‘Big Brother 24’ episode 7 recap: Was Pooch or Taylor evicted? And what new twist did Julie drop on the house? [UPDATING LIVE BLOG]

Heading into the seventh episode of “Big Brother 24,” Power of Veto winner Michael Bruner had just decided not to take Taylor Hale or Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli off the block. After telling both nominees they were pawns, Head of Household Jasmine Davis initially targeted the beauty queen, but soon realized the smarter move would be to blindside Pooch. So did the house screw the Pooch? Who is the new HOH? And what new twist did host Julie Chen Moonves have up her sleeve? Find out in tonight’s special two-hour episode.

Below, read our minute-by-minute “Big Brother” recap of Season 24, Episode 7 to find out what happened Sunday, July 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT. Then be sure to sound off in the comments section about your favorite “BB” houseguests on CBS’s reality TV show, who annoys you the most and who you think will ultimately join the “Big Brother” winners list.

The 15 remaining houseguests are: Alyssa Snider, Ameerah Jones, Brittany Hoopes, Daniel Durston, Indiana “Indy” Santos, Jasmine Davis, Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli, Joseph Abdin, Kyle Capener, Matthew “Turner” Turner, Michael Bruner, Monte Taylor, Nicole Layog, Taylor Hale and Terrance Higgins.

Keep refreshing/reloading this “Big Brother” live blog for the most recent updates.

8:00 p.m. – “Previously on ‘Big Brother’!” In the sixth episode, the Veto comp came down to Michael, Taylor and Pooch. Michael allowed Taylor to take her final shot at victory, but when she failed to secure her own safety, he took the win for himself. The Janelle Pierzina superfan opted not to take anyone off the block and the house’s mission to blindside Pooch remains in full swing.

8:10 p.m. — Following the Veto meeting, Pooch remains thrilled that he’s still on the block and thinks his Oasis alliance will keep him safe. He gives a shout out to “petty girls” for going after Taylor for no reason. Meanwhile, Taylor plans to keep acting like she’s the one going home. Meanwhile, Alyssa and Kyle are on the brink of a full-blown showmance.

8:15 p.m. — Turner is letting everyone know about his rug sewing skills and also fills his housemates in on the world record he holds for rattling off all 50 states in alphabetical order. Did you know he can also lick his own elbow? Well, you do now. Later, Joseph tells Kyle and Monte that he has a gut feeling that the girls will send Pooch home. Of course, Monte and Kyle already know the plan is to bounce Pooch out of the house because they’re part of the Po’s Pack alliance. Monte is having second thoughts, and Kyle also feels bad that Joseph is out of the loop on Pooch’s blindside. Alyssa makes things more complicated when she reveals to Kyle that the girls have an alliance. Why, Alyssa, why? So much for Girls Girls.

8:23 p.m. — A blindside seems all but certain, but with the house dividing along gender lines, who will be blindsided? The Girls Girls alliance is starting to warm up to Taylor even though she’s not in their alliance. She has pledged to target a man if she wins HOH. She goes as far as to tell Ameerah she’ll take out Monte, and Ameerah quickly spills the beans. Monte responds by telling Ameerah they need to evict Taylor this week, not Pooch. Ameerah immediately regrets telling Monte that Taylor is gunning for him. Ya think? Later, Monte pleads the case to evict Taylor again — this time to Nicole and Ameerah. Nicole is annoyed and she can see a mens alliance forming already. She also thinks Pooch has a God complex. Nicole forcefully shuts Monte down, “Period, end of story.” I love Nicole.

8:24 p.m. — Nicole refuses to let men run the game. While talking to Alyssa and Indy, Nicole says this is the strongest female cast in BB history and they won’t break. She has no idea that Alyssa has practically already folded to Kyle. Hopefully Nicole can reel her back in. There is a full-on gender war.

8:42 p.m. — It’s time for the first vote and eviction of the summer! Pooch and Taylor both give nice, but forgettable speeches that won’t sway anyone. Then the rest of the houseguests head to the DR and cast their votes to evict. By a vote of 12-0, Pooch has been evicted. He looks disappointed and surprised, so I guess the news hadn’t leaked.

8:49 p.m. — Julie orders everyone to the living room so she can announce a new twist. Starting tonight, each player will have a “Festie Bestie” they will be playing this game with. If someone wins HOH, their bestie is also safe for the week. And instead of nominating two individuals, the HOH will nominate a set of besties. On eviction night, the besties on the block will be broken up when one is sent home. What happens to the bestie remaining in the house? Julie will reveal that at Thursday’s live eviction ceremony.

8:55 p.m. — It’s time for the HOH competition! As the outgoing HOH, Jasmine is not eligible to play. In “Get Lit,” competitors will hold down a button on their lighter and music will begin. When the music stops, they must immediately sit down, activating a sensor in their seat. The last houseguest to activate their sensor in each round is eliminated. When they ARE eliminated, they’ll have a huge decision to make. If they’re the first person eliminated, they can choose to become Jasmine’s bestie, or take a seat at an open table. Then, someone still in the game could choose them as their bestie when they get eliminated. Tonight’s winner will become HOH and automatically become the bestie of the last person without a partner. There’s some strategy to this!

9:06 p.m. — The HOH competition has started. We find out that Turner found out that Pooch was getting evicted just four hours before it happened. I was wondering how the vote became unanimous. I’m still a little surprised that not even Joseph threw Pooch a single vote. Does the entire house really target someone for throwing a vote to their best friend? I guess so. Anyways, Terrance is the first houseguest to be eliminated from the HOH contest. No big surprise there. He chooses not to team up with Jasmine and sits down at an empty table. Next, Brittany sits at an empty table as well. It’s smart for the weaker players to stay away from each other, so if they end up on the block they are less likely to be evicted. Joe is the next to take a seat, followed by Michael who quits on purpose. Michael teams up with Brittany, feeling like he would be safe in a vote against her.

9:13 p.m. — Taylor lets go of her lighter and sits down at an empty table. She’s the only player I’m certain wanted to win this, so it will be interesting to see how this goes. Monte is eliminated next and chooses to team up with Joe. The entire Po’s Pack alliance is trying to avoid teaming up with each other so a pawn can be sacrificed, no matter who is on the block. Nicole gets eliminated and sits next to Taylor. Indy goes next and sits at an empty table. Only one empty table remains, so Daniel throws this round so he can sit there. Kyle is eliminated next and chooses Daniel as his bestie.

9:20 p.m. — Only Alyssa, Ameerah and Turner remain in this HOH competition. Alyssa finishes in third place and sits next to Indy. Turner wins the last round and hopes to avenge his best friend Pooch’s eviction. Ameerah chooses to sit next to Terrance, leaving Turner with Jasmine. That means Jasmine has safety for the second week in a row.

9:29 p.m. — The whole house celebrates, pretending they’re happy for Turner. The new HOH thinks Nicole and Ameerah are running the house and he’s right. They’re two of the most powerful players in the game. Meanwhile, Brittany is in a total panic because she think Michael made a huge mistake by choosing her as a bestie. She thinks Michael is a huge target and she can’t imagine being the house without her. Meanwhile, Michael is certain he would stay in the house over Brittany and he’s right. Brittany has no idea what is going on in this house. Over in the pantry, Kyle and Daniel are saying “bro” and “dude” so much that I can barely hear anything else. No idea what their plan of attack is.

9:32 p.m. — Taylor is devastated she lost the HOH and fears going on the block again. Nicole hopes it won’t happen, but privately knows she has Taylor as a shield. Why the house is more focused on evicting Taylor than Nicole is complete delusion, but it’s fine with me! Nicole is one of my favorite players in the game. So far, all the pairs seem happy with each other. The Po’s Pack alliance pledges allegiance to each other and reiterates that they must use their current partners as shields to stay in the game.

9:45 p.m. — Everyone heads up to the HOH room to watch Turner cry while he reads a letter from his girlfriend that he hasn’t seen 2 weeks. Next, Turner’s partner Jasmine has to choose Have Nots for the week. The days of volunteering for slop are over. Jasmine chooses Alyssa and Indy, the only pair of Festie Besties who haven’t been Have Nots yet. Indy is pissed about it and her reaction upsets the other houseguests. Will this put a target on her and Alyssa? Meanwhile, Nicole is focused on the secret advantage or disadvantage that comes with being the remaining bestie after one is eliminated on Thursday. To keep the power in her hands, she pitches to her alliance that Michael and Brittany should go up as pawns this week, but Taylor and herself should go up as a backdoor. Then, Taylor will be evicted and Nicole can control the power.

9:50 p.m. — Turner chats with Kyle, Joe and Daniel in the HOH room. Joe thinks Michael is a comp king (he has won every Veto contest this season). Other names being thrown around for eviction are Brittany, Taylor and Nicole. One thing is certain, these four boys are sticking together. But it’s up to Turner who ultimately gets targeted this week.

9:59 p.m. — Nicole and Taylor enter the HOH room to hash things out with Turner. Nicole says her and Taylor are a force to be reckoned with. Taylor thanks Turner for keeping her around this week (as if he had a choice). Later, Brittany barges into the HOH room and makes Turner completely uncomfortable. She’s so bad at the social aspect of this game. Turner tells Brittany’s bestie Michael that they might go on the block because nobody trusts Brittany. Michael has zero trust for Turner and I would love to see this war get started. Finally, it’s time for Turner to announce this week’s nominees: Michael and Brittany.

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