could this be the year...

[blindwilliedunn]

the women break the men's winning streak?

Jordan: couldn't quite pull off her big move but displayed initiative, power of persuasion and an independent spirit. If she figures it out, she'll have quite a ride. If she already knows, she'll win.

Laura: Even though she's a wet blanket, she may complement Jordan nicely in a good cop/bad cop sort of way. Some of her attempts to engage have been flailing but she showed moxie while outnumbered in the HOH.

Thrown together by circumstance, they prove to be more than one-dimensional replicants of BB8 Jessica and Jen.

Chima: dodged a bullet and is suddenly sitting pretty; safe for the week and a free agent - if the crew that voted for her felt that strongly, they would have taken her off against Lydia. Some find her abrasive but does anyone question her resilience?

Next to Natalie she may have the best body weight distribution of them all to win the April Dowling endurance comp. If she can bury the hatchet with Michele, then team up with Jordan and Laura, they would be a force against a fractured, potentially weak group of men.

Big "if".

Michele: thankfully for her, safe this week. Waiting for her to become a catalyst for the womyn's alliance.

Lydia: not quite a haiku...
Opportunity
to be sanctimonious
doesn't make you righteous

Natalie: expends so much energy lying the whole time about inconsequential things that she's propelled into an anxiety-ridden meltdown replete with accusatory self-aggrandizement completely oblivious to the fact that she's been LYING THE WHOLE TIME.

Or they're all imbeciles and she wins.

Casey: Clearly the breadwinner in his group. If he can overcome his mates' shortcomings before the cliques split up, he'll be a dangerous ally for someone; perhaps more than one - if the women form an alliance he could help them evict all the men, with the possible exception of Kevin. Bold Prediction: mounting criticism and the pressure for an FCC investigation into the Jesse/Casey prior relationship pushes the producers to allow Casey to give Jesse up, which he does willingly.

Russell: when you allow your attitude to be dictated by the belief that you'll win every competition, you need to win every competition. Plenty of reasons for him to be Ronnie's target but if he survives, a more obnoxious Ryan9.2 emerges, just genial and threatening enough to keep some close, but he'll need to break Dani's records to do so.

Ronnie: Does he think Eric Stein would be playing this way? Polarizing the house in the first two weeks and following it up with an HOH that, despite innumerable incentives - as other posters have pointed out - he should have thrown to Michele?

Jessie: actually stacks up against some of these.

Kevin: vaguely interested from time to time won't cut it. Needs to wean himself from Lydia eventually, but where will he go? What does he offer? This looks to be a tough crowd, even for a perennial pawn.

Jeff: should last the first month simply for the practical application of keeping his clique's immunity. Its not a bad move for him to be throwing these comps if that's what he's doing - he's hamstrung as an HOH until the cliques split. But if he starts winning comps in Act II he will be a valuable asset and would benefit in the near-term from a women's alliance. Has the best chance of the men, but ultimately a tragic figure.

Ronnie doesn't take women seriously and his mates are off the block, so that leaves the men, allowing him to indulge an Alpha Male fetish. The House will demand a Jock at least be nominated because of the numbers advantage. Ronnie appeals to Jessie - who protects Casey. Kevin can't be pawned against Jeff; much easier to build consensus toward evicting Russell, whose reflection will soon tire Jesse.

/too long and all wrong, but this season looks promising.