In the first six weeks of Big Brother 26, the story has been all Tucker Des Lauriers, all the time. But following a shocking and confusing HoH week from T’Kor Clottey, the season has taken a drastic turn as Tucker, who volunteered to be on the block to help out T’Kor, found himself walking out the door to talk to Julie Chen Moonves. Clottey’s HoH has been regarded by the fandom as one of the worst in history, as she allowed two allies to find themselves on the block on her hands. When the goal was to keep blood off her hands, T’Kor’s hands are dripping. Now, with the tides shifting to a new power dynamic, T’Kor, like Quinn Martin before her, has put herself and her allies in a difficult position. Should her allies — who have since been out of the line of fire — find themselves in danger, the only person they can blame is T’Kor. By blowing up their game, the entire trajectory of the season has changed; Big Brother 26 has been reset.
The hit CBS summer series Big Brother is back for its 26th season. Since 2000, Big Brother has delighted fans thanks to its unique real-time format. With multiple episodes a week and access to Big Brother Live Feeds, the series has allowed fans to be glued to their screens 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With cameras and microphones picking up all the action, there is nowhere to hide in the Big Brother house, which means every game move can be and will be scrutinized.
T’Kor’s ‘Big Brother’ Strategy Is Questionable
Up until her brush with power, T’Kor Clottey was sitting pretty, playing an under-the-radar game. Alongside her close ally Kimo Apaka, they knew where the power shifts were heading and jumped on it. With their awareness of the dynamics in the house, they allowed one of the biggest blindsides to occur. By understanding that they were at the bottom of an alliance thanks to the formation of The Pentagon, they had to react. The Pentagon had a stronghold on their bigger alliance, so Clottey and Apaka smartly flipped, allowing Cedric Hodges to walk out the door. This ensured new life in their game and a major dynamic shift.
T’Kor was part of the Sixth Avenue alliance that comprised of herself, Tucker Des Lauriers, Angela Murray, Rubina Bernabe, Joseph Rodriguez, and Kimo Apaka. This group formed as a resistance group when The Pentagon was in power. The Pentagon began to be slowly dismantled, partially thanks to Tucker’s willingness to play hard and win challenges. In turn, he was protecting his allies by allowing them to keep the heat off of them. But her fear that he was connecting with other individuals playing against her spooked her into using his offer of generosity against him. Now, T’Kor has experienced the same fate as Quinn when a new resistance alliance popped up due to her HoH.
Chelsie Baham, Cam Sullivan-Brown, Makensky Manbeck, Leah Peters, and Quinn Martin have the sway in the house with Clottey in their back pocket. She has put her closest allies in the line of fire when one of their rivals in this unofficial majority wins power. De Lauriers’ ability to win challenges had kept his allies safe. On her watch, she managed to lose that asset in her alliance as her side had not had as much winning success compared to the new side of the house. Being Head of Household on Big Brother is not the easiest thing. It’s hard to know what’s happened. It’s difficult to understand what’s fact and what’s fiction. For T’Kor Clottey, her time in the power position was filled with questionable decisions. With so many options for nominees to place on the block, she somehow managed to have two of her Sixth Avenue allies sit next to one another on eviction night. And not just allies, the two biggest stars of the season.
Can T’Kor Even Be Trusted?
The reality is that competition shows like Big Brother are a solo venture, but you can’t get to the end on your own. It’s crucial to have allies who you trust and who can reciprocate the same. Once the trust is broken, you start to play from the bottom. Every action has a reaction; consequences are bound to happen. For T’Kor Clottey, her botched HoH week will have lingering effects. The house had already been divided from a game standpoint, and now, with her allowing the other side to maintain their numbers, it prevents a steady march to the final two. Especially with allies who are not proving their worth in challenges. She and Kimo Apaka had a chance to be the dynamic duo America would have been overjoyed to see sit next to one another on finale night. But now, the game has changed.
T’Kor may have temporary safety at the moment, but her allies, who will undoubtedly be on the block, will have to remove her from their numbers. So, T’Kor will be forced to align with the opposition alliance where she would be at the bottom of the totem pole. Like Quinn Martin before her, T’Kor Clottey seemed to ignore the bigger picture when she was HoH. One of the biggest difficulties in a game like Big Brother is knowing how alliance and friendship don’t always go hand in hand. You may not want to have Angela Murray as your bestie, but she is essential for your numbers. You may want to have Chelsie Baham to lean on as a friend, but with her being on the other side of the house, will her friendship actually equate to loyalty? It’s a difficult gray area to maneuver, but that separates the greats from the rest.
If the power shifts and the remaining members of the Sixth Avenue alliance find themselves on the block, T’Kor’s game is essentially ruined. She would be someone you’d want to drag to the end because her ability to earn jury votes will diminish. Why vote to give someone $750,000 if they knowingly and willingly blew up your game? T’Kor’s presence in the Big Brother house will be to act as a number for whoever needs it. It’s a game of musical chairs. She’s an asset in the sense that she’s a liability to strategy. If T’Kor’s goal was to make it to the jury stage of the game, she secured that. If she wants to win, that possibility is minimal now. It’s a tough road to the top; one bad week in the Big Brother house can change the entire game.
Big Brother airs every Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday on CBS. All episodes and the Big Brother Live Feeds are available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.