Big Brother Season 20 recap: Kaitlyn nominates two houseguests, a new power is unleashed

On Big Brother Season 20, Kaitlyn relies on intuition, her spirit guide and Tyler to figure out who to target for eviction.

It doesn’t take the members of Level Six long to figure out the traitor in their midst, but since Kaitlyn is the new Big Brother HOH, they have no choice but to play it cool. Tyler is happy because he got Steve out with no blood on his hands. Tyler may be pleased with his reign as HOH, but he didn’t accomplish anything by getting rid of Steve.

Tyler hopes to get a second chance to make a big move by convincing Kaitlyn to put up two members of Swaggy’s alliance. Speaking of Swaggy, he and Faysal head to the storage room following the HOH competition to try to figure out who flipped. Tyler wants to protect Kaitlyn, so he blames the surprise eviction on the secret power. Swaggy doesn’t buy it. He believes Kaitlyn is the flipper.

Faysal knows his showmance with Haleigh is likely the reason why Kaitlyn blew up the FOUTTE alliance, and he’s worried her jealousy could cause her to target himself and Haleigh.

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He has every reason to be nervous since, just prior to the live eviction, Tyler told Kaitlyn her alliance doesn’t trust her, particularly Swaggy.

Kaitlyn does promise Rockstar, Haleigh and Fessy safety.

Bayleigh and Swaggy’s showmance continues on Big Brother. Swaggy may have initially seen their relationship as bad for his game, but now he seems to think he can use it to his advantage. He views himself and Bayleigh as a power couple, aka “Swayleigh.” Swaggy is confident Swayleigh is about to be trending.

FOUTTE wants Kaitlyn to put up Winston and either Rachel or Angela. Kaitlyn refuses to commit until she finds out more about the special power. Kaitlyn is open to suggestions, but she’s determined to do what’s best for her game.

Tyler has Kaitlyn’s ear, and he plans to use it to influence her nominations. Kaitlyn is in need of some help, since she’s mistakenly under the impression that the purpose of HOH is to get the least amount of blood on her hands.

Tyler reveals that Sam has the power. Kaitlyn’s immediate reaction is to put up Sam and Swaggy. Tyler explains to Kaitlyn that Sam knows Kaitlyn voted to keep her (he gave Sam a full rundown on the votes), so if Sam isn’t on the block, she can use the power on anyone. This means if Kaitlyn makes a power move that puts her at risk, or if things unravel, Sam can get Kaitlyn out of a jam.

Kaitlyn asks Tyler if she can put up Winston and Angela. Tyler doesn’t like this scenario, since both players are part of his Level Six. Tyler really pushes for Swaggy, and they decide the best thing to do is backdoor the leader of FOUTTE.

Sam decides to tell Kaitlyn she has the power. Kaitlyn “intuitively” knows what this power is and doesn’t want Sam to utilize “until need be.” Sam is using the Bonus Life as a bargaining chip to keep herself off the block.

Kaitlyn lets Winston know her plan is to backdoor Swaggy, but she wants to put Winston up as a pawn. Winston’s willing to trust Kaitlyn if it means getting rid of Swaggy.

Kaitlyn needs another sacrificial lamb and sets her sights on Scottie, telling him her target is Winston, and if it’s Scottie next to Winston on the block, there’s no doubt Winston will go. Scottie keeps calm and carries on, but while in the confessional, he admits he’s not down with this plan. He doesn’t understand why Kaitlyn wouldn’t just put up two people from the other side.

Next, Kaitlyn goes to work on Swaggy. She says she’s putting up Scottie as a pawn, but Winston is her target. She also lies, stating Winston has zero idea he’s going on the block.

The BB App store opens for business. This means the most trending houseguest on Big Brother will get a Power App, while the least trending player on Big Brother will get a Crap App.

Rachel finds out she’s the recipient of the Crap App. Rachel chooses the “Yell!” punishment. For 24 hours, an Angry Reviewer will be unleashed into the house at random times to loudly give feedback on Rachel and her game.

Rachel is pretty devastated. Her biggest fear coming into the house was how she would be perceived on the outside. This makes her think she’s being perceived badly, and she cares what people think. Sorry, Rachel, what this really means is nobody’s really thinking about you at all.

Tyler gets the Power App which isn’t surprising. As the former HOH, it makes sense he would be trending heavily. Tyler’s power is “the Cloud.” Tyler gets to keep himself from going on the block at any one Nomination Ceremony or Veto Meeting. If he’s worried he could be nominated, he sits in the Cloud, keeping himself safe from the block. For the next 8 weeks, Tyler may choose one time in which to use the Cloud to keep himself safe.

Even though Scottie voted to keep Steve, he’s now Team Swaggy. He’s not an official member of FOUTTE, but they’ll keep him safe as long as it’s convenient. Scottie has no chance of making it to the end, but he’s better off as low man on the totem pole than as a floater on Big Brother.

Scottie discusses Kaitlyn’s plan with Fessy and Winston, and they all agree it makes no sense for her to put up a vote for her side. Scottie is a nervous wreck. He’s so shaky, Faysal notices the uber geek can’t even hold a spoon steady.

Swaggy wasn’t initially upset about Kaitlyn’s decision to use Scottie as a pawn, but now he thinks it’s a stupid idea.

Faysal offers to talk to Kaitlyn on Scottie’s behalf. Faysal hopes that by letting Kaitlyn know how upset Scottie is, she’ll take pity on him and replace him with someone from the other side.

Kaitlyn pulls Scottie aside, and he admits he doesn’t understand her decision to use him as a pawn. She claims it’s the best move to keep Winston as calm as possible. She does her best to reassure Scottie he won’t go home. Kaitlyn asks him to trust her and promises it will all make sense in due time.

Faysal attempts to mansplain why nominating Scottie is a bad idea and offers up Kaycee and JC as alternatives, but Kaitlyn won’t budge. She also cryptically tells Faysal, “Just remember, no matter what happens, it’s for the highest good.” Faysal admits the comment freaks him out. He’s beginning to second guess what Kaitlyn has up her sleeve.

Kaitlyn makes it official, nominating Scottie and Winston. She tells Scottie he’s on the block because he would have used the veto to save Steve, putting her at risk. Kaitlyn says Winston isn’t playing “an authentic game.”

Who knows if Kaitlyn will stick to her plan. It will be up to karma, and whoever wins that veto.

Next: Big Brother Season 20: Power of Veto spoilers

Is Kaitlyn playing a smart game? Will Swaggy figure out he’s the target before it’s too late? Do you feel bad for Scottie? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Big Brother Season 20 airs Sundays at 8/7c, Wednesdays at 9/8c and Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Tune in on Wednesday, July 11 at a special time, 8/7c, to find out who wins the Power of Veto.