In Case You Missed It:

As was the cast throughout most of Big Brother 4, it seemed the houseguest in the most dire of circumstances shines through. This week, Robert Roman, the Los Angeles former restaurant manager, was under the gun. In what had to be a must win situation, he defeated his ex, Erika, after a tiebreaker to take a dramatic Head of Household competition.

In a position of strength, the choice as to who should be put up in the final nomination ceremony was his. He pulled out Erika's key, sparing her, but placing Alison and Jun to that position they know so well: being on the block, one step away from their exit.

As things stand now, Erika has the power to make the decision of who to include in the final three. But, unlike last year, Big Brother will have the final "Power Of Veto" competition in this round. Can Alison or Jun win POV and throw Robert's best laid plans into chaos?

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER

After Robert's nominations, the plotting resumed. When Robert and Erika went outside in one clip during the first segment, the girls talk about how much Erika and Robert lie in the house, as if they haven't sold snake oil themselves.

In the early moments of the second segment, the houseguests all agree to take some well needed nap time to recharge the batteries. Jun gets up to use the bathroom, but Erika follows her to try to talk to her. Shortly after that, Alison meets up with the both of them. Thirty minutes later, this standoff comes to an end, with Erika not given the chance to get her points across.

It was then time for the very last Power of Veto competition. But this would be no other POV, as this contest came with powers unprecedented in the show's history. This contest for the "Diamond POV", a transparent colored veto medal, had to do with the tandems that were nominated during each week. Each week represented a step on a platform, one platform for each of the four houseguests, each leading to a pedestal on the top with a diamond. The first houseguest to put both hands on the diamond would become the veto winner.

The contest was neck and neck between Alison and Jun. But the fateful moment came on Jun's eighth step. Instead of choosing the person who left in the eighth round, which was Jee, but Jun, for some reason, placed her own name on the eighth step. Alison, not knowing of Jun's miscue, quickly got the nomination tandems correct and took the Diamond POV crown, again saving herself from a possible eviction.

Ten minutes after that competition, Erika is already mockingly begging Alison to save her. Alison, in the private room, wasn't wild about the depths Erika was sinking to, even if for fun.

The houseguests were then told about this weeks America's Choice. This week's winner gets a three minute T-Mobile cellular phone call. Each houseguest hopes they get this call, since it would boost their personal spirits a bit.

But first, it was time for this week's luxury competition. An obstacle course was set up, and, with ball and chain on one foot, the quickest two houseguests to go through the course get the prize. And what a prize it was. The two winners receive a Goodyear blimp ride above the Los Angeles area. After slow runs by Robert and Erika, it was Jun and Alison, the two nominees, that made the cut through chain link fences and crawling thru mud to win the rides.

Back inside, the T-Mobile phone, with it's trademark ring, was heard going off. Someone had a phone call. After brief hesitation, Robert picked it up, since he was in the 818 area code. His decision proved to be wise, as his daughter Elena was on the other end, and on the TV screen. When Robert's voice is heard, Elena immediately begins crying. Robert, calling her daughter "Mama", calmed her down, and told her he'd be back home in a couple of weeks.

In the final segment, Jun and Ali get their blimp ride. To augment the experience, Big Brother gave both disposable cameras to take pictures of the breathtaking metropolis of Los Angeles. The highlight came when the blimp went above the Big Brother house on CBS's Studio City compound. Robert and Erika waved to the blimp, which had a message about the "final four".

After returning, Jun and Ali share an abs class. One point is made clear, that Erika, in their minds, didn't deserve to be here at this point in the game.

But, in the show's closing moments, Ali makes it clear to the Diary Room that everything will be looked at.

Analysis:

For the umpteenth time, I am wondering why there is an America's Choice competition if the legitimacy of the contest cannot be proven. Even though they provide the show's most tender moments, I do think we'd be better off without them, unless the producers can show, conclusively, which houseguest and which option got what percentage. I can't remember a time where the percentages have been shown in all of BB2, BB3, or BB4.

So it looks like either Robert or Jun will win this game. Alison can't really win it at this point, no matter what she does tomorrow, or whether or not she captures HOH in the round of 3. Robert would be the oldest person to win the Big Brother game in America, Jun would be the oldest woman to win.

Assuming Alison exercises her veto powers tomorrow night, she will have voted eight times in nine rounds, tying Lisa Donahue of BB3 for the most votes cast by a houseguest in Big Brother. No matter who she chooses, seven times out of those eight, the person she voted for has been evicted.

And finally, Big Brother has brought us "The Dinner Party From Hell", "The Clambake From Hell", and the "Live Show From Hell". With the strong possibility of Erika departing tomorrow, they now have a sequel: "The Final Three From Hell". The weaknesses of casting BB4 should shine through in the next few weeks. Instead of most fans hoping a houseguest goes all the way, many will no doubt be asking if it is September 24th yet, the date of the finale.