Big Brother 11: Jeff's big mistake, and why he needs Russell

Jeff is the Power of Veto holder, and he has taken down Kevin and put up Russell for eviction. He's broken his alliance and backdoored Russell to try and eliminate the houseguest he sees as his biggest rival.

And thus, the Summer of Jeff is undone.

Jeff has been riding a unprecedented combination of luck and shrewd gameplay for the past three weeks. He's eliminated three straight members of the opposite alliance, and thanks to the Chima Syndrome, one of them won't even be going to the jury house. He's spent almost two weeks in the comfy Head of Household room, and he and Jordan have controlled the last two Vetos.

Now, however, he's made a move that will cost him.

The object of Big Brother is to be the last man standing, to be one of the two final houseguests remaining and get the votes of the jury for the big prize. Everyone knows that.

However, every year the houseguests put too much emphasis on getting to the final two, and not enough thought into who they take with them.

Think about Russell. Jeff sees him as his rival, the biggest threat to him in winning the competition, so he wants him out right now.

In seven weeks, Russell has only won one HoH and one PoV. He gets frustrated, and shows his temper which has led him into screaming arguments with several houseguests.

Why would you want to get rid of Russell now?

For the rest of the column, and the historical perspective on picking your final opponent, click here.