Intermission: State of the Union #BBCANT

And so the #BBCANT feed outage rolls into its fourth day, Easter Sunday, a day when many celebrate resurrection. Somewhere up in a suburb near Toronto, the drama continues quietly, without live cameras, without the ever-watchful eye of the internet.

Let's take a few minutes to go through where things stand at the intermission of Big Brother Canada: Season One.

From the beginning of the season it's been a numbers game, which the dominant boys' alliance recognized when they named themselves numerically as "Quattro" and spoke openly of "The Nine", the cool, fun people they wanted in the Jury House and endgame.

The Nine, however, was largely the fantasy of Tom, who saw himself controlling it. As we all saw, he didn't, and he and Liza didn't even make the final Nine - both Gary and AJ slipped in over them.

So who are the actual Nine of Big Brother Canada Season One? Let's review where they stand and how they're shaping up for the endgame.

1. AJ

Yes, we all know from the feed leak that Topaz's reign was used to get AJ out of the house, so his game seems to be over. That's probably for the best. AJ hasn't brought much to the house, other than the running gag over his talking in third person. He never seemed at home in the game and doesn't seem to strategize at a very complex level, which puts him at a disadvantage in this house. 

But is it really over for AJ? We still don't know what "Double Head of Household" means. Most viewers assumed that the twist is similar to Big Brother US's Fast Forward or Double Eviction twist, but we don't know that for a fact.

One theory floating around the internet has it that Topaz's evictee, AJ, may still face off against Andrew's evictee, perhaps in a public vote next Thursday where Canada would keep one and send the other out.

If that's the case, AJ is still toast, but I wouldn't count him out just yet. He might return to his spot in the firing line, but if the house is shaken up, he might be able to sneak himself into a better position.

2. Talla

Talla is an odd duck in more ways than one. I know very little about her despite hours of feed viewing, except that she's highly animated, farts a lot, and has very soft hair.

Talla knows she's playing a game and strategizes appopriately with her allies, Andrew and AJ, but she's out of her league against gamers like Alec and Gary. She's not disliked within the house, but she also doesn't have alliances with stronger players who can drag her to the end. Most people in the house think they control her, but no one is exactly sure what she would do on her own. Talla is a free bird and a loose cannon.

Talla is also the smallest person in the house and a dangerous threat for the next endurance competition, which the boys recognize. That's both an advantage and a disadvantage for her.

Talla's game will go one of two ways at this point, and much of it is out of her control. If the core alliance in the house stays strong, Talla is on the outside and will soon be sent packing. If there's a schism, however, Talla will become a key vote and could easily vanish from the radar and sneak her way to the end.

3. Emmett

Milk boy Emmett is widely acknowledged across the internet to be playing the best game of classic Big Brother at this point. He's well-liked by everyone, and is a physical threat who somehow is still off the radar as a target, because he's been able to subtly forge alliances with almost everyone in the house. He's in all three major groups at this point: The remains of Quattro, headed by himself and Alec, the "Team Nova Scotia" alliance with Andrew and Jillian (tying him in to the Three Stooges of Andrew, AJ and Talla), and also has an enigmatic understanding with Gary that hasn't yet been tested in the game but which ties him to the house underdogs.

That doesn't mean it's going to be smooth sailing for him, but even if physical threats start to be targeted, Alec will probably be on the radar long before Emmett.

Emmett has a decent understanding of how to play the game, but he may not be able to manipulate at the level of an Alec or a Gary, and could have a hard time digging himself out if his muscles and charm finally start to threaten the other players.

4. Alec 

If I had to pick anyone for an Easter Sunday resurrection, it would be Alec. This guy is playing one of the more interesting games in the house, for better or for worse, and his game is surprisingly risky for someone who considers himself a student of the game. At the same time, he's a creative player with a deep knowledge of the game who might just have the skill set to pull himself out of a tight spot.

Who in the world cuts strings with a loyal (if skeptical) showmance at the final nine, especially when they still have allies like Gary in the game? A desperate man, that's who. I've said before that Alec wants to be the Spock of the house, emotionless and entertaining, but he's actually a highly personal and emotional player. He wanted Tom out because he disliked him, and that instinct only amplified after Showergate. He soured on his showmance with Topaz and decided to cut her early rather than trying to play it out for a solid ally and jury vote. Logically, Alec knows how to play the game and strategize, but he just doesn't know how to keep his emotions from getting in his way.

I still wouldn't count Alec out. His uncanny ability to play the victim should come in handy in the wake of his breakup with Topaz, and he was better-liked than her in the house to start with. If he's able to martyr himself and stay in the house's good graces, he can paint Gary and Topaz as the villains and stick himself safely with the house majority.

I also have to give Alec some credit for recognizing, as a fan, that Big Brother is supposed to be an entertaining show. His bizarre live show costumes and slip-ups, his characters like "Ricardo", his recent Diary Room montage with Peter, his continued insistence on walking around shirtless - all of it spices up the feeds and the broadcast shows. 

Love him or hate him, Alec has been one of the breakout stars of Big Brother Canada. He will probably be in danger sooner rather than later, and how he plays in the hot seat will determine whether that stardom ends soon, or Alec continues to dominate the chatter around the show.

5. Jillian

There's not much to say about Jillian.

She's not a bad gamer - she's well-liked and well-aligned within the house. Most of her allies don't talk much game with her, but trust her nevertheless. She's now unofficially the fourth member of Quattro, having replaced Tom, and is building a solid friendship with Peter to strengthen the foursome.

The one thing that puts her at risk is her open partnership with Emmett. If anyone decides the pair needs to be split up, Emmett is the obvious choice to go home, but Jillian would probably leave before him due to the alliance dynamics of the house.

Still, it's unlikely that she will leave before the end of the game, which is unfortunate, since she doesn't bring much to the house other than as Emmett's appendage. I'm concerned that Jillian's bland, solid gameplay could be shaping us up for a very boring live feed endgame at the tail of an otherwise entertaining season.

6. Peter

Peter's taken a great deal of heat from game critics, and rightfully so. As the show's default narrator, he's been allowed to paint himself in the Diary Room as a mastermind. But as we feed viewers all know, he's spending all his time lounging around the couch, nibbling at chicken nuggets and watching the game evolve.

But the game has mostly gone the way he wanted, while he's done very little. You can't underestimate how significant that is. He seemed shaken after he lost Liza in the Double Eviction, but he didn't let his housemates know how flustered he was, and went back into Hyena Mode, lurking and waiting for the scraps of the kill.

The true test will be when Pete lands himself in hot water, which could be sooner rather than later, more from Alec's doing than his own. Peter has stayed off the radar like any good Big Brother houseguest in the pre-jury weeks of the game, which is probably for the best, since as he's the first to admit, he hates everyone. But, he can't stay off the radar forever.

Peter doesn't manipulate as well as he tells Alec he does, and he's not forging any alliances on that couch. The question for Peter will be: Are his true alliances with people like Alec, Emmett and Jillian enough to propel him into the endgame strategies he fantasizes about, or will he be left on the outside of the social core of the house going into the final weeks?

7. Andrew

As we all know due to the feed leak, Andrew currently holds Head of Household power, and at a very critical time. Andrew's decisions this week could very well determine which alliances make it into the final weeks of the game. Last time Andrew held the power, he went with the house consensus and seemed to resent it, but will he make the same choice this time?

Andrew is a paranoid player, who just last week was openly and rightfully skeptical of Alec and his machinations in the house. On the other hand, Alec may have dug himself out of that hole by saving Andrew during Topaz's short reign. Or did he?

Andrew seems to shift his game from day to day and conversation to conversation, and while he seems to be shifting out of the Three Stooges and into Quattro, it's hard to say if that's intentional or just for strategic appearances. Andrew, like Alec, is an emotional player, but he's not quite the same level of strategist.

Right now, I'm not sure if I can see an endgame victory path for Andrew. He has two choices this week: stick with the house consensus and target Gary/Topaz, or shake things up by targeting some combination of Alec/Peter/Emmett. If he chooses the first path, he stays on the outside of the house's social core and is still high on the hitlist, but if he chooses the second, he makes himself an even bigger target with the remaining competitive threats from Quattro.

At this point, Andrew is still a wild card, and I'm curious to see what choices he will have made by the time the feeds come up tonight.

8. Topaz

Right now, Topaz's game is the one we know the least about.

We know that up until her Head of Household victory, she was in a vulnerable position, threatened by her declining relationship with Alec and his work against her. We also know that sometime after the feeds went down, the two of them broke up, and are now decidedly at odds.

At odds with Alec is not a good place to be. As I said earlier, he can play the victim like no one else's business, and with her constant bickering with Big Brother over alarms and rule-breaking, Topaz is not exactly positioned to gain sympathy from the rest of the house.

We also don't know what a vengeful Topaz looks like - will she take it lying down, or will she go to the mat and try to bring Alec down with her? She has an opening if she can play on Andrew's paranoia of Alec. The one thing protecting Alec so far has been that no one is talking about his game, but if Andrew and Topaz compare notes, they could easily figure out what he's doing and start working to take him down once and for all.

Topaz is perhaps the biggest wild card in the game right now - she could be anywhere between 0 and 60 right now, and we won't know where she stands until later tonight. Still, her chances of making it to the end are currently slim to none, unless she can manage to strengthen new alliances as a single girl in the house.

9. Gary

I said most of what I wanted to say about Gary yesterday. He's been a breath of fresh air on the show and the live feeds, and has astute perceptive skills to propel him in this game where social dynamics are everything. He's also a physical threat in ways that often go unnoticed by the other houseguests. At the same time, he's socially immature and annoys the house on a regular basis, and has never been part of the "in crowd", though many of its members individually do seem to like him quite a bit. He's also a personal player, though he's wise enough to try to separate his emotions from the game and try to at least fake an alliance with Alec even in the wake of his betrayal.

Unless things change drastically, Gary will remain where he is on the hit list and eventually be sent packing.

That said, underdogs with social skills have a way of continuing to slide through to the end in this game. Gary is a target that others can hide behind, and if he realizes that and plays it to his advantage, he could make it farther.

I don't think it will happen and don't expect that Gary will go much further in the game, but given that he wasn't even supposed to be in "The Nine", he's done okay for himself.

***

Reason Number One why Andrew should consider flipping the house this week?

That.

Tonight, we'll find out where the game stands, and we'll know more about who's positioning themselves for the run to the finals.