Episode 12

[Big Brother]

Episode 12: "You hold all the power!"

Elissa and Ivette were sat on the nomination chairs in the living room. Chima stood before them, ready to send one of them out the doors of the BBCharm house.

Chima: I DECIDED TO EVICT... IVETTE. SORRY!
Ryan: It's official. The last person to be evicted from the BBCharm house and the final member of the jury is... IVETTE! Ivette, it's now time to say your goodbyes. I'm coming to get you!

After Ivette had picked up her bag and left the house, Chima and Elissa rushed to the kitchen to open a bottle of champagne and make a toast. After twelve evictions, they were the only two housemates remaining in the Big Brother house!

Elissa: I'm sorry if I come off harsh in my speech.
Chima: DOESN'T MATTER. WE HAVE TO TURN ON EACH OTHER NOW.
Elissa: Exactly. Well, this is gonna be tough. I think we're both on a pretty even playing field so anything could happen.
Chima: I'M COOL WITH WHATEVER HAPPENS. BUT I'LL MAKE SURE I WIN OF COURSE.
Elissa: Make sure?

~Chima Simone~
I CAN'T BELIEVE I OUTLASTED SO MANY HOUSEGUESTS. FINAL TWO YESSSS. I HAVE ONE MORE PERSON TO BEAT TO TAKE OUT THE HALF MILLION DOLLAR PRIZE BUT THAT WON'T BE AS EASY AS IT SEEMS. THE GAME IS NOT EVEN IN OUR HANDS ANYMORE, IT'S ALL IN THE HANDS OF THE JURY. I CARE TO WIN, SO I'M GOING TO MAKE THE BEST DELIBRERATION POSSIBLE TO GET THEM TO VOTE FOR ME.

~Elissa Slater~
I played this game with the cards I drew. I came in here one of the outcasts of the house. I had a reputation here. People knew me before as the bitch. The one everyone hated. I came into BBCharm knowing this game had two paths for me. The Bitch or The Hunter. See, I rarely play under the radar but my options were limited here. After my name was dragged through the mud during Nick's eviction, I knew that a change had to be made. No longer would I be the outcast. I would make a change and get myself to the end. I did.

But while Chima and Elissa celebrated in the BBCharm house, there was still another house deeply invested in the game... the Big Brother Jury House! Five weeks ago, Janelle had been first to arrive.

Janelle: First one here!

The next week, she was joined by Sam...

Sam: Well, it was fun while it lasted. What I feared the most was getting evicted by a vote of 4-0. But I mean it's no hard feelings, it's a game after all. Still, I actually managed to get further than I thought I would, you know, being under the radar and that kinda thing. At least I made jury!

Excitement really picked up in the jury house the next week, when Will and Gina entered on the same night due to the double eviction.

Gina: I expected that this round would be my downfall. If it was smart to get me out in any round, it was definitely this one. What I don't respect or love .. is that Helen lied to my face. She knew full well that when she put me up, I was going to be the one going home. Yet, when I spoke to her in those few minutes I had to campaign, she said, "You're staying" and "I'm talking to Elissa." Then, when I told her Elissa was evicting me, she acted all surprised and said she would talk to her quick. I really don't appreciate the over-actressing. If you're going to make a move, own up to it. But that's her problem. Helen has had no backbone in this game, and she has always been an over-sensitive dolt.
Sam: Gina! You know I love ya, girl.
Will: Gina, I am surprised that you are here only because I never thought they would try to get you out. After hearing what you said, I'm not surprised by Helen's actions. She has been an actress all game.

The following week, the population of the jury houses surpasses the main house, as Eric moves in!

Eric: Seriously, I had a great time playing this game. Chima was the perfect partner being so out there and fearless while I hung back, I definitely think people underestimated the partner thing until the last few rounds when it was inevitable to manage. My whole plan coming into the jury portion was to basically have the entire (what is now jury) to take over the game but I see that didn't work out so well. I had a great time, we should have voted out Helen instead of Sam. But I'm rooting for Ivette and Chima!

Last week, when Helen was evicted, she found that she wasn't particularly welcome in the jury house, and had a lot on her mind.

Helen: Let me start out by saying the hate for me is completely and utterly bitter and unwarranted. Gina, putting you up was the hardest thing I did all game and I completely felt empty when I did it. While the duos twist was terrifying, the giant possibility of you winning every HoH and veto was equally terrifying, so I had to do it. I should not be here right now. I campaigned my heart out to Chima but in the end it wasn't enough and here I am. The victim of loyalty.
Gina: Yeah, all hate is completely unwarranted. *Eyerolls. You're just such a victim of loyalty. Cut the crap, Helen. It has nothing to do with being bitter. It was pointless to lie the way you did, and had you made the end, you would have had a very minimal chance of ever getting my vote to win because of it. Welcome to Jury.
Helen: Okay Gina but you have to understand where I'm coming from. I know you appreciate Elissa telling you that you were being evicted but it honestly wasn't smart.
Gina: I see right through your little innocent act, and I don't buy it for a hot second. It's rubbish and so was the way you handled the Fast Forward.
Helen: Gina, look. I'm sorry, but you got played hardcore. Ivette and I were plotting your demise since aligning with you.
Gina: Okay, Helen. No shit? I was aware how threatening I came across to people, I always felt cautious after all my closest allies left early, but you still handled the Fast Forward all wrong. It doesn't change anything. Let it go. We've ended there.

The awkwardness of Gina and Helen living together once again is only broken by the final arrival to the jury house... Ivette!

Ivette: I honestly had a great time! The final two played great games, the only people who made it personal on a serious level were pre-jurors, and nobody seems deeply wounded or like the events of the game carried in to their personal lives, so overall the game was fun. I'd consider Gina, Helen, Chima and Elissa friends, and even though I didn't get to chat with the boys on the jury too personally, I think you're all great guys.
Gina: I'm sorry to see you here, Ivette! You know you would've had my vote 100% had you made it to the finals. You played a great game and I really wish you had made it to the end. I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you!

With the identities of the finalists now revealed to the jurors, it was time for them to begin thinking about who they'd like to see win BBCharm!

Gina: Both of these ladies finished the game strong, but for me, I feel as though one played from start to finish while one finally stopped dragging their feet close to the end. I'd be lying if I said I felt my mind wasn't already made up, but I'll try and think of one or two questions for them to answer and see if that changes anything for me.
Ivette: I think they both played great games, but I think one is much more deserving of the title. We'll have to see if the jury questioning exposes any dirt, but I was in the game long enough and with enough allies that I think I generally know how this game went down.

It's time for the jury questioning to begin! This is the jurors' opportunity to gather information for their very important decision. But first, Chima and Elissa have the chance to make an opening statement to the jury.

Chima: JURY, NOW THAT YOU HOLD ALL THE POWER, IT'S MY TURN TO ASK YOU FOR ONE LAST FAVOR: TO GRANT ME THE TITLE OF WINNER! THE REASON I SIT HERE IS BECAUSE I KNEW WHERE I STOOD, AND I HAD A GOOD GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT WAS NEXT ON PEOPLE'S AGENDA. I USED THAT KNOWLEDGE TO MAKE SMART DECISIONS. I KNEW WHO HAD TO STAY IN THE GAME SO THE HOUSE REMAINED BUSY AND I DIDN'T END UP GETTING BLOWN OUT BECAUSE PEOPLE HAD NO TARGETS LEFT. I'M READY TO ANSWER EACH ONE OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND I WANT TO GIVE YOU EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED FROM ME. BUT DON'T TRASH ON ME, NO! NO! NO!
Elissa: I played this game cleanly. I did not set myself up as the competition whore. I wasn't going to make a threat of myself. Winning competitions would be completely detrimental to my game just like it was to Gina. It would make no sense for me to go out and win challenges. ... I firmly believe you should play the cards you were dealt and I feel I did that to a T. I laid low and let the threats self-destruct and took the jury threats out. I did what I had to do to get here and win. So, vote for The Hunter. I played the best game. I know I did. If I hadn't, you wouldn't be out there, would you? I can proudly say that most of you are there as a result of me.

Now, one by one, the jurors have a chance to make a question or statement to the final two. Janelle is up first.

Janelle: Hey final two. Congrats. I wish Ivette was up there because she definitely deserved to win over anyone even though I thought she was annoying as hell. Great game Ivette.

Ivette chuckles from the sidelines as Janelle continues her statements.

Janelle: Chima, I'm not surprised you're here. I definitely underestimated you the first couple weeks. And then you won HoH and we really did bond or so I thought. I genuinely liked you despite what the house would say about you and I wanted to work with you. I did put a lot of trust in you but not entirely because I had the feeling you were also working with Gina. You've won a lot of competitions and you've made really smart decisions as well. Good luck girl.
Chima: THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS!
Janelle: Elissa, I don't really think you did much of anything this game. You stumbled into an HoH win and probably won some other stuff after I got evicted. It seems like people dragged you far into the game. You seem to be very delusional. You had no social game with me even when I tried to talk to you. Even when Helen was done for that week Nick left you just hurt her game even more by the things you were saying. Poor Helen was having meltdowns because of your pure stupidity. I felt terribly bad for Helen who was begging me to keep her. Eventually I budged and went to work for those votes but you were no help at all. You were just a vote. I'm assuming that's how you were all game since you showed to really have no game whatsoever. You're not getting my vote.

With that, Janelle takes a seat on the jury bench without another look at the finalists, and allows Sam to step up to take his turn.

Sam: Chima, my girl. At first I thought you were gonna be the one who caused complete drama and be hated... I could not have been more wrong. You rock! Elissa, there's a certain limit between feeling confident that things are gonna "go your way", and being cocky, and many times I feel you surpassed that. You were a mean girl, let's be completely honest. You're lucky I'm not gonna base my vote on who I liked the most and who was nicer. Then again, I applaud you for making it to the end considering the amount of times I pushed to get you out and never worked. A fun question, I want you to choose a phrase that best describe your experience in this game.
Chima: "BE NICE TO PEOPLE ON YOUR WAY UP BECAUSE YOU MEET THEM ON YOUR WAY DOWN."
Elissa: "You have a disgusting personality and nobody likes you," paraphrased from Gary.
Sam: Thanks for your answers!

Will is the next juror to have a turn to speak.

Will: Chima, you jerk. Do I think you should have nominated Ivette instead of me? YASSS! But you did get to the end so claps for you. The one thing that bothered me and still does is how you spoke to me when you nominated me. I don't believe there is a problem giving credit where credit is due and I firmly believe that Boogie and I helped you (if not majorly, then just minimally) in winning your first HOH. I mean your pelican mouth can only do so much by itself...
Chima: IF THAT BOTHERED YOU, THEN I CAN SURE EXPLAIN MYSELF. WHEN YOU TOLD ME "I HELPED YOU WIN THE HOH" IT CAME ACROSS AS YOU WERE TAKING CREDIT FOR MY HOH WIN WHEN I BELIEVE I STILL WOULD HAVE WON WITHOUT THE HELP. THANKS FOR THE HELP YOU PROVIDED, BUT I JUST DIDN'T READ YOUR STATEMENT THE SAME WAY YOU MEANT IT.
Will: Elissa, I'm sorry, but I just can't help to think you were just a floater. You got yourself into trouble spreading around a fake male alliance early on. You lied to Boogie about keeping him and then admitted your vote after he got the boot. I have heard what you already had to say and I just feel like there were bigger players dancing circles around you and your personal threat level was pretty low. Anyway, I think I have my vote already decided. But you two played really well and I expect to see you both get asked back for Allstars. Good luck!

Next up is Juror #4: Gina.

Gina: Hello, hello. It's nice to see both of you again .. well, sort of. Congratulations are in order for both of you, doing what the rest of us couldn't do, and that's make the end. Elissa, I respect you for the simple fact that you told me you were going to evict me in the Fast Forward, while Helen played dumb and pretended she had no idea what was going on. However, I'm having a really hard time seeing why you deserve to win this game. I know I'm not the only one on the Jury that sees it this way, but when I think of your game, I think of only you and Helen as a duo. My question for you Elissa, is, if Helen wasn't here and this hadn't been a "duo" oriented game, what would you have done differently?
Elissa: I would have attached myself to you but have played a bigger and more elaborate game. I knew with Helen I didn't have to worry about making waves because Helen was such a reckless player and as long as she was in the game, the target would be deflected away from me. Without her I would have had to play a bigger game from the start. I probably would have kept Boogie and Poopdeck a little later and bumped Ivette and Chima in their place and tried my hardest to get them to the end.
Gina: Chima, when I first saw you at the start of the game, my reaction was, "this girl is going to be the most annoying person in the house." But, I was pleasantly surprised! You had a great combination of physical, strategical, and social moves in this game from what I had seen. I'd like for you to highlight what social bonds really helped you go the distance.
Chima: I THINK THE TWO MAIN SOCIAL BONDS THAT HELPED ME GO FURTHER IN THE GAME WERE YOU & IVETTE. WE DID NOT TARGET EACH OTHER AND WON MANY COMPETITIONS SO OUR SOCIAL BOND DID HELP ME. AND FOR IVETTE, HER SOCIAL BOND DEFINITELY HELPED ME AS WELL. WE HAVE BEEN ON THE SAME PAGE ALMOST THE ENTIRE GAME SO WE COULD BACK EACH OTHER'S PLANS EASILY.
Gina: Thank you both and may the better woman win.

Chima's partner, Eric, is the next juror to speak.

Eric: Elissa, why do you think you deserve to win more than each one of the jurors. As far as I'm concerned, you did as much as Will and he didn't get the chance to shine very much.
Elissa: Frankly, the reason I deserve to win over the jurors is because they are jurors. What kind of question is that?
Eric: I just think that you are taking a lot more credit than deserved. It's clear that I have offended you for pointing out the obvious. I'm sorry and good luck, Elissa.
Elissa: And that's a fair assumption but it's not the truth. I see why you could think that, but that's exactly what I needed. I didn't want to play a ruthless and obvious games. My moves were calculated to get me here. And in response to the idea that I'm cocky, I believe there's a fine line between cockiness and confidence. I am confident I deserve to win. Cockiness implies I feel I will win. Which is far from the truth.
Eric: No hard feelings to either of you. I think it is clear that I am going to vote for Chima to win. However Elissa, all though I don't agree with everything you said, I think my question is a valid question for you to be humble and honest with. I sincerely do not mean any harm to either of you. Good luck and good game to both of you.

Eric takes his seat, and it's now time for Elissa's original partner, Helen, to speak. And just as Chima's partner had decided to critique Elissa, Elissa's partner takes the opportunity to critique Chima.

Helen: Chima, I do not view you as the strong quasi underdog player that everyone else seems to. On Day One, countless people came to me saying that you were going to be SO annoying and I told them "Hey, give her a chance!" I gave you a chance way back then and you did nothing but drag me in the mud every chance you got. You completely blindsided me for no reason, you nominated me again, all game that I tried to talk with you went right back to Ivette and Gina which I had to do MAJOR damage control over. I had your back in this game, but the "big moves" you made only tarnished the trust your biggest supporter had to you. Since you've lied to me many times this game, I want to see if it's personal or if it's how you played the game. Give me a list of every lie you can remember telling.
Chima: ON DAY ONE COUNTLESS AMOUNT OF PEOPLE WOULD COME AND SAY I'M ANNOYING? SO? IT LOOKS LIKE I ENDED UP WORKING WITH THEM TOO. AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE *YOU* TOLD THEM TO GIVE ME A CHANCE THAT I *HAVE* TO BE INDEBTED TO YOU THE ENTIRE GAME. YOU WERE ALWAYS THINKING YOU WERE BEING ON TOP OF EVERYTHING AND YOU ALWAYS ASSUMED EVERYTHING.
Helen: You are quite possibly THE most obnoxious finalist I've ever questioned. I'm trying to tell you that you were so in the dark about everything and you do nothing but fight about how I'm wrong and you're right instead of actually listening to me. You have not listened to me AT ALL this game. You did what Chima wants and you didn't even care if it hurts your friends' games in the long run because you would not listen to them. I was wrong back then; we didn't have as strong of a connection as I thought we did, so thank you for affirming to me that no matter what I did to help you, you would still care less about me, back then and now. You've definitely solidified my vote.
Chima: *NODS* NOW LEAVE ME ALONE.

At long last, it's time for the final juror to speak! Ivette takes the stage.

Ivette: Chima, I was going to hound you about casting the only two votes to evict I received in this game and make you grovel at my feet, but we both know that would be pointless because both of your votes make perfect sense. I do, however, want to know if there was ever a time when the nominations DIDN'T go the way you wanted, and how you handled the situation.
Chima: YES, THERE ARE TIMES WHEN NOMINATIONS DID NOT GO MY WAY. I DON'T REMEMBER OF A CERTAIN WAY I HANDLED THE SITUATION BESIDES JUST VOTING FOR EITHER ONE OF THEM. I JUST CONTINUED MY OWN GAME WITH OTHER PLAYERS LEFT.
Ivette: Elissa, you took credit for many evictions and miscellaneous things. Explain how you convinced Helen into putting Gina on the block during the FF eviction. How did that go down?
Elissa: As soon as Helen won HoH. I knew that this was my best chance to get Gina out of the game. I went to Helen and told her we had to strike a week earlier than expected. She would put Chimeric up as planned but put up Gina as a replacement nom in the event the veto was used. It was Elissa getting Gina put up, not Helen and Elissa.

Now that all of the jurors had said their piece, the finalists had one last chance to make a statement as to why they should be crowned the winner of BBCharm.

Chima: I SAID ALL I HAD TO SAY IN MY JURY QUESTIONING. SO IF YOU VOTE FOR ME, THAT WILL MEAN A LOT TO ME AND SEE YA TONIGHT FOR THE VOTE REVEAL! GOOD LUCK, ELISSA!
Elissa: I want to start this off with an apology. I am so sorry if I came off as arrogant. I came into this convinced that the only way I could win was if I showed confidence because I am not in the least confident that I'm going to win. I had to do something. I over-exaggerated my game a lot. I thought I had to. I thought it was how you win this game. I'll admit my strategy didn't start until the final eight. I waited too long but I was scared. I was so scared to put a target on my back so I wanted to put it on other people. Then I knew I had to make a change and focus on getting here. I really want this win. I believe I played a good game, I just beg you to call it the best game. Thank you for your time.

With the jury questioning now complete, the housemates approach the voting box one by one, and insert the key of the housemate they want to win. Chima and Elissa wait anxiously on the nomination chairs as Ryan and Estelle take center stage, ready to reveal the results.

Ryan: Chima and Estelle, you have gone as far as you can go in this game. You've both fought your hearts out to be here tonight, but now, only one of you can walk away the winner of BBCharm, and claim the $500,000 prize. Remember, the jury did not vote someone out. Tonight, they voted for a winner. You want to see your key come out of this box. It takes four to win. I'll read the votes!

The first vote, cast by Eric, goes to...

~Eric Stein~
I'm voting for Chima to win!

The second vote, cast by Helen, goes to...

~Helen Kim~
Since Chima doesn't want to listen to me and instead argue with everything I say and make really idiotic statements, I'd rather vote for a goat in this game instead of someone who is an overestimated idiot.

My vote goes to Elissa.

Ryan: That's one vote each for Chima and Elissa!

The third vote, cast by Sam, goes to...

~Sam Wallace~
I vote for CHIMA to win.

The fourth vote, cast by Gina, goes to...

~Gina Rio~
This will come as no surprise. While both finalists played the game completely different, I want someone who truly deserves the victory to win, since I couldn't myself.

I vote for .. Chima .. to win BBCharm.

Ryan: That's three votes for Chima, and one vote for Elissa. Chima, if you receive just one more vote, you'll be the winner of BBCharm!

The fifth vote, cast by Ivette, goes to...

~Ivette Corredero~
If there's one thing I've learned from this game, it's that Elissa's perception is not reality. MY perception is reality. Chima would probably say she's less deserving than me of the title of winner of BBCharm, but maybe, just maybe, in an environment filled with arrogance (Elissa) and delusional entitlement (Elissa) maybe the person who thinks she's least deserving... is the most. You've got my vote, Chima, and I hope you get six more.

Ryan: Congratulations, Chima! By a vote of 6-1, you are the winner of Big Brother Charm!

Chima lets out an excited scream and Elissa gives her a congratulatory hug. The two women then exit the house together, with Chima slightly in front, to a beautiful display of confetti and fireworks. The ex-BBCharm housemates gather around the final two in applause as Ryan and Estelle make their way to Chima with the $500,000 check.

Ryan: Chima, after 52 days, you have outlasted all of your fellow housemates and become the winner of BBCharm! Thank you to our viewers for watching, and we hope to see you next year for another exciting season of Big Brother! Good night!