In Case You Missed It:

Shock waves continue to revolve around the Big Brother 4 house, with Dana's nomination of Allison, the Pennsylvania beauty queen, and Jack, the former FBI man from Birmingham.

Seeing Dana flip on the so-called "original 7" faster than a mob informant squealing to the Feds in "The Sopranos", it was time for Nathan, the personal trainer from Oklahoma, to take action.

And action he took! For only the second time in Big Brother history, the power of veto was used, removing Allison from the threat of eviction. In a stunning counter measure, Dana showed the house the ace in her hole, placing David, the former Army ranger, on the block as a replacement nominee.

So tonight, one houseguest's luck runs out, reducing the field to nine. But the alliances each have an even chance to grab the next Head of Household as the fourth round kicks off.

Who will be on top at the end of this action-packed hour? Find out!

AND THEN, THERE WERE NINE

It's already Day 26 in the house, and Julie Chen welcomes us live from just outside the house in Studio City, California, just north of metropolitan Los Angeles. It looks a little cloudy outside for 6 PM, Pacific Time, as some lights are on in the background.

A recap of the last few days of action starts with Dana sobbing in the HOH room, apologizing to her. Jack, however is not amused, saying Dana has the attractiveness of, and I quote, a "buzzard's crotch." Meanwhile, the exs try to cut a deal with Dave. They offer him safety for the week if he places Nathan on the block, should he get HOH. While Dave consents to the deal, Dave tells the Diary Room that he wouldn't hesitate to go back on his word.

Jack meanwhile also looks to cut his own deal, and seems to get little offers. Erika, feeling like the proverbial monkey in the middle, is tearful in the Diary Room, saying Jack has been a father figure.

After commenting positively on Julie's choice of wardrobe for the evening, Nathan comments that he's happy about the decision he made to veto Allison. Allison firmly believes that if the veto wasn't used, she was the one to go. When Dana was asked to rebut, she declined, after a brief interjection when Allison was questioned. Robert said hello to her daughter, Elena, from the house.

Time to get the opening votes, or so we think. The votes this week is a race to four votes, with no chance of an HOH breaking a tie. Robert, Allison, and Nathan weighed in with their thoughts, with Allison voting to evict Jack. This means Robert and Nathan voted the same way, we just don't know how yet. The vote currently stands 1-0, Jack in front to go home.

The show's second segment profiles Jack, since David and Allison have been profiled already. Pat, Jack's ex-wife, was divorced from him in 2000, but hasn't spent too much time away from him since they've been married. Pat thinks Jack will be a force to be reckoned with and be non threatening.

Dana gets the customary interview with Julie as her reign as HOH. Dana seems to have only one regret, and that is not placing Nathan on the block. She then tells Julie that he placed Allison over everyone else, and requires attention. Therefore, that makes him a target in future rounds.

In the next wave of voting observations, Jun and Jee weigh in. Jun votes to evict David, making the count even at 1-1. Could this mean Dana's block of votes are tightly behind David's departure?

In the third segment, we set the time machine back to 2002, and catch up with Chiara, Amy, Gerry, and Eric of Big Brother 3 fame. Eric has returned to Connecticut and gone back to the firefighting core, and said her relationship with Lisa "just wasn't meant to be." Gerry has returned to Woodrow Wilson Middle School in Shadow Hills, and says he bears no ill will to anyone at all. Amy has gone back to Memphis, and tells everyone she likes the occasional drink, but she has made nice with her archenemy, Chiara. Speaking of the "Chia Pet", she's gonna back to Manhattan and calls it quite the chapter in her life.

Time to get final thoughts from the two condemned men, Jack and David. Jack calls his experience "backstroking through the fountain of youth" and cherishes his memories if he leaves tonight. David, after jokingly calling his fellow housemates "spineless and whiny bitches," encourages everyone to support the troops, the people who keep America free.

Justin and Erika weigh in with their opinions on the vote, and each cast their votes. Justin votes David, Erika votes Jack. This makes the vote 2-2, and will make the final vote 5-2, since we know Jee, Nathan, and Robert voted the same way.

May I have a drum roll, please?

The third person voted out of the Big Brother 4 house is...

Not Jack....but:

DAVID!

David receives hugs and handshakes all around, and, much to the joy of producers, leaves in a very quick 50 seconds. He quickly walks to Julie's locale, as we look inside the house for live reaction. Erika is shown taking this eviction hard, in tears over David's departure. Some of the houseguests congratulate Jack on staying in.

In the live interview, David doesn't fault Dana for doing what she had to do. Julie asked about his intimate "to do" with Amanda, and David replied that it's good to be "a first" at something. When asked if his craziness was strategy or part of his everyday life, David said he did that to get a kick and relieve the boredom. Farewell messages came from Dana, Justin, Jun, Jack, and Erika, who calls David "a force in the world." Dave's surprise reunion is a platoon buddy, Craig.

It was on to the start of Round 4, with a critical Head of Household contest. This competition would require dexterity and luck, as houseguests had to drop blue Ping-Pong balls into a very narrow tube from a platform above, emptying the balls from a water jug. After one minute, the player with the most balls in their flask is the winner.

At the 30 second mark, it appeared Allison had the lead, but Jack is with her in a neck and neck battle at the 40 second mark. In the end, Allison outlasted Jack, 7-6, to capture the crown as new HOH. Dana was not happy as she presented the HOH medallion to a very happy Allison.

In the final segment, we get the first post-HOH interview, where Allison seems quite giddy, but Dana warns that she won't be getting much sleep as the offers come pouring in.

Analysis:

If you've ever watched the CBS morning game show "The Price Is Right," Bob Barker, the show's longtime emcee, often stresses the importance of watching every show. His reasoning is no matter how often you watch, occasionally you see something that's never happened before. Tonight, we saw a little Big Brother history. Prior to tonight, a houseguest who'd been placed on the block at the nomination ceremonies had always gone. David didn't receive the notice that he was going up until Sunday, and quickly enough, he's out the door!

One more little oddity from tonight's show: according to Amy Crews of Big Brother 3 fame on a recent chat in Joker's, David had said some unkind things about her in the BB4 house. So tonight, not only was Amy's reunion piece on, but David, like Amy last year, was the third person voted out the house. Who says there is no such thing as karma?

And so, here's where I see the game at, as they say in horse racing, the quarter pole:

In front, Jack appears to be the favorite to win, but Erika is closely behind in second. I think Jee and Allison are neck-and-neck for my third choice to win, Robert not too far behind as the fifth option. Way back in the field is Jun, and even farther behind her are Nathan, Dana, and Justin. Justin is at the rear of the pack, since he would be the smartest choice on the board to go, Dana being Plan B if a veto should be employed.

The only problem with Jack leading the way as a favorite to win, is, of course, the game's oldest player has never won the US version. I can see Jack, Erika, or Allison winning the game at this point. Jee and Robert could contend if they get the right breaks, but I can't really see the other four getting near the win.