Are Jeff & Jackie Working Together on 'BB 17'?

Love or it hate it, the Big Brother Takeover Twist is really stirring things up in the house, and it started early when Phil Keoghan of The Amazing Race introduced Jeff and Jackie as the final two houseguests. The duo met on the latest season of the show, where they were matched up on a season-long blind date. So far, Jackie and Jeff’s dating history has come up in the house, and there have been lots of discussions about whether Jackie and Jeff have an alliance in the Big Brother game.

There’s no doubt that Jeff and Jackie shared quite a lot during their time on The Amazing Race, and possibly even hooked up. In Austin and Jeff’s “podcast” in the house, they both opened up a bit about their experience dating and where they stand now. Both made it seem like it was all in the past, but some of the houseguests are super skeptical. They’ve thrown around the idea that the two might be married or engaged.

What’s the big deal? So what if they know each other, and who cares how much they’re working together, if at all? Well, a main theory among the hardcore BB fans in the house – folks like Austin and Jason – is that Jeff and Jackie are working together and trying to be discreet about it so they can make it to the finale and win even more money.

This theory may sound as ridiculous as the Clay-has-a-twin rumor, but there's a history behind this speculation. One of the twists in Season 6, the "Summer of Secrets," was that seven pairs were playing the game together in secret, with each pair thinking they were the only one. If a pair remained intact through the end and made the final two, the winner would win $1,000,000 and the runner-up would go home with $250,000. For the Big Brother winner, that would have been double the standard prize money and – dun dun dun – the prize that usually goes to the winning pair on The Amazing Race.

It seems that this million-dollar-prize is giving weight to the rumor that Jeff and Jackie might be this season’s Pair Twist. As Austin said to Jason on the feeds, “Isn’t this a second chance for The Amazing Race couple? They probably get a million dollars if they make it to the end together.”

Jeff and Jackie do seem to have side conversations, but not much more than any other two people who are friendly and have even a loose alliance together. And, although Jeff has a tendency of telling Jackie what to do, he does that with everyone, so is it his general sense of entitlement or an alliance to the end? Time will tell… Assuming Jeff survives this week's eviction, of course.

For all the up-to-date info on the Big Brother twists, as well as everything else going on in the house, check out Bustle’s very own Big Brother podcast, The Diary Room. Listen to the latest episode below, and be sure to check out future episodes on Bustle’s SoundCloud page.

Want even more Big Brother? Bustle’s App has you covered. It’s THE go-to place for any BB fan looking for round-the-clock Season 17 updates. BUT FIRST, you need to download the app from iTunes.

Images: Cliff Lipson; screengrab/CBS