Welcome to the first day of summer! I know it technically started on Friday, but for me, summer doesn’t begin until Big Brother is on the air. With three episodes a week, plus Big Brother After Dark on TV Guide Network and 24/7 live feeds, Big Brother 15 is going to consume my entire summer and I couldn’t be happier about it. It’s probably my favorite show, simply because there’s so much of it.
Big Brother 15 is also special because it features 16 all-new houseguests. No returning coaches, no dynamic duos from the past, just 16 complete strangers playing the game I adore. Sure, one of them is Rachel Reilly’s sister (and even writing that causes me to throw up a little in my mouth), but I’ll try and roll with the punches.
Tonight I’m live-blogging the premiere as the 16 HGs move in and compete in the first HoH competition. Hopefully, Julie Chen will also explain to us how the three nomination twists will work and what special power the weekly MVP will get.
So come on this exciting journey with me as we spend the next three months obsessively tracking every word and movement of these people. Maybe it’ll distract you from the fact that the U.S. government is doing the exact same thing to you and everyone else at this very moment.
Meet the Houseguests
Aaryn is a sexy Texas tomboy.
Nick considers himself Spider-Man.
Helen is a tough mom.
Spencer is a redneck who’s also willing to lie, cheat and steal.
David is a narcissistic lifeguard who loves his body.
Elissa is Rachel’s sister and a yoga instructor.
Andy is a superfan, professional liar, and gay.
Kaitlin is sporty and nice.
McCrae is happy delivering pizzas.
GinaMarie is a confident Staten Island pageant coordinator.
Howard is a family counselor, a competitive bodybuilder, and deeply religious.
Jessie is a leader who wants to be the best. She also thinks other girls are jealous of her.
Jeremy lives on a boat and is part Cherokee.
Amanda is a demanding real estate agent.
Candice was adopted and she’s very girly yet tough.
Judd is a good ol’ boy from Tennessee.
Is it just me or are all of these ladies Alpha Women? That’s gonna be interesting.
Moving In
Candice, GinaMarie, Judd, and Andy are the first four to enter the house. Judd is instantly in love with GinaMarie. I smell a Green Acres montage!.
Elissa, Jeremy, Kaitlin, and McCrae enter second. McCrae feels out of place.
Howard, Helen, Jessie, and Nick enter third. GinaMarie likes Howard’s muscles.
Elissa immediately wants an all-girls alliance. Kaitlin points that this isn’t going to be easy because of cattiness, and when Jessie says she’s the prettiest girl there, it’s clear that Kaitlin is right.
Aaryn, Amanda, David, and Spencer enter last. Surfer dude David is dazed and confused. All right, all right, all right.
Introductions
Candice thinks GinaMarie is too loud. Judd is a party dude and he’s happy David is there so he’s not the dumbest guy in the house. Jessie loves the Taylor Lautner-esque Jeremy, but Jeremy is lusting after Kaitlin. Amanda loves Nick’s confidence. David loves Aaryn. It’s good all the showmances are getting established right away.
Kaitlin, meanwhile, wants a “gaymance” with Andy. McCrae isn’t gay, but if he was, he would tear up Howard’s muscular body. Also, no one believes McCrae is a pizza boy. And Judd thinks there’s something familiar about Elissa. When the frog-gigging redneck is already onto you, you know her Rachel Reilly connection is going to be public knowledge in about 10 minutes. The general consensus seems to be that GinaMarie is too loud and will most likely be the first target.
The Game Begins
Jeremy, Howard, and Spencer form an alliance right away. Then Jessie wants to form an alliance with the two hottest dudes, Jeremy and David. So Jeremy is already in TWO secret alliances.
Julie Chen then shows up to tell the HGs that there will be THREE nominees every week. However, the HoH will only nominate two people. Then Julie refuses to tell them how the third nominee will be chosen.
The First HoH Competition
The 16 HGs will hold onto a giant popsicle and lifted into the air. The last one left hanging on wins. It’s a simple endurance competition. Here’s a fun drinking game: Take a shot every time Elissa mentions being Rachel’s sister. You’ll be drunk every episode.
Judd is the first one to fall, followed by Howard. They both say they threw it. Candice falls and the three eliminated HGs talk about how Eissa looks just like Rachel Reilly. The jig is up.
They swing around and a giant tongue sprays them. Amanda, Spencer, Helen, Jessie, Elissa (YAY), GinaMarie, Andy, and Kaitlin fall.
This leaves Aaryn as the lone girl left to represent her gender against Jeremy, Nick, David, and McCrae. They’re still up there 2 hours and 43 minutes into it. This bodes well for future endurance competitions.
Aaryn drops after three hours because the guys aren’t going anywhere. So much for girl power. Andy thinks these four guys are foolish for trying so hard in the first challenge because it will make them targets.
Julie then offers prizes to the next two HGs to drop. They will get one of two lunch boxes. One contains a “Never Not” pass, meaning that person will NEVER be a Have-Not all season. Ooh, that’s interesting.
David drops at just under four hours. He opens his lunch box and does NOT get the Never Not pass. So whoever drops next gets it. Jeremy goes for it, drops, and as such he will never be a Have-Not all season. That’s going to be good for him, but it may also make him a target.
That leaves Nick and McCrae. McCrae agrees not to nominate Nick no matter what. They make the deal and Nick drops.
McCrae is the first HoH!
Wow, I did not see that coming at all. The dorky pizza boy is the man in charge? This is gonna be an interesting summer.
The MVP Twist
Now it’s time to find out how the third nominee will be chosen. Julie gathers everyone and explains that every week America will vote for who they think is playing the best game, the MVP. The MVP will get to pick the third nominee. The MVP will be told that they won it in secret and they will get to make the nomination in secret. So it’s totally anonymous. That’s a nice twist.
Also, we find out the MVP’s nomination will be revealed just before the Power of Veto competition, so they’ll at least get to compete for it. OK, I’m kind of liking this twist more that I know how it works, but I’ll need to see how it plays out for the first few weeks. Hopefully, it won’t be the same MVP every week, but I can definitely see it becoming a popularity contest. I mean, we all know Jeff Schroeder would’ve won it every single week in either of his seasons, regardless of his strategy.
Anyway, that’s it for the premiere. Sunday night is the first Have and Have-Not competition plus McCrae’s two nominations, then Tuesday will be the reveal of the MVP plus the third nomination and the Power of Veto. Then one week from tonight, the first HG is evicted.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
