Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Big Brother Season 26 live feeds as of Thursday, July 25th. Stream them with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
The time has finally come for Big Brother Season 26 to evict a Houseguest, and even though it's only been a week, it feels like an eternity has passed. Those streaming Big Brother's live feeds or keeping up with our spoiler posts detailing the wild events that transpired know exactly what that means, as it has been a stressful week for everyone in that house. With that said, it's time to question and break down who is most likely to get evicted at the end of the live episode.
Kimo Apaka, Kenney Kelley, and Matt Hardeman are on the block at the moment, but there's a twist. They will compete live in the A.I. Arena, and the winner out of those three will remove themselves from the block while the remaining two are at the mercy of the house vote. Here are the scenarios for what could go down depending on who wins, and a little background for those only watching the episodes airing on the 2024 TV schedule and not the live feeds.
If Matt Loses The A.I. Arena, He's Definitely Getting Evicted
Matt received a very sympathetic edit from Wednesday's episode, but it's worth noting he definitely played a role in Angela Murray's massive blow-up on him. He spent way too much time talking about her to other Houseguests during her Head of Household, and he was pitching to get her sent out of the house next week once she's not in power. Angela went a little overboard for sure, but it wasn't unwarranted.
Additionally, Matt hasn't been able to gather many allies in the house due to his playing style. He's not a great listener, and frankly, outside of Makensy Manbeck, who seemingly didn't use her America's Veto power, he doesn't have anyone willing to rally the house to get him the votes to stay.
If he loses the A.I. Arena, I don't see any other way he'd manage to remain in the game.
If Matt Wins, Kenney Is The Next Unanimous Choice
There was a lot of chaos that unfolded after the Week 1 veto ceremony, but perhaps the most impactful interaction during that time was Kenney fighting with Angela. The HOH was feeling worried about the real scenario in which Matt survives this week, and she tried to hype Kenney up and tell him he could beat his younger competitors. Much to her surprise, Kenney shot it down, and he even suggested he was going to throw it so Matt could win.
While Kenney was in the Diary Room saying he would fight for his life, this conversation essentially stated he was throwing in the towel. He told Angela that Matt is his "boy," and without him in the game, he's essentially sunk anyway. The Boston officer has struggled to make alliances in the house, which isn't uncommon for older players, so he may petition the Houseguests to vote him out if Kimo wins the A.I. Arena.
Of course, those who want to win Big Brother don't usually fall for that pitch. If Kenney wants to throw in the towel after Matt leaves, it's better to make him suffer in Week 2 and be the easy out so they can all advance further in the game. Giving Matt the chance to win the next Head of Household would open the door to even more chaos, and I think everyone wants a break from that. Hell, I believe Kenney might even survive to Week 3 despite not wishing to if the house unifies against Angela following her wild Week 1 as HOH.
Right now, however, I think Kenney will most likely go home because I have the worst luck picking BB winners, and he was on my list. We shall see, though, as I wouldn't put it past the producers to have some twist in store for this A.I. Arena that gives an edge to an unexpected player.
Big Brother airs its live eviction on Thursday, July 25th, at 9:00 p.m. ET on CBS. Tune in and see what happens, and of course, stick with CinemaBlend for more spoiler updates in case they don't show who wins the Week 2 HOH.
