Just Kiddin'

There’s a scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David attempts to compliment his acquaintance, Hugh. “I saw your son at the pool,” says Larry. “Kid’s got some penis on him.” I don’t need to tell you that this remark doesn’t go over well. When Cheryl asks LD why on earth he thought that would be an acceptable thing to say, Larry simply responds, “I took a risk.”

I think this is integral to understanding Frank. He has a very irreverent sense of humor, which not only means that nothing is sacred, it means that the things that we do hold sacred are veritable gold mines of comedy. If you are afraid to talk about something, there’s a great joke in there. Sometimes the joke founders, but that’s the risk you take. 

Personally, I’m willing to take the risk with Frank because, quite frankly, I think Frank Eudy is hilarious. He has thus far been my favorite part of Big Brother 18. I can scarcely watch the live feeds if he isn’t present.  

Now, I certainly don’t endorse all of his anticsHis remarks towards women’s bodies are a little too daring for me. Again, Frank is a ball buster, and he is not afraid to go for he jugular. I suppose he is lampooning the impossible standards that men have placed on the female body, or maybe he is lampooning the type of person who would employ the term “hussy.” I’m not exactly sure.  

“You’re so good at lying. It scares me.”—Bridgette  

Frank has a great affinity for artifice. The typical Frank joke consists of making a statement that is obviously absurd and convincing someone that it is actually the truth. Some of his greater works include how he was was on trial for the murder of his fiancée à la O.J. Simpson[1], how he wrote Zingbot’s zings for BB 14, or how production gives him a morphine fix every morning. All of these things are patently untrue, yet he is so committed to joke that he hoodwinks you. 

It is that straight faced commitment that makes his comments toward the ladies of the Big Brother house so murky. Look, I know Frank is not being serious. I know he does not intend to hurt anyone’s feelings. But I can’t blame Da’Vonne, Nicole, Natalie, and Zakiyah for taking offense. Some of these comments register as meanspirited. The butt slapping in particular was just plain wrong. There is a want of sensitivity here.[2]

Let's not put a muzzle on Frank, though. The vast majority of his jokes have nothing to do with the female body. But from a game standpoint, he might want to request a muzzle from DR because his mouth is destroying his game. The only person left in his corner is Bridgette, and I can’t imagine her being pleased when Bronte walks out the door. 

 

Michigan Sucks?

Here’s something I never realized: I’m a Nicole fan. Yeah, I think she is delightful.  

I have no idea where this is coming from. On Big Brother 16, I thought she was a tad dull, a passive person whose self consciousness subsumed all in it’s wake. Yet, watch her now and I am tickled with joy. What has changed? 

Well, Nicole still protests in that darling inimitable way of hers, but it's far less toxic. She has gotten better at containing it to herself and not stiffing the activity of others around her: It’s only after Zakiyah finishes giving Nicole a makeover that Nicole freaks out, proclaims that her new look is scaring herself, and anxiously removes her makeup.  

But sometimes she still needs a push. In that odd imbroglio in which Victor implicitly asked her out on a date[3], Nicole considered lying about it. She wanted to tell Natalie that it never happened, thus protecting a guy who was explicitly targeting her; all this to avoid discussing an uncomfortable truth. It was only due to Frank’s gumption that that narrative took flight.  

So with this in mind, I recommend electing Nicole Franzel as America’s Player. By giving her tangible missions and the promise of money, we can keep Nicole engaged in the action of the house. And if that’s not enough to quell her impulse to withdraw, Big Brother can engage in some next-level peer pressure: “Nicole, America loves you and they entrusted you to carry out these objectives. You wouldn’t want to let America down, would you?” 

Watching Nicole bellyache as she opens up envelops in the Diary Room, and then watching her blunder through these tasks would be magnificent. Not only would it be humorous, it could also provide a touching emotional arc for her. We could bring Nicole out of her shell. 

Here are some possible objectives for Nicole:  

  • Start a fight between two houseguests 

  • Sleepwalk into Paul’s bed 

  • Make Final Two pact with Natalie 

  • Get Da’Vonne nominated 

  • Vandal someone’s property and pin it on someone else 

  • Give a cherished childhood item to Corey 

  • Kiss Corey 

  • Start a love triangle with Corey and Paulie 

  • Confront someone during a nomination ceremony 

 


[1] The punchline: “Did you kill her, Frank?” “I was acquitted.”

[2] Big Brother did a stellar job editing this together. They handled the incident with the gravitas it deserves and are developing a very cool revenge storyline for Da'Vonne (“. . . I’m still gonna get his ass next week.”) And most importantly, the edit was honest. They showed that Frank can genuinely be a riot, but the same thing that makes him funny can misfire in an ugly way.  

[3] My personal read from that encounter is that Victor was proffering more of a hangout and even that could have been just schmoozing, although Nicole’s interpretation is not unsound.