YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!  I am delighted with the outcome of BB11.  A lot of people asked me why I hadn’t written columns for the last couple of weeks.  Well, it’s because I was entirely disinterested and disenchanted with the last few weeks of the game.  I felt it was crawling to the finish line.  I probably shouldn’t admit to this, but I actually watched the Biggest Loser premiere in its entirety before I caught up on BB on my DVR.  But, when I did…I was oh so very happy.

Let me say this…people should really reevaluate what makes a good BB player, because Jordan was a good player and a deserving winner at that.  The object of the game is not to win the most possible competitions…it’s to last until the end.  So credit the entire final 3 for doing that.  But ya know what?  She did great in the comps too!  The most HoH wins anyone had this season was two – she tied for that.  Kevin won 3 comps…she won 3 comps.  Which is also the same amount of comps as Adam won on season 9.  And only one less than Boogie and Dick won on their respective seasons.  She won 2 tiebreakers by producing amazingly accurate answers on the spot on both accounts.  That shows she was far more on top of things than one may believe.  She was on the block 4 times and nobody took her out.  If you don’t think that is impressive, why don’t you ask the 6 people who went home the one and only time they were on the block this season what they think?  When you are on the block, you are marked for dead.  And she survived 4 times.  Being well liked is a skill in this game.  Never being the intended target is a skill in this game.  Don’t forget, she cast votes to evict Ronnie, Jessie, Russell, and Kevin.  In 4 of the other weeks she was nominated (hence couldn’t vote), then the Chima eviction (nobody voted), and the week she was HoH (doesn’t get a vote)…the point being, aside from week 1, she cast votes to evict the person who went home every single time that she voted.  And those votes led to the evictions of the game’s biggest threats, all the while keeping the blood off of her hands.  Making the “big move” is a matter of perception.  Is Jeff getting out Russell or Kevin getting out Jeff really a big move if it doesn’t ultimately result in their betterment in the game?  I don’t see why.  Everyone has to go, so being the HoH to get out Lydia is just as important as being the HoH who gets out Jessie. 

Most importantly, Jordan won the competition that mattered most.  She put the game into her own hands by defeating each of the other members of the final 3 fair and square.  And she evicted the correct person.  Towards the end of the game the strategizing is mostly over - you either win or you go home.  And she won.  Additionally, Jordan brought a human quality to this game that is often missing in many of the HGs.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Jordan was one of the nicest, most genuinely sweet people to step foot into that house in years.  She was actually probably the single nicest.  Certainly the most smiley.  And while I would never decide the winner of the game this way, you’d have to be a cruel person to not be happy to see somebody win the money who truly needs it and will appreciate it.  How often can you watch the outcome of a reality TV show and say it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person and really mean it?  I’m thrilled for her.  This is literally instantly life changing for her.

As for the other members of the final 4, I believe that Kevin and Michele probably played the best overall games this season.  Both went under the radar before getting involved in important ways when it mattered.  Both did it without the protection or benefit of the returning houseguest twist, the clique twist, or the Coup.  Kevin, in particular, managed to stay very well liked while exercising great influence on the decision-making late in the game.  His ability to contain his naturally larger than life personality showed great skill and awareness; and he was well positioned and able to turn it on when it mattered in the second half of the game.  However, they were both plagued by the same thing – they didn’t win the competitions that they ultimately needed to win.  I hate to say it, but Kevin will be haunted by that tiebreaker for the rest of his life.  $500,000 came down to one question and he lost to Jordan.  Michele choked on her final HoH and PoV as well.  I’ve been there, done that – it’s not an easy pill to swallow. 

Natalie, on the other hand, was not a good player by my estimation.  It concerns me that after a while she seemed to genuinely believe her own lies.  That is the actual definition of delusional.  And as I’ve detailed throughout the season, her lies were often pointless, useless, and inconsistent.  Case and point, she makes her nominations to make it seem like she’s not with Kevin (which shouldn’t matter anyway at that point).  Then she publicly celebrates his Veto win…. while drinking alcohol…even though she’s allegedly 18.  Her conduct during both Pandora’s Box challenges was telegraphed, short-sighted, and bad gameplay through and through.  For all of her hot air about competitions, everyone defeated her handily time and time again.  And trust me, she was not throwing comps…she’s waaaaay too competitive to ever do that.  The girl cheats at pool when they play for fun.  I was thrilled that the jury saw through her boisterous claims.  The look on her face when Jessie’s vote was revealed made the entire season for me.  That said, she lasted much further in the game than I would have anticipated and she did indeed make plenty of strong moves along the way.  I just feel she could have played a much tighter game.

As I’ve mentioned before, I was lucky enough to get to hang at the BB house on move in day.  Getting to watch an unedited view of the HGs forming those initial impressions was very telling to me.  At that time, I stated that I guaranteed a woman would win the season, as every guy had a major fatal flaw that would ultimately prevent him from winning the game.  Kevin was the only one who proved me wrong, as the rest of the gentlemen went down to the exact trait that I thought would ail them in the game.  I then remarked that I could write 3 names on a piece of paper right then and there (3 hours into the game) and one of those 3 players would win the game.  I was heckled by those I was viewing with and told that I think I know more about this game than I do.  Well, the names I wrote down 3 hours into the game were Jordan, Michelle, and Lydia.  Upon watching the game for the first few days, I wrote my first Reality Wanted column.  At that time I put the players into 3 categories, including naming my 3 front-runners to win the game.  At that time I listed Jordan, Michelle, and had replaced Lydia with Casey (with a slight asterisk).  Note that these predictions were made after 3 hours of game and roughly 5 days of game respectively; and I included 2 of the final 4 and the ultimate winner on both lists.  Yes, I am mostly pointing this out just to praise myself.  Please hold your applause.

For the record, if I were to have been in the house this season, I most certainly would have aligned with Michelle and Jordan.  I believe they would have been my most viable allies in the scheme of this group.  The person that I believe would have been the most dangerous for me to play against is Lydia.  She was an emotional player, which is very hard to get a beat on as you try to analyze the game from a rational perspective.  It was hard to assess where she was coming from and she is a top of the line manipulator.  With most of the other players, it was what you see is what you get…but I didn’t feel that way with her. 

Overall, I thought this was a very good season, with extremely dynamic, exciting players.  As the season has ended, I think it’s fair that I now reveal whom I was rooting for all season.  Michelle and Jordan were my tops all along.  What a shocker, I know.  As if you couldn’t tell that from the rest of this article, haha.  Thereafter, I very much enjoyed Russell, Jeff, Ronnie, and Jessie.  The four of them managed to combine gameplay and entertainment in a big way.  Kevin won me over and made a fan of me later in the game.  And in talking to Laura outside of the house, she has a great head on her shoulders and would have been someone I’d like to have seen in the game longer.  I particularly did not care for Chima, Lydia, and Natalie in the scope of the game.  However, I am smart enough to realize that we are simply viewing the “in house” versions of these people and there’s a great chance that many of them will pleasantly surprise me in person.  Just like all of you, I still watch the show as a fan and develop rooting interests.  However, I try my best not to pass judgment on anyone until I meet them in person.  I have the utmost respect for the game and those who play it.      

For the 11 of you who are actually my fans…fear not.  I’ll still be here at Reality Wanted offering a few more BB thoughts at some point and my analysis of other reality TV offerings to help tide us over until next summer.  Thanks for all of the support and great feedback this season.  Much appreciated!  I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.

(Interview with Big Brother 11 winner Jordan Lloyd @ The Finale)


Interview with Kevin Campbell At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Jessie Godderz Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Russell Kairouz Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Michelle Noonan Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Natalie Martinez Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Casey Turner Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Lydia Tavera Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Jeff Schroeder Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Ronnie Talbott Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Laura Crosby Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

Interview With Braden Bacha Live At The Big Brother 11 Finale

For more Big Brother 11 Links visit Sirlinksalot.net