Big Brother 21 Final Power Rankings and Season Finale Preview: Mr. Dealbreaker Blew It
For a season that has lacked gameplay drama for the majority of the summer, the last few weeks have been filled with monumental decisions with many angles. We lined out last week how important the choice to send Tommy home instead of Holly was. That was mistake Number One by the underdog duo consisting of Nicole and Cliff. Even when Nicole won HOH this week, all that guaranteed was her personal safety, because we knew the veto competition was the big one that would determine who would be going home.
Jackson (Michie) got the job done on that end, but the biggest blunder this week was made by last night’s evicted houseguest and 4th place finisher: Mr. Cliff Hogg. To catch you up, Cliff went to Michie and tried to solidify a Final Two deal with him. The only thing was, Cliff asked Michie to take him, but Cliff couldn’t guarantee the other way around… HUH?!?! Not really how a deal works, at least in my experiences. A portion of the fault here unfortunately goes to Nicole, too, because she went along with the plan that Michie would take out his girlfriend, Holly, and head to Finale Night with the two of them. I’ll make that clear: Cliff and Nicole thought Michie would screw over his girlfriend to benefit them. Lol. Come on guys! Now, I’d be shocked if one of the two of them didn’t win America’s Favorite Houseguest on Wednesday night, but this is just pure ignorance. What did they expect?
The real issue here, again, goes back to last week. After making their intentions clear that they were at the very least considering taking out Holly and keeping Tommy, that was obviously enough ammo for Michie to flip the switch this week as well. The damage was already done and they should have pulled the trigger on evicting Holly. But they didn’t. After digging himself into a deep hole, I respect Cliff’s last ditch effort to stay in the game: he basically told Michie that if he evicts him, there is zero chance he earns his vote to win. Obviously, Michie didn’t bite, and Cliff Hogg was sent packing.
So, it’s time for our final power rankings of the season. But in my eyes, there are only two big factors in determining who will win this game. If Nicole emerges as the Final HOH, she is a lock to cash in $500,000 in my eyes. If not, she will be sent to the jury as the ninth and final member. Then, the winner will depend on whether or not the jury is bitter. If not, Michie is my pick. If they hold a grudge, I like Holly.
1) Holly (1)- After nearly getting evicted last week, Holly kept her word with Nicole and Cliff by throwing BOTH competitions this week. That will go a very long way if she is sitting in the Final Two. She stayed true to a deal, when Michie didn’t. If she is sitting next to her boyfriend in the end, I still think it’ll be too close to call. If she is going up against Nicole, I’d bet on the latter.
2) Jackson (2)- Michie said it best. He’s got 10 competition wins, which has to include him as a part of a very rare group (BB Sabermetrics is on it, maybe). He certainly deserves it from that aspect, so if he makes it to the Final Two the golden question is whether or not the jury is bitter for how Jackson treated them throughout the game. If they think he has played the best game, he will win. But there are some personalities in the jury house who are hard to predict, so we’ll see what happens.
3) Nicole (3)- As I mentioned earlier, Nicole should have the season win in the bag… if she is able to come out of the HOH competition on top. Keep in mind it is a three-part competition. The winner of the first gets a bye to the third part, which takes place live on Finale Night. With the first part usually a physical comp, Nicole will be a heavy underdog here. If she loses and can survive the second part, she suddenly has a real chance to win the third, which is usually question-based. But one thing is for sure, if Nicole doesn’t win HOH, she has zero chance of making it to the end.
So, that’s it for BB Power Rankings this season. Stay tuned for a finale recap coming on Thursday, where we will reflect on everything left this season has to offer.