“Pawn in this game, I’m pretty certain, means I don’t give a f— if you go home”

Big Brother 28 spoilers: at 4:50 pm, alone in the HOH room, Lala practiced her nomination speech out loud. The names in it: Chuk, Haley and Barrett.

That is not the plan anyone downstairs was told.

All afternoon the block was Drew, Barrett and Kamu – every one of them given the same speech: you’re not my target, I just need you to sit there. Barrett has the house definition of that word: “Pawn in this game, I’m pretty certain, means I don’t give a f— if you go home.” The shape came together upstairs: competitors only, because the real play was Haley as the renom once the veto cleared, and whoever sat next to her Thursday had to be able to beat her in a Blockbuster. That math cost Kamu the veto promise Lala made him an hour earlier. Lala: “I told him, I said, Kamu, if I won the veto, I’m taking you off.” Taylor, without missing a beat: “Just say, I’m going to have to renege on that. I’m so sorry.” Taylor’s other news – Haley is trying to lock a four with her, Chuk and Yash, and Taylor plans to play along all week, “just to disarm her.”

Downstairs, the pawns compared speeches and the stories didn’t match. Drew got “I need you desperately.” Barrett got told he’d be fine because everyone likes him – “she definitely didn’t tell me that I was good because I was a competition beast.” Their veto math was short: Barrett, Drew or Devens wins it, or they’re cooked. And Barrett is carrying a loaded piece of information – Mallory told him Kamu vented after the eviction that he’d nominate Dee, Angela and Chuk – which Barrett wants in Chuk’s ear the moment Chuk holds a veto.

The two houseguests who are finally safe spent the afternoon the angriest. Melody and Mallory can read the structure fine: off the block just means backup plan. Melody’s counter-move – “We need to get in Kamu’s head” – is already forming, and Barrett wants Mallory to carry the Kamu story to Angela. Melody’s call: not yet. Not before noms.

Then came 4:50. If the speech Lala is rehearsing is the speech she gives, Kamu and Drew were told they’re going up and aren’t, Chuk is up after she spent the morning saying she wouldn’t touch him, and Haley is on the block from the start – no backdoor required. Nominations are still to come.

BB28 Time Capsule tally

The BB Time Capsule is a multi-week America’s Vote twist running Weeks 2 through 7. America votes one houseguest into the capsule each week, that person competes, and they either win a power or take a punishment. Each houseguest can only go in once.

• Week 2- Angela Murray: lost, and wore the Hard-Boiled Detective costume
• Week 3 – Rick Devens: won the Diamond Power of Veto
• Week 4 – Dee Valladares: BB Bribe power.This allows her to offer one houseguest $5,000 in exchange for performing an action that benefits her game.
• Week 5 – ????

1:35 PM – Lala and Taylor (HOH Room)

Lala: “Do you think I’m crazy? Do you think I’m crazy?”
Taylor: “Girl, please. Now, you know I know.”
Lala: “He over here trying to – and he’s over there whispering to her.”
Taylor: “No, you ain’t crazy.”

Taylor: “You know he told – did I tell you what he told Angela?”
Lala: “What?”
Taylor: “Angela told me. Because I was sitting with the Icons. So we just talking, kiki-ing. And she told me something. You know, Chuk just came over here and told me he’ll make sure that we’re good. Pointing at her, and Dee. Told Angela, I’ll make sure that – he just came over here and told me that he’ll make sure we’re good with you.”
Lala: “What?”
Taylor: “I said, Miss Angela, I said, Lala probably likes you more than she likes me. I said, if anything, Chuk, you would be the one to tell me.”
Lala: “What?”

Taylor: “It’s something about that hat. He really think he out here running the show, but everybody sees through it. Everybody sees through it.”
Lala: “Everybody sees through it.”
Taylor: “It’s funny, but I’m going to let him rock.”
Lala: “But when that head gets cut off, we’re going to see where he go. We’re going to see how he run. We’re going to see how he work. That head cutting off this week.”
Taylor: “Oh, yeah. It got to.”
Lala: “So that’s why I want to make sure I got people in the veto.”

Taylor: “And even, because when she was up here, now all of a sudden – well, she was playing a game, but now she want to solidify something with me. So listen, it’s going to be me, Chuk. But her, Chuk, me, and Yash, because you know Yash my guy. Yash my guy. That’s my dude, right? So she was like, let’s solidify something, us four.”
Taylor: “So I could see she was kind of – and I hate to say it out loud, but her being a have-not, she’s weak. She’s weak, she’s tired.”
Taylor: “But I could see she was kind of flustered or whatever. Her and Chuk were talking in the bathroom. I just turned around, I was like, oh – can we solidify? Y’all still want to do the thing with me?”
Taylor: “And she always say, you’re so hot and cold. You’re so hot and cold. So I’m going to stay hot with her this week. Just to disarm her.”
Lala: “Absolutely.”
Taylor: “I’m going to disarm her. Make her feel comfortable.”
Lala: “Absolutely.”

Taylor: “When she came up here and said -“
Lala: “Child, please, same old bullshit. You know, I told you everything last week. I told you everything they were saying about you and how they were doing everything. And I’m here to help you however you need help. Whatever I can do for you, you just let me know. Because I was there for you last week. I was there for you.”
Lala: “I was like, thank you. Thank you so much. I said, just dumb shit, same shit.”
Taylor: “Yeah, and even when the renom thing come up, just say it. Be good. Be good.”
Lala: “Please.”

Lala: “And then me and Devens – he said, me and Taylor, we’ve been together since day two, day three, whatever. And he said, I just feel like we have the same people that work around. He said, I know this vote thing, things changed. And he said, I really think going forward that maybe we can really work together and all of us could get together. I was like, no problem. That sounds good to me.”
Taylor: “Yeah.”
Lala: “Cool?”
Taylor: “Yeah.”

Lala: “Kamu’s like, well, I was on the wrong side of the vote, so I don’t have anybody. He said, I feel like everything’s changed for me. Everything’s different now. You see?”
Taylor: “But Kamu’s the one out of those three that everybody can feel like, we like you. So he gonna be okay.”
Lala: “Yeah, yeah.”

“I told him, Kamu, if I won the veto, I’m taking you off.”  “Just say, I’m going to have to renege on that. I’m so sorry.”

— Lala, then Taylor

Lala: “So because I told him, I said, Kamu, if I won the veto, I’m taking you off.”
Taylor: “No.”
Lala: “Why? Why?”
Taylor: “I would take off Barrett.”
Lala: “Barrett’s not going to be a problem.”
Taylor: “It’s the thing. You need to keep competitors up there to make sure she don’t win the Blockbuster.”
Lala: “The Blockbuster.”
Taylor: “But just tell him that later.”
Lala: “Oh, yeah, that’s right. I forgot, I forgot, I forgot.”
Taylor: “Just say, I’m going to have to renege on that. I’m so sorry. Going to have to. But I had to think about it. I have to put Haley up, and I have to keep you in order to make sure she doesn’t win the Blockbuster.”
Taylor: “I forgot the Blockbuster. You’ve got to keep competitors.”
Lala: “Because Barrett can’t be in that. Yeah, because Barrett, I don’t trust Barrett to win.”
Taylor: “Yeah.”
Lala: “But if I have Drew and Kamu against her, yeah.”
Taylor: “Exactly.”

Taylor: “I guess later tonight you want to talk with the Icons.”
Lala: “Yeah.”
Taylor: “They love being in this HOH room.”
Lala: “Don’t they?”
Taylor: “Every week. They come down like a trio.”
Lala: “That is so funny.”
Taylor: “Like a trio just running this motherf—er.”
Lala: “That is so funny.”
Taylor: “They cool, though. I like them enough for now.”
Lala: “I do, too.”
Taylor: “And I think they like us. Like, I really do think they like us. Like, as people. Me and Devens are good. Me and Dee are good. Me and Angela are good. You and Angela are good. You and Dee are good. And you and Devens are about to be good. So as long as they’re here, we’ll make it to jury.”
Lala: “Yeah.”

Lala: “Like I said, and those are three people you probably can’t cut off until jury.”
Lala: “And it’s so funny, because when I talked to Devens, he said, listen, I get the jury. He said, I’m going to tell you right now. We both got those kid things. He said, but I understand your situation. He said, I would definitely push for you.”
Lala: “And I was like – think about it. Think about that jury.”
Taylor: “Who do I want? If I don’t win, who do I want to win? That’s how I feel.”
Lala: “I’m not no hater.”
Taylor: “If I don’t win, who do I want to win?”
Lala: “That’s how I think about my jury.”

Taylor: “But I’m not going to be up here too much this week, because I don’t want them to think that I’m running your HOH.”
Lala: “Oh, no, no.”
Lala: “Come in. Hey, baby. Hi.”

2:48 PM – Barrett and Drew

Drew: “Okay, all right, dude. Well, if you win the veto, that’s huge. I know I’m sitting next to Kamu, and you’re guaranteed -“
Barrett: “You are guaranteed. Yeah. If -“
Drew: “Yeah.”

Feeds cut. Back at 2:50 pm.

Barrett: “- in a week where they’re at least a target.”
Drew: “I’m just worried if Haley plays and pulls Kamu off.”
Barrett: “Right. Right. That is the worst.”
Barrett: “See, this is why Operation Scorched Earth is the only way. I should have just told her that.”
Drew: “Yeah.”
Barrett: “It’d be fun if it works. If it doesn’t, I’ll think about this for the rest of my life.”
Drew: “Yeah, the good thing is, for me, I don’t even think I’m in a really great spot in general.”

Barrett: “What the f— was this talk earlier?”
Drew: “What were they talking about?”
Barrett: “No, you and Taylor. She’s like, you might as well – you might have to go on the block a couple more times.”
Drew: “Yeah, literally, right? I was like, that’s not good.”
Barrett: “That’s not good at all.”
Drew: “Right now, I feel like Johnny Mac. I don’t want this to be a recurring theme.”
Drew: “Yeah, just go in there and win it. And then pull yourself off. It’s like, oh, throw the battle, the block, and then win the veto.”
Barrett: “Yeah, easy enough.”
Drew: “I’m like, oh, okay, cool.”
Barrett: “Easy enough.”
Drew: “Wow.”
Barrett: “I know.”
Drew: “It’s the three nom thing that really blows.”
Barrett: “I know.”

Drew: “She was like, I need you desperately.”
Barrett: “What did she tell you? She didn’t say she was desperate to me. What the hell?”
Barrett: “She was just like, I think you’re good with everyone. I think you would stay. She was pleading with me, but she wouldn’t say she was desperate.”
Drew: “I was like, why not Yash? Why not Mallory?”
Barrett: “Yeah.”
Drew: “And I was like, they’ve won more than me. I generally think I should have dropped earlier on that wall.”
Barrett: “Yeah, she definitely didn’t tell me that I was good because I was a competition beast or anything.”
Barrett: “That’s why I think she’s like, okay, Barrett stays next to Haley on Thursday night. Which is not what I want to do.”
Drew: “No.”
Barrett: “I’d rather go f—ing win the veto tomorrow.”

Barrett: “I would be sleeping soundly in this room if one of us won the veto, or somebody that we picked won the veto, and we knew we were gonna get used on this.”
Drew: “I would be like, all right, this is a free win. If it was literally just one of us got off, and it was Haley, Kamu, one of us – I might take a nap during the Blockbuster.”
Barrett: “Yeah, don’t do that either.”
Drew: “Dude, we have to make sure Kamu doesn’t win it. Which he might. And I’m gonna make sure Haley doesn’t get picked.”
Barrett: “When you’re trying to get Kamu not to win something, it’s like asking for – I don’t know, for it to not get blasted with Bigfoot’s pink eye while sitting up on a wall.”
Drew: “Yeah.”

Drew: “Well, you need to win this shit for me.”
Barrett: “I’m due.”
Drew: “Because Devens or you need to win it, or I need to win it. Because we’re cooked if Kamu or Haley plays.”
Drew: “And I’m like, what if Chuk wins it? And she was like, oh, Chuk would do it. I told him to do it.”
Drew: “Yeah, right. Maybe. Maybe.”

Barrett: “Key piece of info.”
Drew: “What? Just tell me.”
Barrett: “You gotta keep this a secret.”
Drew: “Yeah.”
Barrett: “Mallory told me some juicy shit Kamu said yesterday.”
Drew: “What?”
Barrett: “She said after the vote, he went in the storage room with Melody and her, and he was freaking out about the vote, and he said if he won HOH he was putting up Dee, Angela and Chuk.”
Drew: “He doesn’t trust Chuk anymore.”
Barrett: “So if Chuk finds that out, maybe he’d be convinced.”
Drew: “Dee, Angela and Chuk.”
Barrett: “Yeah.”
Drew: “Yeah, he thinks that Devens and him are like this. I feel like Devens probably made a final two with Kamu. Wouldn’t be shocked.”
Barrett: “But if Chuk won a veto by any means, that’d be a nice thing to tell him.”
Drew: “That information might be used.”

Drew: “It’s week five. How long is this game?”
Barrett: “12 weeks, maybe.”
Drew: “Let’s just get the half, at least.”
Barrett: “Hey, people have been in worse situations, I guess. We could be Keanu, you know? We could just be like, everyone – nobody wants to talk to us.”

“Pawn in this game, I’m pretty certain, means I don’t give a f— if you go home.”

— Barrett

Drew: “He’s like, do you really want Mallory to go up? And I was like, I was just up. She was like, yeah, but you’re not.”
Drew: “Two weeks in a row. Supposedly. For both sides of the house.”
Barrett: “No. Pawn in this game, I’m pretty certain, means I don’t give a f— if you go home.”
Drew: “Literally, that’s what it means. Yeah, that sucks.”
Drew: “Because I was like, why not Yash? And she’s like, I don’t trust Yash. I’m like, don’t trust him to win.”

Someone comes in.

Drew: “What’s up? Hey.”
Drew: “Should we let him know?”
Barrett: “Yeah, come over here.”

3:49 PM – Melody and Mallory (Storage Room)

Melody: “Are we dead f—ing ass? Are we dead f—ing ass?”
Melody: “Bro, I will f—ing put up Lala.”
Melody: “Like, way to shake things up. Great.”
Melody: “Now they’re all going to start trusting each other again, because nobody’s going to -“
Mallory: “Yeah, they’re not going to have to campaign against each other.”

Melody: “We just have to hope Kamu loses veto.”
Mallory: “They don’t get to play in the veto.”
Melody: “If Kamu loses veto – what if Chuk wins it? Maybe Chuk will keep the nominations the same. Cool, now Barrett and Drew have to beat out Kamu in the Blockbuster.”
Melody: “Lala telling Drew to his face that he needs to win Blockbuster. That’s crazy.”
Mallory: “That’s brutal.”

Melody: “Dumbass plan. But I know that they low-key are rocking with Drew, and that’s why there is a backup target. Dumbass backup target. Because now I’m mad. I’m gonna be mad as f— if that happens, and I’m not gonna be rocking with them. I’m not gonna maybe say that to their face right away, but I’m gonna keep that in the back of my f—ing head. B—-, don’t play with me right now.”
Mallory: “You’re not on our side if someone on our side goes out like that. Dead ass.”
Melody: “Like, I will f—ing kill you.”

(They laugh at the absurdity)

Mallory: “Like, you’re not on our side.”
Melody: “Kamu and Haley are still here, the Icons are still here, and you really think they are going to be rocking with you?”

Melody: “You just have to pray that this veto works out.”
Mallory: “Yeah. It just never does.”
Melody: “I know. But it did last week. Kind of.”
Mallory: “Kind of. We were hoping that anyone besides Taylor wins, you know?”
Melody: “Yeah, that’s true. But she wasn’t supposed to f—ing win. So hopefully that’ll happen again. We’re like, Barrett f—ing wins it, or Drew, and then boom.”

“Barrett told me to tell Angela what Kamu said — that he would put up Angela, Dee and Chuk.”

— Mallory

Melody: “We just have to pray. We need to get in Kamu’s head.”
Mallory: “Oh, yeah. How?”
Melody: “I feel like someone really close to you.”
Mallory: “But I’m not joking. Barrett told me to tell Angela what Kamu said. That he would put up Angela, Dee and Chuk.”
Melody: “It might be too risky right now. Maybe later on in the week, because we still need to feel them out.”
Mallory: “Yeah. Especially under noms, and see how they’re acting.”
Mallory: “Because that’s just so f—ing stupid, bro. Guess what? We look like f—ing fools.”
Melody: “Yeah. Cool.”
Melody: “Now the whole house is going to be like, okay, cool, we’re actually going to go work with the Icons, or the Tool Shed again now, because you guys suck, and you’re on the f—ing block again.”
Melody: “You know what I mean?”
Melody: “Haley’s going to think that she’s funny AF.”
Melody: “Drew literally just got off the block on a bamboozle with me, and with Barrett, who is also known to be close with us.”
Melody: “Yeah, you best believe.”

4:30 pm waiting for nominations

4:50 pm LALA practising her Nominations Speech

Says she will be putting up CHUK, Haley and Barrett

6:29pm The live feeds are still blocked..