My Big Brother 9 thought of the night is that only on CBS could they figure out a way to cross-promote a drama about post-apocalyptic America (Jericho) on a trash reality show about being stuck in figurative purgatory with amoral people you can’t stand and who are probably out to get you. Then again, maybe that is what post-apocalyptic America will be like? Hmmmnm, maybe we’re in post-apocalyptic America right now? 

Anyway, the headlines from Big Brother 9 Day 15 are:

• Sharon and Joshuah won “power of veto” but chose not to use it to save either Amanda and Alex or Natalie and Matt.
• Both Allison and Amanda became ill at the same time and had to go to the hospital though not for the same reasons.
• Sheila just might be crazy.
• The women are stuck in bikinis for a week while the men get to wear regular clothes.
• Amanda just might be a Republican who endorses GOP presidential nominee front runner John McCain.

The show began with Amanda, the paralegal from Fridley, Minnesota,  saying she isn’t surprised James and Chelsia nominated her and Alex for eviction because they are by far the strongest competitors. Alex believes everything is Amanda’s fault and that she is the only reason he was put up on the chopping block. Amanda tried to reach out to Alex saying he should keep a positive attitude. Alex basically told her to get lost and that she is the only one he is mad at.

Matt is still reeling because “crazy” James lied to him. James promised he wouldn’t nominate Matt and Natalie but then did it anyway. James brushed it off saying basically too bad so sad you’re supposed to lie, cheat and steal on Big Brother. Alex also vowed revenge against James if he and Amanda make it through another week.

In another inexplicable turn, Sheila decided that her only real friend in the Big Brother house, Allison, has betrayed her. Sheila ranted to anyone who would listen how Allison thinks she’s better than Sheila because of her formal education. In another twisted moment, Sheila told some of Allison’s secrets to other house guests. When Allison finally got wind of what Sheila was up to, she confronted her to which Sheila kept repeating that maybe Allison has an formal education but she has “street smarts”.  Allison eventually gave up trying to understand what Sheila’s problem is and told her simply “you’re being absolutely pathetic.” I think the two of them should stick together. Allison sells pharmaceuticals and Sheila clearly needs some.

This episode also featured the “power of veto” competition. HOH couple (James and Chelsia), the two nominated couples and a wild card couple (Sharon and Joshuah) had to dig through various boxes and barrels to find cables then string them across power lines to a) win power of veto and b) get some news from the outside world. Sharon and Joshuah won.

The news from the outside world consisted of a headline about John McCain to which Amanda got really excited. (Who knew she followed by politics?) Another headline talked about how Barack Obama is leading Hillary Clinton as the Democratic front runner and of course an obligatory Britney Spears headline about how she got to see her kids again. The final headline mentioned something about “Hudson River Virus” spreading. The house guests seemed confused. I was too, I’ve never watched Jericho before so I didn’t know what that meant or what it was tied to until the next Jericho commercial. What happened next probably had the house guests wondering if Hudson River Virus struck the BB9 house as well.

A bit later Allison suffered a severe allergic reaction to something she ingested. Her face and tongue swelled up and her body broke out in hives. The on-site nurse administered an EpiPen to contain the reaction until she could get to the hospital. Anaphylaxis - as her severe allergic reaction is called - can be deadly if not treated right away. She later said she was grateful to be in the Big Brother house because otherwise she may not have received such prompt treatment.

At the same time that was happening, Amanda collapsed and suffered a dramatic seizure. You can see the dramatic video here. Amanda is apparently hypoglycemic and had been eating “slop” for a few days to her body’s dismay. Natalie was the first to see her go down. She began shouting, “Amanda just fainted or something… Amanda just fainted or something.” James came running in, hit the house’s panic button for real emergencies and held Amanda up while the nurse from the other room tried to help her. Amanda went to the hospital as well.

These real-life troubles seemed to trump all the petty concerns in the Big Brother house. James was hailed as a hero for jumping into action in Amanda’s case. Joshuah felt really bad about all the names he called Amanda and vowed to change his ways toward her. Sheila decided that her anger at Allison was dumb and baseless and remembered that they are people not robots and it’s time to shape up.

Finally we get to the “power of veto” ceremony. Despite all the medical drama in the house, Joshuah and Sharon decided not to use the veto saying they respect the HOH decision to evict either Alex and Amanda or Natalie and Matt.

So who will get the boot? Find out tonight on Big Brother 9 the live edition at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.