Well, it looks like nice girls do finish first. At least on Big Brother 11, which came to a close Tuesday night with a finale that delivered in the suspense department. The decision to bring the last three players—Kevin, Natalie and Jordan—to finale night was a smart one, keeping us guessing right to the end.

The episode begins with the remaining players mired in paranoia. Kevin and Jordan promise each other a ticket to the Final 2, but they're also saying the same thing to Natalie. Natalie suspects that Kevin is going to stab her in the back, and he doesn’t do a good job of convincing her otherwise. “I just feel like I’m playing for second place," he sighs.

Ironically, Kevin has no idea how much his stock has risen in the jury house. When Michele arrives there (much to the delight of Jessie and Lydia and the disappointment of Russell and Jeff), she fills them in on what’s been going on, and continues the Natalie bashing, branding her “a dirty little trickster.”

The jurors debate the merits of Final 3, none of whom are thought to be “strong” competitors: Kevin won four competitions, Jordan won three [to that point], and Natalie was the only one with a clear strategy: Her “smart move,” says Michele, was constantly leap-frogging alliances from herself one strong player to the next. The deliberations quickly devolve into a spat between Jeff and Lydia, with barely a peep coming from Jessie, Russell and Michele.

Back at the house, it’s time for part 3 of the Head of Household competition. Jordan continues to prove that she's more than just Jeff's girl, and pulls out another clutch win, edging Kevin in what ended up being a guessing game. (Natalie was eliminated in Part 2 last week, losing to Jordan.) Jordan decides to evict Kevin, profusely apologizing, and thus takes Natalie to the Final 2. Kevin is refreshingly OK with this, telling Julie Chen that, “Jordan made the smart move… I can’t be mad, this is a game.” Rational thinking? Gracious losing? This can’t possibly be Big Brother, can it?

Next, the jury questions the finalists, and it turns into a competition to see who can provide the more rambling, incoherent answers. (Jordan wins.) Basically Jordan wants everyone to know that she got this far on her own, and not just by riding Jeff’s wave. “I wanted to lay under the radar,” she says of her low-key approach to the game. (Take note Ronnie, Jessie, Russell and Jeff.) And Natalie confirms the jury’s assessment of her strategy of leeching onto strong players: “I had great allies,” she says. “I stuck true to every ally I ever had.”

When the final votes are revealed, Jordan takes the early lead, winning the America’s Choice vote and then, surprisingly, the endorsements of both Jessie and Lydia. That’s a real head-scratcher. Weren’t Jessie and Natalie BFFs, allies and bedmates? Russell gives Natalie her first vote, then Jeff’s is, appropriately, the one that clinches the $500,000 first prize for Jordan. The final tally ends up at 5-2, and Natalie gets the "50 Gs" she's been shrieking about over the last few weeks. (Michele voted for Jordan while Kevin added one more for Natalie.)

And, in the America’s Choice consolation prize, Julie reveals that it “wasn’t even close,” with Jeff walking away with the $25,000 popularity bonus.

Jordan is shocked to have won (she’s not the only one), and tells Julie she’ll use the money for a down payment on a house for her family, help some relatives pay for college and maybe even buy a car. Check back here later for our interview with the winner.

So, what do you think about the results? Did the jury make the right choice?