Austin Made A Big, Smart Move On 'Big Brother 17'

Steve's second HOH run on Big Brother 17 is already off to a stronger start than his first. Although it was important to get out Jackie when he did (it started chipping away at the major alliance of the house), it was seen as a soft move at the time. Right now, there's no denying that going after Austwins so blatantly is a big move, especially when it seems they had no idea Steve was as close to John as he is. By nominating Austin and Liz for eviction, Steve completely guarantees that the Austwins alliance will be broken up regardless of who wins the POV. Still, the bigness of this move does depend on the POV winner, whether or not nominations stayed the same, and where the house is leaning in terms of votes. So who won the Power of Veto on Big Brother this week? Austin!

This is when things get interesting in the game and Austin gets to reveal his true colors to both the houseguests and fans. Up to this point, Austin has insisted that he would put his life in the game on the line for Liz. He has said more than once that he would sacrifice himself for his lady, and as recently as hours before the comp, he was telling Liz that he would protect her.

But Austin is no dummy, and maybe we haven't been giving him — or Judas — enough credit, because not only did he refuse to throw the competition, but Austin used the Veto on himself rather than Liz.

With one of his nominees off the block, Steve had to think of a replacement, and it was probably the least surprising move of the week when he chose Julia. Now Julia and Liz are on the block, and it's up to John, Vanessa, and Austin to decide who will be evicted.

What does this mean for the game? A couple of things stand out.

For starters, it means the twins are finally being split up! If you had told me at the start of the season that the Twin Twist would not only make it through Week 5 (the point at which both entered the game if they survived eviction), but that they would make it to the final six, I would have laughed at you. After all, when the Twin Twist first appeared in Season 5, they only survived a couple more evictions after their big reveal. This makes me think that whichever twin remains has a good shot at getting to at least the final three. Either Liz will win her way there, or Julia will continue to float her way there.

This also means Austin can now be considered a serious contender for winning the game. He could easily convince the jury that this was his strategy all along and that, when it came down to it, he had a hand in splitting up the twins. I never thought I'd say this, but way to go, Austin!

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Image: CBS