Neil leaves for some unknown reason after about 20 seconds of cumulative screen time. His partner, Joshuah is left alone and his only options or a new partner are evicted exs Sharon and Jacob. Sharon seeming not great but easy to get along with and Jacob being one of the worst players in big brother history, his choice was easy. Was it a fair situation to put him in? no, but Big Brother has never been fair. I wish Neil were still there though. I need someone I actually like.

That said, I feel terribly for Alex. I really like him. Amanda was overreacting saying he was “being mean to me” when she is clearly over sensitive. She didn’t consider his feelings at all while canoodling with Parker an then seems completely confused when he reacts badly. I think, all things considered, Alex came off pretty well from the whole thing. Especially in an episode that once again revealed the normally cool Parker to have a very hot temper. The whole “Amanda and Parker know each other” thing (prompted by Sheila and Allison’s hilarious claim of lesbianism and James investigatory skill and slight paranoia) was completely understandable and Alex apologized for having accidentally turned Parker on James when James did nothing wrong. It was all Parker and Amanda overreacting. Though Alex and Amanda might still be good competitors and I liked her decently enough in the beginning I agree with Alex that “its just not working” which is sad since they started off so well and he really does have feelings for her. Also, he had every right to comment on the booty shorts– they’re gross. PS: he looks really cute in his glasses. They almost make me forget the gross accent.

The best couple in the house at the moment, however, are Alex and Amanda’s allies Matt and Natalie. Both idiots, both annoying, Matt and Natalie work together, they work hard, they think (or at least contemplate) before acting, they support each other, they’re easy going, they are yet to overreact to anything… basically the idiots may have it at this point. The veto competition looked really hard. The men had to spin a giant disk around 300 times while the women held on to a button in the middle of it and tried not to vomit. Jen spent the whole time yelling at Parker (who was not very good at the whole spinning thing) and being incredibly rude. Ryan started off very strong but couldn’t cut the endurance part and Allison let go of the button anyway. Alex and Amanda were doing very well, he paced himself, she was being helpful and supportive, she had a strong hold on the button, and then she threw the competition without discussing it with him- grrr. Matt and Natalie did everything right, he paced himself but was consistently quick, she held on for dear life and never let go even though she get motion sickness quickly. They deserved to win. PS: they didn’t use the veto even though Matt promised Parker he would- good move I think ultimately though false promises are a little tricky.

Chelsia and James need more screen time. I’m sick to death of Jen and her selfish, competitive ramblings. Though Ryan admits he wouldn’t put Jen before himself, Jen claims she will vote him out even if she doesn’t have to- that definitely gives the other players an idea of how loyal she can be. especially considering her actions towards Ryan in the house have outside of the house consequences. Chelsia and James however, the little we see of them, seem pretty great. They’re both calm and collected, dealing with the drama in a smart way. They also both seem fun. James was overreaching a bit on his theory of 4 twists but he was put on to it and its not unlike big brother to plant a clue in the fish tank. His conversation with Alex, too, revealed not only that he is personable and not nearly as crazy as his wondering around in blue briefs would suggest but also that he is starting to really like Chelsia which is kinda sweet. Chelsia, also, was there when Amanda came out to complain about Alex and sympathized without getting involved- smart move. I think they could emerge as a really strong team.

Sheila and Adam gave it a rest this episode- thank god. note to the editors: no one wants to watch people who make them physically ill (a lesson that should have been learned with last summer’s dick).