The 2012 Summer Olympics starts today and I want to wish all those competing in London this year good luck and hoping that everything works out!
Big Brother 14 may go down as the one season with the quickest number of eliminations before jury phase. One player was evicted on the first night inside the house, another at the end of week one and another player was expelled a mere 24 hours after. By taking into account the Coaches' Twist, the remaining players in the game should be guaranteed jury spots. However, anything can change and by the upcoming eviction night, something will definitely be revealed
Until the upcoming eviction and (possible) twist is revealed, let's chat about the most talked about houseguest. The third person evicted from the game (and the first expelled) is Willie, the tankerman from Louisiana.
Let's Meet Willie...
Willie is the 34 year old tankerman who was regarding by fans as "Russell's brother," partly due to the fact that he is the brother of notorious Survivor villain, Russell. On Day One, Willie was selected by season 12 veteran Britney to be mentored in the game. Along with Shane and JoJo, their team won the first challenge and Britney selected Willie as the first Head of Household (HOH) - he choose to nominate Frank and Kara for eviction. Seemingly flipping between Frank and Kara, he ultimately decided to try and evict Frank but by then, the house had turned against him; Kara was evicted by a vote of 5-3. Ironically minutes after the eviction, Frank won HOH with his sights targeted directly to Willie. However, when Willie was named a Have-Not by Janelle, he decided to "self-evict" himself and being removed from the game.
Why Did He Lose?
How Could He Stay?
To die-hard fans who believe in hope, there is always a way to stay. Willie needed to step back, take a breather to let the storm calm down and then campaign. Frank was the HOH now and many were jumping on the bandwagon to get Willie out. It only takes a POV or a conversation to flip the house, especially in this game when things change every few hours. Hypothetically, if Willie's team was able to talk with Frank and get him to nominate Danielle or someone from Janelle's team, that could have been the only way for him to stay.
Last Thoughts...
Willie is a classic case of "playing-too-hard-too-fast" in the early weeks. He was given HOH by his mentor Britney and the power went straight to his head. He thought he could control everyone but didn't realize that at the end of the week, he would be vulnerable for eviction. His game imploded on itself and without a miracle (like an absolute miracle!), Willie was destined to be the next to go. While some Willie fans can argue it was a heated decision, all Joe's fault or didn't merit a removal (let's be real, he was removed... it had to be serious enough to get rid of him), he said it himself that he wasn't going to be in the house before the end of the week. Suffice it to say, it was a calculated game move, though all it did was get rid of him and lose his chances of winning.
Big Brother 14 has only been active for a week and a half but let me tell you, things have reached a boiling point in the house. The houseguests have been fighting with each other and reportedly last night, someone has already been expelled. Until the next episode this Sunday, I won't write about their exit because (by doing the math) there are only nine players left in the game and something will most likely be revealed today or this week.
Since that piece of news has been yet to be revealed, it's still time to talk about the last person to (actually) be evicted from the Big Brother house. The second evicted player was Kara, the model from California.
Let's Meet Kara...
Kara is the 29 year old model and former Playboy Playmate of the Year who was mentored by season 10 winner Dan. She, along with Danielle and the recently evicted Jodi, were selected to compete on his team but on the first day, their team lost resulting in Jodi being evicted. Head of Household (HOH) Willie decided to nominate Kara and Frank for eviction because they were the two strongest players in their respective teams. When Shane didn't use the Power of Veto (POV) to save her, the house flip-flopped between evicting Kara or Frank. By a vote of 5-3, Kara was the second person evicted and first during the live eviction ceremony.
Why Did She Lose?
Kara is a nice and shy houseguest but Joe said it best (not said, more like shouted): Kara didn't fight. I don't know if the entire game overwhelmed her or she overplayed the "behind-the-scenes" strategy too much but she lost her voice. In hindsight: who was Kara?! In the early weeks of each season, most of the volatile and background houseguests are evicted because the houseguests find no reason to keep them around. This season is different with the Coaches' Twist and the players having started out strong to evict threats. Kara wasn't really a threat. She didn't campaign hard enough, didn't fight and didn't leave a lasting impression to create strong alliances
When Willie nominated her and Frank, she was upset about the decision and stood back to observe the game. She did try to talk Shane into using the POV on her and create some alliances but at that point, the decision was made, she once again stood back as Frank and Willie fought against each other to try and secure Frank's eviction
Alliances can make or break your game. If you have the numbers secured, you can have the power to evict any player who gets in your way. Though, if the tide turns and the game changes, a houseguest may quickly find their way out the front door. While Frank and Willie were fighting, Kara's place was uncertain. Frank came out strong and proclaimed that he wanted to evict Willie and the house favoured that idea more than keeping around a shy floater. Kara didn't have an alliance or was associated with Willie, but the Frank vs. Willie fight overshadowed any reason for her to stay.
How Could She Stay?
In situations like this where the house is split between two strong personalities (and one of them isn't really you), the best solution is to take charge and bring your voice out. Kara had settled into the background (possibly due to the "advice" from Dan) and didn't campaign hard enough to stay. She said it herself that she's not a big personality but when you're up for eviction, you need to reassure people that you have their back, want to work with them and take out the bigger threats. Kara needed to come out of her shell and if she did, things might have played out differently.
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| Kara walking out of the house after her eviction |
Last Thoughts...
Kara played the floater strategy too well and didn't really fight to stay in the game. She's a sweet person and I wish we got to know her better - same with Jodi the week before. The big question spreading around the fanbase and social media is now that three people are gone in less than two weeks (Jodi, Kara and the expelled houseguest), will either Kara or Jodi be brought back into the game? Most likely not for Jodi (which is a shame!) as she was released from sequester early on, but it's a strong possibility for Kara as she is currently IN sequester. Right now there are nine newbies which mean anyone evicted after this point will be a jury member - this is only possible if the coaches really do not enter the game
Sequels and blockbuster films are making 2012 a powerhouse year. I've got a couple of movies that I've been itching to watch all year but there's one coming up in September (theatrical dates may vary by regions) that I'm really excited about. It's the fifth installment of the horror video game adaptation: Resident Evil: Retribution.
Heated and widely debated by true hardcore fans of the series, Resident Evil (the movie series) could be classified as its own benchmark to the anthology. Ever since the first movie over ten years ago, the film series has taken elements from the game but developed it into a new storyline. Let's just sum it up to say that it's not canon to the actual video game series. Certain diehard fans who absolutely love the games carry a chip on their shoulder and hold a negative bias towards ever watching the film (though, I would take a guess to say they've seen at least one movie... or maybe even all of them).
Don't get me wrong, I love Resident Evil. It's one of my favourite video game series but I know that the movie series is a completely separate product from the games with its own storyline. If you're open to watching a great horror-action film then check out the trailer for the movie below.
Heated and widely debated by true hardcore fans of the series, Resident Evil (the movie series) could be classified as its own benchmark to the anthology. Ever since the first movie over ten years ago, the film series has taken elements from the game but developed it into a new storyline. Let's just sum it up to say that it's not canon to the actual video game series. Certain diehard fans who absolutely love the games carry a chip on their shoulder and hold a negative bias towards ever watching the film (though, I would take a guess to say they've seen at least one movie... or maybe even all of them).
Don't get me wrong, I love Resident Evil. It's one of my favourite video game series but I know that the movie series is a completely separate product from the games with its own storyline. If you're open to watching a great horror-action film then check out the trailer for the movie below.
Yesterday was the premiere of Big Brother 14 and already the game is shaping up to be full of summer drama. Online reports and spoilers announced that Mike Boogie (S2 & S7), Dan (S10), Britney (S12) and Janelle (S6 & S7) would return as mentors but what hadn't been known was the quickest eviction ever to be shown. In less than 24 hours of Big Brother in-house gameplay, one houseguest was evicted solely by the choice of their Big Brother Mentor. With these select posts, I'll look at the evicted houseguest's gameplay/moves in the game and reasons why they (might) have been evicted. She will forever go down as the houseguest who spent the least amount of time in the Big Brother house. The first evicted player was Jodi, the restaurant waitress from California.
Let's Meet Jodi...
Jodi is the 42 year old restaurant waitress and step-mother of five chidren who was "mentored" (and then subsequently evicted) by season 10 winner Dan on premiere night. She ended up on Dan's team, along with Kara and Danielle, and their team lost the first Head of Household (HOH) challenge, resulting in Dan being forced to evict one of his three players right off the bat. Suffice it to say, Jodi was the first evicted.
Why Did She Lose?
Let's get this out of the way upfront. Everyone, including myself at first, will easily say Jodi was the top choice to be evicted because she performed terribly at the first HOH challenge. Granted that is true but there were a couple of other houseguests who also didn't retrieve their bear or accomplished their set goal during the competition. The challenge: houseguests were told to jump on spinning/moving/uneven beds to grab a stuffed bear and return it to their group platform without falling. What really did Jodi in above anything else was the twist.
Houseguests (and viewers) are told to "Expect The Unexpected" and if not for that sudden elimination twist, Jodi would still be in the house as I write this. There are a few twists that happen to randomly benefit certain players (*cough* Pandora's Box *cough* Coup d'Etat *cough*). This twist was not made for someone like Jodi. Mentors only had (for what seemed like) a few minutes to get to know the houseguests and would base their decision quite heavily on their challenge performance. To add insult to injury, Jodi wasn't even selected to be on Dan's team - she was defaulted as being the last person left to be picked. If Dan's team were to lose (which they did), Jodi would obviously be the leading choice as Dan didn't even choose her
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| Jodi receiving the bad eviction news from Dan |
Last Thoughts...
The twist was supposed shocking but it was a little unfair. Jodi had to go through the entire casting process (which spans months) only to be evicted in less than possibly ten hours. As a fan, she should have been given the opportunity to play the game, even if it was only for a week but I guess that was the point of the twist. Jodi seemed like a nice houseguest at first and could have been a drama starter (her post-eviction interviews were a tad heated but it's understandable). Downside of instant elimination twists is losing strategic or eventful potential players too early
Today marks the first day for the rest of the summer: Big Brother 14 starts today!
The houseguests have already entered the house and the game has been underway (in real time, not episodic) for nearly a week. We'll get to see the premiere episode, meet the houseguests and learn the major shocking twist for the season, including which four veterans will return as mentors.
While reports and rumours have already revealed which veterans will be returning, I won't spoil it for those who want to be surprised tonight. Enjoy the first episode and let's cross our fingers for a fun and eventful season.
With only a week left to go until the thrilling conclusion of Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy is released, the suspense is palpable. Many have waited to see how this trilogy will end and in a short few days, (hopefully) most of our questions will be answered. I am, of course, talking about the upcoming final part to the second Batman movie series: The Dark Knight Rises.
Only a few short years ago, Christopher Nolan created one of the best superhero movies to date: The Dark Knight. It featured a great storyline, superb acting, memorable iconic scenes and provided a much-deserved Academy Award to the late Heath Ledger. Now in a just few short days, the next installment in the series will be revealed and the burning question is how will it all end? Characters such as Bane and Catwoman are confirmed to return and from trailers being released by Warner Bros., it seems that Gotham City will enter into a state of panic.
I can't wait for the movie to be released. Truthfully I haven't purchased my ticket yet and am most likely going for the opening weekend but until I'm still excited and am alright to avoid the Friday rush. If you're like me and can't wait, feel free to check out the newly released trailer below and start counting off the days!
Don't let the photo above throw you off - I'm not traveling. I'm going to have my first staycation and enjoy some much needed time off. If I don't post much on the blog, you can still follow along with my Instagram and Twitter feeds.
With only one week left until Big Brother 14 premieres on CBS, rumours have been flying around the web about the house and this season's twist. Well don't fret users! CBS has announced today the lucky (and let's face it... the people we envy and would gladly take their houseguest spot in a second) 12 houseguests who will be competing this year. Pictures and further posts will follow in the coming days but until then, here are some tidbits about the newbies we'll get to meet this summer.
Joe Arvin, 41, Chef
Note: Tweets and articles around the internet have revealed that an original houseguest, "Mike" was selected to compete but opted out for unknown reasons - Joe is his alternate.
Frank Eudy, 28, Unemployed
Jenn Arroyo, 37, Musician
Willie Hantz, 34, Tankerman
Wil Heuser, 24, Marketing Consultant
Ashley Iocco, 26, Owner of a Mobile Spray Tanning Company
Shane Meaney, 26, House Flipper
Kara Monaco, 29, Playboy Model
Danielle Murphree, 23, Nurse
Frank Eudy, 28, Unemployed
Jenn Arroyo, 37, Musician
Willie Hantz, 34, Tankerman
Wil Heuser, 24, Marketing Consultant
Ashley Iocco, 26, Owner of a Mobile Spray Tanning Company
Shane Meaney, 26, House Flipper
Kara Monaco, 29, Playboy Model
Danielle Murphree, 23, Nurse
Jodi Rollins, 42, Restaurant Server
JoJo Spatafora, 26, Bartender
Ian Terry, 21, Engineering Student
JoJo Spatafora, 26, Bartender
Ian Terry, 21, Engineering Student
Two great days and two great events to celebrate. I want to wish everyone across Canada a very Happy Canada Day and for those taking part in the week-long festivities, have a Happy Pride!