Big Brother 28 Weekly Recap: Rome Falls, Devens Finds a Diamond, and Nobody Feels Safe

The past week began with Rick Devens winning HOH and ended with him holding one of the most powerful advantages in Big Brother history. In between, Angela became an egg, a nomination ceremony turned into live theater, Rome got backdoored, and Lyric voted out the man she had just kissed goodbye. Nobody can accuse this cast of easing into the season.

After Ashley’s unanimous eviction, Devens’ HOH kept the veterans and their Tool Shed allies in control. The late-night mega-alliance settled on Rome as the true target, with Jason, Lyric, and Melody nominated as the opening act. Rome had tried to secure safety for himself, Jason, and Lyric while leaving Melody exposed. Instead, Devens placed all three of Rome’s allies on the block and kept the backdoor waiting in the wings.

Then the nomination ceremony went completely off-script.

Angela, still wearing the giant Egg Detective costume she received after losing the first BB Time Capsule challenge, confronted Jason over reports that he had used emotional stories and fake tears to manipulate her and Devens. Jason fired back, Haley joined in, and suddenly Devens’ nominations were barely the headline. Barrett later described the scene as Humpty Dumpty versus the Green Goblin, which is both accurate and probably not a sentence CBS expected to earn this early in the summer.

The chaos did not change Devens’ plan. He won the Power of Veto himself, took Lyric off the block, and named Rome as the replacement. Rome and Lyric briefly staged a breakup to make her look less attached to him, then abandoned the performance about as quickly as most houseguests abandon a final-two deal. By the time the veto ceremony ended, they were kissing again and Rome was campaigning as a shield for anyone willing to keep him.

For a moment, the vote had real possibilities. Drew and Barrett considered whether Rome might be useful, while Dee and Angela discussed Melody’s growing closeness with Drew. But Rome still needed the BB Blockbuster. Jason won the gemstone-stacking competition, leaving Rome beside Melody for the vote.

Rome was evicted 12-1. The lone vote to keep him came from Taylor not Lyric, who tearfully joined the majority. Rome professed his love, swept Lyric into a goodbye kiss, and left believing she had voted for him. Julie corrected that assumption outside. Nothing says summer romance like discovering your girlfriend evicted you before the commercial break.

The house immediately moved on, because tenderness has a very short shelf life in Big Brother. Kamu won the next HOH, giving Tool Shed its third straight week of power after Dee and Devens. His first instinct was to target Jason directly, but Devens’ successful backdoor provided inspiration. Kamu instead nominated Lala, Lyric, and Mallory, with Jason positioned as the intended replacement if the veto is used.

That plan is already harder to manage than it looks. Taylor wants to play in the veto and save Lala. Yash said he would remove Lyric. Melody is coaching Mallory to stay calm, keep game conversations short, and let Lala be the one who blows up. Apparently “remain calm” is now considered advanced strategy, which tells you plenty about this house.

The bigger complication arrived through the second BB Time Capsule. America selected Devens, who won the challenge and received the Diamond Power of Veto. For the next six weeks, he can use it during a veto ceremony to remove a nominee and choose the replacement himself. He cannot nominate someone already protected by a veto.

For now, Devens has told only Dee, and the two are keeping it quiet while discussing when, if ever, it should be used. Everyone else is playing detective.

Strategically, the week showed both the strength and weakness of the current majority. Tool Shed can keep winning competitions and removing visible threats, but it cannot keep its relationships neat. Angela worries Lala blames her nomination on the attempt to bring Haley into Honor Society. Taylor and Yash are prepared to protect different nominees. Dee and Angela are questioning Haley, while Barrett is nervous about a power he cannot locate.

Rome is gone, but the divided house he warned about is still here. The difference is that now Devens has a diamond tucked into it and everyone else is looking in the wrong pockets.