Big Brother as a game is notorious for betrayal and backstabbing. When 16 strangers enter a house, it's likely that at the start everyone will become fast friends, but at some point the game has to be played. James Huling entered the Big Brother house as a likable, down-to-earth guy who was easy to become friends with and it's no surprise that he quickly became attached to the southern hunk of man that is Clay Honeycutt, and by proxy his showmance partner Shelli. Now that James has targeted Clay and Shelli by putting them both on the block, their friendship is in absolute shambles and may be impossible to repair. The anger between James and Clelli shows that the only kind of person that can generate more hate than an enemy, is an enemy who used to be a friend.
What happened that led to James putting up the showmance that he used to be so friendly with? Is it entirely a response to Shelli and Clay possibly being involved with Jason going home last week, or has this tension been slowly building since the start of the season? This timeline of James' connection with the showmance members will help trace the evolution from pals to adversaries.
In The Beginning...
Upon entering the house, James became quick pals with Clay and the two would regularly goof around. James also had a good working relationship with Shelli, who he was in a short-lived, never-named alliance with. They worked in conjunction with the rest of the house to solidify the exit of Jace.
Love Is In The Air
The Clay and Shelli showmance quickly formed as their chemistry was instant. James, becoming good friends with Clay and having worked well with Shelli, found an opportunity to work with two people he enjoyed spending time with in the house and attempted to bring them into the unsuccessful High Rollers alliance. (High Rollers 2.0 was equally unsuccessful.) Ill-advised alliances aside, the partnership of James and Clelli seemed strong.
A House Divided
The connection between James and Clelli found its first big obstacle when the two season-defining alliances of BB17 were formed. This turning point in the season resulted in the formation of the Sixth Sense and the After Dark Crew, which pushed James and Clelli to opposite sides of the house. The Sixth Sense very quickly dominated the house, leaving the After Dark Crew to try and survive as people on the outside of the Sixth Sense were being sent home every week.
A Bromance For The Ages
Despite being on opposite sides of the house, the bromance with James and Clay only grew stronger the longer they were in the house. Aside from Shelli, James was arguably Clay's closest connection in the house. James even went so far as to try and set up his buddy Clay to get a kiss from the girl he likes during a game of Truth or Dare, as a real pal would.
A House United
After the havoc that Audrey caused during her time in the house, James was part of the effort to bridge the gap between the two alliances to get Audrey out of the house. After the success of Audrey's removal, these two alliances came together once again to evict a member of the Sixth Sense. The Dark Moon alliance sought to punish Austin for his betrayal of Sixth Sense, as well as his disinterest in personal boundaries. Everything was going according to plan, and it seemed as though the house was in unity.
The Blindside
That "unity" the house was in lasted about three days. Shelli and Clay helped orchestrate a massive blindside, betraying the freshly-made Dark Moon alliance and sending home one of their biggest competitors and the figurehead of the After Dark Crew, Jason. This betrayal of trust hurt all the members of Dark Moon, but especially those closest to Jason such as James.
The Revenge Of James
After having turned their back on the rest of Dark Moon, James made an impressive display at the HoH competition following Jason's eviction. Jason used mind games to make Clay feel tired and made a deal with Shelli to keep her safe if she allowed him to win the HoH. James immediately went back on this deal and nominated Clay and Shelli in retribution for what they had done the week before, infuriating the showmance.
Now Clay and Shelli have been scrambling to try and get their former friend back on their side, but James seems to be dead set on sticking to his plan and showing everyone what happens when you blindside the rest of the house. For more on these bold game moves, check out Bustle's BB17 podcast and find more episodes on our Soundcloud page.
Image: CBS
