Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 28

This is it, the moment of truth, this is the episode where we find out if Donny or Nicole goes home, and, whether Team America were successful in their challenge.

A little recap of the flip flopping that was happening before this live eviction.  Caleb approaches Derrick about keeping Donny.  Derrick says he's glad he's not the one bringing it up (in the diary room - not to Caleb), but he's open to the idea.  Caleb goes to chat with Cody about it.  Cody is like a brick wall.  Not open to the idea in the least.  Frankie thinks it's a good idea.

In the meantime, we learn that Team America will find out if they were successful in the "coming up with their own challenge" challenge through a "secret code" that Julie will have.  She will ask one of the Team America players what kind of food they would request as a have not this week.  They are to respond "Apple Pie".  If Julie says the request is granted, they were successful, if the request is denied, they failed.

We also get to meet Christine's family.  The focus has been on Christine's husband, given Christine's weird relationship with Cody.  Her husband is nice and diplomatic.  He says he doesn't mind the hair rubbing or the arm tickles, but he does feel uncomfortable with the hand holding.  Christine's family, however, decide to take a more direct approach.  They are disappointed with the relationship she has with Cody.  I think Christine's in for some difficult conversations when she leaves the house.

Then we get to meet Cody's family.  His dad doesn't have a problem with the relationship.  He approves of his son flirting to get where he needs to be.  His sister, on the other hand, doesn't approve.

Back to the house.  Just before the votes begin, Julie asks Frankie what food he would like as a "have-not", he says "Apple Pie" and Julie says it's an "overwhelming no".  The look on Frankie's face is priceless.  As much as I would have liked to see Donny get some more money, I'm glad they lost the challenge, because I think Frankie needed a wake up call.  Hopefully he got it.

Julie also decides to show houseguests some brief messages from home.  Everyone cries.  And how cute was Derrick's daughter?  I also notice that Christine's husband says "don't forget about me" which is also something he said in his letter to her when she was HOH.... I hope she picks up on his repetition of that phrase.   Like, maybe she should forget about Cody and remember she's married.

Anyway, on to the votes, and, no surprise, Donny is voted out unanimously.   He speaks with Julie with tears in his eyes.  This guy is the best.  How can you not adore this guy?  Anyway, he says that he hopes to get his old job back... I don't think there's any fear that he wouldn't.  Julie also tells him that he's been offered a guest spot on the soap opera "Bold and the Beautiful".  He's shocked.  I love it.

Now on to the HOH competition.  This is an endurance competition that involves taking  liquid down a slippery path and filling a container until a piece of coal floats to the top.  The person who gets their piece out first wins.  There is a temptation though (that America voted on live).  You can fill a smaller container and win $5000 and 5000 "Hollas".  So you get money, but you have people yelling "holla" at you for the remainder of your stay.  The challenge begins, but the show ends, so we don't know who won.  We have to wait until Sunday to find out (or read spoilers).

So there we have it.   What did you think about tonight's episode?  Feel free to comment!

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Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 27

Aside from the fall out from nominations... we have Victoria, suffering from an apparent tooth ache.  Eventually, she passes out in the bathroom.  Scary moment for the houseguests.  They carry her in to the diary room.  She eventually comes around and says she's feeling better.

Team America gets to come up with their own challenge.  Donny says they should save him... but the other two don't agree.  Frankie says (while doing his makeup in the diary room) that America would never want to save Donny (huh?).  Frankie says he'll figure something out.

Derrick tries to explain to Donny why people are scared of him.  Basically saying it's because he's likable.

Frankie suggests they do a play.  Donny still tries to convince them to save him, but Frankie is not on board.  They decide to do a play, much to Donny's dismay.

POV - Detonators come up with a strategy.  We'll see if it works.  Winner gets POV, but they get to watch CBS's new show "Scorpion".  Frankie says he's amazing at numbers, this challenge was made for him.  Frankie is out first round.  I guess numbers aren't his thing.   Anyway, ultimately, Cody wins.  He brings Nicole and Donny for the reward because he also put them on slop.

I don't know what I've done to these people, it seems like I've been they're target from day 1.  Whatever happens, I will walk out of here with my head held high".  How can you not love this guy?

The play.... interesting.  I love Donny's impression of Devin was awesome.   The other impressions were kind of terrible.

Derrick and Cody talk game.  Cody talks about saving a houseguest and putting up Frankie.  He also talks about what a huge floater Christine is. (Agreed!)

Here we are at POV ceremony, and despite all of the game talk.... Cody does nothing... keeps the nominations the same *snore*.  So, unfortunately, Donny or Nicole are going home tomorrow night.

My Thoughts on the ALS #IceBucketChallenge

I was prompted to write this post after reading so many negative comments and news articles about this challenge.

Before this challenge, I will admit that I knew very little about ALS.  I have learned so much about this devastating disease throughout this campaign.  Some I've learned because I chose to look in to it further, some I've learned because of people including educational pieces as part of their challenge.

This campaign is positive on two different levels - it's raised an enormous amount of funds, and it's raised awareness.  Yes, I realize there are people doing the challenge that will not donate any money, and yes, there are people that will learn nothing about ALS as a result of this challenge.  But the fact is that funds ARE being raised and people ARE learning things about ALS because of this challenge.

How unfortunate that some are saying that this disease is unworthy of our donations due to the "small" amount of people affected.  Do I realize that more people are killed by heart disease each year?  Yes.  And I still donate to the Heart & Stroke Foundation.   I will continue to support the causes that have been close to my heart.

My own family has been affected by cancer.  In April 2013, my dad passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.  Pancreatic cancer kills 4300 Canadians a year.  There are many other diseases that kill more people.  But I will continue to support fundraising efforts for pancreatic cancer.  It's important to me, it's important to my family and many other families.

I also donate to causes that haven't necessarily affected my family, but I think they're important (soup kitchens, food banks, etc).

I consider myself a pretty intelligent person, and I believe that I have carefully considered a lot of information before I've donated to various causes.  I, personally, don't need the media to tell me who I should and shouldn't be donating to.  I know there are hundreds, if not thousands of extremely worthy causes out there, and I donate what I can, where I can, when I can.  People shouldn't be criticized for the causes they choose to support.  As fundraisers it's important to communicate why it's important to donate to the cause(s) you're raising money for.  I think criticizing other causes to convince people to donate to another is not the right way to go about it.

As for the "wasting water" argument.  I sincerely hope that none of the people making that argument have ever done any of the following:

- left the water on while brushing their teeth
- left the shower on while lathering the shampoo in their hair
- had a leaky faucet
- watered their lawn

There are lots of ways we waste water as a society.   I'm not saying that we should ignore wasting water, however, I would hazard a guess that more water has been wasted doing the above activities than has been wasted in this challenge.  And, if you are concerned about wasted water, or societies that don't have access to clean drinking water, I encourage you to get involved in clean water campaigns (Free The Children, WaterCan, The Water Project and Charity: Water are just some examples of the clean water campaigns that exist).

Bottom line - I realize that our Facebook newsfeeds may be inundated with these videos at the moment, but, my newsfeed has been inundated with game requests, cat pictures, "share this picture/status" contests and many other things before.  I would much rather see positive things like this.  No one says you have to watch the videos.  Scroll on by, ignore if you must.    If you're passionate about a different cause (cancer, heart disease, mental health, or something else), then do what you can to promote it.  It takes innovation and passion to come up with awareness campaigns.  I've been fundraising for many years, and trust me when I say it's a hard job.  Anyone who's ever had to do any kind of fundraising, large or small scale, knows it's challenging.  That's why, instead of criticizing the efforts of people participating in this campaign, I choose to applaud their efforts.  There's already so much negativity in society today, why does an awareness/fundraising activity for a terrible disease have to be a part of that negativity.  Take it for what it is and if you don't agree with it, don't donate, don't watch the videos, but don't put down others for supporting the cause.  My wish for those "annoyed" by this challenge is that they can take their "annoyance" and turn it in to a positive by allowing it to motivate them to raise money/awareness for a cause they are passionate about.

I'm not telling you to donate or not to donate.  That's a decision everyone needs to make on their own.  I encourage everyone to read up on organizations and donate to those that they want to donate to.

I will close with a little screenshot of my own "ice bucket challenge" video.  Please consider visiting www.als.ca and read up on the disease and the wonderful work this organization does.

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 27

People are reacting to Nicole's return to the game.  Unsurprisingly, no one is particularly happy about it.  Nicole and Donny do some game talk, which makes everyone talk about them working together.

Caleb decides to bring out Beast Mode Ninja.  He shows everyone a series of kicks, spins and yelling.  Oh yeah, and then he falls down too.  He's so weird.

HOH - Boxing challenge.  Unfortunately, Nicole is out first.  It ultimately comes down to Cody vs. Donny.  The winner is...... Cody.  Unfortunately, that doesn't sound good for Nicole or Donny.  The Detonator boys start discussing how they will have to get rid of Christine at some point soon.  I'd prefer sooner rather than later.

Cody's HOH room - a couple of notable happenings: 1 - Caleb talks about how good looking Cody's sister is. 2 - Donny says he thought Cody was just "some dumb kid", but turns out he's "a genius".

Nicole goes to chat to Cody to plead her case.  Cody makes it clear that Donny is his target this week.  This is followed by a discussion between Derrick and Cody about how necessary it is to get Christine out sooner rather than later.

So a girl gossip sesh (I'm so hip... that's a cool word for session).    Everyone wants to find out about Nicole and Hayden.  She says he's sweet, made her breakfast, he's an amazing cuddler... awww.  Cody says it sounds like all the action is in the jury house.

Donny decides it's a good idea to wake Cody up to talk game.  Zingbot was right, his social game is not the best.  I don't know very many people that enjoy being woken up.  Donny makes his speech, and Cody grunts through the whole speech.  In the end, Cody says Donny gave him lots to think about, and he considers Frankie and Christine to be people in his alliance he could go after.

Derrick and Donny have a chat.... really, I didn't find it all that interesting.  Yes, Derrick points out that he's not in the house to have Team America wreck his game, because he's there to play his own game.  I don't think that's a bad or unreasonable thing.  Ultimately, isn't everyone there to play their own game?

Nominations - Donny and Nicole... no surprise there.

Cody still says he's considering making a big move.  I guess we'll see once we know what happens with the POV.

I want to end with another plug for the Bayside Broncos!  As they get ready to start their next school year, please have a look at my post about their fundraising efforts for the Children's Wish Foundation and help them #BringRicktoBayside:  http://www.overtiredmama.com/2014/08/spotlight-childrens-wish-and-bayside.html

Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 26

Wow, episode 26.   Hard to believe that we're this far in to it, unless you start remembering all of the houseguests that are gone.

Anyway - let's pick up with the fallout from Frankie's nomination of Zach.  Zach decides to go in to full campaign mode.  He's hoping that Frankie will back him up as a good choice to keep in the house, but Frankie doesn't do that.  Poor Zach feels betrayed.  To make matters worse for Zach, Victoria has taken her pink hat back (the hat Zach "borrowed" from her at the beginning of the season).  Zach is devastated.

On to eviction time, and, no surprise, Zach is voted out.  He's pretty classy in his interview with Julie, considering I expected him to throw everyone under the bus and say what horrible people they were.  He didn't even trash Victoria, who, in her goodbye message, showed Zach that she had shredded his beloved hat.  Side note - is THAT her big game move?  This girl is terrible.

While Zach talks with Julie, she reveals that the evicted houseguests are going to be able to compete to get back in the house.  He's pretty excited.

Julie rejoins the houseguests and lets them know they're in for a twist.  The doorbell rings, and in run all the jury members.  Everyone pretends to be excited, but you know they're not.  So the jury members compete in a challenge in the backyard... and, I don't know if it's just me, but does Jacosta seem particularly intense to anyone else?  Wow.  She's in to it.  But in the end..... Nicole wins!  I nearly yelled out loud I was so happy.  I was hoping she would get back in, although I think we all know what whoever was coming back in the house was in for a short stay... so I have no doubt that Nicole will be targeted.

So we don't get to find out who the next HOH is before the end of the episode... so we'll have to wait until Sunday!

Big Brother 16 Recap - Episode 25

We open with the fallout from the Battle of the Block.  Donny is not a stupid man, he knows that Christine threw the competition.  He believes Derrick is one of the masterminds in all of this.  Derrick also knows something is up with Donny and he tells Frankie that Donny is on to them.

I've been waiting for this episode all season because, it's the return of Zingbot.  When Zingbot arrives, he's not quite himself.  Zingbot is spouting compliments and the Houseguests don't like it.  Christine voices her displeasure - Don't worry Christine, soon enough, you'll be wishing that there weren't any Zings.  So after the niceties of Zingbot, the doorbell rings, and in comes Kathy Griffin to zing everybody.  Some of her zings include: "Who likes to wear pink and cuddle with men?  Zach!"  He tries to look hurt, but eventually can't help but laugh.  There's a Zing about all the cuddling Cody and Christine do.  She gets a little upset.  Cody says in the diary room "There's nothing going on there.  We're just very, very, very, very good friends".  Um, I think that's too many "verys".  On to POV, and this challenge is meant to "fix" Zingbot.  I won't get in to the whole challenge other than to say, Frankie wins.  When Zingbot comes out, there are Zings all around.

The episode was laced with paranoia.  Some about who would be nominated in the event Victoria won POV.  Frankie assures Zach over and over again that he would not be nominated.  The other side of the paranoia had to do with the Team America challenge.  They steal items of clothing and hide them.  People start flipping out about it.  Especially "Beast Mode Cowboy".  Ugh, seriously, we're still calling him that?  Anyway, accusations start flying around about who stole the clothing.  Ultimately people start assuming there's a "saboteur".  Frankie is literally screaming about it.  Please.  Can we take the volume on this episode down a notch.  I can't handle it.  The screaming's not done there.  Caleb decides that it makes sense that Zach must be the saboteur.  Everyone agrees that it makes sense.  So, poor Zach, is accused of stealing everything.  Eventually, the clothing items are found, and the even higher pitched screaming begins.  Seriously, this is the worst.  It's bad enough when they yell in the Diary room.   Screeching is just the icing on the horribly loud cake.

In the end, we're down to POV ceremony.  Frankie decides to use the POV on Caleb, and replaces him with..... Zach.  He does an embarrassingly awful rap about his nomination.

We'll find out tonight who goes home.

I'm going to end with a little plug for my previous post.  Please read about the kids at Bayside Middle School and their incredible efforts to raise money and awareness for the Children's Wish Foundation.  They deserve recognition.  Read about the efforts to #BringRickToBayside:  http://www.overtiredmama.com/2014/08/spotlight-childrens-wish-and-bayside.html

Spotlight: Children's Wish and the Bayside Broncos

Kids are amazing.  I don't just say that because I'm a mom, I say that because I'm surprised all the time by the strength and abilities of kids to do amazing things.  Here in Saint John, New Brunswick (Canada), there is an amazing school full of awesome kids who are doing an incredible thing for their community.  Bayside Middle School has about 600 students and the whole school gets involved in their annual "Walk for Kaitlyn" in support of the Children's Wish Foundation.

Bayside's fundraising efforts began after a child at their school, grade 8 student Kaitlyn Doucette, passed away after a battle with cancer in 2002.  As the school dealt with the loss of Kaitlyn, they decided they wanted to have something positive come out of it, and it was decided that they would partner with the Children's Wish Foundation.  Since they began their fundraising campaign in 2002, they've had 2 more students pass away after battles with terminal illnesses.  This school has been through a lot, and each year they remember their former classmates.

This small school raises more money for the Children's Wish Foundation than any other school in Canada!  What an accomplishment!  And they do it all without corporate sponsorship.  I spoke with one of the teachers at Bayside, Tiffany Sabin, about how they've been able to run such successful campaigns.  "Besides being a good team building activity, it helps the kids look beyond themselves and see the struggles that other children go through." As for their hopes for this year, they want to make the campaign bigger and better than ever before. "The fundraising has grown every year. The first year raised around $10,000 while the 12th raised over $31,000." Ms. Sabin shared. "The kids get really excited to see the total and know that they contributed. They get to be a part of something huge, something they couldn't have done on their own. Kids helping kids."

One of the Bronco's biggest supporters is Gerry Beresford, Director of the New Brunswick Chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation, spoke to me about the impact of the "Bayside Broncos" and their fundraising.  "I could talk forever about the Bayside Broncos, what an amazing school".  The Children's Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening illnesses.  "The looks on the faces of the children who receive their wish, and their families, are amazing.  These experiences mean so much to them."  This year, the Children's Wish Foundation celebrates 30 years of granting wishes, and here in New Brunswick, they're preparing to grant 50 wishes.  "The average cost of a wish is $10,000, and we've been able to raise the money for these wishes through the generosity of New Brunswickers, that's why supporting the fundraising efforts of the Bayside Broncos is so important".

Each year, as part of the campaign, the campaign is topped off with a "Walk for Wishes".  This year's walk will take place in mid-October, and to help this year's campaign, the Broncos have extended an official invitation to Rick Mercer of "The Mercer Report" on CBC to come join them at their walk.  To help entice Mr. Mercer to come to their walk, they've launched a social media campaign called #BringRickToBayside.  This campaign has started primarily through their Twitter account, www.twitter.com/Bayside_Broncos, and the corresponding hashtag, but will be expanding to include other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.  "These kids deserve to be recognized for their exceptional dedication to the cause." Says Mr. Beresford.  "What better way to recognize them than to have Rick Mercer come visit them!"  Not only would this be great recognition for the kids, but Ms. Sabin also added “Rick would love visiting Bayside!  We always have fun activities to celebrate the kids reaching their goal, and which is a perfect fit for The Mercer Report.”

The Broncos need your help in this year's campaign!  Join in the social media campaign to #BringRickToBayside.  Here are some ways you can help:

1) Follow the Bayside Broncos on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Bayside_Broncos. This is the best way to stay up to date on their efforts. 
2) Retweet the Bayside Broncos tweets to help spread the word, respond to our tweets to show your support, or send your own tweet to @rickmercer and make sure you include our hashtag - #BringRickToBayside 
3) Send Rick an email, post on The Rick Mercer Report, or send a letter in the mail! Everything helps! 
4) Post on Instagram with #BringRickToBayside

Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 24

We start right away with game play..... everyone is scrambling to save themselves from the block.

First, Derrick manages to convince Frankie it's a good idea to keep Victoria off the block, and she's over the moon about it.  The Detonators decide that instead, it's a good idea to nominate Donny.  

Who wants to see the HOH room???  Am I the only one who's kind of like "Meh" at this point?  Yeah, I know, Frankie's sister is Ariana Grande... fun, but I wasn't really sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to hear her letter.  Frankie's excited that he's now "free to be who he is" because he revealed that Ariana is his sister.  So, of course, there are lots of pictures of her.  And through her letter to him we learn (spoiler alert) she's opening the VMAs.  Then we get to see about 2 pictures of Derrick's.  

Derrick pulls Donny aside to tell him he will be nominated.  Awww.

Now, the next #TeamAmerica challenge - they need to steal favourite pieces of clothing from each houseguest and then organize a neighbourhood watch for 24 hours straight.  They decide to take Christine's classes, Cody's Ruggers shirt, Caleb's bunny slippers, and Zach's Gator shirt.  

Now, the Detonators have to decide who is going to be nominated.  Of course, no one wants to go up on the block.  Everyone is equally stressed.  So everyone sits in silence.  Eventually, Caleb mentions how many times he volunteered to be nominated.... then they decide that picking skittles drawn out of a hat will determine who is nominated.  Hilarious.  

Christine is drawn to go up against Donny and needs to throw it.  She's not happy.  Then Cody and Caleb are picked.  They're not happy.  Zach's happy though.  I think he forgets though that there's still the Veto.

A little montage of Cody and Christine's touchy feely relationship.  Frankie says they're always touching. Donny says it's weird how much she touches him considering she's married.  Cut to Christine in the diary room..... where she says the flirting is just a strategy to help win.  Riiiigggghhhhtttt.

Back to nomination talk.  Caleb suggests that Zach should be backdoored if Donny wins POV.  Derrick likes the idea.

Derrick and Frankie try to convince Donny that he is not a target this week, I don't think he's buying it.

On to the nomination ceremony - Derrick nominates Derrick and Christine.  Frankie nominates Cody and Caleb.

Frankie makes some jokes during his nominations... Donny doesn't smile.

On to the Battle of the Block.  Teams have to search in the dark for bones and put it on their board.  Donny figures out that Christine is throwing the competition and wins the whole thing himself.... and celebrates in the cutest way...... How can people not  love him.  He says he's not trying to brag, but he won that challenge all by himself.  Yes he did.  

Looks like Zingbot and Kathy Griffin are up next on Wednesday.  

Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 23

So, we start with the "betrayal" of Christine vs Nicole.  Nicole is feeling pretty bettrayed.  Victoria and Nicole speculate about who Christine is alligning herself with.  Nicole mentions Christines....unusual... relationship with Cody. For those readers who don't know much about what's been happening on the live feeds... Nicole and Cody cuddle a lot.  It is unusual because she's married.

I hope it's ok with everyone that I'm not going to recap the football outing. I didn't find it particularly interesting for a couple of reasons: I'm not really a fan of Frankie Christine or Caleb, and... I don't really like football. The 3 houseguests got to go visit the Dallas Cowboys.  I'll leave it at that.

On to tonight's vote - Nicole is unanimously voted out. I don't think anyone was surprised by that.  Nicole is sweet, as always, during her interview with Julie and, of course, Donny had a sweet "goodbye" message for her, hoping they will be friends after Big Brother is over. Awww.

We learn that houseguests were innondated with images and messages about a faux Zombie appocolypse.  The subsequent HOH has to do with answering questions about those messages.  The winners are....... Frankie and Derrick.

Then Julie interviews Rachel Reilly.....  who says a lot of "Am I right?"  I'm too tired for this girl tonight.

We also learn that Sunday's episode will see nominations, the last battle of the block of the summer and.... Zingbot!  I'm expecting a lot of "crazy stalker" type Zings for Caleb.

What did you think of tonight's episode? Excited for Sunday? What Jury member wod you like to see back? Share your thoughts in the comments below!!

Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 22

Frankie reveals that he's "famous" and that his sister is Ariana Grande.  We see the two extremes... Victoria is starstruck (although she claims it doesn't really affect her), and Zach feels utterly betrayed.  He even yells and cries about it in the diary room.  He's pretty broken up.

Frankie mentions that he will be donating his money to build schools in Africa... Zach yells in the diary room that people should just give him the money.  Did anyone else notice that someone (maybe Caleb?  I couldn't tell) asked Frankie if he was really gay.  Really?

Now, a POV challenge involving OTEV (aka Gilbert Gotfried as a Penguin OTEV).  Nothing too notable during this competition other than a faceplant by Nicole, and Caleb referring to himself as "Beat Mode Cowboy" multiple times.  *yawn*  In the end, the winner is...... Zach.  Christine worries about getting more blood on her hands.   Side note - how many times have we heard the term "blood on my hands" this season?  I've lost track.

Zach decides to work with Frankie again.... but adds that if he gets the chance he will get rid of him.  Then he goes to talk to Victoria, and points out that she's never been in an alliance.  Then he reveals every alliance he's been in.  Victoria says she feels betrayed by Derrick - who indicated earlier in the episode that he's had Victoria in his back pocket.  Now Victoria is devastated and she feels so stupid.  So, naturally, she goes to confide in Zach about her feelings..... wait... what?  Of all people ... ZACH is the one you go to?  Come on.  Zach is scrambling because he knows Victoria is pissed, so he really talks up Derrick and says that Derrick has been "protecting Victoria".  Then Zach runs to Derrick and says that NICOLE is the one that spilled the beans to Victoria about the alliance.  Derrick doesn't really buy it.  He goes and talks to Nicole and Victoria who tell Derrick that Zach was the one that told Victoria about the alliance.  Then he calls Zach in to confront him.    Zach is honest and says he is the one that told Victoria.  But then he tries to turn it around on Victoria.... then Victoria flips out.  Ultimately... Derrick is the "puppet master" in all of this.

The boys decide to convince Christine that Nicole is the enemy, so that Christine nominates Nicole.  The plan does put doubt in Christine's mind... and to top it off, Zach says that if Christine doesn't nominate Nicole, everyone will assume they're working together and come after them next week.

Oh... and another side note - Team America failed the challenge this week. *snooze*

Nomination ceremony - Zach removes himself and Christine makes a speech about removing a knife from her back and nominates Nicole.  Nicole doesn't understand.  Christine chose the detonators, and doesn't know if she chose the right side (newsflash - she didn't).  Nicole cries in the diary room.  Donny wonders who will go home because he's up against "sweet little Nicole" and he thinks he may be in trouble.

What did you guys think?  I think it is a tough week, I like both nominees.  It will be an interesting night tomorrow.

Big Brother 16 - Episode 21 - Mini Recap

Alright, I'm not a PGA golf fan, so the fact that Big Brother was delayed for that did not make me happy, but on top of it, they showed 60 minutes before Big Brother.  Boo.  As suggested by my blog title, I am consistently over tired.  So needless to say, I couldn't stay up for Big Brother (I live it the Atlantic Time Zone, so it was on at 11 PM our time, too late for me).

I will, however, do a "point form" recap:

- Remember that we're picking up where the the double eviction left off.
- Nicole is pretty ticked about Hayden's eviction and takes it out on Christine and Frankie.
- At the HOH competition, Christine and Nicole win HOH.
- Zach tries to get back in Nicole's good graces by revealing all about past and present alliances.
- Christine nominates Donny and Zach.
- Nicole nominates Caleb and Frankie.
- Frankie figures out that Caleb is going to throw the Battle of the Block, so Frankie asks him not to do it.
- Caleb decides to sit out of the competition.  Weird.  How is that better than throwing it?
- Surprisingly, Frankie wins Battle of the Block.  So Nicole is no longer HOH and Christine's nominations stand.
- We're left with a teaser showing us that Frankie will come clean about who his sister in.

Are you excited to see the reveal?

Big Brother 16 - Episode 20 Mini Recap - and Sharknado 2!

Many of you know, or can tell from my Tweets and blog posts that I'm a pretty big Big Brother fan.  There aren't alot of reasons I would miss watching an episode, especially a double eviction episode.  But last night, I chose something over Big Brother.  Some girlfriends and I decided we were going to watch Sharknado 2.  I know, terrible movie, right?  But it's SO terrible, it's good.  I haven't laughed that much in a long time.

The best part?  My friend is a "hostess with the mostess".  Check out the decor and snacks!

Awesome, right?  The movie was just as "good" if not better than the first.  Horrible acting, horrible special events, a terrible storyline, cameos galore and Tara Reid's face that continually had the same facial expression whether she was trying to be happy, sad or confused.    I highly recommend watching this movie if you're looking for a laugh.

Now, on to Big Brother....Double eviction night!  I will recap in point form, simply because I didn't get to watch the episode the whole way through and only caught the highlights, so here are the big stories:

- As we know, Christine didn't use the POV so Jocasta and Zach stayed on the block.

- It had been looking like Zach was headed out the door, but the collective minds were changed (besides Nicole and Hayden who were sure Zach was going home), and Zach was saved.  Jocasta became the first member of the Jury.

- Then, in a speedy chain of events - Caleb becomes HOH, nominates Donny and Hayden, Donny wins POV and saves himself, Nicole becomes a replacement nominee.  Sadly, Hayden is sent packing to Jury house.

- We also learned that Hayden and Jocasta will still have a chance to win their way back in the house.

Thoughts on tonight's episode?  Share them in the comments below.  I've already read the spoilers, and I think that Sunday's episode is going to be a good one. 

From Couch to Action Photo Challenge

I've seen a variety of photo challenges on social media lately, and I have to say, I love it.  So many beautiful pictures of different places, people, things and more!  And so much creativity.  I was inspired while seeing some recent photo challenges over the last few weeks or so.  I decided to issue my own challenge.  This isn't a physical "prize" based challenge, my hope is that during and following the challenge, you feel great about what you've accomplished.

If you've read some of my past posts, you know that I've often struggled with staying active, so, I've used that as inspiration for this challenge.  I'm calling it the "Couch to Action Photo Challenge".  Whether you are already really active, or are not active at all, this challenge is for you.  I encourage you to set your own goals, and use these photos to help motivate you.  I'm proposing this as a 15 day photo challenge.  Not too long, so hopefully a good length to commit to.  See the graphic below, it will indicate a "theme" for each day, from August 15 to 30, and I challenge you to share your picture on Twitter, Facebook and/or Instagram with the hashtag #CouchToActionPhoto.

This is meant to be fun, so be creative!  I hope you all enjoy the challenge.  And I look forward to seeing everyone's pictures starting August 15.

I'll be participating as well, so see below the graphic for the information on how to follow my Twitter and/or Instagram, where I will be posting my own pictures.

Good luck and have fun!

Follow my progress on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Overtired_Katie
You can also follow me on Instagram: http://instagram.com/katie_nb

Please note - If you are just beginning a fitness routine, please consult your doctor.   I am not a certified fitness professional, this photo challenge is meant to be fun, so please know your own limits and consult with a health care professional before engaging in any intensive fitness program.  This challenge is meant to be fun and get you moving, but take precautions to prevent injury.  Have fun!

Big Brother 16 - Recap - Episode 19

Picking up where the the Battle of the Block left off.  Caleb and Victoria won, but they had to accept 3 punishments to win - 2 weeks of slop, Adam & Eve (dressing in leaves and being chained together for 48 hours), and Caleb has to shave his head.

Let me recap all of the punishments together... yes, slop sucks.  Chained together?  Probably the worst.  She is definitely high maintenance, I wouldn't want to deal with that.  Then... the hair shaving.  His reaction reminds me of the infamous reaction that Rachel had when confronted with the same challenge on Amazing Race.  Need a refresher?



He shaves his head, and personally, I think he looks better.

Christine decides to try to keep herself safe by suggesting to Nicole that Hayden has been making out with Victoria (not true), and that Hayden told Zach he was safe (not true).  Newsflash Christine, if you're going to lie about somebody doing something or saying something, it probably shouldn't be about Nicole's closest ally... not sure what you're thinking there.

Nicole is clear, her goal this week is to backdoor Frankie.  Derrick and Cody are on board.  Let's see if this can happen.

POV ceremony.  The houseguests had to pick the correct comic book cover and line them up in the correct order in the fastest time.  The winner?  Christine.  Am I the only one that "booed" when that happened?

POV ceremony - Zach tells a ridiculous joke to ask Christine to save him, and Jocasta basically "save me or not, it's ok".  So she doesn't use it.  She says her goal is to get Zach out.  Zach says if he sleeps all day, brush his teeth and eats some food, he'll be safe.  Yikes, you're a little too confident Zach.

Double eviction tomorrow folks!!

Saint John Sea Dogs Tenth Anniversary!

The Saint John Sea Dogs are a Quebec Major Junior League hockey team based out of Saint John New Brunswick.  This year they are celebrating their tenth anniversary.  As part of the celebration they are offering a gift to fans, free tickets to their pre-season game on August 15th!

Anyone who reads this blog, or follows me on Twitter knows that I love a good giveaway, and this one is awesome.  If you're going to be in Saint John, New Brunswick on August 15th, what a great evening of entertainment!  The game will put the Saint John Sea Dogs against the Cape-Breton Screaming Eagles.  It's sure to be a fun and entertaining game.

To get your tickets for the August 15th game, head to the Harbour Station Box Office to get yours.  You can't get the free tickets online, so I suggest that if you are unable to get to the box office, you have a friend pick up tickets for you.  And while you're there, you can pick up tickets for the other two pre-season games for $9 each (plus $1 surcharge).  Those two games will take place on August 22nd (vs. Halifax Mooseheads) and September 5th (vs Charlottetown Islanders).

Hockey in August?  Yes please!  See you at the game.

For more information on the Saint John Sea Dogs, visit http://www.saintjohnseadogs.com/

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Thanks for reading!!

Big Brother - Episode 18 and The Long Weekend

So, It's a long weekend here (New Brunswick, Canada), so... my family and I headed out to a camp on the river, where we have no cable... so needless to say, I missed Big Brother last night.  But I can tell you the following things about what happened in point form because I read the spoilers.  :)

- Donny & Nicole were the HOH winners
- Donny's HOH letter was from his girlfriend and makes him cry
- Zach tells Nicole to nominate weak players
- Nicole nominates Zach and Jacosta (haha)
- Donny nominates Victoria and Caleb
- Donny's nominees win!  He's de-throned and Nicoles nominees remain.