Big Brother – Janelle dug her own grave

It’s been a rocky road in the Big Brother house this season for many of the House Guests. The first bombshell to be dropped was the return of four former players, including two winners and “the greatest player to never win the game.” The new players were less than thrilled, but when it turned out the returnees were to be coaches and mentors, the mood lightened. Except no one seemed to be able to do the math right off the bat because the game was already short four players on day one. There was no way to make it to mid-September with the number of actual players they had in the game. When Britney finally suspected something was coming, that set off a chain of events that culminated with Willie Hantz getting himself thrown out of the game by the producers. And that left them short by one more player, because there was still an eviction that week.

Last week, we all saw the coaches — minus Boogie — accept the offer to re-enter the game as players, so there was no eviction (and Frank is probably the luckiest player now in Big Brother history), and everyone remaining in the house got to play for HOH. I don’t for a minute think the game re-set was fair to the people playing the game or the previously evicted House Guests, because there have been four people in the house with virtual immunity for four weeks (and I don’t buy Julie Chen’s assessment that it was fair because even though the coaches would have been evicted with their last team member, it would have been a longshot if that had happened before this twist). And then things got really complicated for everyone.

I assumed the coaches would have banded together, knowing they all had huge targets on their backs and try as they might, it never was possible because they were all still loyal to their former team members. Britney knew she could only trust Shane, Dan knew he could only trust Danielle, Boogie knew he could only trust Frank (even though he still has two other former team members in the house), and Janelle knew she could trust … who? Wil had already had a falling out with her, and Ashley doesn’t seem to have a clue as to what’s going on (bless her heart, I still like her though). Janelle really only had Joe in her corner, and no one else really likes him so he’s not the best ally, especially if you need votes and expect him to talk to the other House Guests. But Janelle’s worst “mistake” — even though it made sense once she explained to Julie that she didn’t want negative information about her floating around the house — was to not give Boogie an answer about sacrificing her players. Wil was already on the block but she wouldn’t say if she would sacrifice him (had she really known his feelings for her, she probably would have said yes), and when Joe’s name was suggested as a replacement nominee, she had to think even harder because he was her only true ally. Boogie at least was honest and said he would not vote out Frank … and why Janelle didn’t come back at him with alternate names like Ian or Jenn, we’ll never know. But her silence in front of Dan and Britney sealed her fate (and even a little bit of drama involving “leaked” Diary Room audio into the house with Dan talking about the backdoor plan and his Silent Six alliance might have been an attempt by the producers to save Janelle, but we’ll have to chalk that up to a “technical malfunction”).

I’ve been a fan of Janelle since season six when she finished third. I honestly can’t even remember who the winner and runner-up was that season, but Janelle was the best player by far and lost it in the final competition. I was glad to see her back the next season as an All-Star … where she again finished third to Boogie’s first place win. I hated Boogie then (I didn’t watch his original season) and I hate him now, but he knew Janelle was a fierce competitor and he had to take her out before she took him out (I really don’t want to see him sitting there at the end again, although I don’t know if the Jury will award a previous winner with another win unless it comes down to Boogie and Dan). But as much as Janelle said she wanted to play the game again, I don’t think her heart was really in it. She’s a new mom, she left her baby to play this game and I think that was really weighing on her (she reportedly even told the producers that if she did return to the game as a regular player and ended up in the Jury House, that her one condition to play would be that she could have her daughter with her there). Whether she consciously or unconsciously got herself evicted, I think she made the right choice for herself and her family. I know she would have given everyone a run for their money once she really got her head in the game, but I think she’ll really be happier now. All the best, Janelle. You will be missed.

Clacked by Chuck Duncan
on Aug 09, 2012 @ 23:03 EST5EDT