Well, folks, it's been a long and arduous summer, but we've survived. Through countless eviction nominations, endless veto ceremonies, Julie Chen's eerie Stepford smile, the glaringly garish decor of the Big Brother house and the omnipotent apparition of Cappy, we arrive at this, the final episode of "Big Brother 6."

There are only two left standing cloistered in the "BB6" abode: big-hearted and big-mouthed Ivette and Maggie, quiet, cunning and excessively gummy. Their fates are in the hands of those holed up in the Jury House at an undisclosed bayou somewhere in the countryside. Jennifer, Rachel, James, Howie, Beau, April and now, Janelle must decide which of the two self-proclaimed "Girl Scouts" will walk away with the $500,000 prize and which will slink off a mere $50K richer.

Julie "Call Me Miss, even though I'm a Mrs." Chen is back for tonight's exciting proceedings with a live audience in tow. She struts down the catwalk erected outside the Big Brother house for the event, glad-handing those around her like a seasoned politician -- or an actual celebrity. Julie wastes no time in interviewing Ivette and Maggie via television to find out what their secrets of longevity in the game have been. Maggie chalks it up to her loyalty. Ivette thinks her "I Gotta Be Me" personality was what carried her through.

In a clip from the Jury House, we see the Jurors locked in heated discussion over who is more deserving of the fabulous cash prize. Beau, unable to grasp complex concepts, roots for his partner Ivette and is repeatedly offended by his fellow jurors' derision of her, including this little gem from Rachel: "[Ivette] was a piece of trash in my eyes." Ouch -- tell us what you really think, Rachel. James points out that Ivette is selling her precious family down the river by choosing loyalty to The Friendship team over them with her decision on the last episode to evict Supertramp Janelle over Maggie. James also implants the idea that Maggie was so vested in The Friendship not because she actually liked its members, but because keeping them together was to her advantage strategically. "You mean that Maggie tried to get everybody to do her dirty work?" says Beau incredulously. Again, some trouble with the complex notions.

The Jurors get a chance to ask Ivette and Maggie questions and it seems that James' remarks about Maggie have struck a nerve with the remaining Special Friend jurors who ask about her choices and motivations in the game. It's not as warm and fuzzy as it was inside the house, prompting Maggie to comment, "I don't think they like either of us" after the third-degree session.

Back outside the "BB6" house, Julie welcomes the Jurors, live and in person. They each run down the catwalk, slapping hands of excited and/or paid audience members. April gets almost no applause, while Janelle's greeting is deafening.

It's the halfway mark of the broadcast, and Julie instructs the houseguests to make their votes using the Big Brother key wheel thingamajig, asking for final comments during the process. Howie sums it up best with the assertion that Janelle and Kaysar deserved to be in the final two and that he's "voting for America's last choices. Don't hate the houseguests, hate the game."

In order to draw out the proceedings to excruciating lengths, Julie announces that the first five losers kicked out of the "BB6" house are back and hosts a dialogue between them and the Jurors. Taking a page from the book of Wayne and Garth, Julie notes that, "It's like one big, happy family. NOT." Schwing. To make it more interesting, Julie rolls tape of such season highlights as Howie cursing out April and April wigging out at the America's Choice telephone call competition during which April called "BB6" viewers "pieces of s***." The classics never get old. Howie and April offer up some lame excuses and apologies for their past transgressions before the segment ends.

Finally, it's time for Julie to read the votes and reveal what we've been waiting for all summer: the winner of "Big Brother 6." It's a real nail-biter with the votes being tied, 3to 3 and the tie-breaking vote coming down to Howie's. Julie pulls his key out and reveals the name of the winner of "BB6" and a half a million dollars: Maggie. You can almost see Ivette trying to kick herself as the two exit the Big Brother house for the first time in 80 days. Maggie is subdued, yet happy and Ivette looks angry as hugs and smooches abound. And with them, so ends this, the Summer of Secrets.

-- Liz Scott lives in Philadelphia. Her hobbies include listening to Prince, watching "Cops" and reading about celebrities. Come back Thursday when she starts recapping "The Apprentice."