Big Brother Season 26 - Episode 22 - HoH Competition & Nominations

[Fuskie]

Previously on Big Brother, a fierce battle unfolded in the AI Arena as Tucker, Angela, and Makensy fought for their survival. Tucker's baffling decision to solve the puzzle backward sealed his fate, and Makensy secured her second victory. 

The house was thrown into chaos as players scrambled to decide who to evict. Chelsie took the lead in rallying the house against Tucker, and ultimately, Tucker was sent packing with five votes against Angela's three. His eviction was sealed with a big wet kiss for Rubina.

As he departed, Tucker acknowledged the inevitable outcome of his actions, realizing that his vulnerability had made him a target. Now, with a new week on the horizon, the house awaited the HoH competition to determine the next leader.

Emotions were high following Tucker's eviction. While some of the house in tears, mourning the loss of a fellow HouseGuest, Chelsie's side quietly celebrated their successful power grab. This was a turning point for Chelsie, who had been a target of Tucker since The Pentagon was exposed, leading to the decimation of her former alliance and the evictions of Cedric and Brooklyn.

Joseph explained to Angela he had to vote to keep Tucker because he had made a promise from the start of the game. Angela said she understood. Seeing Kimo distraught, Angela assured him motheringly that he and Tucker would be best friends outside the house, assuming Kimo was sad for voting him out. Kimo bluntly replied he had voted to evict her, which caught an embarrassed Angela by surprise.

What a game, Kimo said. Yeah, a deflated Angela replied.

Rubina confessed to T'kor that her feelings for Tucker had grown, acknowledging the emotional connection despite their brief time together. She knew the vote made sense but she loves deeply when she loves. It's so stupid to say after just six weeks. 

Despite recognizing the potential risks of a showmance, Rubina said that they had decided to embrace their emotions anyway and not hide it from the House. T'kor assures her that the showmance had no impact on Tucker's eviction and that she shouldn't feel silly being sad.

Cam was surprised how Tucker's eviction hit him, but it was the logical, strategic thing to do. Quinn tells him to just let it out.

As the House filled with sad and somber faces, Quinn stood apart, his heart racing with a secret thrill. While everyone else was mourning the loss, he was barely containing his glee over his "evil, nefarious" triumph in ousting his nemesis from the game. In his girlfriend's skirt! His sense of victory was electric, hidden behind a mask of faux solemnity.

In the Unicorn BR, Leah congratulated Makensy, but her triumph came with a growing sense of unease. Each victory in the competition only heightened her anxiety; she feared that another win would cement her reputation as the new "comp beast" of the house, drawing unwanted attention and scrutiny. Even though she had to win, she worried it would be used against her. But pressure makes diamonds, and she's a rock-solid diamond.

Kimo and T’kor recognized that the other side of the house had made the optimal move for their own strategies. However, they had used Tucker as a shield for their alliance, and they needed to adapt to no longer rely on Tucker’s protection

To determine who would claim the next HoH, the HouseGuests faced the notorious Chicken Coop competition, "What Came First." In this challenge, the Houseguests raced to maneuver eggs up a fence through obstacles, then down a ramp with additional obstacles, and knock down the letters H O H to become the new Head of Household. 

Additionally, the first two players to drop an egg would be designated as the have-nots for the week. Quinn is the first to drop an egg and thus became a Have Not. Meanwhile, not wanting to be on Slop for another week, Angela carefully cuddled her first egg until the three have-nots were determined.

On his second egg, Quinn tries shaking the yolk to more evenly distribute it in the egg to make it easier to handle. But he breaks it anyway. Makensy doesn't understand why Angela is prioritizing food and comfort over safety. Kimo is the first to get an egg to his ramp but it drops off.

Leah is the next to get to the ramp stage but drops it. Rubina follows next, followed by Makensy, and Joseph. Quinn says the hardest part of the competition isn't moving the egg through the screen maze but getting it to roll past the obstacles on the ramp. One by one, all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put their eggs back again.

Kimo is the second to drop an egg off the screen and is the second Have Not. Chelsie rolls her egg all the way to the end of the ramp, but it fails to knock over one of her letters. Angela tries to talk Chelsie into dropping her egg to become the 3rd Have Not. 

Employing a slow & steady strategy, Cam was the first to knock down an H. Makensy drops her egg and becomes the 3rd Have Not. You can start, she tells Angela dryly. Leah reaches the end of her ramp but also misses a letter. Cam's second attempt misses as well.

Chelsie watches as her egg rolls quickly down the ramp, avoiding the obstacle and then right through the center of the O, failing to knock the letter down. Are you kidding me, she yells. 

Makensy succeeds in knocking down the O for her first letter. She is followed by Quinn, Leah, Kimo, and Chelsie. Rubina lays an egg to the top of the box holding the letters but fails to knock any down. Chelsie scores her first letter, followed by Makensy taking the lead by knocking down the first H.

Quinn is next to knock down his O, followed by Leah and Kimo, all tied for the lead with 2 letters down and one to go. Quinn is determined to roost in the HoH nest. Angela has yet to navigate her screen maze, and Joseph has yet to knock over a letter.

Makensy and Leah both start to roll their eggs down the ramp, hoping to crack their remaining H. Neither is successful. Kimo worries about being a target for not voting out Tucker. Kimo and Quinn both start their eggs rolling. Quinn slow-rolls his egg and knocks down his final H.

Quinn wins Head of Household!

Quinn cannot contain his excitement in the chicken coop, nor in the Diary Room. This ain't no deep fake, he says, he can win comps too! Plus, since he is the HoH, he no longer has to be a Have Not for the week.

Leah and T'kor are sure they will be safe with Quinn as HoH. Angela hopes she's off Quinn's radar by now. Rubina expects she will be put up by him again. Leah tells Makensy she shouldn't worry, she's going to pray. They figure he'll probably put Angela and Rubina up, but who would be the third? I'm done fighting for my life, Makensy says.

Quinn’s revealed to Chelsie in their victory celebration that his plan was to put Angela on the block and likely Rubina as well. He's sure she would come after him in revenge for having put her up and voting out Tucker. He expressed his desire to form an alliance with her, Cam, and T’kor, emphasizing that it was something he wanted to establish “for sure.” 

As they discussed their options, Quinn pondered whether they should include Makensy in their plans. Chelsie agreed, noting Makensy's looking for a "home". Quinn told us that including Makensy would serve as a way of “rewarding” those who had the courage to make a bold move against Tucker. Chelsie tells us she's just happy Quinn wants to work with the same people she already trusts.

Quinn's first mission was to figure out who voted for Tucker to stay and make some decisions. During his conversation with Quinn, Joseph attempted attempted damage control, but Quinn was unconcerned about him and felt confident he could quietly work to advance in the game. 

Quinn joked to Angela he's half way to matching her two HoH wins. She suggested to Quinn that it might be time to nominate people who hadn't faced the block yet. She's OK being on her own in the game but doesn't think floaters should get away with it However, Quinn was determined to retaliate against Angela for her constant attempts to undermine him. 

Rubina understood why Quinn might not trust her given her relationship with Tucker, but hoped he could see past that. Quinn says he loves Rubina but cannot trust her, having given her ample reasons to target him if she ever gained power. She just wants to clear the slate and play her own game. 

Quinn had a measure of respect for T’kor, appreciating that she didn't lie to him during her reign. He was open to her suggestion of considering Makensy as a third nominee. However, when Quinn brought up Kimo as a potential nominee, T’kor was surprised and questioned why he would want to disrupt The Visionaries. She must have missed something between Quinn and Kimo. 

Later, Kimo admitted to Quinn that sending Tucker home was a great strategic move, but claimed he had tried to protect him every week. Quinn replied that he believed him. but privately, Quinn felt betrayed by Kimo’s involvement in the Cedric vote, which had endangered him with Tucker.

Quinn told Kimo that his target was Angela, though many in the House wanted him to target Makensy. When asked if he'll be on the block, Quinn tells Kimo only because he's sure he'll be safe. Straight up, he told him, you won't go home this week. Pawns go home, and Kimo worried in the DR, have we not learned anything this season?

T’kor gathered Rubina and Kimo to share a stern warning: if Quinn dared to put any of them on the block, she would sever ties with him for good. Rubina as sure they would be safe; he would be Quinn's target. Despite this, Kimo could see things from Quinn's perspective. He knew that Quinn might feel betrayed, believing that they had all chosen Tucker over him in the past few weeks, and that could influence his nominations. All three of us will survive this week, T'kor assured them.

Later, in a private HoH conversation with Quinn, Kimo opened up about his fears about being nominated. The idea of being a pawn terrified him; he had no clear sense of where people stood in the game, making it a risky position. Quinn counted the votes Kimo would have on his side: Joseph, T'kor, Makensy, and Chelsie would listen to T'kor, and Cam would listen to Chelsie. 

Quinn found himself torn between a tough decision—should he protect an old alliance or take a chance on building a new one? The choice between Kimo and a comp best like Makensy weighed heavily on him. Angela is going home, Quinn assures Kimo.

Quinn called the Houseguests for the Nomination Ceremony, and Angela paused to look at her family photo in her closet. I can do this 'cause I'm brave, she tells her daughters, gathering her composure, and even if he puts me up, I'll just fight. 

During the nomination ceremony, Quinn unveiled his nominations of Angela, Rubina, and Kimo. Defending his decision, Quinn recounted the various names he’d been called out in the House, the worst being unfunny. He urged the house to respect his choices. While he didn’t explicitly name his target, it was clear to everyone that Angela was the one in his sights this week.

Angela is 12000% Quinn's target this week; if it came down to her and him on the block, he'd be sent home. Angela says Quinn has continually pushed her up against the wall but she's not running. Kimo says he's scared and disappointed that they didn't have a closer bond. T'kor says Quinn has lost all her trust, putting two with whom she's close on the block, who were actively protecting him.

She didn't have a target before; she does now.