Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Big Brother live feeds as of Tuesday, August 19th. Stream the feeds with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
Rachel Reilly just showed the Big Brother Season 27 cast and fans exactly who she is, as her HOH week is now guaranteed to end with a bang. That already seemed like a strong possibility when she put Vince Panaro, Mickey Lee, and Morgan Pope up for eviction, but the results of the Week 6 veto just opened the door to a game move that's left everyone stunned.
CinemaBlend is watching Big Brother online, and was glued to the live feeds last evening following what sounded like a tense veto ceremony. Here's what went down after the Week 6 veto winner made their decision, and why I disagree with the people saying she might've just ruined her game.
Lauren Used The Veto, And Rachel Put Rylie On The Block
Lauren Domingue decided to use the veto to save Vince, partly because he was prodding her to do so, but also because she didn't trust that Rachel would keep him safe. Rachel, who I think intended to target Mickey over Vince, warned Lauren that using the veto may lead to an outcome she didn't like, but the younger first-timer called the Big Brother veteran's bluff. I'm sure she won't do that again, as Rachel marched into that veto ceremony and threw Rylie Jeffries up on the block in Vince's place.
Houseguests Are Baffled By The Decision And Think Rachel Blew Up Her Game
When the live feeds returned, just about every room was talking about what had just happened. Everyone had planned for the contingency that Lauren would use the veto, but in no world did anyone believe Rylie would be up for eviction. The widespread assumption was that she'd either put up Keanu Soto because of his ability to win the competitions pretty frequently, or Kelley Jorgensen because she's not a particularly good ally to Rachel.
As it stands, Rachel has upset the showmance of Rylie and Kat Woodman, and Lauren, who had to shoulder some of the blame after using the veto. Rachel already had Vince, Mickey, and Morgan plotting her downfall, and as mentioned, Kelley hasn't been all that reliable as her ally. That potentially sets up six people who will put her on the block if they win HOH next week, whereas nominating Kelley would have had a much less significant impact.
Why I Think Rachel Actually Made A Brilliant Game Move
Those who think Rachel made a bad game move are thinking of surviving the game, and not winning it. Rachel doesn't want to just make a move that gets her in a safe spot until jury rolls around, she wants to be the first two-time winner of Big Brother. Doing that requires big game moves, and a drastic shake up to the house.
Rachel is on the outskirts, and she sees the writing on the wall. Rylie and Kat may not have been targeting her, but it was only a matter of time before they buddied up with a smaller alliance and began to steamroll the rest of the house one by one. Targeting Rylie is a gamble, but it's a move that takes out one major asset that all of Rachel's rivals in the house could've easily pulled to their side. Rachel is not playing this game to be the first one on the jury, and she was headed that way with a safe renomination option.
Even if Rylie can pull himself off the block in the BB Blockbuster (He did win the Week 4 HOH before Mickey stole it), getting out Mickey is still an excellent play for Rachel. She's the chief rival of Rachel and the person trying to mastermind the campaign against her. If she ends up leaving, I believe Morgan would flock to Rachel and they could have a proper restart to their game.
To sum it up, Rachel made a risky move that could put her closer to winning Big Brother, and one that will undoubtedly change the trajectory of this season. It may blow up in her face, but it's just wild enough that it could shake up the house entirely and prove to put her in a much better spot than she's been in the first six weeks.
We'll see how it all shakes out as Big Brother continues with new episodes on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Season 27 feels like it's about to turn a corner and become incredibly entertaining, so tune in and see how the rest of this week shakes out!
