Big Brother Season 26 - Episode 23 - Power of Veto

[Fuskie]

Previously on Big Brother, comp-beast Tucker was sent packing and Chelsie claimed credit for orchestrating the vote against him. The remaining Houseguests competed in the "What Came First" HoH competition, with Quinn, Kimo, and Makensy emerging as Have-Nots.

However, Quinn won HoH, eliminating his Have Not status, and vowed to redeem himself after his disappointing Deep Fake HoH reign. He nominated Angela, Rubina, and Kimo for eviction, with Angela as his primary target. 

Quinn's primary goal was to eliminate Angela from the house, fearing that she would be carried to the end. He decided to use Rubina and Kimo as pawns due to their close association with Tucker. Angela, deeply affected by Quinn's nomination, took his words personally. She acknowledged her self-sabotaging tendencies and admitted to constantly battling with herself throughout the game.

Quinn felt his connections in the house would ensure the week would go smoothly, with nominations staying the same and him not being put in a position to name anyone as a replacement nomination. In a Diary Room session, Chelsie hoped there would be a way to get T’kor on the block instead of Angela “just to scare her a little bit” for the moves she’s made in the game. Meanwhile, T’kor was worried that if Quinn would make a move against Kimo that he’d probably be willing to do the same to her. 

Joseph confessed in a Diary Room session that he has a crush on Leah and then told her to her face that she’s one of his favorite people he’s ever met and cares about her a lot. She replied that she appreciated his honesty. He thought that the feeling might be mutual, but Leah’s own Diary Room session revealed that she has "friendzoned" him the same way she has Quinn.

 

In the Diary Room, Angela admitted to having been taken back by Quinn's words during the nomination ceremony. Tearfully, she said she did not want to be mean. She approached Quinn privately to apologize for her past behavior in the game. Quinn assured her that he wasn't upset and had only mentioned her during the nominations as a light-hearted joke. He emphasized that there was no ill will between them and expressed his desire for her success.

 

In a conversation, Joseph explained to Chelsie that “social-strategic” is the right combination of angles to win the game. He told her he wanted to go to a Final 2 with Tucker because he thought he could beat him. You can be the Michael Jordan of comps, he said, but it won't matter if the Jury doesn't like you. He told a disbelieving Chelsie that Tucker would often ask him for strategy advice.

Chelsie was confused at how Joseph could think he'd win against Tucker when he'd just been taking up air. When complimented her social game and told her that he thinks they’re playing similarly, she was offended. In the Diary Room, she rattles off a list of game comp wins and game moves she's made. He tells her it would be “epic” to get to the end of the game having won nothing, like Big Brother legend, Dr. Will. He's no social mastermind, Chelsie says critically. It's crazy how people see the game differently, she tells him diplomatically.

While Quinn was hosting most of the house in his HoH room, Angela and Leah found themselves alone in the kitchen swapping stories about how worried they were in the game because they weren’t “included in things.” Leah reveals in the Diary Room she feels Angela is kind and misunderstood, and that they both have similar places in the game. She has a soft spot for Angela because of how often she’s been put on the block without any allies in the house. Angela revealed she felt close to Leah because of how nice she had been to her and thinks maybe Leah was protecting her.

During player selection for the veto comp, Quinn drew Angela's chip, and she chose Joseph to play and then Quinn drew Leah’s chip. Leah did not want to get picked to play because it would put her in a tough spot between Angela and Quinn if she won. Angela knew picking Leah would put a target on her back, which is why she didn’t choose her. I dodged a bullet, Leah tells us.

When Quinn drew the second chip, it was Leah. Yeah, she says unconvincingly. But at least if I had the Veto, I could make a move that benefited my game.

Quinn was happy that Joseph would be playing because they’re allies and Joseph would help him keep noms the same. At the same time, Quinn was considering Joseph as his best option as a replacement nom because they could bro it out. In the Fish Loft, they agree that the house would always vote to keep Angela in the House. They are the big dogs in a physical comp, giving them a good chance of winning and keeping nominations the same. 

In the Unicorn BR, Angela explains to Leah she didn't her to play because it might look funny to the rest of the house. It was the best move you could have made, Leah replies, but she doesn't care if anyone doesn't like their personal relationship. This is the glimmer of hope she needs, Angela confesses, hopefully, Leah can win Veto and take her off the block.

T'kor offered Kimo and Rubina a "motivational talk" to inspire them to fight for themselves by competing hard in the veto comp and solidifying the strong bond that the three of them were building as friends and allies in the house. Rubina appreciates T'kor's spirit and support in the Veto comp. 

The six players were sent to the AI Bot Self Assembly Facility where they faced off in the “Bot Builders,” Veto competition, in which they had to assemble a bot to take down the government. AINSLI corrects herself: I mean, take down the curtains. A model for the bot was displayed in her virtual environment, but the bot itself had to be assembled in complete secrecy, er, darkness. Use your sense of touch, AINSLI urges, but be careful, because the Assembly Rooms have parts and pieces not needed for the bot. 

Quinn decides to start building his robot while the others are studying the model. Unbeknownst to the comp players, the remaining Houseguests were able to watch (no audio) on the Living Room screen from inside the house, with view screens showing each player fumbling around in the dark. 

Rubina quickly forgets the bot design and has to return to the showroom floor. Angela finds the parts box and starts identifying parts by touch from memory. The key, she tells us, is identifying the decoy pieces from the real ones. Quinn notes that the first of 11 pieces is the torso, which is already on the post, so he finds the largest piece and assembles the head.

Rubina reenters the pitch-dark assembly room, while Leah peeks back through to study the sample bot, comparing the parts to kitchen or bathroom cleaning tools. She has assembled 4 parts out of 11.

Kimo tries to divide the parts into sticking out to the left, to the right, and out. He's worried about ruining his knees crawling around on the floor. He has 2 of his 11 pieces. 

Joseph tells us he's throwing the competition, as he has done all season. He thinks it would put a bigger target on his back if he starts winning comps. Inside the House, his Housemates noticed that Joseph wasn’t putting much effort into the competition, a tactic Chelsie recognized as part of his overall game strategy.

Angela's approach is similar to Casey Junior, muttering she thinks she can, she thinks she can. She thinks she found the second leg, but realize she's already put something there on the torso that she doesn't remember attaching.

Quinn says the robot is speaking to him, so he's letting her talk to him in the dark. He has 3 pieces. 

Rubina was the first to buzz in and test her bot and had 9 out of 11 parts correct. Meanwhile, working steadily in the dark, Leah had assembled 7 of her 11 parts. Angela thinks she's ready to try, but on her way out, she bangs her head on the ventilation chute she has to crawl through. 

Back in the house, the Houseguests notice that Quinn has the wrong leg. They see him toss the right leg away and wonder what he's doing. Quinn thinks his bot is complete so he buzzes in, but 3 of the parts are incorrect, including both legs and the left ear. He swaps a leg but is still wrong, this time with only 2 incorrect parts. He gets the ear right but has no clue that the one leg he needs was previously discarded. 

Meanwhile, Joseph is standing in the showroom contemplating the bot design, in no hurry. Leah has 10 of the 11 parts she needs to complete her bot. Angela has attached 7 of her bot parts. Rubina is missing only one part of her bot. Kimo is struggling, having only assembled 6 of his bot parts. 

Leah thinks she has completed her bot. She exits the assembly room to buzz in. She is correct and has won the Golden Power of Veto!

Yeah, she cries out, jumping for joy, I can win something!

Rubina says as long as Angela is still on the block, it's OK that she didn't win. Kimo is confident he can still win in the AI Arena. Quinn is happy none of the nominees won, so Leah winning is fine, as long as she doesn't use the Veto.

Having finally won a competition, Leah found herself feeling “compelled to make a big move,” driven by the frustration of having had no real control in the game so far, even if it ruffles some feathers. Quinn has noticed how close Leah and Angela had become and, despite his loose alliance with Leah, worried that she might take his primary target off the block. For her part, Angela was willing to let Leah make the choice that best served her own game, refusing to pressure her into using the veto for her benefit.

In the HoH room, Quinn and Leah danced and Quinn showered Leah with his “sick nasty” list of compliments to celebrate her big win. However, he quickly shifted gears, revealing his plan to target Angela, explaining that she would be tough to beat if she made it to the end. Leah responded that losing Angela would be a blow to her game, as Angela was a “solid number” in her corner and someone she could count on not to nominate her if she gained power. Without saying what she would do, she was signaling her intention, and Quinn could not hide his disappointment.

Angela, determined to get a read on Quinn’s true intentions, appealed to Joseph, expressing her willingness to be used as a number for him and Quinn. However, Joseph didn’t offer much encouragement, instead pointing out that Angela had gained a reputation for sabotaging others' games, which is why he “couldn’t see a path forward” for her. 

Angela found him to be demeaning, and in a misstep, Joseph laughed condescendingly during the conversation, saying he was amazed she was still in the House, which only fueled Angela’s resolve. She laughed it off but was deeply offended that someone who had done nothing in the game was patronizing her. Frustrated and biting her tongue, her hopes turned to Leah, and maybe she would use the Veto without her asking and take her off the block.

Back in the HoH weighing pros and cons, Leah confided to Quinn that she wanted Angela to “at least make it to the jury,” believing Angela would be a guaranteed vote for her at the end. Quinn just buried his head in the bed. Angela would never betray me, Leah continued.

Quinn believes he is screwed if Leah saves Angela with the veto because he'd have no choice but to put up Joseph and that's the last thing he wanted to do. He told Leah that while he understood her perspective, he cautioned her against sticking her neck out, warning that it could paint a target on her back. 

Quinn reminded her that Tucker took her off the block and then she tried to take him out. She replied that she feels like she has no control over her game and has to do something. Quinn says he appreciates that she feels she hasn't received the respect she deserves in the game, but saving Angela is not the answer. It will reveal how close they are and now there would be a reason to put her up against Angela. I don't want you to go home, Quinn pleads.

In the Diary Room, Leah says she's not sure what she should do. She tells Quinn he changed her perspective. Before Leah left HoH, Quinn let slip that if she used the Veto, Joseph would be the replacement nominee. So I should use it, Leah asks. No, Quinn replied emphatically, getting on his knees and hugging her, pleading with her. OMG, Quinn tell us, if she uses that Veto tomorrow...

Leah calls the Houseguests into the Living Room for the Veto meeting. To Quinn's chagrin, Leah announces that she is using the Power of Veto to take Angela off the block. The Houseguests all nervously wondered what this would mean for their game. She apologized to Quinn, but made it clear that she needed to use the power for herself.

In naming Angela's replacement, Quinn prioritized protecting the five players who made the move against Tucker last week. Since “T’kor didn’t get a chance to vote,” Quinn explained, his only option was to nominate Joseph as the replacement. 

In the Diary Room, Leah knows both Quinn and Joseph will be upset with her decision, but while friendships are great, she couldn't pass up a chance to secure a jury vote. Quinn screams in exasperation, begging Leah not to use the Veto meant nothing. Joseph says Quinn lied about wanting to go far in the game with him, and if he wins HoH in the future, he’ll come after Quinn to get revenge for putting him in this position.

Angela says sorry, not sorry, Joseph, if you don't win in the AI Arena, I'd be surprised if you're still here. You really can't write this Sh*t!

Who will prevail in the BB AI Arena, plus, what game-changing announcement will be made by AINSLI? Find out during Thursday's Live Eviction Show!