'Big Brother' recap: Michael Bruner wins HoH and nominates Monte Taylor, Joseph Abdin and Terrance Higgins for eviction

Big Brother featured Michael Bruner winning Head of Household and nominating the "Festie Bestie" trio of Monte Taylor, Joseph Abdin, and Terrance Higgins for eviction during the Season 24 episode that aired Sunday night on CBS.


Michael, a 28-year-old attorney from Saint Michael, MN who currently resides in Rochester, MN, won the Head of Household competition and then nominated three strong men for eviction, with the possibility of backdooring Daniel Durston, a 35-year-old Las Vegas performer from Ontario, CA who currently resides in Las Vegas, NV.

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The three houseguests on the chopping block heading into the next Power of Veto competition are Monte, a 27-year-old personal trainer from Bear, DE; Terrance, a 47-year-old bus operator from Chicago, IL; and Joseph, a 24-year-old lawyer from Lake Worth, FL.

The Big Brother broadcast began on Day 30, with Taylor Hale choosing to become "Festie Besties" with non-Leftovers members Alyssa Snider and Indy Santos.


Daniel was struggling after seeing his Final 2 ally walk out the door. Daniel said he felt like "a lone wolf" in the game and sucked to see his game crumble and not have any allies behind him.

Daniel asked Alyssa, "What are you doing here?! What happened?"

Daniel scolded Alyssa for not being sorry or playing her own game, and Alyssa called him a "very emotional player." Alyssa said there was nothing she could do to save Nicole Layog and so she wasn't going to be on the wrong side of the vote just to make Daniel happy.

Daniel said it would've been nice for Alyssa to at least throw Nicole a sympathy vote out of respect, and he announced to the house in a condescending manner, "I had so much hope for you guys."

Daniel told Monte that he was "killing it" out of respect for the game, adding how he or Michael was going to win the whole thing.


Daniel gave Monte props for manipulating people to do things his way, but Monte said he was not solely responsible for making a decision on behalf of nine people. Monte called out Daniel for "doing a good job," and there was tension between the two men.

Michael said he was flattered, although he clearly didn't want people to view him as a threat.

Daniel then vented how the house couldn't split $750,000, and Kyle Capener said Daniel was putting a huge target on his back by acting out like this.

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Daniel begged to understand what happened, but Monte wasn't up for it since Daniel had been unwilling to have a mature conversation man to man.


Monte called the whole situation Daniel's fault in a confessional because he had tried to convince Daniel to keep nominations the same, which would have kept Nicole off the chopping block.

"You did a great job of convincing the whole house that what they did was all up to me and I manipulated them to do," Monte complained.

"This is the best line you've made all week," Daniel countered.

Daniel said the next competition would be the biggest all summer for him because it would probably determine if he stays in the house or goes home.

It then became time for the next Head of Household competition of the summer dubbed "Mind Your Step."


As the outgoing Head of Household, Monte was not eligible to compete.

The competition required the participating houseguests to, one at a time, walk across a balance-beam course through a "dog park" in order to get to park benches on the other side.

The course had long and wide balance beams that were easy to navigate as well as thinner and shorter balance beams that were more difficult to cross. One thin balance beam, for example, was a straight line.

But if a player lost his or her balance and fell off at any time, that person must go back to the start and try the course again.

The houseguest to race across the park and press a button on the other side in the fastest time would fetch the HoH title.


Daniel went first, but then Michael knocked Daniel out of the competition with his fast time of 11.79 seconds. No one could beat Michael's time, although Kyle came extremely close with a time of 11.8 seconds.

In the end, Matthew "Turner" Turner took a tumble and so Michael became the new Head of Household. Michael was ecstatic and said he was continuing to check boxes off his "dream game" list.

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After the competition, Michael said he planned to do what's best for his game, beyond just this Thursday's live eviction.

Monte believed Daniel would be "seeing the door" this week since "The Leftovers" -- comprised of Turner, Brittany Hoopes, Michael, Kyle, Taylor, Joseph and himself -- were in control, but Daniel hoped to talk to Michael and change his mind.

Daniel knew he was in trouble for calling people out, but he was prepared to fight to stay in the house.


Michael said he didn't fully trust Daniel in the game, but his closest ally Brittany pointed out how they needed Daniel gone. Taylor was excited to be in "the in circle."

Michael then talked to Taylor and Brittany about how he'd like to backdoor Daniel with one of the following pawns on the block: Turner, Monte, Jasmine Davis, Terrance, or Joseph.

Taylor was "over the moon" since she had a Final 3 with Brittany and Michael, but Indy thought Taylor still had a big target on her back, which could ultimately impact her game as well as Alyssa's game.

Monte and Joseph then discussed how they didn't want people to think they were in control and so they would be okay with sitting on the chopping block in order to ensure Daniel would be backdoored. Joseph and Monte were even willing to volunteer to go up in order to build trust.

Later on, "The Leftovers" gathered together in the HoH room, and Taylor announced how Daniel needed to go and was Public Enemy No. 1 in the house.

Taylor liked the idea of Monte and Joseph taking one of the team by going up on the block; she just didn't want to be in jeopardy again.


But Michael was grappling with some private thoughts, revealing in the Diary Room, "I think Monte is a huge threat to win the game. Why would I take out Daniel when that's the best move for Monte and I'm not sure if that's the best move for me at this point?"

After Alyssa gushed about Kyle being "perfect" and them being in a showmance, Daniel approached Michael for a conversation.

Daniel wanted Michael to know that he wasn't a threat to his personal game, and he also pointed out to the HoH how he wasn't winning any competitions like other people in the house.

Daniel suggested to Michael that he could be a number for him to take a big shot at somebody. Daniel insisted that he was ready to play and would be willing to do "any dirty work" that he needed.

Michael admitted Daniel leaving would help other people's games more than his own and Daniel might be a valuable resource for him going forward.

Michael was afraid to make waves, but Brittany acknowledged how they would struggle to get to the end in their alliance, which was "a very strong group."


"If Monte makes it to Final 6, I could see him winning at least one competition because he's the most well-rounded player... I think he's going to be the hardest to beat," Michael told Brittany.

Brittany suggested the majority of the house may agree to band against Monte and Joseph, but Brittany also reasoned how it would be risky and "messy" to throw away "The Leftovers" alliance so early.

At the Nomination Ceremony, Michael announced he had decided to nominate the following "Festie Besties": Monte, Terrance and Joseph.

Michael said he loved and adored all three men and this was not a personal decision. Michael said they appeared to be the strongest group in the house and no one wanted to face off against them in a Power of Veto competition.

"But I like a challenge," Michael joked.

Daniel said having two strong threats on the block was huge for his game, but he also recognized he was a possible backdoor option.


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Meanwhile, Monte had trust in his alliance to keep him safe.

"I have been waiting 20 years to have an HoH reign, and believe me America, I am not going to waste this opportunity," Michael said.







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