Power Analysis Episode 25 · August 27, 2026
Drew Changed the Matchup—Not the Whole Power Structure.
Drew's Blockbuster win took him off the block and left Mallory facing Taylor. The win changed the choice facing the voters, but it showed competition performance—not that Drew could control their votes. Mallory's relationships still carried Referent Power: Barrett and Melody acted on their loyalty and voted to keep her. Dee used Legitimate and Coercive Power during her HOH to determine who faced danger, but Mallory's 6–2 eviction did not mean Dee controlled all six voters. Devens also mattered: players in Dee's core treated his threat analysis as useful, demonstrating Expert and Informational Power. The result came from several kinds of power working at once, and each reached different players.
01
Episode at a Glance
An Exposed Target, a Five-Vote Counterplan, and a Blockbuster Win Reshaped Eviction Night.
After the veto meeting, Dee remained HOH, LaTrice was safe, and Drew, Mallory, and Taylor faced the BB Blockbuster. Mallory began campaigning while Barrett and Melody looked for votes to protect her. At the same time, Dee's core privately settled on Mallory as the target while allowing her side to believe that Taylor would leave. Yash also promised Mallory his vote.
The plan stopped being secret when Haley revealed that Mallory was the real target. Drew accepted the plan, but Barrett refused and said his trust in Drew had been damaged. Barrett then organized a conditional five-vote path to evict Drew if Drew remained vulnerable. Yash, LaTrice, Taylor, Melody, and Mallory were part of that plan depending on the final matchup. The group reconfirmed the plan before the live show, while Drew rejected advice to throw the Blockbuster.
Drew won the BB Grand Cliptacular and received Guaranteed Safety, leaving Mallory and Taylor as the final nominees. His win eliminated the matchup Barrett's coalition had prepared for. Barrett and Melody voted to evict Taylor, but Angela, Drew, Yash, Haley, Devens, and LaTrice voted to evict Mallory. Mallory left 6–2, Yash did not deliver the vote he had promised her, and the split exposed fractures in several alliances and relationships as Dee's HOH week ended.
Drew saved himself, Taylor survived, and Dee's preferred target left.
Mallory left; Barrett and Melody lost the player they openly protected.
Dee's temporary HOH authority ended. Several named alliances showed visible fractures.
02
Power
Key Episode 25 Power Evidence
These are the clearest and most consequential examples of power demonstrated during Episode 25—not a complete list of every observed or attempted use. Visit the individual player pages for each player's full power profile, supporting evidence, and changes over time.
| Power | Clearest Episode 25 Evidence | Response and Importance | Reach, Limit, and Score Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legitimate | As HOH, Dee held the recognized right to nominate players, name a replacement, and break a tie. | Her office determined who faced eviction danger and supported the week's target structure. | The authority did not prove control of six votes and expired at the eviction. Dee: 4 → 1. |
| Reward | Mallory offered future protection while campaigning; Dee retained relationships through which she could provide value. | The offers showed what each player could make available, but no new group of voters was shown changing because of a promised benefit. | The evidence did not cross a new rating level. Existing Reward Power stayed the same. |
| Coercive | Dee's HOH made nomination, replacement, and possible tiebreak consequences credible during the week. | Players had to plan around the danger created by her office. | The threat came from temporary HOH authority and expired with it. Dee: 4 → 1. |
| Expert | Devens compared Mallory's threat with the alternatives, and players in Dee's core used that judgment. | His comparison helped them treat Mallory as the more important target before the live vote. | Alliance and matchup reasons also mattered. The evidence supported Devens's existing rating rather than sole credit or a higher score. |
| Referent | Barrett and Melody acted on their relationship with Mallory and delivered the votes they had promised. | Their votes demonstrated real, costly protection when the decision became public. | The protection reached two voters, not the six needed to save Mallory. Existing Referent ratings were supported. |
| Informational | Dee concealed the target, Haley exposed it, Barrett organized an alternate plan, and Devens explained why Mallory was dangerous. | Information repeatedly changed what different players understood and which plans they considered usable. | No single source controlled the final vote, and the episode did not justify a new rating level. |
Legitimate Power
Dee's HOH gave her official control over the nomination process. That power placed Mallory in danger, but it did not make every voter Dee's follower, and it ended with the week.
Reward Power
Mallory offered future protection, but the evidence does not show that the offer brought her additional votes. A promised benefit matters only when it changes someone's response.
Coercive Power
Dee could create nomination consequences while she was HOH. Once the cycle ended, that official threat disappeared even though her relationships and information remained useful.
Expert Power
Devens mattered because other players used his threat comparison, not simply because Mallory eventually left. Their other motives keep him from receiving sole credit.
Referent Power
Mallory's bonds with Barrett and Melody produced two real votes. The relationships worked, but their reach was too narrow for the Taylor matchup.
Informational Power
Several players changed the house's understanding: Dee concealed, Haley revealed, Barrett reorganized, and Devens interpreted. The information battle was shared rather than controlled by one player.
Where the Power Is
Dee's Power Score Falls When Her HOH Ends, Putting Devens in the Lead
Current Power Leaderboard
The Total Power Score is the sum of six current ratings, each scored from 1 to 4. It describes demonstrated influence—not a probability of winning, a competition ranking, or an exact amount of power. With ten active players at this cutoff, the leaderboard shows everyone.
Lower Total Power Scores indicate less demonstrated influence under RPM's six power categories at this evidence cutoff. They do not automatically indicate poor strategy, imminent eviction, or weak competition ability.
His Comparison Helped Define Mallory as the Larger Threat.
Other players in the core used that comparison. It mattered because defining the larger threat can shape a vote before anyone enters the Diary Room. Their alliance and matchup reasons prevent sole credit.
Her HOH Ended; Her Social Power Did Not.
Her nominations and possible tiebreak were real formal power. She now needs voluntary support because the rules of HOH no longer strengthen her influence.
One Majority Vote Did Not Create a New Power Level.
Angela chose to evict Mallory, but voting with the majority does not prove that she caused another player's decision. Her existing six-part profile therefore stayed the same.
He Built a Usable but Matchup-Specific Coalition.
Several players accepted his Drew-out plan, and Melody delivered protection for Mallory. Drew's safety and refusal to follow Barrett showed exactly where that influence stopped.
Six Votes Kept Her, but They Were Not Six Promises of Loyalty.
Some voters were removing Mallory rather than committing to Taylor. Taylor still needs to learn which of those voters will protect her in a different matchup.
Episode 25 Power Shift
Dee's Total Power Score Falls by 6 When Her HOH Ends
Why: Her HOH ended, so the official authority to nominate, name a replacement, or impose nomination consequences expired with it.
What changed: Legitimate Power 4 → 1; Coercive Power 4 → 1.
What stayed the same: Reward Power 3, Expert Power 3, Referent Power 3, and Informational Power 4.
Why it matters: Dee can still offer value, provide strategic judgment, rely on relationships, and influence decisions with information. What she lost was the ability to use HOH rules and nomination consequences to support that influence.
03
Alliances & Relationships
The Vote Exposed Which Relationships and Alliances Still Worked
Relationship strength becomes visible when a bond changes what someone is willing to do. Alliance strength requires more: members must coordinate, share information, protect one another, or vote together. This section highlights the relationships and alliances that most affected Episode 25, including groups that suddenly became less meaningful because their members stopped acting together.
Most Significant Relationships
Barrett and Melody → Mallory
Both delivered the votes they promised. Their loyalty produced real protection, but only from two voters.
Barrett ↔ Drew
Barrett organized a plan against Drew and asked him to throw the Blockbuster. Drew rejected the advice, and Barrett reported that his trust had been damaged.
Yash → Mallory
Yash promised Mallory his vote, then voted to evict her. The difference between his words and action showed that Mallory could not rely on that protection.
Dee ↔ Barrett
The episode did not show a meaningful repair. Barrett resisted the Mallory plan and continued building outside Dee's preferred structure.
Most Significant Alliances and Voting Groups
| Alliance or group | Status | What it did | Why it mattered—and the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Icons | Effective this week | Its members helped maintain the Mallory target and supplied the votes needed to remove her. | The group produced a usable majority, but shared motives mean the result did not belong to one member or prove permanent unity. |
| FAP | Pair held; alliance failed | Barrett and Melody protected Mallory, while Drew voted against her after Barrett had organized a plan to evict him. | The Barrett–Melody pair worked. The larger alliance did not act as one group. |
| Crossovers | Fractured | Members landed on opposing sides of the target and vote. | The alliance name no longer described coordinated protection or a shared decision. |
| Mosh Pit | Operationally collapsed | It did not organize a meaningful shared response to the exposed target or final matchup. | A named alliance that no longer produces coordinated behavior should not be treated as active power. |
| LaTrice–Taylor–Yash Group | Locally significant | Its connections helped create a conditional anti-Drew route and contributed to Taylor's survival. | The group mattered in this situation, but its next-cycle durability and Taylor-specific loyalty remain unproven. |
04
Strategy, Luck & the Game
Drew Controlled His Performance—Not Everyone's Vote.
Drew earned safety in the Blockbuster. The game format then removed him from the vote. That result did not give him authority over another player's decision or prove lasting trust.
Mallory's strongest verified plan depended on facing Drew. The twist changed that matchup before the vote, leaving the unplayed alternative uncertain.
05
What We're Analyzing
Why Mallory Lost
Mallory Had Real Relationship Power.
Her Referent Power reached Barrett and Melody. Both acted on their loyalty and voted to keep her. Those delivered votes matter because they show that Mallory was not powerless simply because she lost.
Her Attempted Reward Power Did Not Broaden the Coalition.
Mallory offered future protection while campaigning. The offer gave voters something they could value, but the evidence does not show it changing enough additional decisions. An offer is attempted power until another player responds because of it.
Her Strongest Protection Depended on Drew Remaining Vulnerable.
Barrett used Referent and Informational Power to assemble a conditional five-vote path against Drew. That route was real, but it was built for one matchup. When Drew became safe, the protection did not transfer to Mallory against Taylor.
Dee's Formal Power Placed Mallory in Danger.
Dee's Legitimate and Coercive Power controlled the nomination structure and the consequences players had to consider. That authority exposed Mallory to eviction, but it did not mean Dee personally controlled every vote.
Devens Helped Define Mallory as the Larger Threat.
Players in Dee's core used his threat comparison, supporting Expert and Informational Power. His judgment mattered, while alliance interests and individual matchup preferences remained additional reasons for their decisions.
The Six-Vote Majority Was Not One Unified Power Bloc.
Some voters wanted Mallory out, some were protecting Taylor, and some were following relationships or alliance interests. Six people reached the same result without proving six identical motives or one person's control.
Drew Changed the Matchup Through Performance.
His Guaranteed Safety removed the matchup attached to Mallory's strongest verified route. That was important competition performance and game structure, not evidence that Drew persuaded the six voters.
The Unplayed Alternative Remains Uncertain.
Five conditional anti-Drew votes were recorded, but that matchup never happened. RPM can identify a credible path without claiming that an unplayed vote was guaranteed.
Mallory lost because the power she possessed was real but too concentrated for the matchup she received. Her relationships produced two votes and helped create a conditional route against Drew, but they did not reach enough voters against Taylor. Dee's temporary authority, Devens's threat analysis, individual voter motives, the nomination structure, and Drew's Blockbuster win all contributed. Mallory's eviction ended her game. It did not mean that she had no power.
06
If They Could See the Model
Best Moves Right Now
Barrett
Turn the exposed split into clear protection deals. Repair honestly with Drew or stop treating that relationship as reliable.
Player Page Coming SoonDee
Treat the 6–2 result as a one-week majority and learn who will still help her now that her HOH has ended.
Player Page Coming SoonDevens
Build protection outside Dee and Angela while giving other players room to name the next target.
Player Page →Drew
Separate winning safety from having social protection and seek direct repair with Barrett and Melody.
Player Page Coming SoonTaylor
Ask at least two of the six people who kept her whether they will protect her again in a different matchup.
Player Page Coming Soon07
What This Episode Tells Us
An Eviction Result Is Not a Complete Map of Power.
Dee's preferred target left, but the six-vote majority did not belong to Dee alone. Taylor stayed, but six votes did not automatically mean six loyal supporters. Barrett and Melody lost the vote, yet demonstrated real protection. Drew won safety, but the win did not repair damaged relationships.
This matters beyond how Episode 25 is scored. Dee must now reproduce influence without HOH authority; Taylor must discover which survival votes can become durable protection; Barrett must decide whether a coalition that almost worked can survive the failed matchup; and Devens must manage the danger created when others recognize how often his threat framing shapes the target.
08
Gameplay Predictions
What to Watch Next
- Will Barrett and Drew repair their damaged relationship, or begin playing against each other?
- Which of the six players who kept Taylor will protect her again when the target changes?
- Now that Dee is no longer HOH, which players will still support her without the power of nominations behind her?
- Can Devens keep influencing who becomes the target without convincing the house that he should be next?
- When Yash has to repay Dee's BB Bribe, will he honor the deal?