matty steps up

Just after I posted last night, the hamsters got a booze delivery.  They all scampered into the storage room  (well, most--Josh was sulking) and started to divy up the beer and wine.  Something came up about Natalie having hidden a beer another night.  Natalie said something about getting her fair share, and Chelsia said "here, why don't you just take it all?"  That pissed off Nat, who took her one beer and one glass of wine and went back to her room.

A stream of people went to check on her, first Ryan, then Allison, then Sheila.  They all heard the same story.  The other night, Natalie hid a beer for herself, to make sure no one else drank her share.  Chelsia (according to Nat) was upset b/c it takes more alcohol for Chel. to feel the effects and she didn't like Natalie hiding a beer when she seems to get drunk off half a glass of wine.  Neither side made a whole lot of sense for the level of anger they were each expressing.  And Sheila hit the nail on the head later when she said the beer/wine isn't really what they're upset about: they're mad at each other about other stuff and that was just the spark that set off the explosion.

But while Nattie's off being sad, James is outside saying how it would be so easy to "break her down and make her cry."  Somewhat surprisingly, Matt was right on James, telling him that if he attacked Natalie they were going to have a problem. James kept at saying if Nat can't take it she shouldn't be in the game.  Matt basically threatened to kick his ass...and James said "go for it.  Please.  Then I'll be $250K richer."  Matt quickly said he wasn't going to get physical really, and backed off a bit admitting that all sh!t talk is fair in the game.  But he didn't like the idea of anyone attacking Natalie personally.  That's his job.  In fact, both Matt and later Natalie said that the only person in the house who could really make Natalie cry was Matt.

The whole thing basically showed that Matt does care about Natalie...maybe not in "that way" but he does like her.  It sort of like family.  You can pick on each other every which way, but God help the outsider who goes after anyone in the family.

Later on Matt tells Sharon and Sheila that all he has to do to get to James is turn up his flirt game with Chelsia.  It's obvious to everyone that James really likes Chelsia, and Matt's theory is that just seeing another guy paying attention to her will mess him up. 

In other news, Allison taught Ryan how to play chess, saying she's been playing for 20 years or whatever.  He claimed he'd never played.  Yet somehow he keeps beating her.....