Big Brother Season 26 - Episode 20 - Power of Veto & AI Instigator

[Fuskie]

Previously on Big Brother, Brooklyn was evicted leaving only three members of The Pentagon alliance: Quinn, Cam, and Chelsie. Following T'kor's victory in the "Sound Bites" HoH competition, she gathered her allies, assuring them of their safety. However, she had a strategic plan: nominating Tucker as a pawn. Given T'kor's strained relationships with Makensy and Cam, they emerged as easy targets for her nominations.

Meanwhile, Tucker discovered that America had granted him the AI Instigator power. He used this newfound authority to publicly expose his showmance with Rubina, hoping to allow them to hold hands in the light. Unfortunately, the revelation had the opposite of his intended effect, causing Rubina to break down in tears.

Privately, T’kor emphasized that her plan for the week is to keep Tucker on the block as a pawn to help defeat Makensy and Cam in the veto and arena comps so that she can ensure the eviction of one of them by the end of the week. Even though he knew he was a pawn, Tucker was dismayed that he was being used instead of any other people in their alliance that could have stepped up.

Behind the scenes, T'kor devised a plan to eliminate Makensy or Cam during her HoH, playing Tucker as a valuable pawn who could win Veto and not use it, willing to sacrifice his safety for the greater good of the alliance. However, Tucker, while aware of his position, was taken aback by the blatant use of his as a pawn despite having volunteered. He felt betrayed by his allies, who seemed more concerned with their own survival than with maintaining loyalty.

T'kor, feeling a sense of guilt or trying to manage relationships, approached Cam and Makensy to apologize for her nomination. She explained that her decision was motivated by a desire to give them a fair chance to compete in the Veto competition. Both Cam and Makensy accepted her apology, at least to her face, claiming to understand the strategic nature of the game.

Leah, however, was selfishly concerned about her own fate. She confided in Cam, who was facing his own eviction fears having been nominated in back-to-back weeks, expressing her fear of being used as a replacement nominee. With few allies in the house, Leah felt powerless and isolated. Cam did not have a lot of sympathy. 

Tucker, still reeling from the nomination, sought guidance from 6th Avenue allies Kimo and T'kor. He posed a hypothetical question, asking if they would prefer him to win the Veto and not use it. That is exactly what T'kor wanted.

Tucker, however, was conflicted. While he understood the benefits of using the Veto to protect himself, he was also worried about being evicted if he did not win the AI Arena Battle. He admitted in the Diary Room that he might be forced to remove himself from the block, even if it meant taking a more aggressive stance and forcing T'kor to nominate another Houseguest. He needs to start prioritizing his own game, he says.

After some filler in which Angela learned how to twerk, Makensy and Chelsie discussed the possibility of Chelsie winning the upcoming Veto competition. Chelsie's priority was to prevent Tucker from winning so they could have a chance at eliminating a significant threat. While she assured Makensy that she would use the Veto to save hers, she privately admitted she would save her close ally, Cam.

As the Veto competition approached, the Houseguests gathered to select their players. After T'kor pulled his chip, Cam, strategically chose to distance himself from Chelsie, selecting Joseph to join him in the competition. Joseph told viewers this was a bad choice as he had no desire to save either nominee. 

Meanwhile, T'kor chose Angela to compete alongside herself and the three nominees. 

Chelsie confronted Cam about his decision. She believed that she would have been a stronger ally in the competition. However, Cam remained firm in his choice, believing that Joseph was an ally and would not be a threat to his position.

The Power of Veto competition was called "AI Apocalypse". The six players, using an oversized slingshot, faced off against AI-controlled robots in a battle to knock down a board with the highest score. The lowest score in each round would be eliminated and have to select a second mission from AINSLI from one of the top-secret envelopes containing a prize or a punishment.

Cam, Tucker, Makensy, T'kor, and Angela, were all determined to win the Veto. Angela wanted to return the favor to Tucker and remove him from the chopping block. Joseph, having admitted to throwing precious comps, was hoping to avoid victory, fearing the potential consequences of winning. 

In the first round, T'kor went for the closest high number and scored a 38. Makensy followed, one-upping her by hitting a robot with a 39 score. Joseph missed all the bots, resulting in a score of 0. Angela managed to knock down two bots (18 and 17), and was awarded the higher value. Tucker hit the 13-bot while Cam continued to the next round with 33.

With a score of 0, Joseph was eliminated and his Top Secret Mission envelope contained the Golden Power of Veto, though he fully expected it to be replaced with a punishment before the competition was over.

In Round 2, with only the remaining bots available, T'kor opened with a score of 7 and Makensy dominated with a high score of 44. Angela scored a 0, Tucker scored 22 and Cam squeaked by with a 3. Angela was eliminated and received the Trapped In The Mattrix punishment, in which she would be in solitary confinement with a Matt deep fake for 24 hours. She traded it for Joseph's Golden Power of Veto.

In Round 3, T'kor opened with a score of 24, Makensy blanked, and Tucker bounced back hitting the 43 bot, but Cam took out the 47 bot to win the round. Makensy was eliminated and received the Last Chance Luau mission, a trip to Hawaii. Realizing she would not likely be able to keep the Veto, she chose to keep the prize. Kimo said he'd see her there in his home state.

In Round 4, With the number of possible bots shrinking, both T'kor and Cam scored zero, while Tucker scored 11. This led to a Shoot-Off in which T'kor's score of 20 was beaten by Cam's score of 46. She received the Radiation Eradication punishment, which involved removing 1000 radioactive orbs from the backyard in 12 hours. She gladly traded with Angela for the Golden Power of Veto.

In the final found, Tucker faced off against Cam, and the Houseguests were prepared for yet another Veto win by the comp beast. After Tucker whiffed on his shot, the energy in the backyard shifted. If Cam hit a bot board of any value, he could win the Veto! Cam took his shot and knocked down the 12-bot, defeating Tucker and giving him the power to save himself.

Coming in 2nd, Tucker received an End of Days Dollars reward, a $5,000 shopping spree. Taking his game into his own hands, he traded away the money to take the Veto from T'kor.

However, Tucker's victory was short-lived. As the winner, Cam drew the BB AI Assist punishment, in which he would help AINSLI answer user questions 24 hours a day for the week. Basking in his moment, Cam traded the punishment to Tucker and put the Golden Power of Veto medallion around his neck.

With Cam's victory in the Power of Veto, T'kor and Kimo found themselves facing a difficult decision. They knew that she would have to nominate someone else as a replacement. T'kor concluded that Leah was the most viable option, given that she was not in her current alliances, and believed she'd be an easy vote for the House. The decision aimed at preserving their own position while minimizing the potential backlash from other Houseguests.

Still stinging from how his first attempt backfired, Tucker, in his role as the AI Instigator, orchestrated a mischievous plan. He used a Rubina avatar to make a playful announcement, declaring Angela as the "best butt roller in the house." The message was followed by a self-congratulatory message from the Angela avatar. The Houseguests were confused by the purpose of these messages from the digiverse.

Makensy, however, was not fooled. She believed that the messages were not genuine, suspecting that Angela was behind the scheme. Her accusation raised concerns for Tucker, who trusted Angela and did not want her to face any repercussions. 

For the BB AI Assist punishment, Tucker was given a digital-looking bodysuit with a blue data cap and silk boxer shorts. Throughout the day and night, Users would submit verbal queries, requiring him to search for the answers in a set of Big Brother encyclopedias on the second floor. For the fun of it, Tucker movied in a robotic motion and used an "Urkle" voice.

Despite his punishment, continued programming the AI Instigator as a chaos agent. He employed the Kimo avatar to spread rumors about Leah, painting her as a potential threat. By suggesting that Leah had access to secret information provided by the guys, Tucker aimed to sow discord and turn the Houseguests against her, making it easier for T'kor to name her as the Replacement Nominee. Knowledge is Power, the Kimo avatar warned.

Angela faced a daunting challenge in her Radiation Eradication punishment. She was tasked with clearing the yard of 1000 green orbs (painted ping pong balls) within a 12-hour time frame, using a grabber tool to move them one at a time to a radiation containment vestibule. 

Despite initial enthusiasm, Angela's spirits began to wane as the strain of the task, combined with the physical discomfort of regular "decontamination", in which she was first sprayed with pink anti-radiation liquid, then washed off with cold water, pushed her to her limits. Half the house kept her company, but certain Houseguests retreated to the comfort of the indoors, leaving Angela to face the challenge alone. 

In the end, she persevered and Makensy walked with her for the final laps, recoginzing as an athlete the effort Angela had put forth. Angela completed the mission in just 9 and a half hours. The outside Houseguests erupted in cheers and applause as Angela crossed the finish line. Notably absent from the celebration were Tucker and T'kor.

Meanwhile, it was time for Joseph to enter The Mattrix, the Have Not room with plenty of food and a pop-up-porta-potty. At first, he thought 24 hours alone would be a nice escape from his Housemates. Then Matt's avatar appeared on a monitor, promising Joseph a unique and unforgettable experience. Joseph settled in as Matt started talking, and talking, and talking, and talking. The one-way conversation was nonstop, and Joseph realized this was not going to be the vacation from the game he had hoped.

Downstairs, the Houseguests were startled by the appearance of Tucker's avatar, who issued a dire warning, cautioning them about Quinn and Chelsie's untrustworthy nature. Additionally, the avatar revealed that T'kor had become Quinn's target due to her previous nomination of him. 

Once again, suspicions fell upon Angela, as her silence during the messages raised eyebrows. Cam wanted to confront her but was dissuaded by the other Houseguests who warned against making accusations.

Tucker, concerned about Angela's reputation in the game, sought a private conversation with her. He wanted to warn her that others suspected her involvement in the AI-generated messages so she could be prepared to deal with it. He reaffirmed his trust in Angela but also made it clear that she was on equal footing with Rubina in his eyes.

Angela, however, was not convinced. She sensed that Tucker had an underlying motive and that he would ultimately choose Rubina over her. Desperate to protect herself, Angela began to contemplate a drastic move: she might have to get Tucker out of the House.

Angela approached Leah, Quinn, and Makensy with a proposition. She revealed her suspicions about Tucker, accusing him of planting information in her ear regarding the AI-generated messages. Telling Quinn she still trusted him, Angela urged them to join her in a plan to eliminate Tucker from the game.

Quinn agreed to keep Angela's secret. However, he wasted no time seeking out T'kor and Kimo (his Visionaries alliance) with his newfound information. Quinn's goal was to manipulate T'kor into nominating Angela instead of Leah, whom he felt close to and trusted, though she did not have reciprocal feelings for him.

T'kor, caught in a difficult position, was concerned about potentially damaging her relationship with Angela and did not want to put her up. Even though Angela had inserted herself into the 6th Avenue alliance, T'kor wanted to honor it for the numbers. Despite her reservations, she acknowledged Angela's tendency to be overly paranoid and a potential risk to their game.

Quinn wanted to earn some trust with Tucker, so at T'kor's urging, he disclosed Angela’s move to him directly. Tucker was shocked, knowing he had been loyal to her and had fought hard to be on her side "because she needs someone in here." Disappointedly, Tucker told Quinn he wanted to find out if it was true.

Tucker casually asked Angela about the "crazy rumor" that she was trying to get him out. Angela admitted that she’d "be a fool to trust that he’ll take" her to the end, but he insisted that she should still trust him because of how hard he had fought for her. He questioned why he would say the things he did to her if not out of love, assuring her that his intentions were genuine, not to set her up. 

Tucker even went so far as to say that he kept his word and would "kick Rubina out before" her. Despite this outpouring of loyalty, Angela continued to question what he said. Even privately, Tucker still wanted to work with Angela and remained committed to getting her to the end of the game with him. But he could not convince her of his sincerity. 

Nevertheless, Tucker went to T'kor to plead with her to nominate Leah instead of Angela. However, T'kor felt nominating Angela would ruffle fewer feathers in the House. It was a choice between upsetting Quinn by naming Leah as the replacement or Tucker with Angela.

As Cam opened the Veto meeting, AINSLI interrupted to announce that Joseph... remember Joseph?  That Joseph had completed his solitary confinement. With his shirt wrapped around his head as if he was bordering insanity after his ordeal, Joseph rejoined the Houseguests in the living room. 

To no one's surprise, Cam used the Power of Veto to take himself off the block. T'kor announced that Angela would be the replacement nomination. It was not lost on her that Tucker was visibly unhappy with T'kor's decision. Privately, T'kor said that even though Angela was technically an alliance member, she could not have her targeting another alliance member, and it was her HoH, not Tucker's.

Tucker perceived T'kor's decision as a betrayal of their alliance. He felt he repeatedly placed the interest of 6th Avenue above his own game and had been repeatedly betrayed for his efforts. No more, he promised, from this point forward he was going to win the AI Arena Battle and start playing the game for himself.