How Jackie Can Come Out of Jeff's Shadow on 'BB17'

Another week has in the Big Brother house, another Big Brother houseguest evicted. This time, it was one half of the former Amazing Race pair, Jeff. In his wake, Jeff (who, honestly, I'm not that sad to see go) left behind a whole hell of a lot of drama between Austin and Liz, and the other half of his CBS-famous team: Jackie. And while he admitted that he and Jackie rarely spoke on Big Brother in order to not seem like too strong of an alliance, he admitted to Julie Chen after he was evicted that they were definitely in it to win it... together. So, now that this eviction has happened, what’s a girl like Jackie to do without her gameplay-heavy ally hanging around the Big Brother house with her?

Well, first of all, she needs to get strategic. There’s no way she is going to survive in that house by going completely unnoticed. Too many alliances and showmances have formed during Season 17 of Big Brother for her to sneak by undetected. The relationships formed so far are too strong to let the floaters fly under the radar and make it all the way to the end.

So, what does she need to do in order to come out swinging now that she’s all alone? I have a few ideas:

1. Make Friends

And fast. She may have a few acquaintances in the house, but she needs to start aligning herself with someone more seriously — even if it’s just on the surface.

2. Start A Showmance

I hate to say it, but it’s definitely one way to make friends in this house.

3. Start Winning Competitions

Maybe not all of them — she doesn’t want to seem like too much of a threat — but definitely one HoH competition or two. That way, people can start coming to her for game decisions, which is what she needs in order to start being trusted in this house.

4. Make Nice With Every HoH

Hang out in the suite. Make them breakfast. Be ridiculously nice to them. Sometimes, you have to do that to get somewhere in the house.

5. Get Her Head In The Game

Seriously. This isn’t summer camp. There is $500,000 on the line. Get with it, girl!

6. Align Herself With The People Who Voted Out Jeff

Those are the people who are most likely to vote her out, too.

7. Start Doing The Dirty Work

Clean the showers. Clean the kitchen. Make breakfast for everyone. WHATEVER IT TAKES.

Sure, some of this might come off as a little desperate at this point in the game, but what other choice does she have? With Jeff gone, Jackie is going to have to act fast — but I have no doubts she can do it.

I’m rooting for Jackie to take this game, but she has a lot of ground to make up if she’s going to do that. For more on how exactly Jackie can take over the game — because it's a real possibility — check out Bustle’s very own Big Brother podcast, The Diary Room. Listen to the latest episode below, and be sure to check out future episodes on Bustle’s SoundCloud page.

Want even more Big Brother? Bustle’s App has you covered. It’s THE go-to place for any BB fan looking for round-the-clock Season 17 updates. BUT FIRST, you need to download the app from iTunes.

Image: CBS (8)