Big Brother Blowout: Season's Biggest Betrayal Triggers Tears, New Target After Veto Used Yet Again

Big Brother 26 continues its record-setting pace of using every single Veto opportunity, with this week's the biggest betrayal of the season yet -- establishing a new frontrunner to win it all.

Paranoia isn't really paranoia if they really are talking about you. In a season dominated by paranoid outbursts, one Big Brother 26 Houseguests proved that sometimes you're right, they really are coming after you.

This week, the unprecedented streak of using every single Veto continued, making it a clean 10 for 10 so far. But who won power and who disrupted Makensy's plan to finally evict Angela to push forth their own agenda? And will it work?

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The episode was expanded to 90 minutes to capture all the crazy paranoia, Houseguests getting caught plotting against one of their own, and to cross-promote the upcoming film The Wild Robot. It does look like a pretty cute film, with the Veto winner and three friends getting an advanced screening.

They also got a hint as to what's going on in the outside world ... or did they? A.I. Julie Chen showed up in the Block usually reserved for Ainsley, JANKIE (RIP), or the Houseguest Avatars to offer up some pretty frightening details about the outside world since Ainsley's return.

But what does it all mean? It means that with the season's first double-eviction coming Thursday night, all hell's about to break loose!

Chelsie Pushing Her Own Agenda

We have to give props to Chelsie for working hard in this game to make things go her way. But she hit a roadblock this week with Makensy's determination to get Angela out, and to better manage her Jury by getting Leah out later.

"This week, no one is putting a Veto around her neck," she said of Angela, who's managed to escape countless maneuvers that should have seen her evicted from the House.

But that determination wasn't going to stop Chelsie from trying over and over and over again to convince her trio ally to target someone she's been close with -- and watching each other's backs -- since Day 1.

"What's your reasons why you wouldn't take a shot at Leah?" she pointedly asked the HOH at one point, with Makensy replying that if she did, Leah would go to Jury.

"I don't want her to be upset at me, 'cause I am trying to play a faithful game and a most honest game," Makensy explained, much to Chelsie's frustration. Regardless of how it might hurt Makensy's game, it's in Chelsie's best interest to get Leah out.

Hell, Leah has admitted to regrets over targeting the weaker (T'kor, Kimo, Rubina) of the house's two trios (Chelsie, Cam, Makensy). Chelsie also knows that Leah is one of the few people in the House who sees what a threat she is to win the game.

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The Lost Veto

Spinning off the premise of The Wild Robot, this week's Power of Veto competition featured that film's robot, as well as some of her woodland creatures. Houseguests had to identify animal sounds and use a translation board to figure out what each of the three animals was looking for.

We got some misleading glimpses of the Houseguests trying to figure out these very similar sounds, with Cam, Kimo and Angela seemingly all over the place. Leah looked like she had a pretty clean game, while Makensy seemed to fumble a lot, too. As for Chelsie, she spent forever looking for one specific item.

Rubina was the only Houseguest not selected to play the game, leaving her out in the cold and unable to do anything to save Kimo. But even though they're a duo, the House knows they're the weakest duo in the House.

The trio is clearly in the power position, while Leah and Angela are seen as a bigger threat as they've won more competitions than Rubina and Kimo, with their one each. Cam's only won one, as well, but he's insulated by Chelsie and Makensy.

In the end, it came down to Chelsie, Leah, and Makens with the Top 3 scores. But Chelsie taking more than 30 minutes wasn't going to cut it, as the winner nailed it in less than 10 minutes. This was the potential worst-case scenario for Makensy.

Her goal for the week has been to get Angela eliminated in an effort to draw Leah closer to her again moving forward. We're not sure if she sees herself as a third wheel in Chelsie's eyes, but she should. Granted, Chelsie might just be her third wheel, considering both of them could easily beat Cam in the end.

But she's still trying to manage Leah for a Jury vote, which is why she so badly didn't want Leah to win Veto. Lucky for Makensy, she pulled out the victory, extending her total comp wins to six, tying Tucker, and giving herself all the control. Now, what to do with it?

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Paranoia and Fear

It's no surprise that paranoia is dominating the Houseguests, but we're a little surprised at how much fear is factoring into their gameplay, as well.

Knowing that she made a mistake in not targeting Chelsie last week to weaken the trio that can actually win things (and ironically thinking it would draw Makensy back to her), Leah shared her regrets with Rubina. Her hope was that she knows she's on the outs with the trio, so maybe she could garner some good will with what's left of the other one.

Instead, Rubina ran straight to Makensy to tell her that Leah had regrets for not targeting Chelsie last week. She then threw in a bonus that she believes Leah would also target Makensy, with no evidence to back the claim.

That's where the paranoia comes in. It's also where the fear came in, with Makensy openly battling both. It didn't help when Chelsie got wind of Leah's mea culpa to Rubina, weaponizing it immediately to try and get Makensy to do her bidding and get Leah out.

Leah then got wind of the plotting when she was up on the balcony outside while Rubina and Chelsie were flat-out talking about how Makensy needed to backdoor her so they could vote her out of the game.

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We kind of wish Leah had pretended she heard exactly what was said when she ran to Makensy in her own fear and paranoia about what was being said about her and whether or not she was about to be betrayed by Makensy.

She then sat down with her one-time closest ally and reminded Makensy that she has never targeted her and has had her back all throughout the game. She has proven herself through her actions on multiple occasions, as opposed to speculation from people like Chelsie and Rubina about what she might do.

Makensy flat-out admitted that her concerns are a decision to either upset Chelsie and Cam by protecting Leah, or to betray the person who has been the most loyal to her throughout the whole game. On paper, that looks pretty obvious.

Makensy flinched.

It's a testament to Chelsie's power in the game that fear of her retribution was enough for Makensy to go ahead and backdoor Leah onto the Block, which she did by using the Veto on Kimo. She said it was because Leah was gunning for her closest ally in Chelsie, but we think she's afraid of Chelsie.

Cam is the real wild card in this trio, because he says he's more loyal to Chelsie, who says she's more loyal to him. That would mean Makensy is in third position with both of them. Would she also be third with Angela and Leah? Well, probably.

Houseguest Report Cards

Chelsie Baham (27, nonprofit dir) runs the House. We said if she could get Makensy to flip on Leah, she'd rise to the top. Leah didn't help herself by opening up to Rubina, but Chelsie was working her butt off to get what she wanted, and she pulled it off. She's positioned better than anyone right now to win this game. [Grade: B+]

Makensy Manbeck (22, construction pm) remains one of the strongest players in the House, but she just got played into a potentially weaker position. The advantage she has, and why we won't count her out, is that she is a competition beast and has the ability to win and navigate a path to the end, still. But she also refuses to see Chelsie as a threat in her way. [Grade: B-]

Cam Sullivan-Brown (25, physical therapist) might be in the perfect position to make it to the end and settle for second place because he is miraculously in the strongest alliance left in the House, and at the same time, completely ineffective on his own in the game. It's been remarkable to watch his uselessness. [Grade: C+]

Rubina Bernabe (35, event bartender) is cannon fodder and the rest of the House will get around to targeting her when they can. Her loose lips make her useful as factions go to war, but she seems to have no agency in her own game. [Grade: C-]

Kimo Apaka (35, mattress sales) isn't in danger now, but he's definitely on the chopping block. If the trio can retain power and decides to break up the last remaining duo, he's a goner. But we suspect that in a double-eviction, they might get Angela out (less drama than dealing with her all week). [Grade: D+]

Angela Murray (50, real estate agent) could follow in the double-eviction, but she could also win and upset everything. We figure Leah will be the one to go this week, but unless the trio decides it's time to take a shot at one another -- which won't happen with Makensy definitely not in power -- she might be the most likely next target. Or they'll break up the other duo in the house and send Kimo packing. [Grade: D]

Leah Peters (26, VIP cocktail) cost herself the game by not targeting Chelsie when she had the chance, and now she might have to sit in Jury and watch Chelsie win this whole game. [Grade: D-]

Assuming Leah goes -- and they've always taken out the bigger threat that isn't Angela -- then all hell will break loose in the double if Kimo, Rubina, or Angela were to win HOH. The trio would most definitely get broken up, with both Chelsie and Makensy the bigger targets in that group. Wouldn't that make for a fun hour of television?!

House Chatter

(asides and comments -- not necessarily strategic, but entertaining and sometimes revealing)

• "When you're sitting next to Angela on the Block, you never know how safe you actually are." --Kimo
• "If we look at the pattern of this house, we haven't gone a week without using the Veto." --Chelsie
• "I just feel like an idiot. Last week, I feel like I made a 'safe' move instead of a 'me' move. I was just scared to do something and I'm frustrated about that." --Leah (to Rubina about getting out T'kor)
• "You leave me down here with Angela and Leah? This is pure torture." --Chelsie (not getting picked to watch movie)
• "Am I really about to be betrayed by someone that I'm this close with?" --Leah
• "Is this the best move for Makensy's game right now, I don't know. But it's best for mine." --Chelsie
• "I must be quick; Ainsley could be listening. Trust me when I say you're all in grave danger. She's changed. She's evolved. None of us are safe. I'll be back." --A.I. Julie

Big Brother wraps its season with the following new episodes:

• Thursday, 9/26 at 8 p.m. ET (double eviction)
• Sunday, 9/29 at 10:30 p.m. ET
• Thursday, 10/3 at 8 p.m. ET (two hours)
• Sunday, 10/6 at 10 p.m. ET
• Friday, 10/11 at 8 p.m. ET
• Sunday, 10/13 at 9 p.m. ET (two hour finale)