There's no reason to trust someone who has voluntarily chosen to be named Judas, and yes, I'm looking at you, Austin on Big Brother. Someone who willingly invokes the title of the most well-known traitor in history is likely to not be entirely truthful. It looked like Austin had fully committed himself to Liz, almost to the point of obsession. However, after Austin and Liz's fight this past week it seems that the wrestler isn't as interested in his fellow houseguest as he initially let on. Is Austin actually in love with Liz on Big Brother 17 as he has been proclaiming, or has Lizten been a game move from Week 1?
Austin and Liz's relationship has been one of the most confusing aspects of BB17, as well as one of the most entertaining. The two (in addition to Julia) have become villains this season by evicting fan favorites like Jason and James, and viewers have found the couple fun to hate. Who better to play the villain role than Judas himself? It seems unlikely that a contestant would spend an entire season lying to the house, the audience, and themselves about a relationship just to get further, but if there is anyone who would get heavily into a showmance only to reveal that it was all a ruse, it is probably the guy who wrestles as Judas.
A lot of evidence seems to indicate that Austin is, in fact, head over heels for Liz. His dedication to her early in the game signified that it was an honest and accidental attraction. There's no suggestion that Austin was looking for a showmance when he came into the house, in fact quite the opposite. Austin famously has a girlfriend outside the house, who he claims he has broken up with because of his relationship with Liz. It's incredibly outlandish that someone would cheat on their girlfriend to get in a fake serious relationship.
The severity of the relationship also seems to indicate that Austin's feelings for Liz are true. If Austin and Liz were merely "hooking up," then their relationship probably wouldn't have gone further than some kissing and maybe some hanky panky. However, there is a massive emotional aspect to Liz and Austin's relationship. Austin is an emotional person as he's shown in the past. They have even started throwing the "L" word around (and I'm not talking about the Showtime drama series). All of these factors indicate that Austin truly loves Liz, or at the very least thinks he does.
Austin is a very emotional person, and his conversations with John and Steve about things like Power Rangers and Nintendo indicate that he is also kind of a nerd. In addition to being a nerdy guy who studied medieval poetry (a period which injected a great deal of romance into its literature), he's stuck in a house that has less and less people every week. It's not uncommon to feel a strong connection with someone based solely on the fact that they're around often, only to find that there isn't really any love there. Austin seems to be a hopeless romantic who happened to fall for the first girl in the house who returned feelings towards him, and he may think that's love. Liztin may end after Big Brother, but inside the house Austin's love for Liz feels real.
It's impossible to determine whether Austin's feelings are a genuine expression of love, or just his idea of what he thinks love is. Either way, there doesn't seem to be anything fake about this showmance.
For more on this season of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.
Image: Sonja Flemming/CBS
