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They were allies. They hated each other. No, they were secretly still allies! And then, Russell becomes Head of Household, and he puts Ronnie up on the block. Oh, Lydia is up there with him, but it's definitely Ronnie he has his eyes on. Will the Master Manipulator find a way to save himself before Thursday night's live eviction?

After the nominations, Russell confesses in the Diary Room that he wants to see where everyone's loyalties lie -- with him or with Ronnie. Ronnie DRs that he's come out of worse scenarios, and Jeff is just glad to see that Russell is upholding his end of the bargain. Meanwhile, Lydia -- who for whatever reason believs she had an alliance with Russell -- now has no idea where she stands. But no worries -- Kevin will come to her rescue with the POV if he wins it, and he tells her she ought to feel quite confident since she is up on the block with Ronnie, after all.

Ronnie's not wasting any time campaigning, and goes straight up to the Head of Household room to chat with Russell. He tells him there are "no hard feelings" and that he "got that on every level." And then... he cries. He bemoans that he's never gone against Russell, never would, and wants to stay in and get "those stupid floaters" Lydia and Kevin out of the house, even if it means putting up specific people "for the team." Russell DRs that he has zero sympathy for Ronnie, and that he'll be "more than happy to put the tombstone on his grave."

Next up in the parade of HOH visitors is Chima, who is surprised to see that Russell has made his bed -- which she then promptly jumps into and snuggles up to Russell, purring that she thinks Lydia should go home, but that she'll do whatever Russell wants. Russell's adamant: "I want Ronnie gone first." He counts Jeff, Jordan, Kevin and Michele as votes to evict Ronnie. When Chima tries to find out why Russell hates Ronnie so much, Russell falls back on it being the many, many lies that Ronnie has told to him.

It's no secret that Natalie doesn't like Lydia, and she tells Jessie that she sees the tattooed tornado as trying to "break them up." Are they together? Wouldn't that be news to Jessie? Jessie realizes that Ronnie owes them more than Lydia does, and the two of them go to visit Russell and Chima. Russell, however, stands firm on wanting Ronnie out, revealing to them that Ronnie has a plan for each one of them as to best evict them. (Apparently Ronnie is now Batman, as well as a Sith Lord and Master Manipulator.)

Later, in the back yard, Natalie and Michele play pool, with Natalie angling to get Michele's vote for Ronnie by badmouthing Lydia for switching alliances. But Michele doesn't trust Ronnie. She's never felt an alliance with him -- or with anybody, for that matter. She's been laying low, and now she finds herself being the swing vote. "I know I'm gonna make enemies this week," she says. "But that happens."

Power of Veto Competition: Veni Vidi Veto

The teams are drawn. Russell pulls Michele's name. Ronnie pulls Jessie and Lydia pulls Kevin. So we have two alliances, a determined HOH, and a floater in the mix. Russell tags Chima to host the competition.

When we see the houseguests exit into the back yard, they are wearing togas and laurels. The backyard is filled with several items, and they each quickly figure out that this is the guesstimation game and quickly begin trying to count items with the five minutes they have available.

The players then take their positions at their booths, and Chima explains the rules. A question will be asked that will require an amount -- but before committing to their response, the players can choose to "stay" or "fold" once all the answers are in. If you fold, you continue to play. If you stay and you're the closest, you get a point, but if you're the furthest away you're eliminated. First to three points wins the game.

 

Power of Veto Results

Question Answer Michele Lydia Russell Ronnie Kevin Jessie How many jewels on the Emperor's chariot? 514 350, FOLD 123, FOLD 200, FOLD 340, FOLD 515, FOLD 365, STAY How many arrows in the shield? 213 879, FOLD 85, FOLD 215, STAY 200, FOLD 490, STAY 125, STAY How many grapes in the platter? 907 401, STAY 241, STAY 320, STAY 240, FOLD - 313, STAY How many marks on the gladiator's belt? 177 280, STAY - 246, FOLD 270, FOLD - 101, FOLD How many rats in the cage? 149 51, STAY - 46, FOLD 125, FOLD - 78, FOLD How many feathers in the gladiator's helmet? 92 68, STAY - 163, FOLD 95, FOLD - 130, STAY

Winner: Michele

Russell takes an early lead after Jessie grabs the first point. And as we watch the competition, we see the bully in Russell return again. Maybe all that torturing of Ronnie he did the other week wasn't so much of an act after all. When Russell scores his second point, he tells Ronnie, "Get ready to pack your bags, boy." When the players are asked how many rats were in the cage, Ronnie offers up 125, to which Russell retorts "Did you include yourself?" It's brutal.

But then Russell starts to fold more often, and Michele presses her advantage. Her first two points are garnered simply because everyone else folded. When it comes down to the last question, Russell and Ronnie still fold, with only Jessie challenging her answer. But his estimation of how many feathers are in the gladiator's helmet is too high, and further off than Michele's guess. For the second week in a row, Michele has won the Power of Veto. Nobody may be sure where she aligns, but they can't doubt any longer that this girl can win competitions. Michele realizes this is a power week for herself -- not only does she have the Power of Veto, but she is also the swing vote in the eviction.

Ronnie DRs that everyone hasa price, and over the next couple of days he plans to find out what Michele's price is for using the veto on him. He reminds Michele that she can't be put up on the block if she uses the veto (I'm sure she needed to be reminded the rules of the game, Ronster), and tells her he's not above begging. He swears he's been totally honest with her since the beginning, and asks her if she is or isn't still part of their alliance. "We'll talk," Michele says, as she walks away.

Michele then calls Russell in to have a private conversation, which piques the attention of Natalie and Jessie, who get suspicious. They set up camp at the chess table outside the HOH room as they wait, and wait, and wait. Inside, Russell tells Michele that he's just like her -- he has no real ally in the game (and wouldn't Jeff be surprised to know that!) Michele says she wants to be on his team.

That's when Michele and Russell watch Natalie and Jessie take up their places at the chess table, and poke fun at them for always being together. Jessie knocks on the door, just to let Russ know they're outside if he needs them, and Russell tells Michele that they keep tabs on him that way -- but that Jessie isn't as smart as he is. Michele adds that Natalie can't win anything, and Russell adds that Natalie has been getting by only with help from Jessie and himself.

When Natalie figures out that Michele isn't getting on the Free Ronnie campaign, she tells Ronnie that he needs to work harder to convince Michele to switch. So Ronnie tries the more forceful approach, which entails pointing out the allegiance with Natalie, Jessie, and Chima -- and who will they blame if Ronnie is evicted? "And then the cheese stands alone," he tells her, ominously. "I hope you see, because you are very smart," he adds, using the old give-and-take of the threatening compliment. He emphatically tells her that if he's evicted, she would follow soon after and would certainly not make it to the final two.

In the Diary Room, Russell points out that Chima has become jealous whenever Russ talks to Natalie or Michele. "Michele's your new girlfriend now," Chima teases when they're all in the kitchen, laughing at her own joke. Russell tells Jessie that Chima is starting to get on his last nerve. "I should have put her ass up instead of [Lydia's]," he says.

Ronnie can see the change of attitude toward Chima, and warns her that he wouldn't be a bit surprised if the veto were used on Lydia so that Russell could put Chima up. He tells her that Michele has "book smarts but no common sense." While he's doing this, Russell is snooping at the door again -- then walks in and walks out, just to let them know he was there. Natalie sees this, and tells Ronnie and Chima that Russell heard everything they were talking about. In the Diary Room, Russell says that he sees a close relationship between Chima and Ronnie, and doesn't see a point to keeping her in the house any longer.

Veto Ceremony

Ronnie knows Michele has heard his arguments, but he's not sure she took them to heart. Jessie admits he is "100% worried" and Chima is also nervous over the way Russell has been "puppeting" Michele.

Opening the ceremony, Michele gives the houseguests the opportunity to plead their case. "Ronnie, I give you the chance to lie first... I mean, speak." Oh, she's a good little protege of Russell's! In one statement, she's made a clear stand. Ronnie knows the position he's in now, but delivers his speech regardless. Lydia should also be insulted, as Michele's statement could also be taken that Lydia would "lie" second, but Lydia gives the usual you-know-the-drill, blah-blah-blah, respect-your-decision blather, and sits down.

"I've thought a lot about this," Michele summarizes, "and I've decided to use the power of veto on... no one." The nominees remain the same, and the meeting is adjourned.

Diary Room Aftermath

Michele: Right now the line has been drawn in the sand.
Lydia: I really hope Ronnie doesn't have the Mystery Power.
Ronnie: Even when I'm beaten I'm a fighter. I definitely have a few more moves this house has not seen yet.

 

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