'Big Brother': Adieu Times Two

I have a question to insert here: Why did Ollie...hell, why does anyone buy someone swearing on their mothers/children/significant others/gods anymore? It's been going on for years on BB, and it's a vow that's just as often broken as it is kept. Why do people still consider this oath a valid currency? What does it really mean in the context of a goofy reality show? That's a schoolyard promise; if you buy that, you have to buy crossies as its legitimate antidote. If I were someone's mother and my child invoked my name in a Big Brother pact and broke it, I would be no angrier at them than if they had stepped on a crack and risked breaking my back.

Ollie's anger seemed less spurred by his and Michelle's likely elimination than by the humiliation he imagined he'd suffered in front of millions of people. What reputation was being sullied? Well, up until now, he'd cultivated the perfect image of a clean-living...oh, wait, he held gropefests under a blanket for the cameras. Well, at least America knew he was a straight-talking...er, actually, he contradicted himself on a minute-to-minute basis, agreeing with whoever came within a three-foot radius of him. All right, at least America knew that he was a powerful competitor...though he never really won a competition, and in the subsequent veto challenge, he was the only one not to find a single one of his veto medallions in the haystack. Well, at least America knew where he stood when it came to turning his hat sideways. And not even Dan can take that away from him!

Michelle was bounced first, but not before giving a speech in which she parroted everyone else's "Vote for yourself, not the person next to you." This has been used so often that it doesn't mean anything anymore. It's the Big Brother equivalent of saying, "I've had enough of those Washington insider fatcats!" She was so sure Dan was America's player, and was surprised when Julie said he wasn't. ("Oh my God, then he's crazy," she said, in a brilliant pot/kettle retort.) Though to her credit, it was a little misleading of Julie. No, Dan wasn't permanently America's player, and yet he was for the week he dinged Jessie, which was what rightly raised suspicion.

Then there was the rapid-fire HOH competition, "Future Headlines," which was a nail-biter. It looked like Jerry had it in the bag before a last-minute rally and tiebreaker victory by Keesha. Through it all, Keesha looked like she was going to have a heart attack; she was shivering and wincing throughout. Boy, Keesha is a very attractive woman, but someone should tell that to her facial expressions.

Keesha put up Jerry and Ollie, naturally, and Dan won the POV, keeping things as they were. Ollie was bounced, 3-0, and walked out of the house without hugging anybody. He looked steamed talking to Julie, but told her that he was less pissed than confused at Dan's shenanigans. Hey, join the club. He did concede that, having betrayed Dan in the show's first week, it could have been a case of "an eye for an eye, a two for a two." Yes, and remember Ollie, what goes around, comes a frown! (Check out PopWatch today, where Lynette Rice will interview both him and Michelle: You never know what other clichés he might mangle!)

And now there are five: a strong alliance of four (one half Renegades!) and Jerry. Jerry has been on the block so many times that he's left a denim shorts ring on the nominee chair, but he's always been rescued in lieu of someone more objectionable. This may be it for him, however. I don't see the Dan alliance fracturing quite yet; I think they'll stay to the final four, but it'll be interesting to see where things go from there. My prediction? Dan will come up with another game called, "Confusing Plan Roulette": He spins an elaborate scheme that makes no sense whatsoever, and whoever's head explodes first is eliminated.

What do you think? Is Jerry really the stealthiest player out there? Does Dan have a chance in hell of winning?

More Big Brother:
Big Brother exit Q&A: Michelle
Big Brother exit Q&A: ''Ollie''