Big Brother 21: Interview with BB16 Winner Derrick Levasseur and Week 8 Power Rankings
I get it. A 23-year-old blogger one year out of school only has so much credibility when talking Big Brother. So, I thought it would be a cool, new feature to start getting other former houseguests involved. Our guinea pig is actually a longtime Stoolie! Big thanks to Big Brother 16 winner Derrick for taking the time on a Friday morning to chat all things Barstool and Big Brother. If you’re relatively new to BB, here are some of Derrick’s biggest moments from his season in 2014:
BB16 was by far one of my favorite seasons. Tons of entertaining personalities and unreal moments. But one thing stayed constant: Derrick was ALWAYS two steps ahead of everyone else. The undercover cop would for sure be on my Mt. Rushmore of houseguests.
(Note: We did this via Skype video but unfortunately had technical difficulties uploading the video portion. Sorry about that.)
https://soundcloud.com/jake-marsh-705780708/interview-with-bb16-winner-derrick-levasseur
POWER RANKINGS
Hand up, this one’s on me. The top two on my list last week were each on the block from the get-go, and Kat ended up going home on a 6-1 vote, as Cliff survived. Thought Tommy would for sure go after Michie and Holly last week, but he stuck with keeping his allies, both current and former, safe.
A lot to unpack this week. The biggest takeaway for me is that any alliance you thought was a sure thing, pretty much isn’t a sure thing. We saw the “Six Shooters” deteriorate a few weeks back, and this week was the demise of “Cliff’s Angels.” A “CliffsNotes” (no pun intended) version on how that went down: Knowing they were on the wrong side of the numbers, Cliff and Nicole agreed to be part of a new group of six that included Tommy, Christie, Nick, and Analyse. Who knows if this six actually becomes the Final Six (my money is on no), but you can’t really blame Cliff and Nicole in this case. If anything, this kind of leaves an opening to flip in the future if they’re not feeling it. Because you know the current minority of Michie, Holly, and Jessica would say yes to anything that could shake things up.
Suddenly, we are down to nine houseguests. A bit surprised Julie hasn’t at least teased the inevitable double eviction, but I’m sure we’ll get it in two or three weeks. But for now, let’s check in on the top nine:
Tommy (Last Week: 3) – From all angles, a flawless HOH reign for Tommy Bracco. The only hiccup was Christie getting nominated via America’s Field Trip, but Tommy put out that fire by winning the veto and ensuring one of his two targets went home. With this new six, Tommy is of course still paired with Christie. But from the outside looking in, she seems to be a bigger target. If things go south with this group, I’d expect Tommy to have some sort of safety net because of that.
Analyse (6) -- From a social standpoint, Sis by far had her worst week last week when her partner Jack was evicted. But this time around, you couldn’t ask for a more ideal bounce back. She has been included on every “big” alliance formed this season and although she hasn’t done the best in competitions, you can’t really say she has a lot of blood on her hands, either. It’s time for her to earn some power and start going for a more well-rounded resume as things continue to heat up.
Christie (7) -- As mentioned last week, Christie’s social side is exposed. The lines have been clearly drawn as to who she is and isn’t working with. With Tommy as her ride or die, they are one of two couples left. She has preached that she doesn’t want to hit the Final Six with any couples, but ironically enough, she has to watch out and make sure her strong relationship with Tommy isn’t the reason her target size doesn’t increase.
Nick (9) -- After keeping things on the DL in recent weeks post-Bella, Nick let those who he wishes to work with know just that. After being on the outs, he’s willing to continue working with Tommy, Christie, Sis, etc. By the looks of things before Julie Chen signed off the CBS broadcast last night, Nick seemed to have the hang of things in the HOH comp. If he won, it’ll definitely set up for interesting drama ahead. If not, he’ll have to cement which side he’s on immediately.
Cliff (1) -- The Hogg Master continues to have a heartbeat in this game. Somehow, some way. It’s pretty much house money for Cliff at this point, but the one difference right now for him is that he was actually included in the most recent alliance of six. His loyalty has been unmatched in recent weeks, but there will definitely come a point where he’ll have to put that to the test. Too many deals out there, as Kat highlighted in her eviction speech.
Nicole (5) -- It was a tough spot for Nicole this week. With one of her two biggest allies guaranteed to go home, she essentially had to pick between a rock and a hard place. Because of the new developing six alliance, she stuck with that side and was on board with taking out Kat. Telling Jessica this information was interesting, especially given the fact that the latter wasn’t included. We will get more on that later on.
Holly (4) -- Her tight friendship with Kat was definitely a downgrade to her options in the game, but Holly still has Michie on her side. Even if the six in which they aren’t included does end up with the power this week, you know Holly and her man won’t go down without making some noise.
Jackson (10) -- As one of the biggest physical threats in the house this season, there’s no better time for Michie to get some power than right now. He NEEDS this HOH, because suddenly he’s a clear underdog. Funny how quickly things can change. If one of the six won last night’s competition, I’d be shocked if he wasn’t on the block.
Jessica (8) -- One of the worst weeks a houseguest could have that didn’t include sniffing the nomination couch. Not only was one of her former alliance members sent packing, but there is no clear plan for Jessica’s future. Leave it to today’s guest to explain where Jessica stands in this game…