Big Brother 23- Season Recap (Part 1)

Good afternoon all! We’ve made it and it’s the last few days before BB23 has a winner.  I’m doing a game review for each of the F3 this week since there shouldn’t be a need to do a daily recap.

As for the feeds, you already know Xavier won part 1 and Azha won part 2 for the final hoh.  Yesterday, they played some games, napped and Derek tried very hard to piss off Azha.  I know that wasn’t his goal but it WAS the result. If by some chance she wins the final HOH, she’s now (sort of) considering taking Xavier over Derek. I’m not saying she’d actually do it and she probably won’t but if Derek doesn’t stop being such an asshole…she might. Derek is doing ALOT of complaining about Azha being in more of a power position than himself and saying “she hasn’t done anything except sleep and cook.” He’s also annoyed (according to him) he’s carried her and saved her through the entire game. Lastly, he doesn’t like the cuddling she’s doing with Xavier because he feels “she’s throwing herself at him and I can’t say anything about it right now.” That’s pretty much it for the feeds so let’s talk about the season.

I’ve done a game reviews before for each player in the F3 during the last few days.  I’ve decided to do it a little differently this time and I’m going to recap the season itself (in approximately thirds) over the next 3 days.  This is partly because none of the F3 played a major role in what happened during some of the weeks. The other reason is because there WAS a lot of game being played every week, even if this F3 didn’t play a major role in it. On top of that, something that happens in week 3 or 4 can cause a domino effect and contribute to why someone leaves on say, week 9 or 10.  I said recently, none of the F3 seems to know (or be willing to admit) HOW they made it there.  When I listen to them talk and recap the season themselves, they just fill in blanks and make things up in a way that doesn’t resemble what actually happened. They may not know how they got there but we can at least remember how they did it.   All of the F3 got off to a good start in the game:

Xavier began his game by telling us in his intro package, he planned to lie about his occupation and say he was a bartender instead of a lawyer.  Aside from that questionable decision, he entered the game with a pretty good start. He came in with Fenchie, who immediately told everyone he entered the house with, he would protect them if if he won the first hoh.  The cast was divided into 4 teams and Xavier’s team, the King’s, had some of the better competitors.

Derek F would’ve also benefited from Frenchie’s promise but he didn’t need it since he ended up on Frenchie’s team.  Derek F bonded quickly with Frenchie and wasted no time making a F2 with him. Almost as immediately, he began talking about a womens alliance and a fear of one forming.  I haven’t mentioned this before because I simply don’t know if it’s true. There was some talk going around early in the season that Derek F was part of a Reddit discussion on women’s alliances before BB23 began. If true, the story is that the thread was talking about why womens alliances fail and how players come in trying to make one successful every season. The suggestion was that Derek somehow missed the point about them always failing and his take away was needing to fear the women making one. Like I said, I don’t even know if it’s true but if it is, it would at least explain why Derek seemed obsessed with this from the first week.

Azha was chosen for the Jokers team as well and that team won the 1st hoh. Like everyone else in the 6, she was on board to look out for each other right from the beginning. They agreed to look out for Hannah but not tell her about it. Azha never considered Hannah a real part of the group. She was the only one of the 6 who hung on to it being “the 5” as she called them.  She also went into the game a fan of the show and named June, winner of BB4, as her favorite. She quickly bonded with her team (especially Britini) and it didn’t take long to see, she was very team focused. Other than Xavier, Azha is at the top for people who clung to the team aspect of the game the longest.

Week 1: Frenchie became the first HOH and the people who would eventually become the Cook Out alliance decided to look out for each other.  Hannah was included in this too but the others initially agreed not to tell her. They feared her being so young and maybe not being able to keep her mouth shut about it.  Derek claims he formed the Cook Out the first week.  They all discussed with each other having each others backs at different times the first week and I don’t know who verbalized it first. I also don’t know how Derek defines “formed the Cookout” because they weren’t actually an alliance at this point. Xavier is the person who eventually suggested the name “Cook Out” and it stuck.  Maybe Derek did say or do something to officially confirm they would help each other as a group. I honestly don’t know but I will point out that Frenchie “formed” the Slaughterhouse, the Butchers and an all women’s alliance. What does that really mean? Anyone can create an alliance so…..then what?

The goal for Frenchie on his hoh was to get out a “meathead” and by Frenchie’s criteria, Xavier was a meathead.  Luckily for Xavier, Frenchie had gotten ahead of himself and promised him safety. He also said he wouldn’t nominate any person of color nor any women. (I’d actually forgotten what a shit show that 1st week was, lol) I’ve realized there’s something that remains constant throughout Xavier’s game.  He didn’t actively make many plans or actively seek out deals. They mostly came to him.  You may view this as a bad thing because it could show he wasn’t a very active player. You could also view this as a good thing and say his social game was great and the deals came to him. Derek F and Azha were already safe since they were Jokers.

Frenchie’s target switched multiple times throughout the week because he wanted to go after Brent, Brent said 2 sentences and became Frenchie’s BFF, Brent helped put the target on Christian because he (Brent) liked Alyssa too. Frenchie was already trying to sniff out the shomance and this checked 2 boxes. Meathead, Check. Shomance, check. The target was there until Christian won the Wild Card comp. Kyland threw DX under the bus with something minor after Frenchie approached him with the Slaughterhouse alliance but became the new target himself because Frenchie began thinking all the women liked Kyland. X was also invited into the Slaughterhouse.

Kyland and Alyssa went otb, Alyssa set Frenchie straight about the nomance.  Xavier had a good conversation with Frenchie, reassuring him there wasn’t a showmance between Christian and Alyssa. DX became the new target…up until he won the veto. Frenchie got annoyed with both Ky and X during the week and accused them of having an attitude with him. (Neither of them did what Frenchie said) DX used the veto on Ky which sent Travis out the door.

We learned X was a camera talker when he told us he wasn’t there for a showmance and wanted to stay focused on the game. (Coincidentally or not, this was the day after he was rejected by Alyssa) He also told us he masterminded Travis becoming the target but was fine with other people taking the credit. It was actually more Brent than Xavier but he did contribute. I say it was more Brent because at this time, Frenchie was already talking about not trusting Xavier. It’s also worth noting, Christian and Alyssa didn’t trust Xavier either at this time. The 2 biggest things involving Xavier the first week were his hinting to Alyssa that he liked her & being rejected and spending some time with Derek F.  He and Derek F discussed concerns about a womens alliance and a worry that Tiffany and Azha may be a problem and could be hard to keep very long.  Derek F made some personal connections with people but mostly talked about his crush on Frenchie.  He claims he was the most focused on the CO but I couldn’t find where he warned X that Frenchie didnt trust him.  Azha preferred Alyssa be the one to go over Travis during this week but no one cared. In spite of being annoyed with Frenchie, she was very much “respect Frenchie’s hoh.”

Week 2: Kyland won the hoh and he quickly decided to target Frenchie. (Remember back when we all praised Ky as an hoh? Haha) The womens alliance had been formed by Frenchie, (that still makes me laugh because of its stupidity) he’d taken a stab at Ky and well…he was Frenchie. Derek F and Azha didn’t want Frenchie to go but they didn’t make too much of a fuss. Ky was working Sara Beth and DX & Tiffany was working Claire and DX.  Tiffany had also started talking more with Hannah and wanted her to be fully included with the 6.  Using the chess pieces, Tiffany and DX figured out the Slaughterhouse alliance.  Tiffany & Ky discussed needing to form another alliance that would have more control than the Slaughterhouse because it would be better for the 6.  This was the Royal Flush, which included the King’s, Queen’s plus 1 Ace. (Derek X) They went to X with this and he agreed to it. Tiffany and Ky were also feeling each other out about fully working with the 6 or not.  Tiffany and Ky were the most active players in the 6 and were probably positioned better to play with other people, rather than the 6. They both appeared to be having an internal debate over which direction to go. Tiffany had also formed her own relationship with DX and was looking for a way to keep him in the house longer. DX was a house target by now because Frenchie blamed him for all the bad decisions he’d made himself the first week.

Sara Beth won the wild card comp, Tiffany worked on Christian about his ability to run his own alliance. She told him he couldn’t do that as part of the Slaughterhouse but he could with the RF. After this, Christian & Alyssa were fully on board with the RF. Christian talked to Tiffany about his doubts with X too. He said he thought X might be jealous over Alyssa. Tiffany assured Christian he could trust X and it wouldn’t effect X’s game decisions. Christian agreed but said they couldn’t take X too far into the game.  Talk also started between Christian and Alyssa about wanting their real F4 to be with Tiffany and Claire.

X was busy deflecting this week because no one was buying he was a bartender. Derek F was already suggesting X was more specifically, a lawyer. Azha had her hands full too with Britini because she went otb with Frenchie and Britini’s first meltdown over being nominated began.

DX won the veto, it didn’t matter because it was already decided Frenchie would go.  The Aces (DX, Hannah, Whitney) had also already decided to throw the next HOH to the Kings so a shot could be taken at Brent. X was concerned about Brent leaving next.  He wanted it to be Whitney instead because he said he didn’t want another guy to be evicted yet.

The RF ended up not being that necessary because Frenchie’s bad gameplay mixed with his paranoia, caused him to announce to everyone “fuck the Slaughterhouse” and he ended the alliance himself.

Azha started becoming annoyed with Tiffany and felt like she was being left out of plans. The Christian/Alyssa shomance started during this time, Derek F made a F2 with Ky and they discussed wanting to take out more women. They also brought up the possibility of all 3 guys in the 6 going to the end together. Derek F brought it up to X and he agreed. Frenchie was evicted.

Week 3- Everyone threw the hoh to Xavier so the shot could be taken at Brent. The Mafia alliance was made so Brent wouldn’t suspect anything. X told Tiffany he’d rather Whitney leave but she said the entire house wanted Brent. X agreed that it didn’t make that big of a difference. X said he wanted it to be a blindside and everyone agreed.

Tiffany and Ky made a F2, SB told Ky about her Jackpot alliance with Tiffany and Claire and Ky let this info slip to Tiffany.  This was around when SB became a new target.

X continued to spend time with Azha and Derek F but he didn’t fill Azha in on his full plan for the week. He asked DX to throw the wild card comp so they could take out Brent. (DX already planned on it. It’s why he threw the hoh) Tensions got worse between Azha and Tiffany when it became obvious, Britini was being targeted in the wild card comp by DX and Tiffany. Tiffany won the wild card. X told Britini and Azha about the plan to take out Brent but they were still upset. Azha tried to go otb instead of Britini but X said no. Azha was mad at most of the CO that week.  They couldn’t get her to understand that Britini was not being targeted for eviction but she felt the Jokers kept being targeted. (Brent was an Ace, not a Joker and this is why they didn’t tell her, her logic was off) X tried to convince Brent he was going otb just to compete in the veto for him and wouldn’t admit to Brent he was the real target, even though he basically knew it. This prevented Brent from really being able to campaign and left him in sort of a BB limbo.  At first, I thought this would be a bit messy but it was good gameplay from X. Brent and Britini went otb, Christian won the veto, he didn’t use it and Brent was evicted.

X walked in on Christian and Alyssa making out in the hoh room during this week. DX had repaired most of the damage Frenchie had done to make him a house target and was starting to play the game. Some of that was set back tho when Azha got pissed at him over the wild card comp. DX was also starting to talk about targeting Xavier. The Detectives was also formed with Tiffany, Ky, Claire and DX.

People in the house were starting to talk about the Kings being a threat.  Tiffany and Ky were riding the middle between deflecting from the Kings because of X or encouraging it so people would go after them as a team. X let it slip to Christian and Alyssa that Ky mentioned using a King as a pawn for the next week. Christian started talking about wanting to target Ky and X had to backtrack and try to fix it.

I’m going to stop here and pick back up tomorrow.  I know this is only the first 3 evictions but each week gets less detailed and will have less to go over. I’m banking on that anyway. (fingers crossed)

This is what I’ve realized from going back over the season:

• In spite of what X claims, he was already being tossed around as a target early in the game.
• Derek F actually did do a bit of work.  When he realized he’d be losing Frenchie and the F2 with him, he made a new F2 with Ky. He got the ball rolling to start forming something with the 3 CO guys.  He also kept X a bit paranoid over the women forming an alliance.  (Ya, go figure)
• Azha was focused on personal relationships, used practically no logic or strategy and let her emotions control her game talks the first few weeks.

Have a great Monday!

Mel