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BB8's 5th Eviction: Dick and Daniele Could Have Taken Control. 

By Don Hart

Prior to the 4th eviction Dick & Danielle enjoyed the best positions in the BB8 house. They were part of a 7-member LNC alliance. Daniele held an extra trump card with her romantic hold on Nick, who in turn had a captive follower, Zach.  Prior to the 5^th eviction, after close ally Nick was evicted by the LNC, Dick and Daniele broke off from the alliance, and, although in a lesser power position, they still had an excellent opportunity to take control of the Big Brother 8 house.

For the 3^rd eviction, America had voted to evict Kail. The choice set off a chain of events that led the 7-member LNC for the 4^th eviction to target Nick, who was jettisoned to an outsider status, alongside fellow outcasts Zach, Kail & Jen. Dick and Daniele could not save Nick because they found themselves outvoted by the LNC. The best they could do to save their ally Nick was to recruit Zach and Jen to force a 4-4 tie. However, Dustin as Head of Household held the tie-breaking vote, and so Dick and Daniele just didn’t have the numbers without one of the 5 remaining LNC votes. If Amber were as close to Nick as she later claimed, Dick and Daniele could have at least made an attempt to sway Amber away from the LNC to save Nick.

When Dustin decided to attack Nick and break up the Daniele-Nick romance (an excellent move), Dick and Daniele realized that the unwieldy 7 alliance had just splintered and that they were now on their own. By not pulling Amber away from the LNC to evict Kail and save Nick, an opportunity was missed. But when Daniele won HOH for the 5^th eviction, Dick and Daniele were given a golden second chance. They now had the opportunity to counterattack the now 5-strong LNC. But, it had to start with Daniele’s nominations.

Daniele should have nominated two LNC members, with Dustin and Eric the two best picks, since the loss of either one would have done great damage to the LNC alliance. Zach, Jen & Kail, in both the 4^th and 5^th evictions, all without an alliance, were waiting to be reeled in. With 4 votes (Dick, Zach, Jen & Kail), the three remaining LNC votes could have been beaten in the 5^th eviction. It was simple arithmetic. Dick was so busy yelling that he and Daniele evidently never took the time to think about the arithmetic of the game. They followed the rhythm of the two previous nominations and chose Jen and Kail, thereby insuring that at least one of their potential new allies did not have a vote. The 5^th eviction result: Dick and Daniele failed to beat 4 LNCs with 3 votes, but they could have beaten 3 LNCs with 4 votes. It was that simple. Once Jen and Kail were nominated, they had no chance to win.

With all the time on their hands, one can only ask: “Just what are these ‘players’ doing all day long?

Don’t they take the time to think out the best strategy?” Over and over in both Survivor and Big Brother, players lose sight of the simple arithmetic involved when plotting. Of course, you have to start with power diagrams such as the ones at the beginning of this article. But remember, if you are stuck in a house 24/7, you should be able to determine who your friends and enemies are. Most important of all, you must focus on which alliances need to be broken up. Dustin did just that for the 4^th eviction. He nominated Jen and Kail and backdoored Nick. All three were outside his core alliance. Dick and Daniele, by failing to nominate two of the opposing LNC alliance in the 5^th eviction, could not succeed.

For any feedback, please e-mail me at cosohub@ix.netcom.com

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