Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Big Brother All-Stars live feeds as of Sunday, October 11. Read at your own risk!
Big Brother All-Stars had one of its biggest surprises of the season when it was revealed that Nicole Franzel won the Head of Household. It was a must-win situation for Nicole and a week that may have ended in Cody Calafiore's elimination had anyone else won. Now, Memphis Garrett and Christmas Abbott are on the block and, unless one of them got the veto, there was a good chance things would stay this way.
So who won the veto this week and will ultimately help decide who makes up the game's Final 4? Here's who captured the veto, what's happening in the house, and what it means for the final stretch of this week.
And The Winner Is...
Forgive me for all the criticisms I've made of Nicole Franzel's gameplay to this point because she now has her first veto win as well. The Big Brother 18 winner has come up with back to back clutch wins, with this one coming during the famous BB Comics competition. Nicole was thought to be a big threat in all memory competitions, so the houseguests were not surprised to see her come through here.
For those keeping score at home, that now means Nicole has as many competition wins as Enzo Palumbo. In the course of a week, I think she's done just enough that, in a certain scenario, I think it's possible she could win Big Brother All-Stars. Granted, I think she has no shot in hell when it comes to Memphis Garrett and Cody Calafiore, but a win against Christmas Abbott or Enzo doesn't seem all that crazy if she has a strong performance the rest of the game.
Nicole's Sweep Week May End In Defeat
Nicole Franzel has stated that she thinks it's best if Memphis Garrett leaves this week but, if she doesn't use the veto, she has to rely on Cody Calfiore and Enzo Palumbo to make that happen. So far, Nicole has not been able to sway Cody into voting out Memphis, with him saying he'd rather see Christmas leave this week. Nicole has bent a lot for Cody this season, but it appears he's unwilling to return the favor, despite her victories this week.
This isn't a great situation for Nicole, whose game would be in a much better position going forward if Memphis Garrett was out. She has a much better shot at beating Christmas Abbott than him and a chance that Christmas would win and take out Cody for her. While this was an impressive week for her, Nicole still has little to no shot at beating Cody and Memphis, so it's easy to understand why she'd push for Enzo and Cody to evict Memphis.
Nicole might still be able to sway Enzo on the vote, but he'll ultimately do what Cody Calafiore does. The two men have a "Final 3" deal with Memphis Garrett, and while there's still some question whether that will be honored come next week, Cody looks to be someone who will be in the Final 3 if he can show his loyalty saving Memphis this week.
As far as Enzo is concerned, he can go either way. Memphis leaving this week means he has a better shot at winning and, with Christmas still a target in the house following this week, he could skate to the Final 3. Memphis staying is a risk in some ways if the comps don't go his way next week, but that's true anyway unless he wins the HOH. Again, it wouldn't benefit him to do anything that Cody didn't want to do, as he'd only piss off a key ally going into the home stretch. His decision will almost entirely be based on Cody's thoughts this week.
Will Nicole Franzel Use The Power Of Veto?
If Nicole Franzel really wanted to get Memphis Garrett out, there's a way that could happen. Nicole would have to use the veto to save Christmas, and then put either Enzo or Cody up in his place. My assumption is she wouldn't risk losing Cody by putting him on the block, so it would be on Cody and Chrismtas to decide whether Enzo or Memphis stays in the game.
It would be a bit of a gamble, but a move of little consequence to Nicole. Cody would be forced to decide whether he wants to keep Enzo, and Christmas would likely move to save Memphis. That means Nicole would have to break the tie, which would typically be a bad thing, but at this stage in the game, it's not going to come back on her. Plus, getting out someone as accomplished as Memphis would be a major move in this season, which would be another big win for Nicole's game.
Now whether or not Nicole Franzel will make that move is an entirely different story. Truth be told, she sees making the Final 3 regardless of how this all shakes out, and her lack of accolades to this point still makes her a strong option for every remaining player's Final 2. The play is there for her to make, but there's a question of whether or not scheming too hard this close to the end will result in her getting targeted in the last couple weeks of the game.
Plus, Nicole Franzel has openly stated on the feeds that she realizes she's more or less traveling to the end to hand Cody Calafiore the game. I'm sure that's not really been her strategy starting out, but if she's thinking like that at this stage in the game, there's a good chance she's thinking the best she can do. Basically, if Nicole doesn't think she can win at this stage, I don't think she's going to be playing to win unless it's for someone else going forward. She won't use the veto, even if there's an argument to be made that she should.
Big Brother All-Stars airs on CBS Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more on what's happening in the game, and for the latest news in television and movies.
