BB18 Finale Recap "When The Best Player Doesn't Win"

   I think my title of this post summarizes exactly what my thoughts are about last night’s finale. Paul was the better player. Period. Nicole would’ve been a decent winner against anyone else, but not Paul. He outplayed her every single week. She didn’t even leave her bed with Corey until around day 50. It’s a shame that Paul decided to be “noble” and take the better player because it cost him the game. Bridgette said in an after the game interview that taking James would have guaranteed him the money by a 8-1 vote.

   Anyway, for a quick note of positivity before I continue my sort of ranting: I want to say thank you to everyone who supported the blog during this Big Brother season. I didn’t really expect anyone outside of my parents to read it, so to be this close to 1,000 page views is pretty awesome. So thank you again! If you like shows like Big Brother, stay tuned because every Thursday will be a recap of Survivor, which is basically Big Brother on an island. Also, starting in October, every Wednesday there will be a blog up on Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After for The Bachelor fans. It’s a spin-off of one of the couples still together.

   Okay, ending the plug and getting back to the sad finale. Obviously, I think personal feelings played too large of a role in this jury voting. I don’t think many of them voted on game. Because let’s be honest Paulie and by extension Zakiyah’s votes had nothing to do with game, they were just closer to Nicole. Paulie even said during the jury debate Paul was the better “all around” player, but then tried to use that to justify a Nicole win. I also feel Natalie’s vote had nothing to do with game. She’s been pushing for a female winner before week 1 was even over. Julie Chen could have come in the house, sat next to Paul, have played zero game, and she would’ve voted for her because she was a female. While I agree that Paul made a mistake in taking Nicole because of this being possible, he still should’ve won. Unfortunately, with more and more contestants being cast for summer camp, more and more of these final 2 votes are going the wrong way.

   Just a little analysis, but since BB14 all but one of the winners have won by playing the “rat” game. Basically, they did absolutely nothing until they heard something bad and then went and told everyone about it. Ian, Andy, Steve, and now Nicole have won with that game. At least with Andy and Steve, their opponents sucked so it was ok. But with Ian and Nicole, the person they beat had actually played the game well. The jury needs to stop rewarding the “rat” game play. It encourages people to do nothing and quite frankly it’s boring. None of these winners will be seen on the show again, even if they wanted to be. They are the least popular winners ever, and I’m willing to bet Nicole will continue that streak.

   Thankfully, at least America got its job right last night and awarded Victor America’s Favorite House Guest. That was the silver lining of the episode. He absolutely deserved it and was all around a likeable guy. He also made Big Brother history coming back 3 times, so I'd be willing to bet that he will appear on a future season. In all honesty, he, Paul, and Frank are the only ones I can see being brought back. They all were involved in drama, played the game, and America liked them. Bridgette and Natalie have a chance of being brought back, but it’s definitely less likely. It would have to be a season where the twist specifically calls for players like them.

Now, let’s see how my predictions stacked up with the votes.

Predictions: 5-4 for Paul

DaVonne: I could see her voting either way, but I am leaning towards Nicole. Her comments during the jury segments show a huge admiration for Nicole running things and she has been adamant about wanting a female winner.

Zakiyah: Paul. Mainly because I think that’s what Paulie will vote.

Bridgette:  Paul

Paulie: Paul. Yes, he was closer to Nicole, but I can see him voting on who played the better game. And it’s not like he hated Paul, they were close at one point.

Michelle: Paul. She hates Nicole, there is no question here. Paul pissed her off, but not nearly as much.

Natalie: Nicole. She’s indicated in an exit interview that she was rooting for Nicole if she wasn’t against James.

Victor: Paul. Obvious.

Corey: Nicole. Obvious.

James: Nicole

Reality: 5-4 for Nicole

    So, I pretty much was wrong about two votes. I know, you’re going to bring up, but Julia, Zakiyah voted for Nicole. I’m going to be a bit technical here and say that my prediction was that she’d vote however Paulie voted, which technically was correct. I also was correct that it would be a close vote with it being 5-4. Unfortunately, I missed Paulie’s vote. I thought he’d respect the game enough to vote for the best. But, that’s what I get for counting on Paulie to do anything decent. The second person I was wrong about was James. I thought he’d be a vote for Nicole. Nicole fans on twitter have been in an uproar saying that his vote for Paul was bitterness against Nicole. I think that’s delusional. Paul’s the one who evicted him and he’s been best friends with Nicole since the beginning. The bitter vote would have been if he gave the win to Nicole. 

So, I thought I’d end this year of Big Brother with my overall thoughts on the season on a scale of 10, and my favorite players.

Season: 6.5. This season really did have strong points. The early part of the season was great until Frank was evicted. Then it lulled. Then it picked up again when Paulie got in trouble. Then it lulled. Unfortunately, the show has become a show where not playing is rewarded, and that causes way to many boring episodes in a row.

Winner: 6. Like I said, she’s not a horrible winner. The issue is just that she should not have won against Paul. I’d also rank her higher if she hadn’t basically cheated by entering this season with pre-show alliances. I’m not a fan of cheaters winning and it sets a bad precedent for future returning veterans. 

My Favorite Players: Frank, Paul, and Victor. It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that these three were my favorites. Paul and Victor won my favorite player for numerous episodes. Its sure been a journey with them considering how I hated them at the start. Frank was one of my starting favorites, which had also surprised me given how I hated him during BB14. So to all the people I disliked this year, there's a chance I could like you in the future. A small chance, but a chance nonetheless. 

With that being said, those are my last thoughts on this season of Big Brother. While this season is over, I do plan on returning next summer, maybe with some new blog posts. I will not be watching Big Brother Over The Top. When your first big twist is that either Jozea or Jason will come back, I know that you are wasting my time with a knockoff. Until next time, have a great day!