Episode 9

[Big Brother]

Episode 9: "The home stretch!"

Remaining Duos
Chima & Eric

The final six housemates were sitting on the living room couches. They were coming to the conclusion of a fast forward double eviction night.

Ryan: Big Brother house, this is Ryan! You are live on BBCharm! Eric and Gina, the house has decided. The votes have been counted and verified, and I can now reveal... that by a vote of 2-1... the ninth person to be evicted from the BBCharm house and the fourth member of the jury is... GINA! Gina, it's now time to say your goodbyes. I'm coming to get you!

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
I WAS REALLY PISSED HAVING TO PICK BETWEEN GINA AND ERIC. I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BACKSTABBED ERIC TO AVOID A TARGET ON MY BACK THE NEXT WEEK AND HAVE GINA BEING MAD AT THEM, BUT THE PROBLEM IS I JOINED THIS GAME WITH ERIC, HE'S MY FRIEND, AND THE WAY WE JOINED THIS GAME, I WOULDN'T LIKE TO PUT A GAME OVER OUR FRIENDSHIP. I JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS THE RIGHT THING TO VOTE HIM OUT.

The plan to backdoor Gina in the fast forward eviction had been orchestrated by Elissa and Helen, and they had left their ally Ivette out of the loop.

~Ivette Corredero~
Yeah, now my game that I worked really hard to set up came crashing down. My position is not nearly as good as it was.

This was a dumb move for Helen and a dumb move for Elissa. Chima and Eric are a pair. They MUST be split up. Do not even give them the chance.

Now I'm stuck in between two pairs. Just fucking great.

Confused as to what had just happened, Ivette pulled Helen into the storage room and asked for the truth.

Ivette: Elissa evicted Gina. Did you want Gina to go?
Helen: I don't know if I wanted her gone, I just wanted you and Elissa safe. My loyalty is with the two of you.
Ivette: Mhm.

~Helen Kim~
I don't regret evicting Gina at all. I knew it was best for my game despite the many risks, and now it's smooth sailing for Helen Kim!

~Ivette Corredero~
The worst part about building your game as a house of cards with people doing what's logically best for them is that when someone makes a stupid move out of their own best interest, it crumbles all the way the fuck down.

Elissa and Helen had taken a huge risk. While they had gotten a big threat out of the house, they had left the last remaining duo, Chima and Eric, in tact. If Chima and Eric made it to the final three, they would automatically become the final two.

Helen: Ivette has no choice but to be with us.
Elissa: OMG, I'm shaking.
Helen: Me too. You're the only person I feel comfortable with winning this HoH.

~Helen Kim~
It was a huge risk to my game in going after Gina, because if Chima or Eric happen to win the HoH, they'll both make it to the final four and quite possibly the final 3.

But the housemates don't have too much time to recover from the double eviction. It's time for yet another HoH to be crowned!

Ryan: You've just been through a fast forward, but now it's time to rewind a little bit! This competition is called Been There, Done That! Helen, as outgoing HoH, you are ineligible to compete. This competition will work in three rounds. Each round is a mini version of a previous BBCharm competition. In each round, one housemate will be eliminated, until only one remains and becomes the new Head of Household!

~Eric Stein~
[Chima’s Partner]
I know that Chima and I will be in trouble if neither of us wins the Final 5 HoH.

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
I GUESS I HAVE WON THE MOST COMPETITIONS OUT OF EVERYONE LEFT... GINA IS GONE, MY CHANCES OF WINNING THE COMP MIGHT BE BETTER THAN I ANTICIPATE... ALL I WANT IS MAKE IT ALL IN ONE PIECE TO THE FINAL FOUR.

Ryan: In Week 2, you boarded Big Brother's Pirate Ship to compete for the Power of Veto! It's time to set sail again! In this round, you'll each take a turn at the cannon, and aim for the target on the opposite side of the backyard. The pirate whose cannonball lands furthest away from the target will walk the plank and be eliminated from the competition!

The housemates take their turns one by one, and it's Eric who has the worst aim and is first to be eliminated.

Ryan: For the next round, you'll be playing our Week 3 PoV Comp all over again! This time, there's three dig sites in the backyard, each with six fossilized letters inside. You can choose a maximum of two letters from each dig site. The last housemate to spell a five letter word will be eliminated from the competition.

It's a close race, but ultimately, Elissa and Chima lock in their answers first, leaving Ivette eliminated from the competition.

~Helen Kim~
The moment of truth. Elissa and Chima were the final two in the HoH competition, and if my girl didn't pull a win my big move in getting Gina out would really come to bite me in the butt.

Ryan: Chima and Elissa, for the final round, we'll be getting some assistance from our good friend the Zingbot 3000! Once again, he has a falling phrase puzzle for you. The first housemate to solve the puzzle and shout out his latest Zing will become the new Head of Household!

The buzzer goes off and Chima and Elissa get to work...

~Helen Kim~
When the final round was revealed to be another Zingbot Falling Puzzle, I was confident Elissa could pull out a win. Despite me giving her a lot of answers in the original Zingbot competition, she solved Eric's zing in record time and I knew she'd be faster than Chima.

And ultimately, Helen is right.

Elissa: *reading puzzle answer* Are you sure you're the final five of Big Brother? You look more like the cast of The Biggest Loser! ZING!
Ryan: Elissa... that is correct! Congratulations, Elissa! You are the new Head of Household!
Elissa: Yes!

~Elissa Slater~
If you were to tell me week 3, 4, or 5 that I would still be in this game as the HoH I would have called you a liar. I honestly had no idea I would make it this far and I'm super glad I stuck it out. Here we are and I'm going into the final four. This is the home stetch and I have no regrets about applying for Big Brother. It's been amazing so far. I had no idea I would still be here.

~Ivette Corredero~
Thank god Elissa won. I'm the only person in the game not to be nominated, and I'm happy keeping it that way. Now, unless Elissa does something STUPID (who knows) I should avoid the pre-veto block, and Helen should vote to keep me should Chima or Eric win POV.

But while Elissa, Ivette and Helen could celebrate the fact that they were essentially guaranteed to be in the final four, the duo of Chima and Eric sulked in the knowledge that it was not going to be an easy week for them.

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
THE CHERRY ON THE CAKE? HELEN & ELISSA WIN HOH BACK TO BACK. FUCK MY LIFE! I WAS TWO FUCKING LETTERS AWAY FROM WINNING THAT HOH. FOR ME, THIS IS A MATTER OF WINNING THAT VETO BECAUSE HELEN & ELISSA HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OF THIS VOTE!

~Eric Stein~
[Chima’s Partner]
It's not a big deal that I was safe in the fast forward cause evidently Elissa won the final 5 HoH and now I'm going on the block with Chima. People like Chima more than I, that is for sure, but I think my track record in challenges will be a reason to keep me. Who knows at this point though?

With Elissa in power, her decision seemed fairly obvious. The duos twist made Chima and Eric an incomparable threat, and they had to be broken up.

Ivette: Phew.
Helen: No matter what that duo is split up.
Ivette: If Elissa didn't win, we were fucked.
Helen: At least she won it.
Ivette: Yeah, thank god.

~Ivette Corredero~
I think my path to the end still exists: split up Chima and Eric somehow this week, get rid of Helen or Elissa the week after. Then I'm in the final three with two people who might not want to go to the end with the other out of principle, or just have more loyalty to me and not want to break that promise.

It's not golden, but it's there. I just hope it's Helen and Chima that go far with me and not Eric and Elissa.

Helen was also feeling confident about her chances of making it to the end.

~Helen Kim~
Knowing I made it to the final four and still allowed to participate in the HoH was very important to me. I've never been this close to a win and I can taste it. I am so close. I have two people that will take me to the final three and that means that as long as Ivette doesn't win HoH and whoever is left of Chima and Eric doesn't win the PoV, I am absolutely positively going to be able to make it to the Final 3.

But perhaps she was too confident. Despite entering the game as Helen's partner, Elissa had other plans in mind.

~Elissa Slater~
At this point I know my best shot at the win is Eric. He's played a dumb game and hasn't made any moves. He's completely worthless in challenges and has barely any connections outside of his alliance. I think I can win against him but I don't think I can beat the others. So I have to beat them by taking them out, clearly. Helen was my partner but her game has been relatively cleaner than mine. Ivette's a social goddess, and Chima has her alliance and the respect of Gina. I need Eric.

The next day, the housemates wake up for the first time without Gina and Will. With just five housemates remaining, the house is quieter than ever, and Ivette takes some time to mourn the loss of her closest ally and friend.

~Ivette Corredero~
Today I'm missing the woman, the myth, the legend, Gina Rio. I only got a taste of you, but you ARE Britain's most spoiled girl. She didn't even get a chance to stay. That's what KILLS me.

I had so much fun with her, too. She was so much fun, even when she was beating me in comps. This is SO wrong. She was SO GRATEFUL FOR BEING HERE TOO. She never said anything bad about anybody in this game (except Janelle). She was so good to me. And did you know she, like, prayed for all of us ALL THE TIME?!

But life moves on in the Big Brother house, and it's time for the nomination ceremony.

Elissa: I nominate Chima and Eric. I'm sorry but you both have to go up on the block. You're the last pair in the game and clearly we can't take the risk of leaving you in unchecked any longer. It's nothing personal but at this point the options are wearing thin and only two more people have to go before you two run straight to the end.

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
I CAN'T PREDICT IF I'M GOING TO ROCK OR FAIL THIS REST OF THE GAME, BUT DON'T GIVE UP ROOTING FOR ME! HERE'S MY PLAN OF THE WEEK: STEP ONE, GET MISERABLE, SWEAR **** ***** ***** OVER ELISSA WINNING HOH, SLAP MY BED & PILLOWS, SPIT AT THE POOL, AND ACT LIKE I'M ALL COOL WITH IT TO THE OTHER HOUSEGUESTS.

The girls had all told Chima that if it came down to a vote, Eric would be the one going home. But once again, Elissa and Helen were planning a blindside.

~Elissa Slater~
I think I can convince Helen and Ivette to evict Chima. They know they need to take out one of the pair and this is their best chance. I just need to convince them that Chima will be coming after us. Chima's a competition beast, she could easily win the last two HoH's.

~Helen Kim~
Elissa putting up Chima and Eric was no surprise to me. Ivette, Elissa and I all agreed that with Gina gone at least one of them would have to leave or else we'd hand them the game. My personal target was actually Chima, despite me telling her that I want to go all the way with her. Chima gets on my nerves so badly. She acts all buddy buddy with me yet countless people have told me how she's thrown me under the bus and said shit behind my back. It's so high school. Anyway, I would really like to confront her and start shit but it would not be best for my game to be apprehensive when quite possibly she could be the one that secures my fate next round.

With just five housemates remaining, they were all eligible to compete for the PoV. Chima was hoping that if Eric won, he would consider following in Boogie's footsteps and saving his partner instead of himself.

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
WORST CASE SCENARIO, ERIC WINS VETO. WHAT DO I DO? I WILL TRY TO CONVINCE HIM TO GIVE UP THIS GAME AND GIVE IT TO ME. WHAT WOULD I HAVE LEFT? I HAVE SO MANY ARGUMENTS IN MIND FOR THIS.

~Eric Stein~
[Chima’s Partner]
I think Chima is more passionate about winning, and has the better chance. If I win the Veto I would use it on her. But the chances of me winning the veto? Not very great. I'm not confident, maybe I should just drink a ton of red bull and get more confident? I don't know. It's the end of the road for one of us.

Ready to compete for the PoV, the housemates head to the backyard, which has been transformed into an African Safari.

~Helen Kim~
When I walked out into the backyard I feel like I'm in an African savannah. There's sand and dirt and bushes and all different types of animals. Littered around the ground are countless little cards with the faces of everyone in the game plastered onto different African animals. All of a sudden, a big Chevy pulls out from God knows where and out comes the queen, the slayer of bigotry, Makhosi! I was a huge fan of Makhosi when I watched her season and I was thrilled to finally meet her!

BBCurve fan favorite Makosi (now stylized as Makhosi) had returned to the Big Brother house to host the PoV Competition!

Makhosi: HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is I, Makhosi, Queen of Zimbabwe, from BBCurve. Come get in this CHEVROLET safari truck! *the housemates enter the truck as Makhosi puts the truck into power shift gear* WELCOME to Africa. This is where it all began, people. Here. IN AFRICA.

Once the housemates reach their destination, they all get out of the safari truck and Makhosi explains the rules of the competition.

Makhosi: This competition is called Return to Africa, and here's how it works! It's time to go on an African Safari! In each round, I'll recite a poem that describes one of these magnificent African creatures. This is the animal that I'd like you to snap a picture of so I can add it to my Safari Photo Album. To do this, search through the backyard until you find the picture of the animal I described. Then, run back to the safari truck and stick the picture in my safari photo album. The last housemate to do so will be eliminated from the competition! After four rounds, the last housemate standing will win the Power of Veto!

The housemates are ready, so it's time for the first poem!

Makhosi: Quick and nimble, this creature can run, she made the jury, but was quickly shunned. She cancelled a vote with a special prize, but no competition wins were seen through her eyes.

The housemates run through the backyard looking for a picture of Janelle morphed into an African animal. They find it in the form of a "Jazelle."

~Helen Kim~
When the first poem was posted, I wasted no time in searching. My strategy was to look through the middle area and try to memorize all of the different players and animals in relation to where they are from the top or bottom of the backyard. I was the first person to lock in my answer of "Jazelle", and unfortunately Elissa was the last person which left it to Ivette and I to keep her nominations the same and hopefully send Chima packing.

Makhosi: Sorry, Elissa! You've been eliminated from the competition! Now it's time for the next poem. He was in a duo that could give you chills, and the way he went out gave everyone a thrill! Despite holding power, he chose to save his friend, and allowed his own game to come to an end.

This time, the housemates must find a picture of a "Boogyena." Ivette and Chima find the picture quickly, with Helen catching up a few minutes later.

Makhosi: Eric, you took your picture too late! You've been eliminated from the competition! Now for the third poem... Victory after victory, this creature claimed, 2 HoHs and 3 PoVs... she could not be tamed! But the greater the beast, the greater the fall, fast forward to her eviction, ending her game once and for all.

~Helen Kim~
When I heard Gina's poem, I knew that her picture was in the furthest corner in the entire safari so I ran as fast as I could to snap the photo...but by the time I got there, Ivette and Chima were already locked in!

Makhosi: Sorry, Helen, you've been eliminated. We're down to Chima and Ivette. It's time for the final poem! Insane or upfront? Take your pick! She may advise you to suck a dick! She left before jury, but claimed a veto win, removed from the game... who knows what could have been!

~Helen Kim~
It was all down to Ivette. I watched in agony as Chima found the picture in record time and secured the power of veto.

Makhosi: Congratulations Chima, you have won the Power of Veto. Excellent photography skills.

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
YESSSSSSSS YESSSSSSSS YESSSSSSSSSSSS. POWER OF VETOOOOOOO. I DON'T CARE IF THEY TOLD ME I'M SAFE, I DON'T TRUST ANYONE AT THIS POINT, NOT EVEN IVETTE. I HAVE PLAYED SUCH A GOOD GAME UP TIL' NOW, I WON'T LET THESE BITCHES DITCH ME THIS CLOSE TO THE END. THEY RUIN MY GAME WITH HOHS? FINE, I'LL STRIKE WITH POV'S, YO? BLING BLINGGGG *SHOWS POV*

~Ivette Corredero~
Ugh, I was so close. It's for the best I don't win, though. If Helen wins HOH and Elissa wins veto next week, I'm going to want to appear weaker at comps than Chima (and less of a social threat for them).

With Chima safe, options were running thin for her partner Eric.

~Eric Stein~
[Chima’s Partner]
It seems like it's going to be me that's evicted, but the time I've had in the BB house was fun. Things kinda went downhill once Sallie left and that sucks cause I was starting to like her, and Janelle, and Sam... and Will and Gina. In fact those were all the people I really liked.... I guess Elissa did one thing right, take out all of my friends and then eat me... I guess the last thing to do is make sure she doesn't get the best of ALL my friends.

With both Chima's and Elissa's decisions being fairly obvious, they wasted no time in completing the Power of Veto Ceremony.

Chima: OKAY GUYS. THIS WAS AN AMAZING COMPETITION. WE ARE FINAL FIVE, I THINK GIVING UP THIS VETO WOULD BE AN IDIOTIC MOVE ON MY PART. SO I HAVE DECIDED TO USE IT ON MYSELF. ELISSA, AS CURRENT HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD, PLEASE PUT UP A REPLACEMENT NOMINEE.
Elissa: Alright, clearly there are limited options. I have to nominate you Ivette! Sorry hon but Helen won't evict you and I'll break the tie. No worries.

~Helen Kim~
Ivette going on the block was not scary for me since I was finally not used as the pawn. I knew that Elissa would break the tie and Eric would be sent packing, despite he being the one that Elissa and I really wanted to take to the final three due to his lack of game and his poor performance in competitions.

~Ivette Corredero~
It took until Week 9, but I'm nominated. Helen and Elissa are going to keep me, and I wouldn't even feel backstabbed if they didn't. I'd just turn around and vote for Chima or Eric to win a week early, because that's exactly what they're asking to happen.

With Eric and Ivette on the block, Chima was left to choose between her partner and a close ally.

~Chima Simone~
[Eric’s Partner]
I STILL HAVE SOME HESITATION ON THIS VOTE. IT'S NOT LIKE MY VOTE REALLY MATTERS BUT... I COULD EITHER VOTE ERIC, LOOK GOOD AND SAY I HAVE ALWAYS VOTED WITH THE MAJORITY FROM THE START, OR I COULD JUST VOTE IVETTE BECAUSE ME & ERIC COULD BE LUCKY THAT HELEN MAKES A MISTAKE ON HER VOTE? UNLIKELY TO HAPPEN BUT STILL WITHIN THE PROBABILITIES.

Meanwhile, despite it appearing that this would be the most obvious eviction of the season, Ivette couldn't help but to feel a little bit paranoid.

Ivette: I know you're loyal to me and Elissa, but you guys keep me or else.
Helen: OMG, don't you worry. It'd be so dumb to let them both carry on.
Ivette: Yup, but after last week I was a bit scared is all!

And Eric had no choice but to accept his fate.

Eric: Hey, so I'm safe, right?
Helen: :-\
Eric: Just kidding!
Helen: I love you, but if I kept you my game would be ruined.
Eric: It would be suicide. You'd have to beat Chima and I... you could probably beat me but still, it'd be suicide.

~Helen Kim~
I really do like Eric but it would be such a dumb move for me to evict my ally and let a duo make it to the final four when Elissa can't even compete in the HoH. With the duos gone after this round, I need to watch my back and push the target on Chima who would have an impressive track record for a probable victory if she made it to the final two. Elissa and I are the last "duo" left, and even though the twist split us up we are definitely going to make it to the final two regardless.

~Eric Stein~
[Chima’s Partner]
Chima and I had a great strategy. It was simple and stupid... but it worked. It was for Chima to shine. While I didn't do very much I don't know if Chima would be in the same place without me. Bottom line is that I'm really happy I had a partner like her in this game.

On eviction night, there's no surprises.

Ryan: Big Brother house, this is Ryan! You are live on BBCharm! Eric and Ivette, the house has decided. The votes have been counted and verified, and I can now reveal... that we have a tie! One vote to evict Eric, and one vote to evict Ivette! As Head of Household, Elissa, you must cast the deciding vote.
Elissa: I vote to evict Eric, sadly.
Ryan: It's official. The tenth person evicted from the BBCharm house and the fifth member of the jury is... Eric! Eric, it's now time to say your goodbyes. I'm coming to get you!
Ivette: Bye, Eric! You da man.

Eric gave his partner Chima one last hug goodbye before exiting the BBCharm house. After nine weeks and ten evictions, the final partnership had finally been broken. That meant none of the remaining women would have an easy ride to the finale; two more would be evicted before the end of the game, and it was certain to be a tough battle.