'Big Brother' recap: Lie, Lady, Lie

Refusing to admit defeat, Michele scrambled to convince Kevin that she would be a smarter choice for the final two because he could easily beat her. (As much as I was rooting for her, I disagreed with her threats to not vote for him if he booted her out; voting should always be made based on game play, not on grudges. Even if she was just bluffing, and she may well have been, it's still a low tactic.) But ultimately, he took himself off the block and then voted Michele out. It was a smart move on his part; Michele could still betray him, while Jordan would never get the chance, as she has little chance at winning HOH.

I’m still dumbstruck at the outcome, though. Not only does Natalie now have a good chance at the final two, but this result will just make her all the more certain that her tactics were brilliant. And now that she’s gone this far, I have to consider – and this one really hurts — is she right? As Ken Tucker has pointed out, she's one of the most dislikable contestants on reality TV, but as much as we may mock her moves and logic, she made the final three.

And yet, in assuming she makes the final two, I think it is her very cocksureness that could doom her. Natalie has already proven that she’s not smart about the long game. Why bid farewell to Michele by saying, ''I’ve wanted you gone for some time now''? Kevin realized she was a jury vote, so he sucked up to her, a smart move. So picture the final speeches to the jury: When Natalie stands up there, she will probably revel in her many brilliant moves, stating all the things that duped everybody, and how they all fell for it. And that'll just antagonize everybody, especially a guy like Russell who doesn’t like having his nose rubbed in losses. It'll especially hurt her if she chalks up as victories the lies that nobody believed in the first place. As long as Kevin stays gracious, stressing how he won challenges and made smart moves, I think he'll get Jeff, Jordan, Russell, Lydia, and Michele. That's more than enough to trump Natalie, no wonder what the producers do with Chima's vote.

What do you think of my logic? Would Natalie beat Kevin in a final two? Is there any way Jordan can win this, short of the other two being hospitalized for rain-machine damage during the first heat of the final HOH competition? And finally, what did you think of Michele's exit interview with Julie: I imagine there were two very different takes, depending on whether you like the evictee or not. If you do like her, her admission that she can't figure out why people have been mean to her since childhood was heartbreaking. But if you don't like her, I guess the response to that is, ''Gee, the whole world hasn't liked you since you could speak? Maybe it's time to take a good look at your voicebox and what comes out of it.'' Somethning for everyone, I guess. And with that final note, I'll see you next Tuesday when the final winner is named. And don't forget to check out Lynette’s final interview with Jeff after his eviction last week.