‘Big Brother 27’ week 6 review: Rachel’s reign comes for blood

The unthinkable on CBS’s Big Brother 27 has happened: the hidden villain on the 24/7 live feeds was finally evicted! Hooray! Week 6 was the surprising and electric week we needed to save the season. Sometimes that doesn’t happen; in many cases, we’re left to watch the episodes and live feeds play out as the houseguests compete for the prize. The episode edits tell one tale, but the real full story is hiding away for the hardcore Big Brother fans to watch. In the spirit of RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, if you’re not watching the 24/7 live feeds, you’re only getting half the story.

An HOH returns to rule.

Big Brother legend Rachel Reilly winning Head of Household (HOH) has become her blessing and her curse. One thing was very clear going into Week 6: Rachel, or one of her unshakable allies, needed to win HOH or she was getting nominated. Disregard anything Keanu or the house tried to pitch; Rachel was in danger. Between players like Mickey, Morgan, Kelley, and Vince, Rachel was a surefire target to end up on the block; maybe not evicted, but she’d be a nominee. Rachel had to secure some form of power to dictate her path in the game. This was an essential week for her resume, and it was some needed spice for the fans watching at home.

After two seasons of Big Brother and several other reality shows (e.g., The Amazing Race, The Traitors), Rachel knows how to prioritize reality TV gameplay. For the first time on Big Brother 27, it felt like an HOH had a locked-in mindset about targeting those who didn’t benefit their games. Ava came the closest during Week 5 by targeting the men, but there was a scary moment where she nearly went after Ashley. Rachel was dead-set on taking out a big threat and someone who wanted her gone. That’s how you play Big Brother! Seriously, what has been going on this summer with players nominating and evicting their numbers?!

Rachel’s curse, however, is that her powerful (and petty) moves shake the house. People are more likely to keep things personal against Rachel than to take a step back to look at the game. But Rachel doesn’t make things easy either – she enforces her position and uses her power swiftly, which rubs people the wrong way. Like her not telling her allies that she was nominating Rylie, or how she pushed and followed Lauren throughout the house to prevent her from using the Power of Veto (POV). Rachel is a strong game player who yields bigger reactions; unfortunately, it’s one area she hasn’t quite mastered in her reality TV history.

The growing targets.

Rachel’s nominations were spot on; a delicious assessment of her most pressing enemies. Vince’s nomination was guaranteed – they’ve never seen eye-to-eye this summer, and Rachel clocked Vince as the biggest threat. Morgan and Mickey, on the other hand, made the fatal mistake of misplaying their hand. Why tell Rachel you had planned to nominate her? Why lie and say you haven’t been talking about her? She clearly knew and was giving them out. After Mickey’s messy HOH week evicting Jimmy, Rachel wasn’t blind to their activities; Morgan and Mickey should’ve realized they were in trouble. Rachel made the right call to place them all on the block.

Mickey has been an interesting case since her HOH. The power trip of being HOH got to her head, and now she’s playing “spurned victim,” ignoring what she’s been doing in the house. Everyone knew she was targeting Rachel, and her behavior felt more like a dictator than an ally! Between Will, Ashley, and Ava, it was hilarious how every player acknowledged how wrong her statements had been. If Mickey has any chance of winning Big Brother 27, she needs to pull back her efforts, go on a little apology tour, and then slowly scheme to strike her enemies. Right now, she’s at the forefront as everyone’s easy target.

Case in point, Kelley. Kelley isn’t playing a great Big Brother game, but she’s improved a long way since the past weeks of volunteering to go on the block. (Which was insanity!) After winning multiple competitions, no one is looking to Kelley as an easy nomination. Though if Rachel has a fatal mistake, it’s her underestimating Kelley’s threat level. Kelley hasn’t stopped betraying Rachel by spilling their conversations, and she’s still openly hating on Rachel, wanting to get her out. Rachel is trying to work with Kelley, but she needs to assess the situation and realize that Kelley will never be 100% on her side. Kelley is very dangerous to Rachel’s game.

The Party Slasher calls.

The Week 6 competitions were a perfect mix of clever nods and nostalgic flair. Firstly, the HOH “Party Slasher” game is a competition I wish I could’ve played myself! The B-horror movie and Fear Street: Prom Queen slasher vibes couldn’t be ignored. I love when Big Brother and the houseguests go all out to capture the spirit; everyone seemed ready to scream, hide from the killer, and pick up that mysterious phone call. The only surprise I found was how the players weren’t using their hiding time to assess their rooms for more clues and props. Use every minute possible to refresh your mind because you may need to use the room again for future questions.

The infamous OTEV competition returned for the POV, choosing to sport a Godfather and barnyard theme (e.g., OTEV the Hogfather). The theme this year felt playful and easy; though, I’m glad they went more with the mafia angle instead of barnyard mud. The last thing we need is more “manure” to fall from the sky!

However, the biggest surprise during the Week 6 challenges was the outcome of the BB Blockbuster. Why did Rylie lock in his answer when Morgan had already locked in the same score? He had plenty of time to keep rolling his ball down the ramp to score more points. Sure, Mickey later got 38 and won, but he still had plenty of time to attempt for a higher roll. Call it a conspiracy theory or a simple blunder, but he messed up and paid the consequences.

Goodbye, cowboy.

Speaking of Rylie, both his nomination and eviction stemmed from decisions that he didn’t make himself. Everyone in the house liked Rylie, but they also acknowledged that he was a threat to win, both from his social game and challenge wins. And even then, his nomination was more of a retaliation against Lauren for using the POV to save Vince. If Lauren hadn’t used the POV, Rylie wouldn’t have been on the block. Rachel had no intentions of breaking up the showmance – she just wanted to ensure her HOH week wasn’t a waste. Which, as I mentioned above, is the right way to go.

His eviction, on the other hand, has a clearer path. Besides not winning the BB Blockbuster, Rylie became a little too passive and unlucky. The house was still figuring out plans, and while the vote narrative was a Morgan vs. Mickey battle, Rylie became the unofficial alternative. Like, it was either about evicting Mickey or saving Morgan instead of how Rylie factored in their plans, especially outside of his main allies. And without the numbers to back it up, a voting bloc formed to ensure their objective.

The formation of “The Judges” alliances (Rachel, Vince, Ashley, Morgan, and Will) was the perfect example as it was a play against Mickey vs. getting out Rylie. But when faced with a Rylie eviction, the group couldn’t miss out on that opportunity to evict a threat. Keeping a showmance into the jury phase could be troublesome. What’s to stop Rylie and Katherine from not voting the same way? Plus, with Rylie and Katherine showing they can win challenges, the decision wasn’t too baffling.

Someone is always watching.

What Big Brother 27 fans might not have realized was the troubling reality growing within the house. A reality that wasn’t being aired on any of the episodes. On the “TV show,” Rylie and Katherine were portrayed as a cute, loving couple, and at its center was Rylie, an awkward “Loverboy” who wanted Katherine to return his feelings. Rylie was portrayed as the hopeless romantic, while Katherine was the cold and distant one who didn’t return his feelings as strongly. The pair were constantly hanging out together, growing their showmance, and spent most times separated from everyone else.

In reality, much of Katherine’s story was accurate, but Rylie’s antics were more troubling. Many fans noticed how Rylie kept love-bombing Katherine, making grand declarations of love and forcing his wants on her. He told Katherine on many occasions that they would have a relationship (whether she liked it or not) and that he would marry her (…whether she liked it or not). The pair would argue often, Rylie would spin and throw Katherine’s behavior back in her face, and he would gaslight her into feeling guilty and forcing her to stay near him. Many other moments happened in the house, ranging from subtle instances to more concerning phrases.

In past seasons, Big Brother has attempted this narrative duality, where the episodes portray a different person than who is actually in the house. This position on Rylie has been one of the most egregious since it was such a blatant disregard of the truth. The narrative chose to hide and protect Rylie, instead choosing to prop him up like an underdog or a hero. Caleb “Beast-Mode Cowboy” of Big Brother 16 is the perfect example, as the show chose to highlight his lovable, hopeless romantic side instead of his creepy, possessive attitude towards Amber, who didn’t want him. I wish that Big Brother, which is a show about different human dynamics and social strategy, would capture the real stories instead of making up ones.

Overall.

Week 6 of CBS’s Big Brother 27 was an eventful week of big strategic gameplay and a climactic finish. Rachel’s HOH ignited a house to think more about the game and what strategies lay dormant the last few weeks. New enemies have formed, while new shaky alliances have come together to make big moves. And after all was said and done, a satisfying eviction was the cherry on this sundae; one that helped the season in the long run. Big Brother 27 has pleasantly kept us on our toes!

Big Brother 27 airs new episodes on Sundays, Wednesdays & Thursdays on CBS.

Images courtesy of Paramount