A lot has changed in the Big Brother house since I last ranked all the houseguests. Victor won the Battle Back competition and reentered the house, Frank fell from one of the strongest in the house to one of the biggest targets, and showmances emerged. As we get closer to midsummer and jury, where do the houseguests rank now? Check out my thoughts below from the most likely to win the 500,000 dollar prize, to most likely to be evicted next:
1. James
James is playing a very similar game as he did last year, which got him very far. Yet he seems to be playing an even better game because EVERY houseguest trusts him (minus Frank and Bridgette who seem to be the next evictees). He also is in a showmanship with Natalie and has her as a strong foundation. They seem to be the least targeted showmanship - which is a good sign for both of them. On top of his social game, James, as we all know, is also a competition beast which could keep him safe later in the game if he becomes a target. James understands Big Brother better than anyone else in the house and is definitely the current favorite to win the game.
2. Paulie
Paulie has arguably been the strongest player so far this season. He has been essential in almost every eviction, and has already been HOH twice. He wins competitions, and plays a great social game. Most house guests trust him, and he's got a bit of a showmanship going with Zakiyah. What is most impressive is that even though he is a sibling of a former house guest (as Tiffany was), there still has yet to be any type of target on him. I don't think that will last throughout the summer, but if he continues to play the game he is playing, it will be hard to get him out anyway. The bad news? Victor won the Battle Back competition. And if he happens to win an HOH at any point this summer, Paulie is sure to be his target of the week.
3. Michelle
The women are playing really well this season on Big Brother and Michelle is now leading the pack. She has done a brilliant job and playing a strong game, while remaining in the background. She has kept her mouth shut better than any other player thus far, and, therefore, hasn't made any mistakes in revealing information. The only problem with Michelle is that she still doesn't seem to have anyone to lean on, so if she gets put on the block she might have trouble getting off. She shouldn't be a target anytime soon, but the fact that she has been playing middle ground the whole game could hurt her later on.
4. Paul
What a comeback Paul has made. After being arguably the most annoying house guest the first week, and being on the block the first three weeks, Paul has now gained trust of almost everyone in the house. Not only that, but Victor coming back has helped his game a lot. Paul now has someone to lean on, yet someone who will always be a bigger target than him. The bad news is that Paul has yet to prove himself in any competitions, but the good news is that I really can't see him being a target until he actually wins something. Paul has actually been quite the entertainer the past few weeks, and I think climbed up a lot of our charts unexpectedly. To even my own surprise, I think he has a shot at this thing now.
5. Corey
Because Corey is in a showmance with Nicole, I actually think that benefits his game. Nicole was just busted by Frank after revealing DaVonne's intentions to evict him, and she has now become the bigger target of the two. Meanwhile, after being on the block, Corey finally won his first comp, and proved he can win when it matters most. Corey has also built strong trust with a few of the strongest players in the game, including Paulie. If Corey can continue letting others put targets on their own backs while he remains in the background, he should be around for a while. What might hurt his fate is if he lets his showmance with Nicole get in the way of that 500k.
6. Natalie
Being in a showmance with James actually could be very beneficial to Natalie's game. James is perhaps the most strongest player in the house and should be able to keep her safe for quite some time. While Natalie hasn't been very close with the people running the house, she also hasn't put any type of target on her back. At this point the only person Natalie needs to be concerned about is Bridgette, who she lied to this past week when Natalie told her she wouldn't be put up by James (that wasn't the plan when the statement was made, however). Natalie will need to prove herself in competitions if she wants to make it to the end, which she has not done yet.
6. Nicole
As mentioned earlier, Frank exposed Nicole this week and I think that made all the houseguests aware of what a sneaky game she has been playing. She has done an incredible job at learning from her mistakes last time around, and has gotten away with gossiping better than anyone else in the house. While I do see her being a target in the near future, she has also proven she is a strong competitor that can win competitions when needed. Expect Nicole to be a target soon, but know that it will take a lot for her to go down.
7. Zakiyah
Zakiyah has finally gotten on a few radars for being shady at times, while also being a weak player (she has yet to win a comp). Having a showmance with Paulie could be a blessing or a curse for her. If Paulie truly has her back, she could be around for a while. But if he doesn't (which I don't believe he does), she's going to be a target soon. And I'm afraid once she is put on that block she is in serious trouble - especially with roadkill now gone.
8. Victor
Yes, he has already been evicted. Yes, that makes him almost a guaranteed target in coming weeks. However, because he was gone for a few weeks, it allowed other houseguests to put bigger targets on themselves. Not only that, but by winning the bring back competition, Victor proved to not only us, but himself, that he is a competition beast and could seriously take this thing to the end if he can continue to win when needed. Victor has a really tough road ahead, and is probably looking to be on the block many more times this summer (if he lasts), but if he can keep his cool, he might find some luck outlasting some bigger threats in the house.
9. Bridgette
Bridgette's only ally at this point is Frank - who seems likely to go home this week. However, Bridgette has proven that she is one of the strongest players in the house - especially when it comes to comps. If she can gain trust and form a small alliance with some of the best players in the house, she could go all the way. Next week is a make or break for her. I see her either turning her game around and emerging as a new leader in the house, or being the top target of the week.
10. DaVonne
We all love DaVonne but where she failed last season, seems to be her breaking point this season. Once again she let her emotions get the best of her, and the house now knows they can't trust her (she seems to have the backing of James and Natalie though). It's going to be really hard for her to turn things around, as she seems likely to be a target in the coming weeks especially by power players such as Paulie and Nicole.
11. Frank
As much of a beast as Frank is, he has played too aggressively early on this summer and he is almost a sure bet to bite the dust this week. The whole house knows what he is up to, and pending an incredible house flip, can almost surely start packing his bags. Pretty big turn around from week one when he seemed like a front runner, right?
