Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Big Brother 26 live feeds as of Wednesday, September 4th. Stream the feeds with a Paramount+ subscription or on Pluto TV and read at your own risk!
We're in for another exciting Thursday episode of Big Brother 26, as Quinn Martin's Week 7 Head of Household hasn't gone the way he planned. What could've been a straightforward and potentially boring week has been completely upended, but who suffers the biggest risk of going home? Also, could a "curse" be the key factor that ultimately sends the next Houseguest packing?
Anybody who's been streaming Big Brother's live feeds possibly shares in our best guess for what will happen. Before we get into that, however, there's a bit of housekeeping to catch readers up: Leah Peters won the Week 7 veto and used it to remove Angela Murray from the block. Joseph Rodriguez was named as her replacement and joined Kimo Apaka and Rubina Bernabe as potential evictees. So, which of them is most likely to be leaving? Here's what we know so far.
Kimo Feels Like The Most Likely Option To Go Home, But There's Still No Clear Consensus
I need to start out by saying right now that there are tons of scenarios being talked out in the Big Brother house, even a day before the vote. It's fair to say every Houseguest has as equal of a chance as going as the other if they don't win in the A.I. Arena. With that said, Chelsie Baham and Makensy Manbeck have discussed saving Rubina for the mere fact they could all solidify a women's alliance and would sooner see one of the men leave.
Makensy also said, however, that Kimo is a stronger target, and evicting Rubina over him might drive T'Kor closer to them so they can unite against them. She seemed swayed by Chelsie arguing to protect the women, but as I said, all options are on the table.
If Kimo wins in the A.I. Arena, this eviction gets even harder to predict. Leah and Quinn want to save Joseph, but he can't vote, and we know that T'Kor Clottey firmly wants to keep Rubina between those two. I've also noticed that Chelsie isn't a huge fan of Joseph, but I'm not sure if it's enough to see him get sent home. If Houseguests are going to vote off pure competitive strength, Kimo has won one competition, and Rubina and Joseph have not won anything.
While I don't think it's impossible that Joseph or Rubina will leave, I think it's far more likely we will see Kimo go because of his alliances. He's only aligned with Rubina and T'Kor, which means there's little benefit to others keeping him in Big Brother. If he wants to stay, I think he'll need to win in the A.I. Arena, but with debates ongoing on who to send home sometimes going into the wee hours of Thursday morning this season, the plan can always change!
Could The "Ainsley Curse" Strike Again?
Those who want to win Big Brother tend to avoid the popular curses that have haunted the game. For example, the curse of being the first in the house each season has led to plenty of people hesitating before walking in the door. Big Brother 26 Houseguests are likely aware of that curse, but there's a new one haunting this season that they are unaware of.
The internet has frequently mentioned the "Ainsley Curse," which takes us back to the two-night premiere when Houseguests voted whether or not Ainsley would be allowed to be the 17th Houseguest in Big Brother 26. So far, every person evicted voted "No" to bringing Ainsley into the game. Take a look:
Ainsley’s curse takes another victim! 6 for 6#BB26 😱 pic.twitter.com/lqr0OGg20pAugust 30, 2024
If the "Ainsley Curse" strikes again, then Kimo will be the next person evicted. I think what's wildest about this trend is that the Houseguests only publicly know a few of the votes thanks to the powers and punishments awarded afterward. Makensy used America's Veto, Quinn revealed he was the Deepfake HOH, and Chelsie and Cedric Hodges received the downgrade disadvantages.
I wouldn't put too much stock in the Ainsley curse dictating who will or won't win Big Brother 26, but I admit it is a fun trend to track. I'm not a fan of the idea that T'Kor could potentially fall victim to the curse, however, as she's the final person on my list of Houseguests who could win Season 26.
Once again, it seems like this week will come down to who wins in the A.I. Arena, and there's going to be a scramble for people to move to evict who is best for their games. As chaotic and frustrating as it has been to try and predict these evictions, I do have to say this has been the most exciting Big Brother has been in a decade. Hopefully, CBS is taking note and taking steps to ensure future seasons are just as entertaining and that this continues to be the case going forward.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. With the NFL returning soon, I would expect some changes to happen with the Sunday airings, so be sure to keep an eye on that CBS schedule for updates the day of the episode.
