Did She Just Speak in Tongues?

When this season of CBS's Big Brother started, Jocasta was really known only as a floater. She wasn't in any major alliance, and she never did very well in competitions, you know, the typical floater M.O. However, in the past week or so, Jocasta has really carved out quite the reputation as one of the most unpredictable houseguests this season. Although we can always rely on Jocasta to look pretty fly in her bow ties, she gave quite an unexpected performance during this week's Battle of the Block competition when she apparently began speaking in tongues.

You may have wanted to just completely forget about Jocasta during the chess-like Battle of the Block competition when she bungled it by blocking herself in a corner, making it impossible to complete any more moves. However, if you did that, you would've missed quite the spectacle. Toward the end of the competition as Jocasta's fellow nominee Amber was getting closer to victory, Jocasta looked as if she had just burst into tears, but it ended up being so much more. She paced back-and-forth, her jaw quivered, her teeth chattered, and she was speaking, but it was completely unintelligible. It looked as though Jocasta felt the spirit, which caused her to speak in tongues.

Speaking in tongues, which is referred to as "glossolalia" in the academic world, is most widely practiced by Pentecostalists and other Christian denominations. When someone speaks in tongues, it is believed that the "Holy Spirit" is speaking through them in a language that only God understands, even if they cannot understand it. Speaking in tongues can apparently happen to anyone who feels the spirit. And for everyone who's watching the person speak in tongues, the whole thing can be a confusing, awkward, and sometimes terrifying experience.

Lest we forget, Jocasta is not only an extremely religious houseguest, she is also a minister at the Northside Baptist Church in Griffin, Georgia. With her religion being a major part of her personal and professional life outside of the house, it only makes sense that Jocasta would bring her faith with her to the Big Brother house. And when you're praying so hard, as she must have been, to not go home, speaking in tongues must be bound to happen.

It looks like Jocasta's prayers were answered, as she and Amber are safe in the house — for now, at least. Last week, Jocasta became incredibly ill after the Battle of the Block competition, and now she's going to have to recuperate from speaking in tongues. I can't wait to see what happens when she's fighting for her life on the block again.

Images: Sonja Flemming/CBS; photographerjean, gina-rio/Tumblr