Week 2 Diary Room

[moonman23]

Well, last week definitely went very well, for me, in the Big Brother House. I was able to gain Luci's trust, an inactive player, Joe, was voted out unanimously by the house. And I have an alliance, for the time being. I'm glad that Joe left in a unanimous vote. It tells me that people were thinking ethically. They didn't think about backdooring Joner or doing anything else drastic in the game. That doesn't mean alliances haven't formed, but it at least gave me comfort to know that paranoia in the house going into Week 2 is low. Nobody's going around wondering who made the "1" vote or anything. But, sides may be drawn, whether we like it or not.

At this point, I have a four-person alliance with myself, Christian, Bryson, and Luci. We are called the Private Eyes. I came up with the name. It's like the nickname for a detective, a private eye. Our theme is that we're going to go out, gather information, build a case, get evidence for it, and then "charge" the person, meaning evict them. I am going to stay loyal to this group, for now. Obviously, I have to keep my options open, because you never know what might happen in this game. But, I really like Christian and Bryson, and Luci is definitely starting to grow on me. But, I'm definitely keeping my eyes open. As we get farther into the game, they may have different thoughts. Plus, what will happen when Derek's identity is thrown into the house? They might know I'm not really Michael, then. But, we'll worry about that later. At this point, I am going to honor the alliance. They're the individuals I have talked to the most and I have to trust them. They still seem to be open with me about their thoughts, working with me, etc. So, that's good for now.

We are down to 12 people left, and hopefully this third of the house will stay together. As for the rest of the house, here are my impressions of them.

Van and Sam are two individuals that I would like to keep around. The Private Eyes have all been interested in adding Sam to our group. But, when I talked to Sam, he said he didn't want to join an alliance for at least another week because he wanted to see how trustworthy people really are in this game. I have told Sam that I wanted to work with him and he said he was very interested in that idea. So, for now, I have Sam as someone I can trust. I did not tell him about the Private Eyes. I want that alliance to stay a secret, for as long as possible. The moment your alliance is revealed to the house, well, that gives someone probable cause for trying to nominate you. Van and I have an understanding. We talk every now and then, and he has stated that he likes me and likes that I participate. I told Van that he was safe if I won HOH and I intend to honor that. There's no reason for me to go against him in this game.

Joner is someone that I am still working with, but I'm definitely trying to be careful. Basically, I am willing to cut Joner loose, but I don't want to be the one that nominates him. So, if I win HOH, I'm going to have to tell the Private Eyes I can't put him up. I'll just say I promised him safety, and I want to honor those agreements. Joner could really blow my game up if I try to go against him. But, if someone else in the Private Eyes wins HOH and wants to target him, I'm onboard. It's unfortunate that Joner could not talk to Luci more, earlier in the game. But, at this point, there's no way I can convince Christian and Luci to recruit Joner. So, I want to keep my connections with Joner, because it will hopefully help me in the game. But, if Luci, Christian, or Bryson is HOH and wants to nominate and evict Joner, I'll join them, no doubts.

As for the other five houseguests, I really don't have too much of a relationship with them. Gabe, Matt, Tyreke, James, and Corey just don't talk as much on the forums or with me. The bottom line is, if you don't show me how you can help my game, then I have to nominate and evict you. The point of analyzing a short term/long term game is you categorize people into both areas and see where they fall. If somebody doesn't fit into either category, then they're the ones you nominate. James and I have talked a little, and those conversations were good. Same with Gabe, but less. And Matt and Tyreke have been MIA for the most part, with me.

If I am able to win HOH, I will probably nominate Corey and Gabe. Corey will most likely be my target. My conversations with Corey have not been very good and I worry about him. I think he could be a competition threat, so maybe trying to get him out of the game early is best for me. Gabe is just a choice, but I might put up Matt or Tyreke, instead. Gabe would be a good nominee because I could at least justify it. He didn't vote in the eviction and I still want to see if houseguests will gather around the premise that if you don't participate, you deserve to be evicted. I'd rather stand strong at the end with players that are participating rather than those who don't, even if it costs me the game. I have some ethics and I wish to maintain them. And I'm not going to drag people to the end because they're not participating. It's one thing to take a floater or someone that hasn't want competitions further, but someone who isn't even participating, voting, etc. That's something I won't do.

I WILL CAST MY VOTES LATER! I want to talk with my allies and some other people in the house, more. Till next time!

[moonman23]

So, Van got HOH. That's not the worst case scenario. Van and I have talked some, and we both pledged that we were both safe this week, whether one of us won HOH or not. I hope Van keeps his word.

Christian is definitely concerned about the HOH results. I have no idea where all of those votes came from. I knew Joner was going to put several votes against him, but I don't know who else could have done that. It could have been anyone. I just know it wasn't me. Ironically, Brett messaged me to see who I thought would win HOH. I got three out of the four top contenders correct. I said myself, Sam, Van, and Joner. I was way off on Joner, but I got the other three. So, that may indicate how things will go in the game. The fact that I got fourth means that people don't really see me as a danger, yet. So, I'll take that victory.

But, I'm not going to be overconfident. I still have to be very careful each week I don't have the power. I am always anticipating that I could be blindsided, backdoored, nominated, etc. But, if I am, then there's really nothing I could have done to stop it. This HOH competition was all about luck, bottom line. It doesn't surprise me that Van won, because he just seems to be there. Sometimes, I think people overlook him. I didn't cast any votes towards him because I believe he won't nominate me, unlike Tyreke or Corey. But, I just have to continue with what I have in the game. I have a good alliance, I have social game, and I have perseverance. I hope they come in handy this week.

[joepetz999]

Boo

[moonman23]

Dracula, I beg. Please scare me after I leave the bathroom, not outside the Diary Room! My evacutory system can't take it!

[moonman23]

AFTER THE NOMINATION CEREMONY!

Yes! Yes! Yes! That could not have worked out any better than what just happened. Van nominated individuals that I would have nominated myself, had I won HOH! That was perfect. Van had assured me that I was safe, even before he won HOH, so I am very happy that he kept his word. Corey and Gabe were the perfect nominees: they are not in my alliance, they are not good for my short term or long term game, and there are justified reasons for why they have been put on the block. This is great.

And, the best part is: Van prefers to have Corey voted out! So, I will definitely oblige him because that's what he wants and that's what I want. It works out great. But, is it too good to be true? Obviously, maybe so. I will never block out the possibility that someone might move against me. It's very possible Van has allies, someone is working with Van, and this is all just a ruse to get me backdoored. I will never ignore that possibility. But, I feel the chances of that happening are very low. Van seems to be straightforward with me, my allies still seem to support me, and I didn't get so many votes in the HOH. I feel if there was a backdoor in place, I would have gotten more votes. But, is there a plan against Christian? I think that's possible, as well. I have my suspicions of that, because Christian got 18 votes in the HOH Competition. Plus, the other issue is that Van pulled his key last. It makes me wonder if Christian would be a replacement nominee. Lots of questions, for sure. But, I'm just going to keep playing the way I'm playing.

There's no sense in doing anything different. I am maintaining my relationships with the Private Eyes, Sam, Joner, and Van. If I buy a spot in the Veto, again, that would just raise peoples' suspicions. Why would Michael just decide to do that out of the blue? Something's up. So, I'm just going to stay the course. Trust is a part of this game and I have picked people who I trust, for better or worse. We'll see what happens.

For now, I'm just going to keep do what I'm doing and hope for the best! Till next time!

[moonman23]

AFTER THE NOMINATION CEREMONY!

Yes! Yes! Yes! That could not have worked out any better than what just happened. Van nominated individuals that I would have nominated myself, had I won HOH! That was perfect. Van had assured me that I was safe, even before he won HOH, so I am very happy that he kept his word. Corey and Gabe were the perfect nominees: they are not in my alliance, they are not good for my short term or long term game, and there are justified reasons for why they have been put on the block. This is great.

And, the best part is: Van prefers to have Corey voted out! So, I will definitely oblige him because that's what he wants and that's what I want. It works out great. But, is it too good to be true? Obviously, maybe so. I will never block out the possibility that someone might move against me. It's very possible Van has allies, someone is working with Van, and this is all just a ruse to get me backdoored. I will never ignore that possibility. But, I feel the chances of that happening are very low. Van seems to be straightforward with me, my allies still seem to support me, and I didn't get so many votes in the HOH. I feel if there was a backdoor in place, I would have gotten more votes. But, is there a plan against Christian? I think that's possible, as well. I have my suspicions of that, because Christian got 18 votes in the HOH Competition. Plus, the other issue is that Van pulled his key last. It makes me wonder if Christian would be a replacement nominee. Lots of questions, for sure. But, I'm just going to keep playing the way I'm playing.

There's no sense in doing anything different. I am maintaining my relationships with the Private Eyes, Sam, Joner, and Van. If I buy a spot in the Veto, again, that would just raise peoples' suspicions. Why would Michael just decide to do that out of the blue? Something's up. So, I'm just going to stay the course. Trust is a part of this game and I have picked people who I trust, for better or worse. We'll see what happens.

For now, I'm just going to keep do what I'm doing and hope for the best! Till next time!

[moonman23]

AFTER VETO CEREMONY!

PHEW! Van kept his word. The Private Eyes make it into Week 3 intact and ready to compete for HOH. Very happy I'm going into Week 3, because of the twist! My ultimate goal is to win, but I have little steps along the way. First step is to make it through the "Covert Affair" twist. Second step is to make the jury. We'll see what happens, but I'm just glad I'm still here for another week, barring some freaky scary twist that messes everything up.

[moonman23]

Week 2 Diary Room Questions:

1. What is something that will make or break your performance in this game?

I feel there are a few things, right now, that could make or break my game. One would be the navigation of my alliances. I have my Private Eyes Alliance, and I have connections with Joner, Van, and Sam. I hope that these relationships come in handy down the road, but the key is choosing the right move at the right time. I could see people blowing up my game because I am very strategic, I am very social, and I know that I am a threat in this game. How long will it take for people to possibly connect dots and move against me? It could be next week, but it may not be until later in the game. My game would be more solid if Joner wouldn't have been nominated in Week 1, because I might have been able to talk the Private Eyes into letting him join. Another thing: Joner cast scares against Christian in the HOH Competition because Bryson told him about it. So, there may come a point where I win HOH and the Private Eyes may tell me they want Joner nominated. At that point, I have a choice to make: nominate him and burn that bridge, or go against that and I lose trust and support of the Private Eyes, potentially. I don't want to end up like Paulie where I am calling all the shots and not letting anyone else have input. That's the quickest way to blow up your game. So, depending on what the Private Eyes want to do next week, I may have to forego winning HOH and give it to Christian so that I get no blood on my hands getting rid of Joner.

Another thing is the "Covert Twist", the upcoming revelation that Derek is playing the game, me. I don't know how the hosts are going to handle that. Are they going to specifically state that Michael is really Derek, or are they only going to reveal that Derek is playing the game and it's up to the house to figure out that Michael is Derek. How the house handles Derek being in the game and how I maneuver around it could also make or break my game. Because part of it would also depend on how many other returning players are here. That could drastically make or break my game. I have a reputation in the game as Derek: I've been ranked by some people as among the best Big Brother players to play Online Big Brother. Will people really want to work with me? Another thing: is Jake back? Because if Jake is back, that could either work well for me or poorly for me. Because either I could work with Jake, or I could convince the house that Jake is the bigger threat in the game than I am. So many variables come from the Covert Twist.

So, to sum it all up, the things that could make or break my game are: the people that I decide to trust, the people I decide to betray, how to navigate through my relationships with my social game, and the Covert Affair Twist.



2. What is one thing that happened this week that came as a surprise to you?

I would have to say that Van winning HOH because he got 0 scares in the HOH. I'm very happy that Van won HOH because he didn't nominate me or anyone else. And I did say that Van was one of the top four contenders for HOH, and I was right about that. Myself, Sam, and Van were among the Top 4 people, including James as the fourth. But, the fact that Van won because nobody sent a scare his way is shocking, to me. I would have thought that somebody would have cast at least one vote. But, the fact that everyone else overlooked him made me realize that I definitely have to keep my eye on Van. Will I nominate Van next week? Absolutely not, unless somebody specifically shows me messages that Van intends to target me. But, I realize that Van could be a player that could skate far into the game without much resistance and I need to make sure that doesn't happen. I either need to involve Van with something important or get him voted out.




3. Do you think you have a good social game? Why or why not?

I would like to believe that I do. For the last two weeks, I really believe that my social game is something that has helped me stay in the game. Luci and Van both did not nominate me, and both assured me that I was safe. They kept their words. I made sure to initiate the conversations with them and to keep in touch. My social game has also helped me make my friendships that I have with the Private Eyes, Van, Sam, and Joner. I'm also very careful with how I state things, which is another one of my rules: "Watch What You Say and How You Say It." I am always trying to keep control of the game, but not always act like I am making the decisions. I am not the only reason that Joe left the house last week, and if Corey leaves the house, I won't be the only reason. But, I feel like I can give myself some credit for getting rid of Joe and Corey. From the beginning, I spoke with many individuals about the game and I noted immediately about Joe not participating. I put the thought in everyone's heads: the inactive players should go first. Now, they may have already been thinking that right away, but it also doesn't hurt to talk with people and confirm that the house is thinking the same way. Reaffirming someone's idea is a great way to get people working on the same page.

In my opinion, social game changes as the game progresses. At the first stage of the game, you need to be social and cordial with everyone, as much as possible. Participating on the boards is a good way to do this and I think I'm succeeding in this part of the game. But, as the game progresses, you need to be able to be social enough to keep your alliance intact, but also providing avenues for other individuals to talk with you. I always try to set up an environment where players can feel free to talk with me, vent, give their opinions. And I pretty much sit there and nod my head, so to speak. I'm careful not to state things I want to keep secret, I usually stay general and neutral, and I think that helps give me options as I move forward.

An interesting note about my previous three seasons of Big Brother: I have never voted for a house guest on the block that stayed in the game. NEVER. If I wasn't on the block, and I wasn't HOH, I voted for the house guest that always ended up evicted that week. I have a perfect record of that, so far. Now, that record may end this season. I have no idea what might happen this season. But, I think that it is evidence of my great social game in the past. But, now, I don't have the name of Derek to help that game. It could be interesting. But, I've always believed that if you're voting for the person leaving the house, it shows you have great social game.

So, I think that my social game is going well, so far. I am talking with people, I am helping to move ideas to the rest of the house so they will vote in a certain direction, and I get what I want at the end of the day. Last week, I wanted Joe out. This week, I want Corey out. I might get what I wanted both weeks and I think that shows the good ability of being able to talk with people, befriend them, get them to agree with you, and then vote the way you want. So, for now, my social game is on point. But, that could change as we get farther into the game and I have to make important game changing decisions.




4. Why do you like Big Brother?

I like Big Brother because of the strategy involved and I have always been a fan of strategy games like Risk, Chess, and Monopoly. Big Brother represents a lot of those elements. I like being able to see if I am good enough to manipulate my way through twists, other players' strategies and decisions. Big Brother takes a lot of those elements of strategy board games and multiplies it by ten. Because you don't always know the rules. You know a general format, but Big Brother is like playing chess and the game allows for pieces to move in different ways or you can bring back your Queen if you eliminate one of the bishops or something. I like being able to see if I can outsmart other people and compete better. Those elements have always been what motivates me to play these games like Big Brother.

[moonman23]

5. What do you think the twist next week will be?

Well, if I'm correct, I already know what the twist will be next week. The hosts will reveal the meaning of "Covert Affair", which means that there are houseguest(s) that are playing as fake identities. That there are some veterans that are currently playing the game. The hosts might reveal the number of houseguests that are fake identities or just state there are some. From there, the identities will either be specifically revealed or not.

But, I could be totally wrong. Maybe there is another twist that is planned. Maybe you guys are going to be announcing there will be a Battle Back this season? Maybe we will get to compete for a secret power in the game, like a Diamond Power of Veto. Hard to say, but my instinct is that the Covert Affair twist will be revealed!

[moonman23]

END OF WEEK 2 THOUGHTS:

Another week has passed in the Big Brother House. I am very happy to still be part of the game. I've made it two weeks, and the two people that I wanted gone right away are gone. Joe was not participating and that was something the house could get behind. Corey was a little too intense and I knew that he was no good for my game, whatsoever. So, the fact that both of them were voted out back to back weeks is definitely a good feeling. But, it's just the beginning. I know there will come a time in the future when things will not be so easy, things will probably not go my way, and I am expecting them.

The fact of the matter is: I don't know what other deals and alliances are being made in the house. The only thing that I know is my own alliances and who people like and don't like. That's about it. There could be another secret alliance in the house, there could be a big plan in place and I will be on the crap end of that plan. But, it's also possible that alliances haven't been created. It could go either way. The general feeling of the house, and even the alliances that I have, so far, is that people who don't participate will be out sooner rather than later. Obviously, Joe never checked in when the game started, so he was easy. Then, Corey wasn't really active either. He would go maybe a day or more at most not checking in. And even when he did talk, his conversations were never really the best. You never could get a read on him. Those were easy eliminations, in my opinion. It is only going to get harder from here on out, unless someone else goes MIA from the game.

Going into next week, I'm obviously curious to see how the Covert Affair Twist will impact my game. I'm curious to see how many of my fellow houseguests, other than myself, are returning players. I'm also curious to see how the house will react to this twist. Will they focus a lot of time on it? Will there be a "witch hunt" for returning players? Will our identities be revealed by the host? Will there be an incentive to reveal my identity? I've been wondering a lot about this. At this point, the way I look at the twist is that in Week 3, you are going to reveal the concept of Covert Affair. You'll basically tell the house that there are individual(s) in the house that are playing the game as secret identities. They are really returning players in disguise. There's a chance that you might reveal the number of houseguests: that maybe there are only 2 or 3. You might reveal whether we've voted any of them out yet. Based on the message I got about the twist, my identity would be revealed in Week 4. Now, what does that mean? Does that mean that the hosts will specifically say: "Michael is Derek." Or, are you just going to reveal the true identities, but not tell the house which houseguests are which. So, you might say: "Derek, Jake, Cody, and Brendan are playing in the house." But, you won't say which houseguests specifically are those players.

And, as I stated above, if you decide to go that route, reveal the identities but not point out which houseguests are which, will there be an incentive to revealing our identities? Maybe first one to do so will get so many Chens, maybe Immunity for the week, etc. That could be incentive enough, for me, but maybe not. It depends on how paranoid the house gets.

Plus, what will be my reaction? Because I worry about overplaying the twist and I also worry about underplaying the twist. What if I talk about it too much that people have to realize I'm a returning player? My alliance could abandon me, turn on me, nobody in the house would want to risk working with me, given my reputation as Derek. I could easily become like Frank, and have to fight each week. But, I also worry that not talking about it could also hurt my game. Because what if people ask me and I deflect too much. What if I just said, "I'm not going to let it worry me. Why get paranoid over whether people are returning players or not? I've made my deal with all of you, and regardless of whether you're a returning player or not, I want to take this group to the end." Will that earn them my respect? Will they think of me as trustworthy, still, and just not let it make people paranoid? Or, will they immediately suspect me? Will they note that if Michael doesn't want to talk about it and just wants to move on, maybe he's only doing so because he is a returning player? I knew this twist would have an impact on my game. But, if I was absolutely afraid of it, I wouldn't have joined up. That's the spirit of the game, and I'll have to deal with it. I feel it could go either way, and it really just depends how people are feeling. You can only hope that people would interpret, accept, and act in the way I want them to. But, you can't know that about people, especially when you only know them over the Internet. So, we'll see what happens.


Going into Week 3, my plan is to keep maintaining the relationships I have made. My alliance has talked about targeting Tyreke and I think that's a good idea. I haven't talked much with Tyreke and I would probably end up being nominated by him. Plus, Tyreke was the one who first mentioned to me the idea that the Covert Affair Twist means returning players. So, I would not be sad to see him go. I am not sure whether I want to win HOH or not. The reason is that, I fear if I do win and put up Tyreke, then he might go around and reveal that conversation. He could try to say I'm nominating him because I'm a returning player and want to get him out because of it. There are a lot of concerns, especially with revealing this twist next week, that make me question whether I want HOH or not. On the one hand, I want the safety because I could end up being suspected as a returning player. But, on the other hand, my nominations could lead to trouble, for me. It's hard to say. We'll see.

But, for now, I'm not going to let it concern me, too much. We have a few days to relax and just hang out on the forums before HOH. I'm just going to have fun until the storm hits! Till next time, I'm Michael! Or not!