Frenchie’s time in the Big Brother 23 house came to a crashing bittersweet end. As predicted during last week’s review, Week #2 was the payment for all the chaotic gameplay unleashed in the house during Frenchie’s HOH reign. Playing too-hard-too-fast comes with consequences, which made the second week both predictable and satisfying. The houseguests used the inevitability of Frenchie’s eviction to set themselves up for future rounds. Sometimes an easy outcome is better for the house, and it ties up loose ends for us as viewers regarding Frenchie’s story.
Frenchie’s narrative focused primarily on him burning every bridge he had left and mustering the energy to get to eviction night. If Derek F. hadn’t talked him out of it, there could’ve been a world where Frenchie self-evicted in a fit of pride and frustration. Unless he had won the Wildcard competition or the Power of Veto (or someone from the Jokers team saved him), there wasn’t an outcome where Frenchie could’ve survived Week #2. The other houseguests didn’t trust him, everyone looked at him skeptically, and any deals he tried to make couldn’t be believed. Frenchie was the marked house target, and by pairing him on the block next to a pawn like Britini, his threat status was too big to ignore. Nothing Frenchie could’ve done would save him after his disastrous first round.
Kyland’s time as Head of Household, on the other hand, was the ideal approach to follow. Kyland played the round subtlety, took in the feedback from others, and set himself up nicely in several alliances. His performances gained the trust of new allies and reaffirmed the trust in his friends that he had started during the round before; Kyland left Week #2 in a better spot than he started. If Kyland were to make it far in the season, it wouldn’t be surprising based on all the pieces he set up during his HOH. We should keep our eyes on Kyland—he could become one of the biggest players this season.
Tiffany is another houseguest who dominated the round with her social game. Everyone loves Tiffany now; she’s a member of many alliances (i.e., The Cookout, The Royal Family, The Queens, etc.) and many look to her as “family.” Due to Tiffany’s hard work, she gained Derek X.’s trust to conduct a Week #3 scheme, she built bridges with Hannah, and she fostered a strong duo with Claire. This could be the start of Tiffany’s time as one of the best Big Brother gameplayers we’ve had in years. Hopefully, she continues her upward momentum because she has impressed with her social game and strategic thinking.
The three challenges all stood out as fun games that should return in the future. The HOH competition of shooting the ball into the shark’s mouth was both simple and balanced. Anyone could’ve won that game, regardless of the spot on the board. The Wildcard competition had a fair quality to it and it only required memory, whereas the POV included both a physical and twist component. Derek X. did great by figuring out the water pattern early on; he’s proving to be a competition beast by his back-to-back win. If Britini and Frenchie had deduced the pattern a little earlier, they could’ve taken it since they weren’t too far behind.
Speaking of Britini, what is she doing in this game? Britini has faltered into becoming the pawn/“coaster” role (i.e., a player who isn’t playing or making moves). The house has turned to her as being the easy filler eviction or pawn; part of this is due to Britini’s inability to connect with the house or make alliances. It’s shocking because she started the summer strong and personable. Sarah Beth, on the other hand, became the lovable social threat that could’ve been Britini. She made deep connections with players like Kyland and Tiffany, she won a Wildcard competition, and her likability reduced the target on her back for a few weeks. Sarah Beth, who was one of the last picked for the teams, might easily slide into the latter half of the game for the good work she’s putting in now.
Another surprising shift were the targets switched between the “couples.” Alyssa and Christian had gone into Week #2 with targets on their backs due to Frenchie claiming them as a strong pre-showmance. However, building the (now imploded) Slaughterhouse alliance gained them more allies, and the attention shifted to the unlikely pair of Brent and Whitney. We have to give them kudos for their work–Alyssa and Christian put out plenty of fires and started building some connections, like with Xavier, Derek X., and Tiffany. The showmance did exactly what they needed to do to buy them a few more weeks, and their work ensured that Alyssa wouldn’t be a pawn again.
Brent is the most likely target and eviction coming up for Week #3. How does he not see that the house has turned against him?! His flirtation with Alyssa and Hannah, which could’ve been friendships, spiraled into a negative reputation built with the female houseguests. The men see him as a strong threat to eliminate, and even Whitney wants him gone because she agrees with the women and doesn’t want to be associated with Brent. Brent’s charisma toward Frenchie back in Week #1 saved him from being evicted (he was one of the original targets), but with Frenchie gone now and no real alliance protecting him, Brent’s days are numbered.
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Week #2 of Big Brother 23 set itself up to be the gameplay funeral of Frenchie. From the editing to the gameplay, the main storyline centered on the slow walk toward Frenchie’s eviction; as a result, this could’ve been a dull filler week. However, the cast has proven to be tough competitors who want to play the game, so they kept us entertained with strategy, new alliances, and seeds planted for moves to come. If you’re a Frenchie fan, it’s a bittersweet round, but for all Big Brother fans, Week #2 delivered on a fun round of the game.
Big Brother 23 airs on CBS on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8/7c.
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