6 'BB' Showmances That Almost Happened

The showmance between Shelli and Clay and fauxmance of Liz and Austin often overshadow the way lovelier pairing of Becky and John on Big Brother 17 . The two have clicked since entering the house, and JohnnyBeck 'shippers have been on showmance watch since week one. They have quite a close relationship, perhaps as close as Clay and Shelli, except without all the attention because they're not attached at the hip. They play chess together, they chat for ages, and they were each other's dates during this season's Prom Night. They're just so darn cute together. Or at least, they were...

Now that Julia has entered the house as her own player, fans have been anticipating a John and Julia showmance, which means JohnnyBeck may be a thing of the past.

Although showmances get all the buzz on Big Brother , it's sometimes the showmances that almost happened that are way more fun, way more interesting, or way nicer to anticipate. Here's a look back at some of the BB showmances that almost happened but didn't quite make the mark, and what stopped them in their tracks.

1. Meg & James, BB17

We don't have to look very far for a showmance that never was, because we have a ton just in this season of Big Brother. One of the most talked about in the house is the Meg and James pairing, who were also dates to Prom Night and have even shared a kiss. But Meg doesn't seem to want anything besides friendship from James, so it looks like this near-showmance is just never gonna happen.

2. Christine & Cody, BB16

For a while there, the main topic of conversation whenever Austin and Liz came up in the BB17 house was Christine and Cody. Why? Because Christine was married and had a hardcore flirtmance with Cody. Although Cody came out of it mostly unscathed, she caught a lot of flack for it, even getting booed when she was evicted. This is Liz's main argument against pursuing a showmance with Austin, but we all know at this point, it's also because she's straight up playing him.

3. Britney & Lane, BB12

Britney is a fan favorite, and I think most people, like me, absolutely loved her relationship with Lane in BB12. The pair got along really well and connected on more than just a game level. Like Christine, Britney's flirtmance failed to progress into a showmance because she had a guy waiting for her back home. Still, this is definitely one of the cuter BB showmances that never was.

4. Will & Janelle, BB7

So here's the weird thing about Will and Janelle: their showmance was obviously calculated and totally a game move, and yet, they were awesome! As two fan faves, they are quite evenly matched. It was hard not to like them together, leaving some fans wondering why they couldn't just turn it into the real thing. What got in their way? You guessed it: They each had a significant other outside the house.

5. Liz & Jeff, BB17

I just had to go there. It feels like ages ago already, but Liz and Jeff were actually super cute for a while there. Sure, he was kind of a gross jerk, and, yes, he seemed to really enjoy making Austin mad by flirting with Liz, but I will never forget the adorableness of their cheerleading routine for Prom Night.

Alas, with Jeff leaving the house so early, their showmance was not meant to be. And now that Austin and Liz do nothing but anger and depress me, I kinda wish we could have Jeff here instead.

6. Daniele & Dominic, BB13

I know, I know: Daniele and Dominic are married now, so how could they end up on the list? Well, they were only barely a thing on Season 13 of Big Brother. They flirted and it was cute and all, but they were so not a thing that most fans were quite surprised to learn later on that they were dating and then shocked when they got married.

So maybe I was wrong and there's still hope for the JohnnyBeck shippers... For more on Big Brother 17, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.

Image: Sonja Flemming/CBS