Big Brother returns! Here's what I thought on the two-night season premiere :)

Episode 1

It is Big Brother season! I have seen the buzz on social media and I would be disappointed in myself if I didn’t cover this show for the loyal fans out there. First airing in 2000, there have been countless iconic moments and I know fans were patiently waiting for the triumphant return. Well, I am now jumping on the bandwagon too. Hopefully, you all don’t want to throw me off of it by the end. 

Also, Julie Chen Moonves is a boss lady and you have to give credit where credit is due.

To be completely honest, my history with Big Brother is pretty minimal! As I mentioned in my introduction blog…I’ve only watched a handful of episodes (never watching a full season), I have seen memes/gifs on social media, and I know a few big-name Big Brother players of seasons past. That’s the extent of my Big Brother expertise. So you can expect a fresh, new, and real outlook on this season. I’ve always been intrigued to intently watch this show but for some reason haven’t ever gotten into it.

I won’t lie, I did always see it as a less popular or intriguing reality competition show. Which I am realizing now is kind of unfair considering I haven’t ever truly given it the time of day. So now it’s time to dive into this show. Seeing whether or not my preconceived notions of the show are right or if it will prove me wrong! You might look at this as my test run to see how much I enjoy the show :)

I do find it pretty crazy that there are 94 cameras and 113 microphones that are tuned into these contestants 24/7. Contestants signing up have to be well aware that they are entering a place where they legit to be so careful about what they say or do every single minute of the day. If not, they are getting clipped or meme’d on social media for the world to see. 

This season seems to have a futuristic/Artificial intelligence theme with it. People will have to let me know, but does each season have a theme? Obviously, there’s so much you can do with AI nowadays, so I am looking forward to all the twists that come with it.

The $750,000 grand prize is nothing to be joked about either! I did some research and it seems like the prize was increased from $500,000 too. It’s only behind Survivor and The Amazing Race in grand prize amount. It’s nothing to be glossed over. These contestants are playing for more than just fame or romance.

I thought the format of having two premiere episodes on back-to-back nights was interesting. Especially because both episodes were nearly the same with just different people and different challenges. Personally, I think I would rather have a two-hour episode on just one night. Maybe it’s a network issue where Big Brother couldn’t get the two-hour time slot. Maybe this is something they have always done and I just didn’t know. Hey, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Also, I need someone to prove some validity to the curse/superstition of whoever enters the house first does win in the end. Reach out and let me know!

I had a few thoughts on the introductions in the first episode! Here they are:

1. These intros for each person did seem pretty produced. As if the producers were like, you should say this or do this! There were points where it was authentic when sharing their backstories. Yet, I couldn’t help to feel as if portions of it were staged. After watching more of the episode, it just seems like that’s part of the show and that they probably have done introductions like that for a while.

2. I am already a big fan of Cam and I will be rooting for him to win. Why you might ask? Well, he and I share a commonality. We both went to Penn State University! The big difference is that he was a great athlete/football player. Unfortunately, I was not. Yet, just like how I was rooting him on in Beaver Stadium, I will root for him again.

3. Joseph is going to be a threat to watch out for. He’s just a gamer and will know when/how to make big moves. Do not overlook him! Even if he isn’t the most charming or athletic. I think he is a dark horse to win!

4. Angela will be a fun watch! She brings the energy and is a self-proclaimed “cool mom”. I am excited to see how she holds up with the younger crew that is there. Hopefully, she will be able to keep all her emotions and excitement in check when the time comes.

5. Lots of former athletes! I wonder if that was a coincidence or if casting producers were looking with athletes in mind.

6. I did notice that mostly everyone brings high energy and confidence.

7. I like everyone so far, and none of them have struck a nerve with me so far. There’s still plenty of time for that lol. I did notice that mostly everyone brings a high energy. There’s still plenty of time for that lol. 

I totally predicted the twist regarding Ainsley. I saw it coming from a mile away and I think others did too.

If I were in that situation, I would pick no easily to letting “Ainsley” in the house. It is one less person you have to go through to get to the grand prize. Personally, it seems like a no-brainer. Yet, I think it was a little harsh for them to get punished for picking the strategic and probably smarter decision. I know Julie Chen Moonves always says that you should be prepared to expect the unexpected. However, they were punished for boosting their odds. But hey, this is Big Brother I guess haha.

Moving on to the first pair of challenges! I am a big challenge guy and I think the challenges on the first night kind of bummed me out. I am hoping that they get better, but maybe I am putting too high of expectations on it. The competition for the advantage (the color game) seemed much harder in my opinion than the competition for who got the disadvantage (the fear game). I even tweeted this:

Yet, I then had someone respond to that tweet bringing up an excellent point that I truly hadn’t thought of. Basically what they said was that it should be harder to gain a game-changing advantage and that it should be easier to save your game. What do you guys think about this? I think that the challenges could have been more equitable to each other. One way you could even make the fear challenge more difficult was to get rid of the glass barrier in the boxes. Therefore the fear of the bugs and wild animals coming closer to you would be real. Maybe I am thinking too cynically.

Makensy won the advantage, despite a little controversy on social media. I found a post that actually took a stopwatch and timed it, she did beat Joseph by just a short second or two. Then Chelsie lost and will also take the disadvantage.

Episode 2

It is pretty much more of the same as the previous night but here are my thoughts on the second night of introductions:

1. Don’t underestimate a super fan (Also known as Quinn)! Yet, also superfans shouldn’t go in too cocky. Based on what I have watched in other shows, self-proclaimed super fans either do well or not at all.

2. I can tell Brooklyn’s description of her being a “spicy cupcake” is spot on. She seems like someone who you don’t want to be on her bad side. She comes off as highly motivated and passionate.

3. Matt is the clear heartthrob of the season. I don’t necessarily what he’s there for more: The money or a possible girl. He also said, “Big Brother has more successful long-term relationships than The Bachelor.” I had a double-take when he said that. I want to know if that’s true or not. Someone reach out and let me know! 

4. I know that showmances were big on this show… but holy cow! I think a little under half of the contestants said that they were willing to flirt and showmance. It caught me off guard honestly. I am hoping it leads to some great drama and storylines. 

5. Leah is no doubt a character haha! She dropped two iconic quotes in his first moments. She said that she is a self-proclaimed chubby chaser. As a guy who has a little plumpness to him, this is a win for the chubby community. The trend for chubby guys is rising. She also said, “I can’t believe a guy has ever one big brother, because they're so easy to manipulate.” My reaction to that: Fair enough. I can see Leah being a fan favorite and someone who has a lot of gifs made of her by the end of the season.

6. I like Kenney’s idea to not share that he is an undercover cop in real life. I could see how that would hurt him in the game and might make him suspicious to others. It should be interesting to see if he can hold this secret.

7. However, as soon as I said that, Cedric noticed one of his tattoos implying he might be a cop or have a military background. So that didn’t take long at all.

The next pair of challenges for night 2 was a lot better in my opinion! They seemed like they were more on the same level and it was also a little bit more fun to watch. For example, watching Leah frolic around and giggle in that box during the advantage challenge made me laugh so much. She’s going to be a meme very soon. Then during the disadvantage challenge where the producers were zooming in on all the smooshed faces of the contestants was pretty funny. This gave me more hope for the challenges this season.

Quinn won, gaining an advantage and Cedric lost, giving him a disadvantage. By the way, these disadvantages are brutal. AI/Ainsley is not joking around. They basically cannot do anything besides try to convince others not to vote them out. If I am one of the others, it would seem like an easy vote to get one of them out and make your odds better. Also, I have no idea what these advantages are, someone will have to let me know. Though, I do like that they are telling Makensy and Quinn about the advantages in private. I can’t wait to see the gameplay and strategy with those advantages. 

So that concludes nights one and two of Big Brother! I’ve got plenty of mixed emotions so far but I would say I am enjoying what I am watching for the most part. I like this cast a lot and I am excited to see them get more into gameplay. Shoutout to the editors and producers of this show too. They pop episodes like it’s nothing. They are working hard to get the episodes out quickly whether it’s Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday. I know that’s got to be a grind for them.

I look forward to Sunday's episode, see you then!