**NOTE: This recap contains spoilers. Please do not read on unless you want to find out what happened on "Big Brother Canada"!**
Let's play a game. Which of the following quotes are from the 1995 sci-fi thriller "12 Monkeys," and which are from last night's "Big Brother Canada" episode?
"I am mentally divergent, in that I am escaping certain unnamed realities that plague my life here."
"...We're in the middle of the most intense P.O.V. competition, inspired by the movie 'Divergent.'"
"Are you also divergent, friend?"
"...and to finish off, you have to spell out a puzzle that says, 'Divergent.'"
As an aside, I hear the "Divergent" soundtrack makes a great prize when you win a reality game show challenge. I'm not bothered by the show's overt product placement, but host Arisa Cox's futuristic black-white-and-metallic dress was inspired by the upcoming Shailene Woodley-helmed box office smash too, right? Disclosure is key.
This episode marked a noticeable, and necessary, storytelling improvement on last week's stuffed, uneven editing melee. Think form doesn't matter? Think again. We're actually seeing some plotting, and cohesiveness -- who knew?
Nova Scotia's Kyle is evicted by a 9-1 vote, after Kenny took home the Power of Veto. The bearded wonder bumped Neda off the block to eliminate the muscleman, on the wishes of the similarly-brawny HoH Andrew, who noted, "[Kyle] poses more of a physical threat to me." Still, we have to wonder if this epiphany came during the HoH brainstorm session which saw a too-confident Kenny brushing his teeth (!) with the Veto necklace on, over his robe.
But, it's not without a nice redemption story for Kyle. Sure, he practically entered the house shirtless, and the whole country cringed when he explicitly aligned himself with self-proclaimed house "villain," Paul -- but what kind of bravado would you expect a 25-year-old personal trainer, and budding reality TV star, to have? Knowing the target was on his back, intimidating the other houseguests with his athleticism, he offered to pray with Adel -- the house's sole Muslim -- saying, "I love to try new things, why not give it a shot?" With nothing to lose, he even spent his last days with his "Outsider" bros, Paul and Adel, the latter of whom dubbed their outcast troupe an example of, "What you don't do on 'Big Brother Canada 2.'" By the time Kyle left "Big Brother Canada," he had opened up to Sarah, and the audience got to see more of his warm and not-so-douchey coaching personality, which reminded me of Craig from "A Night at the Roxbury." Big Time. After all, "Money can't buy that you conquered your fear!"
Back in the house, finally, we get to see the bread and butter of "Big Brother Canada": personal relationships. Jon and Neda, two of my favourites so far, are gossiping in the bedroom about how much they hate Andrew. "He's a toolbox," said Jon. Neda followed, saying, "Right now, everyone's sucking up to Andrew, and there are about seven girls lying next to him on the bed. It's gross." Punctuated with some clever cuts to show off Andrew's HoHH (HoH hubris), this scene not only shows just how cocky Kenny and Andrew are getting, but also highlights the coast-to-coast bond between B.C and Newfoundland. Adorable.
Plus, if you're looking for a way to tell Jon and Arlie apart, Arlie likes to show off his chest hair. Jon? Not so much, but he does like to wear black nail polish. Sure. Also, Arlie's post-vote theatrics are starting to become a thing. Leapfrog doesn't work if the other person involved, Adel, doesn't know what to expect.
With the pairs and troupes, it would be nice to see more from the houseguests alienating themselves from the rest of the group. On the live feeds, Heather appears to be an out-of-touch loner, who Ika has taken to calling, "Bride of Chucky." Yet, on the show, the 23-year-old blonde seems overly plucky, and barely gets any significant camera time. Maybe that will change now that the mysterious and superfluous "Final HG" contest is finally over.
While an obvious afterthought, last night we got to see a quick Scott makeup montage, spliced with Allison's confessional finesse and Nate's earnestness, which showed us just enough without detracting from the larger storyline.
With 200,000 votes cast nationwide, Allison won her key to the "Big Brother Canada" house, and was told she can make up any story to explain her entry, but can never once mention the secret room, or her previous knowledge of the season. If she does, she'll be instantly evicted -- and she'll probably stay mum. Having said that, her entrance into the house, alongside a "BBCan" Man in Black was severely anti-climactic, and played out like a bad stand-up routine. Why was she wandering around aimlessly for so long before her big reveal? Was this a technical glitch? How embarrassing.
But, with the clearly perceptive Ika steering the ship this week as HoH, we're likely to see some sparks fly.
I can't wait to see how Allison plays in to the existing group dynamics, or if she'll even make an impact at all. Besides, as long as she plays her cards right, her insider knowledge is only going to serve as a strategic benefit to her game, even if she dares to stand in Paul's way.
"Big Brother Canada" Season 2 will continue to air three nights a week on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT. "The Big Brother Canada Side Show" -- new this season -- will air Thursdays, following each eviction episode, at 10 p.m. ET/PT. In case that isn't enough, "Big Brother After Dark" will air seven days a week from 2 a.m. - 5 a.m. ET/11 p.m. - 2 a.m. PT.
