Andy Herren, the young redheaded professor from Chicago, ended up winning “Big Brother” Wednesday, in a 7-2 vote among the jury that was no contest.
Though he had befriended and betrayed most of those on the jury, they were apparently impressed by that enough to award him the $50,000. Or maybe they just couldn’t quite manage to vote for GinaMarie Zimmerman after a night when she couldn’t put two sentences together to answer their inquiries or defend herself.
Andy had won the second half of a three-part final Head of Household competition, beating Spencer, to get to face GinaMarie, who had won the roller-disco first part. In a quiz finale on what they thought the other housemates would say — staged on an elaborate, moving scale of justice — Andy just edged GM to win the chance to choose who’d go to the final two with him and who’d be the final jury member.
It was the end for Spencer, who broke show records for being up on the block in a season, as Andy said he was keeping his word to GinaMarie about being in the final two. It’d be the only promise he’d kept all summer.
Two more powerful players who thought he was an ally but ended up his victim, Helen and Amanda, had to grudging admire a ruthless game play that they’d have done had they the chance. GinaMarie seemed just as happy to win the $50,000 second place — and to see Nick, the houseguest she pined for all season after he was evicted (he seemed to accept her adulation).
That left the only surprise in the 90 minute finale capping the 90-day season the vote for America’s favorite player. It was Elissa, who lasted longer than any other early target for keeping secret that she was Rachel Riley’s sister, with the fewest long term friends in the game. She may have won the $25,000 because America was used to voting for her: She won the three America-voted MVPs but then given a chance to directly vote to put someone on the block, Elissa won their votes for that the first week, too. America just loves to vote for Elissa for every slot.
Houseguests may have been surprised, too, at the fuss over all their racist remarks replayed all summer. They seemed to not remember they had done so.