1. I have never been more pissed off by a reality television show finale than I was while watching the Big Brother 14 culmination last night. Whereas I once believed that no jury would top Survivor Samoa, in terms of sheer bitterness, I now stand corrected. Dan Gheesling not only played the best game of the season, but in my opinion, had the best single performance on any reality show ever (matched only by Boston Rob’s spectacular game on Survivor Redemption Island). While Dan still believes that Dr. Will is the best Big Brother player of all-time, I am no longer sure.
2. I do not understand the jury. While I understood the fact that this jury would be more bitter than ones from previous seasons, I certainly think that it is a complete travesty of justice that Dan only received one vote from his protégé Danielle. While you can argue that they were all bitterly blindsided and that appeasing them is part of the game, I have always maintained that getting to the end by any means is necessary is truly what constitutes a victory. The jury system is flawed. Do you know any other game where one player absolutely dominates a season, but then his fate is determined by the people that he beat? It is a ludicrous proposition.
3. The argument that I have heard the most is that Ian deserved to win? This is a point that I would like to address. While those of you who have been following my work all season know that I haven’t always been the biggest Ian fan, while he certainly deserved the win more than Danielle and Shane, saying that he earned it over Dan is laughable. What did he do? Win a few HOH’s and a random veto? Who cares? Big Brother is a social game. Dan got to the end with only a couple of victories (which I don’t even think he really needed). His game was so much better than everyone else’s, that it is actually astounding to me. While players like Frank and Joe claim to love the game, their votes for Ian prove to me that while they might love watching Big Brother, they certainly don’t respect it.
4. The vote that upset me more than anyone else’s last night was Jenn’s. After going on and on with her terrible Brooklyn rat metaphors to describe Ian, she then ends up voting for him? Have some principles! While I understand that her vote was probably influenced in the jury house, it doesn’t make it any less appalling.
5. While Dan played the best game that I have ever seen, it certainly wasn’t without its flaws. His decision to take Shane out and keep Danielle and Ian, knowing that the latter pair would certainly take him to the Final 2 and thereby alleviate him from the pressure of winning Part 3 of the competition, it certainly wasn’t wise to leave the game’s most likeable player still in. In that respect, there can be only two explanations for why Dan did this. While Dan had the best read on everyone in the house, I do believe his endgame vision was flawed. His rationale was that Ian had backstabbed Frank, Ashley and Jenn. As a result, those were votes that he would already have in the bag. Add Danielle to the mix and there is your win. In addition, there was also a chance that Ian would buckle under the pressure of the live questions. A solid argument for sure, but compared to Danielle (who almost certainly would have gone on and on about her non-existent game), it was a no-brainer to take her. I also think Dan overestimated Shane’s abilities. I think Shane could have been easily manipulated into throwing the endurance portion of the final HOH and there is no way he would have done well in the next two competitions. With that being said, the true risk was Danielle ultimately choosing him over Dan to take to the end. In that respect, while I can understand why Dan chose to drag Ian along, I still feel the better move would have been to take Ian out while he had the chance. The Shane betrayal was the most biting and the one that I believe cost Dan the entire game.
6. I am not going to deny that Dan’s final speech (which he practiced over and over again on Tuesday night, prior to Wednesday’s live finale) came off as trite and contrived. It definitely reminded me of Amanda Kimmel’s final jury performances on Survivor China and Survivor Micronesia). Ian’s speech from the heart was a good move, but what drove me absolutely insane was the way that he kept interrupting Dan. While Dan did it at the beginning and was reprimanded by jury, the way Ian kept yelling during Dan’s final time to address the jury highlighted his immaturity and ego and proved to me why I was right to root against him. I don’t understand why Dan was told to stop and Ian was allowed to continue. Terrible.
7. What I didn’t understand about Dan’s final speech is why he didn’t highlight the three biggest arguments he had. The first is that he got to the end for a second time which should have earned him the victory in and of itself. The second is that he is the one responsible for Ian even being in the final 2 since he saved him with his Shane vote. Finally, he should have told the jury that Big Brother is about players who want to win, and he managed to convince the other two players in the Final 3 to give up on the first part of the HOH. I literally can’t believe he didn’t say that. That’s not even mentioning the fact that he got to the end with almost no competition wins. While Ian tried to use that as an argument against him, I actually think it was the main reason that he should.
8. Dan didn’t really explain that he didn’t swear on the Bible when making his Final 2 with Frank. He swore to tell him the truth about the Quack Pack alliance. Also, this claim that Ian formed the Quack Pack is ridiculous. He was their extra vote and nothing else.
9. In most of their backyard interviews after last night’s show, the jury cited their decision on the fact that Ian grew up to be a man during the show and that they did not want to reward somebody who has already won. Last I checked, this show wasn’t called The Wonder Years. Appalling.
10. Make no mistake about it. Dan Gheesling gave Ian a check for $500,000. There is no other way to spin it.
ps. I can never root for someone who needs a coffee mug to make voting decisions.
