Big Brother News

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― They started with 13 houseguests a little more than 60 days ago...but by this time next week, a new "Big Brother" winner will be named.

With the final three campaigning, plotting, backstabbing and lying their way through the final week, we thought it time to handicap who has the best chance to win and who should just hang it up.

A lot will depend, of course, on which of the final three end up in the jury house...Keesha was final four and she had a good shot of winning it all. Only she didn't know Dan and Memphis were plotting against her in their Renegades Alliance.

Here is an educated guess as to who will walk home with the big prize ($500,000) and who will come in second and win a not-too-shabby $50,000.

JERRY: No chance to win. He's facing several facts: he shouldn't have gotten this far, none of the other three remaining houseguests like him very much. Memphis is lying to Jerry that he will take him to the final two. Or is he? Hmmm. As unpopular as Memphis has been with some of his houseguests, Jerry was much more unpopular and Memphis could consider backstabbing Dan -- his best bud -- knowing a vote between Memphis and Dan might be close. Most of the houseguests were shocked Jerry got as far as he did. Final three? Who would have thunk it? And not that his age (he was the oldest ever BB houseguest) was working against him, he was a floater almost till the end, played a most laconic game and seemed to upset one or more houseguests every week. Odds: 100-1

MEMPHIS: Who would have ever guessed the dry-witted "mixologist" would be so good at game play? He always seemed so laid back, which worked to his advantage. With his aw-shucks demeanor, even his best friends in the house (see Dan) didn't know they were sometimes being played. Jerry will clearly end up in the jury house. And who does Jerry vote for in a Dan vs. Memphis finale: he called one a Judas and got into screaming matches with the other. Memphis charmed most of his fellow houseguests. Too bad they couldn't see his diary room confessions -- some of "Big Brother"'s all-time best. They would probably appreciate Memphis' playing under the radar and actually not being as laid back as he comes across. Also, by voting Keesha out Tuesday, Memphis has her blood on her hands. She vowed not to vote for him and Keesha was always pretty persuasive with the other houseguests. Odds: 3-1

DAN: When the game started, Dan was probably -- next to Jerry and Renny -- the least likely houseguest to be in the final four. For one thing, he admittedly blew some challenges, slept through some others and did nothing to make the others think he was a strong player. Kinda brilliant when you think about it. Unfortunately, when it comes down to the final voting (and we'd put money on a Dan/Memphis finale) the jury might think Memphis played a stronger game because he was more vocal and won more challenges. Dan also sold himself to the other houseguests early on as the "nice" Catholic school teacher who would never betray them. When he was "America's Player" for one week, Dan seemed to realize his charm would let him get away with murder and deceit.
When Dan stands up and says he intentionally lost games as to not appear strong, well, that could backfire. Or his other houseguests will think it was a brilliant strategy. One thing is clear, if Dan doesn't make it to the finale, something seriously wrong has happened.
Then again, this being "Big Brother" too much lying and manipulation can get you in trouble. And Jerry, Memphis and Keesha have all started to compare notes about Dan and they're all starting to feel a bit used. Two more weeks, and the jig might have been up for Dan. But he should be able to skate, lie and charm his way through one more week to win the whole enchilada. And taking jury member Michelle on a luxury trip isn't going to hurt him in the end. Buying a vote has never been a bad move on "Big Brother." He also made valuable inroads with Keesha. All the while he was plotting with Memphis as part of the Renegade Alliance, he got Memphis to do the dirty work and evict Keesha. Even Dan's goodbye convinced Keesha that it was Memphis' doing. Now THAT is brilliant. If Dan doesn't win, something very odd has happened. Odds: 1-1

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