It's been said that Big Brother's more of a game show than it used to be. We've got a crop of players who’re quite prepared to admit they're there to win without any fear of the repercussions. With tasks like Turf Wars and the recently-arrived Rules Are For Fools dividing the housemates and forcing them to compete, it feels like a real contest this year - and with the Insider / Outsider split still going strong, with those Floaters bobbing between groups here and there, it doesn't feel like the competitive mood is going anywhere soon.

Wherever there's a game, there's power-play. And wherever there's power-play, some are more powerful than others. 

Looking at the diagram above (which is admittedly not completely faithful to the group dynamic – which is more complex than it's ever been before), it's interesting to note that, come Friday, all groups will be equally balanced. Three Insiders, three Outsiders and three Floaters, with a single Insider or Outsider-biased Floater nervously attached to each of the main groups.

But where does the power lie? There's the real question.

In the opening weeks, The Outsiders took serious damage when it came to numbers. Victoria went before any groups had really formed, but by the time Chris left the divide was beginning to open up. Benedict went next the following week - an Outsider if ever there was one - and though Lydia flitted around whispering to anyone who'd listen, she was really an Outsider all along. When they left, they each left The Outsiders vulnerable, but the recent acquisition of Deana to their ranks, if not necessarily on a permanent basis, has seen them consolidate in the past few days. And now they're looking stronger than ever.

Over on The Insiders, the first three or four weeks saw them laughing in the face of nominations as their numbers remained steady whilst The Outsiders' dwindled. But the loss of Arron on Friday and Conor coming in with the second fewest public votes the same night has left them vulnerable. Where The Outsiders go from strength to strength – and with Conor and Shievonne both in the frame to leave on Friday – they're not looking so tough these days.

But perhaps it's foolish to consider these two factions the most important of all. The Floaters have floated so much since Day One that they've avoided eviction entirely and, when Saturday comes, their numbers will be equal to both of the main groups. In fact, with the addition of biased Floaters Deana and Caroline, they'll actually be the strongest faction of all.

Perhaps this whole Inside / Outside thing was a distraction from what's actually going on in the House. While the two sides were at war, The Floaters thrived quietly to the point that they're now threatening to become the strongest group of them all. It's the Floaters who hold all the power, but they'll probably keep on keeping that knowledge all to themselves. They haven't come this far from shouting about their allegiances, after all.

Having been involved in the Rules Are For Fools task since waking up, housemates whooped with joy when Big Brother offered them a reprieve, giving wardens time off and temporarily cancelling all task rules.

Luke S wasted no time stripping down to his black briefs, shunning Ashleigh’s attentions in favour of ripping off his warden’s uniform and sharing some shower time with Conor.

Most housemates made a bee-line for the kitchen.

Lauren took the opportunity to vent about the task. We have removed the string of expletives to preserve delicate ears. She said, "This is a ridiculous task. They’ve got us painting coal. Who do they think we are?" We’re sorry, Lauren, did you expect to spend your time in the House lazing by the pool eating bacon sandwiches? That's called a holiday. You can do that next year.

Scott got in a flap over cutlery but managed to construct a salad wrap and Sheivonne got Lauren to cook her some chicken.

Luke A admitted he wasn’t enjoying the task, in particular his role as warden. He told Scott, "I’m hating this. May look like I’m enjoying it but I’m hating every minute."

The beds have been out of bounds all day and with the freedom to break any of the task rules they pleased, the majority of our housemates chose to stay horizontal.

Big Brother attempted to start some sparkling conversations by demanding housemates only indulged in interesting chit-chat. The Rules Are For Fools wardens dished out ‘rule breaks’ to those having boring banter.

Shievonne kicked off in the kitchen with a discussion about whether to dry up or let plates air dry. We were gripped. Luke S slapped her with a ticket.

She wasn’t convinced Big Brother could accurately measure this task as something BB considers interesting, she might not. We say, don’t sweat the small things, Shiev.

Luke S and Ashleigh talked about changing the bin bag. Fascinating stuff.

Caroline attempted to foil BB by staying silent before starting a tale from her favourite topic bank – her gap yah. She didn’t manage to get many words out before being deemed dull and sent to paint coal.

She said, "Nothing I say is of any interest to anybody. That is why I kept silent. I’m just not a very interesting person. Unless I’m talking about nominations, I have nothing to say to anybody. I’m socially inept."

Scott, Lauren and Becky talked witches and Becky talked World Records, each repeating the word 'interesting' after every conversation.

And talk turned to Chinese water toture. How ironic.

Adam put his foot down, introducing a few new subjects and housemates began to embrace the task, sharing some fabulous theories and raising some heated debates.

Lauren who said she would pray to God if she was in trouble although she isn’t a believer, said dinosaurs became extinct because of their own farts. Sara thinks it is more likely everything got very cold then got very hot again – she may be confusing this theory with July.

At least they are all playing together. How long before this turns into a row?

Due to their good work during the Rules Are For Fools task, the wardens were given beer and snacks. But they were not to share them with the 'riff-raff'. Housemates were not happy. We don't blame them.

Because of his loyalty to the Insiders, Luke S felt slightly bad at eating while his beloved Ashleigh looked on - mouth hung open for a morsel not snog this time. 

Even we feel hungry watching Luke A tuck into his burger.