ERIKA TRIUMPHS, JEE DEFECTS
After six grueling hours locked in a cage without food or water, Erika outlasts the other HouseGuests and wins Head of Household--but not before making a deal with Alison and convincing Jee to sell out his alliance in order to save himself. Jee takes the bait and leaves the cage, handing the power to his allies’ enemies. Winning when it matters most, Jack and Erika triumph in their first Competition, and take power in a week that could change the course of the game. Striking when she has the chance, Erika nominates Justin and Robert for eviction, in an effort to finally break up the powerful Three Stooges.
HOUSEGUESTS GET CAGEY
In what Erika wisely calls a “very crucial competition,” the HouseGuests are locked in a small cage and denied food, water, sleep and comfort. The power is up for grabs, and this game will determine if the Three Stooges are really a dream team, or if their number will dwindle to two. Everyone is determined to win this one, and after almost three hours, no one looks ready to budge from their cramped space. Jack, the tallest player in the cage, is hunched over uncomfortably, while Jun and Alison’s bladders threaten to be a factor in the outcome of the game. Determined not to let a little thing like urine stand between them and $500,000, Jun and Alison opt to put pride aside and relieve themselves in the cage, using Jack’s shirt as a makeshift tent for privacy.
But it all becomes too much for Robert, who is first to leave the cage, much to Jee and Justin’s disappointment. With Justin ineligible to win Head of Household again, the Three Stooges must now rely on Jee to win the power for the week. Erika says she is “revitalized” by Robert’s exit, and warns her housemates that she could stay in the cage for days. Jun, however, is less enthusiastic, and after getting everyone’s word that she is safe, she leaves just minutes after Robert.
The four HouseGuests remaining--Erika, Alison, Jack and Jee--move into the second, smaller cage, which proves to be even more uncomfortable. As Justin dozes off in the nearby hammock, the players take advantage of his unconsciousness to do some smooth talking to Justin’s ally, Jee. Jack, Erika and Alison work wonders, feeding his hunger for the $500,000 prize and instilling doubt about his allies. They take turns telling him that the alliance of the Three Stooges will ultimately become two, and they convince Jee that Robert and Justin would never take him to the finals, because they know they could never beat him when the jury votes. Jee, looking distraught, says that he is in “a tough spot,” and points out that Justin and Robert are his “friends.” Erika, proving herself a true player in the game, reminds Jee that “an alliance of three has to become two,” and adds that Jee is “never going to see those boys again.”
JEE’S BETRAYAL
More than five hours have passed, and Jack, Erika, Alison and Jee show no signs of giving up. Justin wakes from his nap in the hammock and keeps a watchful eye on the cage, aware that every whisper and every nod could be a deal being made against him. Jack tells Jee under his breath that he and Erika “never wanted to touch you…never,” assuring Jee that he is safe if he leaves the cage.
After six hours of relentless persuasion, Jee finally gives Jack the go-ahead to leave the cage, saying he will leave a few minutes after him so that it doesn’t seem suspicious. Jack exits, and a few minutes later, Jee does the same, leaving Alison and Erika in the third and smallest cage. In the small, cramped quarters, Alison realizes that Erika is bound and determined to win the power, and they strike a deal not to nominate each other in the following weeks. With a deal in place, Alison leaves after more than six-and-a-half hours, and Erika becomes the new Head of Household.
Erika says that she “could have stayed in there forever,” because she knew if she failed, she was “probably going to lose Jack.” As for deal-maker Jee, he apologizes repeatedly to Robert and Justin, and he admits in the Diary Room that his betrayal is “tearing [him] up inside.” Erika assuages his guilt by telling him that he is a “person of honor,” and that she knows it was a “very hard decision” for him. Meanwhile, Jack and Erika take solace in the fact that for the first week in this game, they have the power, and can “relax.”
