Big Brother 20 recap: Haleigh sets her sights on Tyler, the Hacker strikes again

On Big Brother 20, Haleigh debates who to put on the block. Level Six grows tired of Sam. The houseguests play in the final Hacker Competition.

It’s great to be HoH on Big Brother except for that pesky Hacker Competition. Haleigh knows better than anyone how a twist can blow up in your face. Somebody in Haleigh’s shrinking alliance needs to win to guarantee safety for them all.

Sam feels torn after the vote. She feels Bayleigh was one of the few people who genuinely cared about her outside the game, so Sam threw her a vote. But Sam makes it clear to Angela and Rockstar her decision wasn’t so much a move against them as a token of affection for Bay.

Sam is struggling in general. She’s having a hard time in the BB house. Everything makes her uncomfortable — except her bed.

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Tyler and Sam aren’t down with how personally Sam is taking the game. Tyler likes Sam as a person, but he thinks she’s bad for his game. He spent all week trying to get her to vote Bayleigh out, even letting Sam know he has a Power App. He’s regretting the move now. Tyler can’t have someone voting emotionally, especially if it means someone staying who’s targeting him.

In the DR, Sam reveals she thinks Tyler’s lying, and if he isn’t, she’s upset he didn’t tell her sooner.

Haleigh is ready to take out someone from the other side and try to even out the numbers. Her primary target is Tyler, but Haleigh figures her best shot of getting Tyler out is by backdooring him.

Angela knows at least one member of Level Six is going to go up on the block, but that doesn’t mean game over for the tight-knit alliance. There’s still the Hacker Comp, and Sam is such an emotional wreck, she’s making herself a target.

Kaycee thinks Sam’s behavior is a bit manipulative. At this point Sam’s a liability to Level Six. Kaycee and Angela plan to try to convince Haleigh to put Sam up as a nominee.

Brett decides to use his considerable charm to get inside Haleigh’s head. The big question is why Haleigh continues to confide in him when he’s given no real indicators he’s on her side. Brett encourages Haleigh to consider who she’s going to send to jury, suggesting she lean towards a move that may not necessarily make a big splash but means less backlash.

Haleigh does start to question how much longer Brett plans on maintaining his “free agent” status. Haleigh is looking for Brett to put a ring on it. He doesn’t commit one way or the other, just saying that Haleigh is his girl.

Angela also tries to convince Haleigh to put up Sam. It’s not as if Haleigh has forgotten, but Angela reminds her that Sam put her on the block. Plus, Angela isn’t a fan of Sam’s game play, or her lack of it. Sam cooks, cleans and cries. That’s about it — not very empowering.

Haleigh may listen to what Angela has to say, but bygones are not bygones. Angela is very much in Haleigh’s crosshairs.

Sam is bright enough to sense the vibe in the house. Everybody claims to love her to death, but they still want to see her walk out the door. Sam goes to Haleigh, sensing something is up. Haleigh tells Sam that some of the people Sam has really put her trust and heart into don’t have her best interests in mind. Haleigh lets Sam know that Angela was eager to remind Haleigh that Sam put her up.

Sam feels used and stupid. She breaks down in the DR, saying none of the people in the house are her friends. All they care about winning the money (duh).

Sam’s definitely in full-on meltdown mode. She tells Hayleigh she’s the only “real person” in the entire house, and she’s trapped with a bunch of “psychos.” After calling everyone else psychos, Sam talks about pulling people apart limb from limb. Who’s the psycho now, Sam? Who’s the psycho now?

Sam freaks Haleigh out enough for H to actually consider putting Sam up. The woman is on the verge of an epic meltdown.

Fessy really is a smitten kitten when it comes to Miss Haleigh. He sweet talks Haleigh even when she’s clad in a onesie and has zit cream all over her face. He sees a future with H outside the BB house. Haleigh appreciates that Faysal is a tall drink of water, but she needs him to slow his roll so they don’t become bigger targets.

The timeline on this convo is sketchy. I don’t have 24-7 to watch the feeds, and they do a lot of creative editing to piece together the episodes. But I did my due diligence today, and there’s been some developments when it comes to Hessy. They’ve engaged in some under-the-covers action lately. I don’t think this means they’ll be running around the house holding hands and skipping, but they are looking more like a couple.

Tyler’s got his Power App (safety at one Nom Ceremony or one Veto Meeting) in his back pocket. He’s just trying to figure out when to use it. If he uses it at the Nomination Ceremony, he’s still vulnerable. Haleigh’s pretty up front with Tyler that he’s a threat to her game, especially since he knows she wants him out. Tyler decides the best thing he can do is get Haleigh to try to backdoor him and use his power at the Veto Meeting.

Haleigh will only admit that she’s considering not putting him up. Tyler claims he’ll just win the veto and take himself off. Tyler basically says he’s fine with being backdoored as long as Haleigh gives him a heads up.

Before the houseguests compete in the second — and final — Hacker competition, Haleigh announces her nominees, Angela and Kaycee. Haleigh knows they are coming for her, but her target remains Tyler.

Kaycee and Angela are pissed, but Tyler reassures them this is all part of Haleigh’s plan to backdoor him. He swears to them this is a good thing, and they shouldn’t worry about it.

Level Six still feels solid. They just need one of them to win the Hacker Comp, and another to win the veto. With the numbers dwindling, this would severely limit Haleigh’s options. I’m guessing she’d put up Sam or JC as a replacement.

Haleigh tells Fessy, Rockstar and Scottie one of them needs to win the Hacker Comp, and nominations will stay the same. She’s not even letting Fessy in on her plan. Haleigh just wants to make sure Brett doesn’t go rogue, so she calls him into the HoH room to see where Brett’s head is at.

Brett tells Haleigh he’ll keep the noms the same if he wins, but that’s exactly what he doesn’t plan to do. Not that she’ll know one way or the other since it’s anonymous.

The houseguests participate in the Hacker Competition. They are shown small images and must figure out from where in the house the images are taken. Kaycee wins the comp.

Unlike Haleigh, Kaycee decides to share the news with members of her alliance. Maybe if Haleigh had confided in Bayleigh, Fessy and Rockstar, things would have played out differently.

Kaycee takes herself off of the block and puts up Rockstar as a replacement. For any readers not following the live feeds, I won’t spoil the results of the Veto Competition. Let’s just say Haleigh is not a happy camper.

At this point, it looks like Tyler is unstoppable. Until Level Six starts turning on each other, he’s a snug as a bug in a Big Brother rug.

Big Brother 20 airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 8/7c and Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Tune in Wednesday, August 15 to see who wins the Power of Veto.

Who is playing the best game in the house? Who is playing the worst? Should Sam be the next to go? Why do people keep targeting Rockstar? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.