The Housemates are licking their wounds after a loss at the Wager Task Presentation. They’re putting a brave face on it, but this is not going to work out well for them.

This week’s been very tough on the Housemates: they’ve stayed up late, rehearsed over and over again, fought, argued, wept, punished. Their efforts were – unfortunately – for nothing.

After a valiant effort, Big Brother informed the Housemates that they had lost their Wager Task – an outcome that cost them 100% of their luxuries. It was a cruel finish to a brutal week.

The question is – what now? They’ve become used to winning the Wagers. They won two in a row, and the Head of House that presided over the first of those – Sis Tamara – also presided over this loss.

Despite having widespread admiration amongst the Housemates, some of them thought that Tamara should be taking more charge, and this loss is only going to convince them that they were right.

Then there’s the issue of Mphowabadimo. Fans were ecstatic at her presenting skills, but some of the Housemates (like Tulz) were upset that she went off-script. While it is highly unlikely that her deviation from instructions played much of a role in the outcome, people will be looking for a scapegoat, and Mpho’s position in the House is not a strong one when it comes to interpersonal relationships with the other Housemates.

There has already been talk whether she might get Nominated on Monday. It would be just that, though – a Nomination, not an Eviction. At least, not yet anyway. As mentioned, she garnered great praise for her efforts during the Task, so they might very well save her from having to walk through the doors.

There is also the talk that some of the Housemates are perceived as lazy. Norman, Gash1 and Nale spring to mind.

To be fair, there is always going to be somebody who is perceived to be less committed than others, but the fact that they’ve just lost this Task – coupled with their general sense of exhaustion – means that the other Housemates are likely to lash out in the only way they have that counts: Nomination.

With tempers stretched thin, and supplies running even thinner, the next few days are going to be… well, a stretch. Stay tuned to see what snaps.