Why Haven't 'BB17's Shelli & Clay Hooked Up Yet?

OK, this is starting to get pretty egregious. On Big Brother 17, some house guests wasted no time out of the gate before jumping right into a showmance with each other, and that showmance seems to be a little stalled. I am speaking, of course, about the Shelli Poole and Clay Honeycutt showmance, one that was foreshadowed and then launched in the very first episode of the season. Shelli and Clay have been literally inseparable from day one, so much so that, when Shelli was Head of Household, Clay controlled her entire gameplay. Whether you support their showmance, or think they need to be kept as far away from each other as possible because they're starting to get cocky and to put an even larger target on their backs, there can be no denying that the fact that Shelli and Clay haven't hooked up yet is getting kind of weird. Are they ever going to just showmance already?

It's particularly weird because Clay and Shelli already sleep in the same bed together and, no, not side-by-side with the occasional shy touch — like, Clay full on sleeps half on top of her. She has kissed him on the cheek, and they have cuddled in the hammock in the backyard together. They spend literally all their time together, and any time they spend alone is quickly interrupted by the other one. They trust each other the most in this game — or, rather, Shelli trusts Clay the most in this game — and they are basically the alliance with the biggest target on their backs right now. You'd think they'd get the showmance part of the showmance on already before one of them gets evicted for being so obvious about their attachment to each other.

During one episode of Big Brother, Clay jokingly asked Shelli for a kiss, and she shot him down, so maybe she's waiting until they get to know each other a little better? Maybe she wants this showmance to be something that lasts outside of the house? After all, Shelli is 10 years older than Clay, in her 30s while he is in his 20s, and she might be looking for more than just a little casual summer fun. Sure, Clay hasn't exactly played the part of your typical college flirt-bro with anyone but Shelli, but he's also clearly in high-intensity flirt mode whenever she's around. If they want to make their showmance something that will last, as unlikely as that would be, then they need to take it slow.

Then again, maybe Shelli isn't the one holding things up here. Maybe she's totally on board to get the showmancing part of the showmance out of the way, and it's Clay who has put the breaks on their relationship for now. After all, the way Clay controlled Shelli's reign as HoH has many people, myself included, suspicious about his intentions toward her, and wondering if he's only flirting with her so he can pull her strings to get himself further in the game. However, Clay doesn't seem like a bad person, at least, you know, personality-wise, so it could be that he doesn't want to go to the next level of actually hooking up with Shelli just to control her game. If they make it all the way to jury, it's incredibly unlikely that Shelli would vote for him in the Final Two if she figured out his strategy was to kiss her and then talk smack about her behind her back.

At the end of the day, we pretty much just end up playing the waiting game with Clay and Shelli. It took Nicole and Hayden until Jury House to properly get together even after sharing a few kisses on Big Brother 16. Maybe Shelli and Clay just like to play the long game. You know, romantically. In the meantime, at least we won't be short of "Slay" moments to swoon over (or roll our eyes at) in the meantime.

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