Just How Complicated Are Liz & Austin On 'BB17'?

It seems that, against all odds, Liz and Austin's showmance on Big Brother 17 is still going strong. They've gone from mostly platonic interactions, to open flirtations, to a date in the HoH room, to spending what seems like every waking moment together, whether cuddling in the hammock or hanging in the pool. For some reason, Austin insists on pursuing a relationship with Liz despite the fact that it's ruining his game and that she's just playing him. He's letting his feelings really cloud his judgment in the house and may be out the door soon because of it. [Update: It seems that on the feeds Liz and her sister Julia were discussing Liz's guy back home. Big Brother Network on Twitter reports that "Liz says when she gets back to Miami she's done with Ryan. Julia is shocked." Other than that, she didn't go into detail about the specifics of hers and Ryan's relationship, or if there even is one.]

Although my main concern with their showmance is how it's affecting Austin's game, the biggest issue most people have with the Lizstin showmance is that Austin entered the house clearly saying that he had a girlfriend. In Austin's bio video with Jeff, he said a showmance was off the table. A couple of weeks ago, Austin was talking to Vanessa about his frustrations with Liz. He told Vanessa that he's not trying to start a showmance because he has a girlfriend, and that his concerns were merely on a game level. Suddenly, just a few days later, Austin changed his tune, saying that his relationship with his girlfriend was "open-ended," and that he can do what he wants while in the Big Brother house. Austin is sitting pretty as the mayor of Sketchville City right now, and it's frustrating as hell.

Some folks are wondering, though, how Liz really feels about their relationship.

Liz has definitely been encouraging Austin, even if her body language shows her true colors every now and then. In the Diary Room, Liz is open with us about her willingness to use flirting and showmancing to her advantage. She also says in her CBS bio video that "working her body" is part of her strategy. She clearly knows how to use Austin's crush on her to her advantage in this game.

But with all the talk about Austin cheating on his girlfriend, what's the deal with Liz? Does she have a boyfriend outside the house?

As she told Jeff at the start of the season, she is "single and ready to mingle." This showmance may be all kinds of complicated, but at least it won't affect Liz's life outside of the house. And for more on the many alliances and showmances, check out Bustle's BB17 podcast.

Image: CBS