Today, Head of Household Dan nominated two houseguests for eviction in the Big Brother 10 house in what is surely the most useless nomination ceremony ever. I'm not saying this week isn't important, but when you're down to the final four, it's really the Power of Veto that is important. Whoever wins that will have the power to decide who will really be nominated and who will go home.

So regardless of which two out of three Dan put on the block, all three will be gunning for PoV, as it's the only guarantee, unless Dan wins it, at which point he can change his nominees if he so chooses.

SPOILER WARNING: BIG BROTHER 10 NOMINATIONS REVEALED

Big Brother 10 teased us last night with a glimpse of a new luxury challenge, in the form of a big ol' fat sumo guy sitting on a clue.  It was pretty cool, definitely silly, and Julie Chen told the audience that the competition would result in a trip for one of the houseguests.  They'd get to leave the Big Brother house which, at this juncture, will probably feel like the greatest vacation ever.  Now we know who won the competition, and where they'll get to go, but that's not the story.  What's important is how absolutely ridiculous the competition was.  Read on for more information.

COMPLETELY INSANE SPOILERS BELOW!!!!

You know what sticks in my craw?  People who have absolutely zero self-awareness and have the gall to talk smack about others in a manner they should reserve only for themselves.  When people like this show their mean-spirited selves and inexplicably say horrible things about largely innocent people, they are actually usually talking about themselves.  When April, on last night's Big Brother, laid the verbal beat down on Keesha, joined by inept partner in crime Michelle, my jaw dropped.  You'd think that whatever issue she has with Keesha (I still don't know why the hatred exists), would have dissipated after a couple weeks.  But, then came the real bombshell – April went on a diatribe on how ashamed some houseguests (read: Keesha) will be once they exit the Big Brother house, and how she's proud of herself because of how wonderfully she must have been portrayed on Big Brother.  April, meet narcissism. 

After all that we've seen on Big Brother, it is near impossible to dislike Renny.  Call her annoying, call her insane, call her volatile, whatever, Renny's overarching goodness is difficult to ignore.  The New Orleans lady about town played a solid game, putting forth a veiled sort of intelligence.  Renny knows people, and generally held all the right suspicions about her fellow houseguests, especially later in the Big Brother season.  Her presence will be missed, though I'd love some footage of Renny defending Keesha's honor in the jury house.  Renny kindly answered some email questions we sent her before making the long trek to the jury house.  You will find the answers, unedited and in their entirety, below. 

Before anything else, let's recap this week's Big Brother.  The alliance of Dan, Memphis, Renny and Keesha worked just as planned to send Michelle home.  Keesha won Head of Household (HoH) and nominated Jerry and Ollie while Dan won the Power of Veto (PoV) and opted not to use it so Ollie was evicted, leaving Jerry to fend for himself.  But in an unexpected twist, Jerry won HoH and immediately set his sights on Dan with Keesha up on the block as a pawn.  Memphis went to ask Jerry to keep Dan off the block, but instead made an alliance with Jerry to the final 2 and then made the same alliance with Keesha as well.  Luckily, Memphis earned the PoV and used it on Dan just in time for his birthday so Jerry was forced to replace Dan with Renny.

The episode ended with a big fat man sitting on a chest, speaking in a foreign language (sorry, was that Polynesian?  Japanese?).  So, that was a little weird.  But, besides that little bit of surrealism at the end of the night, Big Brother went off pretty much as expected tonight.  We are left with four people, three of whom have a chance to win $500,000.  Guess who doesn't have that chance?  I'll give you a hint – he's kind of old.  In other news, Julie Chen looked like she was about to embark on a luxury fake safari, and Keesha dropped two tons of cleave on an unsuspecting American populace.  I'll say one thing about tonight's Big Brother – it was far more entertaining than John McCain's speech. 

Big Brother, nearing the end, is on the verge of a victorious alliance.  One could already make the argument that an alliance has already won.  Keesha, Dan, Memphis and Renny have worked as a fearsome foursome for some time, and have more or less come out victorious.  I'd like to say that it was a surprise, and that tons of luck was involved, but I'm not convinced that's the case.  Those were, arguably, the four best players in the game on Big Brother 10, and they deserve the success they've attained.  Soon, the alliance will have to start to eat their own, and that's what I am looking forward to.  I'll be here throughout tonight's episode, dropping thought bombs on an unsuspecting public.  Feel free to read along and (possibly) find ultimate contentment.

After tonight's Big Brother episode, there will be four houseguests left.  If you've been paying attention to the live feeds (or simply watching Big Brother), you probably have a good idea of who will be bounced at tonight's live eviction episode.  That being the case, it seemed like a good time to look at how the final jury vote might shake out in a few different final two scenarios.  Of course, this is enormously speculative, but it also gives us a good idea where the favorites might stand in a final jury vote on Big Brother 10. 

MINOR, SPECULATIVE SPOILERS BELOW!!! PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!!!

Television executives aren't stupid.  Oftentimes, they may seem like it.  But, trust me, they're not.  This does not mean that they don't make a lot of horrible, horrible decisions.  Because they do, all the time.  TV is a high-stakes business, where millions of dollars are often pumped into series that turn out to be abject failures.  It's a business where shows that seem like absolute slam dunks crash and burn and after-thoughts meant to be schedule fillers set the world on fire.  You can't ever predict what will catch on with the general public.  Likewise, you never know how changes to long-running shows will be digested by that show's fans.  Big Brother has evolved over the years.  Changes have been made pretty much every season, sometimes significant ones, and the results, predictably, have been mixed.  Nonetheless, shows can always improve, and I've got some ideas how on Big Brother could better itself next year when Big Brother 11 (in all likelihood) premieres.

Also, check out What CBS Should Learn from 'Big Brother 10'

We are now less than two weeks away from Big Brother 10's season finale.  It has been a successful season, enjoyed by fans and receiving steady ratings throughout the season.  By all indications, Big Brother will be back for an eleventh season, most likely next summer.  With only a handful of episodes left, it is now time to take stock of what made Big Brother 10 a good season, and how CBS and Allison Grodner can improve the series for its eleventh go-around.  Big Brother is an ever-evolving show, a little more so than your average reality competition series.  Every season is a learning experience and, given the events of Big Brother 10, there are a few things that CBS should should take away from the season as they prepare for Big Brother 11.

Also, check out How CBS Can Improve 'Big Brother' for 'Big Brother 11'

Well, when it comes to Big Brother, the saying really holds true: "Expect the unexpected".  Who would have predicted that, on Sunday night, Jerry would win HOH when it mattered most?  It seemed that Dan and Memphis would be his targets but Memphis is quite the little deal maker.  He shook hands and agreed to go with Jerry to final two when we're all pretty sure he has no intention of keeping that promise.  Memphis kept himself off the block but Dan still went up against Keesha.  Tonight's POV competition was perhaps the most important of the season, as nobody felt safe.  Read on to find out who won, who's safe, and who's in danger of being evicted.

Let it be said: Oscar and I differ on our feelings for the oldest Big Brother player this season.  My love for Jerry ended as quickly as it started this season.  He's been ranting and raving, screaming and judging, so much that it appears he's permanently lost his voice.  When he won HOH on Sunday night, I was pretty surprised that he was able to prevail over the alliance of 4 but it was no surprise at all when Dan and Keesha went up on the block.  It's looking pretty bad for The Renegades, Dan and Memphis, but I have faith in my boys.  Tonight's POV competition is probably the most important of the season and it will definitely be interesting to see who ends up controlling the game.  I'll be here all hour, covering the show live and updating throughout so read on, keep refreshing, and let us know your thoughts, too!

Jerry, my man.  I loved Jerry before the season started, and at the beginning of Big Brother 10.  Then came the whole Judas debacle, and I soured on the old guy.  But, recently, I've hopped back on the bandwagon, most likely because of his slow descent into madness that the Big Brother house has flung him down.  He's really just a harmless old codger who tells horrible stories and is generally unaware of his surroundings.   But, does he have any chance at winning Big Brother?  Can he make it to the final jury vote?

The below story contains spoilers for those who haven't watched tonight's Power of Veto episode.  GO NO FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT VETO RUINED!!!!

It'd be difficult, really, to script the last few weeks of Big Brother any better. It's been exciting almost every episode, the drama has been intense, the competitions have all mattered a great deal, and the people I've been rooting for keep coming out on top.  Keesha, Memphis, Dan and Renny probably couldn't have planned it out any better, it all culminating in the one-two eviction punch last Thursday of Ollie and Michelle, the alliance's two most formidable opponents.  And then, when it all looks like smooth sailing, Jerry wins the Head of Household.  The odds on that happening were somewhere around 200 to 1.  But, Jerry made this week fun in the only way it could be – with uncertainty looming.  We now know what has gone down in the Power of Veto competition and ceremony.  Turn around if such things do not interest you. 

SPOILERS BELOW, BE SCARED, TURN BACK, DON'T BITE THE APPLE!!!

Those double eviction episodes make the Big Brother house seem real empty real fast.  With Ollie and Michelle gonzo, there's also very little in the way of in-house conflict.  As tonight's episode so cunningly showed, the biggest source of contention among the houseguests is Jerry and his long-winded, pointless stories.  Big Brother spent five minutes of tonight's episode dissecting Keesha's laugh.  You know CBS is struggling for usable footage.  This is the bad thing about alliances being successful – the last few weeks can be boring.  Not only did tonight's episode have the usual nominations, but we got the added bonus of a Head of Household competition. 

This is not your typical Sunday night Big Brother episode.  We have an all-important Head of Household competition, plus nominations.  It's pretty much Jerry versus the remainder of the Big Brother house at this point.  I can't imagine that the four-person power alliance will go at each other just yet.  If any of them win, I'll bet they make Jerry the target and try to enjoy a stress-free week.  However, since this is Big Brother, that probably won't happen.  I'll be here throughout the hour on this holiday Sunday.  Enjoy. 

This is one of those silly spoiler articles where I have to ramble in this here first paragraph.  Because of the accelerated Big Brother schedule due to yesterday's double eviction episode, you TV-only Big Brother fans still do not know who the new Head of Household is.  If you'd like to know who it is, we posted that spoiler here yesterday.  Now, we also know who the Head of Household nominated.  Because I want to give literally nothing away right now, I'll say only this: Big Brother 10 has probably been the best Big Brother season I've witnessed since I began seriously watching the show during season 7.  And, we're not even done yet.  Given the final five that we currently have, conflict will have to arise from places where there once was none.  Who will turn on whom?  More importantly, who did the HoH nominate today?

BEWARE!!!  THERE ARE BOTH HOH AND NOMINATION SPOILERS AHEAD!!! SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, LIKE, WARNED!!!!

Ollie, oh Ollie.  I'm not sure what kind of legacy the Son of a Preacher Man will leave on Big Brother, but it probably won't be positive.  And, you know what, that's unfortunate.  Under a different set of circumstances, Ollie might have been a fan favorite.  We never got to see the real Ollie, or at least a laid back, stress-free Ollie.  He was either being April's lap dog, or scrapping for his Big Brother life.  If April hadn't been in the Big Brother house, Ollie likely would have been portrayed and viewed by the audience in a wildly different manner.  Oh, well.  Ollie was the second houseguest voted out of the house last night.  Today, we conducted an e-mail interview with him.  Below you will find Ollie's full unedited answers. 

Michelle was a fighter.  While many (including me in certain (OK, most) cases), found Michelle grating on Big Brother, she didn't back down.  Sure, she may have had a quick fuse, and she may have said some inappropriate things, and she may wrongly accused Dan of being a plant, but that's all Big Brother produced nonsense.  Michelle has spark, Michelle's got personality.  I guarantee that if I, or most anyone else, met Michelle in a social, non-reality TV setting, I would like her immensely.  If she's not competing against you, I bet she's a barrel of fun.  Unfortunately for her, Michelle was the first of two houseguests eliminated on Big Brother last night.  Today, we were fortunate enough to be able to conduct an e-mail interview with her.  You can find Michelle's completely unedited answers below. 

From the dawn of time, reality television contestants have taken things too personally.  It's a natural law, like gravity.  Survivor was likely the catalyst, where players set the precedent early on: it was OK, encouraged even, to become irate when someone “wronged” you by playing the game they were supposed to be playing.  What some still fail to understand is that betrayal is an inevitable part of shows like Survivor and Big Brother.  Not only that, it's their currency.  The rules require players to lie and backstab; there would be no show otherwise.  I can understand contestants in the first few seasons of their respective shows being taken aback by such seemingly amoral behavior.  But, now?  Is it really reasonable for people who are intimately familiar with how a game like Big Brother is played to get irrationally upset over things that have been repeated, over and over again, on that very same show? 

It was a very, very busy day for the Big Brother 10 houseguests. The double eviction episode saw Michelle go home, Keesha win Head of Household, Ollie and Jerry getting nominated, Dan winning Power of Veto and not using it, and then Ollie going home. As if two evictions in one night weren't enough, Big Brother also had two HoH ceremonies in a single night.

That's right, shortly after the show ended, they held the HoH competition and it's already over, making you wonder why the show decided not to cram it into tonight's episode as well. Either way, read no further if you want to wait until Sunday, though you probably don't.

SPOILER WARNING: NEW HOH REVEALED!!!

This week's live feeds were kind of like watching a Big Brother show within a Big Brother show.  A lot of unexpected things happened in the house and crazy would certainly be an understatement to describe it.  But before anything else, let's recap. Dan made the strangest deal with Ollie as the last two standing during the Head of Household (HoH) competition which involved Dan promising to protect Ollie and Michelle, Ollie picking someone to go up on the block and Ollie picking the replacement if the Power of Veto (PoV) is used. (Ollie wasn't even asking for that sweet deal and Dan just offered it up on a platter.)  Eventually, Dan won HoH, formed a secret alliance with Memphis, and named themselves the Renegades, which ironically means traitors.  Dan and Ollie agreed on nominating Jerry and Memphis but when Memphis won PoV, he took himself off the block, giving Dan the chance to put up Michelle as a replacement.  Shortly after, all hell broke loose.

It came and then it went, and I shrugged my shoulders.  You just have to tip your cap to the long-term Big Brother alliance of Dan, Keesha, Memphis and Renny.  They stuck together, trusted one another (to a point) and here they are, four of the final five houseguests.  Dan's tenacity in playing the game his way surely helped, but they all played their parts.  It's hard to accuse any of those four of being floaters, of being hangers-on, because they all did what had to be done, and have now been rewarded for it.  Tonight's Big Brother was non-stop, but because of what happened in the Head of Household challenge and then the Power of Veto challenge, the end result was inevitable.  We all knew what was going to happen about 25 minutes out.

Are we all ready for the most exciting Big Brother episode of the season?  The build-up over the last couple of weeks has been perfect for a quick double eviction episode.  No one should be particularly caught off guard when Ms. Chenbot 3000 informs the remaining houseguests of the plan.  All the players have their allegiances in check, and feelings have already been hurt.  Ollie will surely attempt to exact revenge on Dan and his reneging ways, while the holy triumvirate of Keesha, Dan and Memphis will likely want to oust Ollie before things get too unbearable inside the house.  Then you have the two oldies, Renny and Jerry; if either of them win the Head of Household tonight, be on your toes.  Who knows what could happen?  I'll be here for the entire hour, retching my thoughts onto the internets in pixellated form. 

Tonight's Big Brother live eviction episode is actually a double eviction episode, which means more fun for everyone.  The masses tend to rejoice when the double eviction episode comes along every year, because it brings us the most exciting episode of the Big Brother season.  There is no filler, as Big Brother fits a week's worth of events into one puny hour of television.  The episode tonight will begin with the first live vote, follow with the Head of Household competition, then the nominations, then the Power of Veto competition, the Power of Veto ceremony and, finally, the second live vote.  Tons of fun.  Anyway, considering what we know now, I thought it'd be fun to take a gander at the possible nomination scenarios for the second vote tonight, depending upon who wins the Head of Household. 

Last night's episode of Big Brother was unique in that the editors didn't attempt to wring drama from what Dan might do with the replacement nomination.  The focus was on how he would do it.  Dan, from the very beginning of the episode, made it clear that he would not keep with his deal, and that he would be nominating Michelle if and when the Power of Veto was used.  As the events progressed, Dan's major decision was already made, but an even more important one hung in the balance – how would he break the news to Ollie?  Dan could have easily told Ollie beforehand in order to soften the blow, but he opted to make a bombastic, slightly arrogant speech.  What Dan did was probably the best move he could have made.