These Are a Few of My Favorite Things about Big Brother 12

Up until last week, I thought Big Brother 12 had gone stale. Annie the Saboteur was booted out after the first week, Brendon and Rachel went from being the game’s best players to the most annoying couple on television, and any positive associations I had with the word “brigade” had been ruined by Enzo and his wordy Diary Room confessions. But hot damn! Last week was chock-full of cheesy/trashy/amusing moments that restored my faith in this guilty pleasure reality show. Let’s go over them:

1. Matt opened Pandora’s Box and snagged himself the Diamond Power of Veto.
It’s basically Jeff’s Coup d’Etat power from last season, except it was awarded randomly to the biggest liar in the house instead of democratically to the most deserving player. Oh, well. At least it’ll be interesting to see how he uses it.

2. Matt opened Pandora’s Box and inadvertently unleashed a new Saboteur.
America voted for Ragan, Ragan accepted the offer, and now we get to hear his hilarious, appreciative little musings every time he gets a sabotage idea in the Diary Room. And we also get to see the Houseguests act like they hate the Saboteur, but run excitedly whenever that silhouette appears on the screen.

3. Brendon became both dumb and dumber.
He tried to martyr himself for “love” by being belligerent to get the house to dump him and keep Rachel, but the house saw right through his transparent plan and voted her out instead. With revenge on his mind, he won the HoH, vowing to evict whoever did Rachel wrong, and then nominated Lane and Ragan because he wants people to be more competitive, or something. Any way you slice it, this dude is digging his own grave.

4. Rachel got booted.
Once upon a time, I thought Rachel was the best player in the house. But then I saw her lose her marbles and turn into a crybaby. It’s a game, woman.

5. Jeff and Jordan came back to host a POV competition!
How nice to see those two crazy lovebirds again. Too bad their classy selves didn't have any effect whatsoever on Brendon and Rachel's train-wreck showmance.

6. Lane and Brittany are, by far, the most entertaining houseguests of the season.
Enzo is funny sometimes, but he’s mostly annoying. (Plus, Jersey Shore is already on right now. We don’t need any more guidos on TV.) Brittany and Lane, however, won me over with their charming Southern banter and play-fighting. Plus, they don’t seem to take themselves too seriously. At first I found Brittany shallow and Lane boring, but they’ve both become aware of their campy TV personalities and played them up perfectly, especially in the Diary Room. Brittany’s confessions are punctuated with sharp jabs at her housemates and Lane’s are filled with weird Texan idioms. It’s awesome.

What did you think of all the action this past week? And who do you think will be evicted on Thursday?