Liz & Austin's 'BB17' Showmance Timeline

Big Brother showmances have become as much a part of the show as the alliances and competitions, and Season 17 has two for us to enjoy: Shelli and Clay, and Austin and Liz. The main difference between these pairings, of course, is that Clay and Shelli seem to actually like each other, while Liz and Austin are a Big Brother nomance. Showmance or not, it's been brewing for some time, going all the way back to when Jace — remember him?! — was still in the house.

At this point, I think we can all pretty much guess where this is going: Liz will keep playing Austin, Austin will keep thinking they are well on their way to a relationship once they're off the show, Austin will be deeply embarrassed when he goes home and realizes it was all an act. As clear as the future is, and as sad as this fauxmance has become, you may be wondering, "How on earth did we get to this point?"

Let's look back at the timeline of Austin and Liz's relationship.

Day 1: It's hard to say what Austin and Liz thought of each other way back in Day 1, but that was when Austin was still sticking to his, "I can't have a showmance, I have a girlfriend" story. Still, he seemed to be drawn to her from the start.

Days 1-15: Austin and Liz/Julia, both aligned with Jace, spend quite a bit of time together, whether it's working out or working together in the Tres Amigos alliance. Austin has since admitted that even way back then, he was super into Liz. (Or was it Julia? He swears it was just Liz.)

Day 15: This is the day of Jace's eviction, which I think cleared the way for Austin to pursue Liz — in his mind, anyway. Austin's loyalty to his Shelltown and Tres Amigos alliance member seems to have been more solid than what he had for his girlfriend.

Day 22: Austin learns that his crush is actually two totally different people. His mind is blown as all the BB fans collectively shake their heads.

That very night, Austin wins HOH and receives a letter from his girlfriend. He seems surprised about this and says that he guesses she's still his girlfriend.

Day 26: Austin tells Vanessa he doesn't like Liz and would not pursue a showmance with her because he has a girlfriend.

Day 27: Austin catches Jeff and Liz snuggled up in bed and FREAKS OUT. Blaming it on testosterone did absolutely nothing to make this scenario seem normal. Then the live feeders got to see Liz expertly play each of these guys, and come out of the situation with two even stronger allies.

Drama-filled as the day is, it seems to lay a solid foundation for what comes next...

Day 28: A lot happens for Lizstin on this day.

First, Austin switches up his girlfriend story, and they're suddenly in an open relationship of sorts. Then, Liz tells Vanessa that girlfriend or no girlfriend, she's just not that into him. And then, Liz and Austin have their first date in the HOH room. Complete with blankets and Sprite Zero, this was quite a romantic night, at least by BB standards.

Day 29: Jeff is evicted.

Days 29-38: With Jeff gone, Austin and Liz are together all. the. time.

Day 38: Austin kisses Liz. So forced, so gross.

Day 42: Austin refers to his girlfriend as his ex-girlfriend when talking to Liz and Vanessa about auditioning for BB16. I think in Austin-land that makes Liz his girlfriend now. For more on whatever you want to call this Big Brother 17 twosome, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.

Image: Sonja Flemming/CBS