to stop the letters. What if a contestant had talked about using such a code with somebody prior to the show starting, then the plan was truly dropped or forgoteen, but the person on the outside wrote a latter that by true coincidence did end up having some sort of initials that matched some purported plan?

Short of stopping the letters from now on, the only thing they could do is to make even the intent to cheat in this fashion against the rules (if it isn't already). If it is against the rules to send these types of messages, and Dick had the intent and in fact actively attempted to cheat in this fashion, perhaps that in and of itself could be against the rules now or at least in the future after a rule change. I dunno.

It's really difficult for fans to dictate what events are truly breaking the rules, not to mention what potentially breaking the rules should result in in terms of a penalty, because we don't have access to the "rule book" or any other agreements the contestants sign. Plus, the producers also apparently just bend the meaning of the rules that have been more or less confirmed to whatever best suits them. I wouldn't be surprised if somewhere in the contract or rule book there is probably something that states something along the lines of "the producers reserve the right to make rule changes at any time, and reserve the right to enforce the rules in any way they see fit."

I have to say that when people talk about Dick and Danielle's game play being amongst the best of all time. I can see the argument for that, but it's all subjective anyway. However, I am reminded of last year�s final episode and Dr. Will�s comments about Erica. How he found her to be "disgusting and he couldn't really say why" (not exact quote) I really felt that his comments were mostly gamesmanship and somewhat disingenuous, merely an attempt to sway opinion toward Mike Boogie. Before I digress further, this year the comment would ring much more true, if spoken about Dick and or Danielle. I don't think I need to go through a case in point on each of them, we've all seen the show, and the feeds. so you either agree or disagree. I wish both of them congratulations to at what appears to be a D&D finally. I hope they have the sense to stay out of the spotlight going forward because, I think the bloom off there roses would fade very quickly for them, Dick in particular, under and extended 15 minutes of fame. any way that's my 2 cents..