Why James Maslow will win Celebrity Big Brother

The first season of Celebrity Big Brother has been full of surprises, but its clear that James Maslow has the best shot to win.

As a first-time viewer of Big Brother, I have been hooked by the first season of Celebrity Big Brother. Between all the constant backstabbing, silly celebrity behavior, and Omarosa’s White House reveals, there has been a lot of juicy drama for audiences to sink their teeth into.

With four house guests gone and only a few episodes remaining, the competition is beginning to heat up. While there is a variety of opinions on who will win this season of CBB, I think the clear frontrunner at the moment is Big Time Rush star James Maslow. Here are a few reasons why (spoilers ahead):

Shannon getting evicted

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the season was the eviction of Shannon. After winning the first two HOH contents and forming reliable alliances with many in the competition, Shannon became a target by many for a backdoor eviction. The house became scared of her aggressive play, and instead of utilizing her to take out rivals in the house, Ross Matthews and company turned on her.

Shannon going home so soon in the contest was a big strategic mistake by many in the house, as she proved to be one of the few celebrities who could compete with James. Even though they realized James would be big competition, they did not think to keep Shannon around to evict him from the house.

James already avoided his big chance to go home

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What’s most interesting about James winning CBB is that he could have been the first person evicted from the house. After annoying many of the houseguests in week one, James was put up on the block against Chuck Liddell. All signs were pointing to the house’s biggest alliance booting out James, but they instead decided to take out Chuck because he opened his bag.

This was another moment in the season in which the house misplayed their hand. Instead of getting out someone who appeared to be a contender, they decided to take out Chuck because he didn’t play by their rules. I get that Chuck showed disloyalty to them, but as far as competing in the house goes, he was nowhere near the same level of threat  that James was.

James has no real rivals in the house

Aside from a beef with Brandi (who is proving to be one of the more expendable members of the house after betraying her alliance), James has done a good job of staying peaceful with everyone in the house. From doing side deals with Omarosa, Ross, and Mark, James has made himself a integral part of several different alliances without making a lot of enemies.

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This is perhaps the biggest aspect going in James’ favor, as to win the finale you have to be voted the winner by your peers. While contestants like Ross and Omarosa have proven to be worthy competitors, they have also done so by throwing many former contestants under the bus. James has not caused ill-will to any evicted member of the house, likely making him a favorite if he can make the finale.

While I could easily see Marisa or Arriana winning as well, I would give the edge to James going forward in Celebrity Big Brother. Knowing how crazy this season has been however, it’s anyone’s game.