Does Liz Know About Austin's Girlfriend On 'BB17'?

OK, look: It's time to have a real conversation about this whole Austin and Liz showmance thing on Big Brother. With Shelli and Clay getting all the showmance attention, it can be tough to keep track of the other pairings in the Big Brother 17 house. Between speculation, mild flirtations, hardcore crushing, and obvious attractions, we've got Jeff and Liz/Julia, Meg and James, Jeff and Meg sorta, Austin and Jackie sorta, John and Becky, and, my personal favorite, Austin and Liz. Well... I say personal favorite because I think they make a really great odd couple kind of pairing, but they are also kind of a hot mess. For example, Austin recently told Liz about his girlfriend situation, and it's a little fuzzy.

From the moment Austin stepped into the house, he made it clear that he had a girlfriend, and there was no way he was having a showmance. Despite that, there was a growing attraction to and bond with Liz/Julia, aka Lizia. After forming the Tres Amigos alliance (Jace, Lizia, Austin) and working out together almost daily, Austin and Lizia were spending a lot of time together. Everything started off innocent and platonic, but something has definitely shifted in the last few days.

In the live feed highlights, you can chronicle the latest developments in the Austin and Lizia showmance saga, starting on July 13 with a conversation between Austin and Vanessa about Liz's "true colors." Although Austin was still making it seem as if his concern over Liz spending time with Jeff was about protecting the Twin Twist, there was something off about their chat, and Vanessa noticed.

Since then, Austin has flipped out on Jeff over Liz, Vanessa has talked to Liz or Julia or both (y'all, I can't keep track anymore, they're annoying me) about whether or not she's into Austin, Vanessa has tried to get Liz and Austin to kiss, Liz has confessed to Vanessa that Julia doesn't like her/their flirtation with Austin, Austin and Liz have had a "date," and now Austin has told Liz that he's in an open relationship while on the show.

WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING?!

Let's address the Austin thing first. Everyone assumes right now he's being a scumbag liar at worst and sketchy at best. As much as I love Austin, I'm on board with that. I mean, come on, he goes from absolutely, no way, not having a showmance to ehhhhhhh, maybe to absolutely, yes? He must see how that's confusing. The sad thing about it is he does seem to genuinely like Liz.

Moving on to Liz, I agree that Liz is likely using Austin's flirtation to get ahead in the game, but she's going to need to get smarter about it for it to actually work. Or at least be less annoying about it. Vanessa has urged Liz to decide if she likes him and how she'll interact with him based on that. Liz did go from, "I don't know if I like him," to "I like him," but there's no telling what's going to happen when the twins switch this week. It's pretty confusing, but at least Liz knows what she would be getting herself into if she did start a showmance with Austin. Whether he was entirely honest about his "open relationship," I don't know. It's going to be an interesting season.

So far, Austin and Liz's relationship is not physical, but some may argue emotional cheating. It's going to be tricky to keep track of, which is why you should check out Bustle’s very own Big Brother podcast, The Diary Room for all the up to date information about what's going on in the house. 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.