Big Brother 23 week 6 recap: Blockstar Britini gets the boot

Following last week’s Christian eviction – which gave us the first true Big Brother 23 backdoor of the season – The Cookout looked to be taking one step closer towards implosion, but after Kyland snagged Head of Household in a head-to-head knockout comp, the secret six-person alliance lived to fight another week, once again putting their personal differences aside for the sake of the cause.

With one of their members, Kyland, in power, The Cookout was poised to make a big move if they wanted to, and the door was wide open for a potential shot to be taken at comp beast/outgoing HOH Derek X, who’d painted a target on his back after evicting Christian last week.

After ruling Derek X out, Kyland’s sights were initially set on Claire – a move that would weaken Tiffany’s position without directly violating the Cookout alliance. His target switched yet again, though, when Tiffany and Claire were able to talk their way out of danger, and it ended up being blockstar Britini heading for the door yet again – and as it turns out, the fourth time isn’t the charm.

Big Brother 23: The Cookout goes head-to-head

In the head-to-head knockout-style head of household competition, there was some debate among the Cookout about which duos should be chosen to play, and some snap decisions from key members caused further dissent among the ranks. A number of Cookout alliance members chose two Cookout members for the knockout comp – sparking questions of loyalty – but when it came down to it, the final round was between Kyland and Tiffany.

As previously discussed, Kyland attempted to throw the HOH to Tiffany, who would then likely have targeted Kyland’s duo partner Sarah Beth, who Tiffany has wanted gone for weeks. However, when Tiffany didn’t know the answer to the final question, Kyland’s attempt to throw the comp backfired, and he accidentally snagged the HOH – upsetting Tiffany not only because she wasn’t able to win the comp, but also because her no. 1 target in the house, Sarah Beth, was now assuredly safe.

With nominations looming and Sarah Beth (the easy target) officially off the table, Kyland floated a number of possibilities for the week, including Britini, Derek X, and Claire. For the first time since week one, though, a Cookout member hit the block – Derek F was locked in early on as a pawn to guarantee votes against whoever would go up next to him and ensure that if the veto was used and a backdoor plan fell into place, Kyland wouldn’t have the vote flipped on him at the last second.

Big Brother 23: The High Roller comp raises the stakes

Week 6 of Big Brother 23 marked the beginning of the “high roller room,” a new three-week twist where America can vote to give houseguests “BB Bucks” that can then be used to gamble for prizes and power in the secret High Roller Room. America voted to give Derek F, Derek X, and Britini 100 BB bucks each, while Xavier, Tiffany, and Hannah snagged 75 dollars, and the remaining houseguests: Alyssa, Sarah Beth, Kyland, and Claire, all got 50 dollars. The houseguests were then able to spend $50 to pay for entry to the high rollers room to bet on the outcome of the veto ceremony, and Tiffany, Claire, Kyland, Alyssa, and Sarah Beth did so.

With their money received, the houseguests then headed into the nomination ceremony – where Kyland nominated Claire (a possible target) and Derek F (a pawn/fellow Cookout member) for eviction, with backdoor options open for Derek X, Alyssa, or Britini. The houseguests then were informed that the Veto competition would be the infamous OTEV, and proceeded to bet on the outcome of the comp.

Big Brother 23: Early season OTEV

The all-important (bet-heavy) veto competition turned out to be the iconic jury comp “OTEV”, which features houseguests searching for names in answer to questions asked by a mascot, and then racing up a ramp in a musical chairs-style elimination.

Yet again, Kyland attempted to throw a competition, but this time, he followed through – after making it to the final round with Alyssa, he threw the veto competition to her, ensuring that (because he bet on her) he would win the second power of veto. His intent was to win Claire’s trust by using his veto to take her down and assure her that she was never the target, but because it was obvious that he threw the comp, this further angered Claire.

Claire had bet on Kyland, meaning that if he hadn’t thrown the comp, she would’ve received the second veto – thus ensuring her safety. Kyland’s move was intended to build a bridge with Claire on his own terms, but in sloppily throwing the comp he inadvertently isolated himself from her further – despite the fact that he would eventually follow through on his word and take Claire down at the veto ceremony.

Big Brother 23: Britni hits the block (again)

Having promised Claire safety and with Alyssa having won OTEV, Kyland’s options for who to target were dwindling – and with Claire guaranteed to be coming down, the former Queen needed a replacement nominee for the ceremony. He considered using the opportunity to backdoor Derek X, but eventually settled on Britini as the renomination – citing the fact that she received 100 BB bucks from America as evidence that she might get 100 BB bucks next week and be able to buy her way to safety.

Nominated for the fourth time in a row, Britini was understandably upset – not only because she was nominated, but because it was via a backdoor, and because she had previously made a deal with Kyland that she believed would ensure her safety. Stabbing Britini in the back yet again further alienated Kyland from his Cookout allies Derek F and Azah, both of whom held close friendships with Britini because of their shared status as former Jokers. However, wanting to maintain the Cookout’s control over the votes and eliminate a potential power win down the line, Kyland’s locked and loaded target heading into Thursday night was Britini.

Claire and DX Attempt a Flip

But while the Cookout was satisfied with the week’s outcome and secure in the knowledge that they’d have the numbers to keep Derek F and send Britini packing, not everyone in the house was onboard – Claire (close with Tiffany) and Derek X (close with Hannah) came together to discuss the value Britini held in sticking around to work with them, and how they both felt that Derek F would be dragged to final two as an easy player to win over – thus diminishing the chance that either of them would make it to final 2.

DX and Claire agreed that they should attempt to flip the vote – unknowingly invoking the ire of the Cookout (Tiffany, Kyland, Hannah, Xavier, Azah, Derek F) who didn’t want to lose a member before the final six. Though they attempted to rally their respective partners and later loosely pitched Alyssa and Sarah Beth on the plan, they were unsuccessful in attempting a flip – only annoying Kyland and Xavier in the process of attempting to do so.

Big Brother 23: The kindergarten teacher heads to recess

On eviction night, Britini’s closest friend in the house – Azah – was the only vote in her favor, and she was evicted by a vote of 7-1. Britini marks the first member of the Jury, and it’s important to note that none of the Cookout members revealed the alliance to Britini in their goodbye messages, for fear that they may be a battle back competition in the coming weeks.

With one less non Cookout member standing in their way, the alliance set their sights on a balance beam style HOH competition, where Sarah Beth was able to pull out a crucial win – not only securing her safety and shifting the power in the house but ensuring that Tiffany wouldn’t have a chance to take a long-awaited shot at her this week. Heading into nominations, it’s anyone’s guess as to where Sarah Beth’s head is at, but with a risky roulette-themed power up for grabs, her nominations could be in jeopardy.

Big Brother 23: Week 5 Superlatives

Clutch Play of the Week: America voting to give Britini 100 inadvertently sealed their favorite houseguest’s fate – whoops!

 Most Memorable Moment:  Kyland kissing Derek F smack on the lips on live television seconds after Britini was evicted. Talk about good tv!

Houseguest in the Best Spot: Hannah yet again remains under the radar and surrounded with allies both in and outside of the cookout.