Wednesday, June 24, 2015




John Kubicek
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
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Summer is here and so is Big Brother 17! The long-running CBS reality competition begins again as 14 new HGs move into the house to begin the long journey to half a million dollars.

Take a Look Inside the New BB17 House>>

This season seems more mysterious than ever. Though 14 HGs have been revealed, odds are good that there will be more people playing the game. And the new BB Takeover means that special guests will unleash a new twist every week, making the game itself more confusing. And then there's Audrey, the show's first transgender houseguest whose story will undoubtedly be front and center.

Pre-Season Poll: Who Will Win?>>

There's a lot to get to on Big Brother 17 which is why it's good we get a two-night premiere. I'll be live-blogging the first two episodes as well as all Thursday night live evictions, and posting other recaps and spoilers from the live feeds once they begin Thursday night. It's going to be another very long summer, so let's get it started.

BUT FIRST...welcome to the Big Brother 17 premiere live blog!

Julie Chen starts inside the house on the new sky bridge. She promises three twists tonight: a fan favorite, a secret for us and the BB Takeover. Ooh.

The First Group of HGs Get Their Keys

As always, we start with the new HGs receiving their keys to the house in hilariously staged settings. Here are some of the highlights:

James: He was adopted and doesn't know his real ethnicity, but he's all country.

Meg: She's an extremely loud NYC girl who lives with her gay best friend, aka her gusband (gay husband).

Jace: He's an adrenaline junkie whose broken many bones and loves Indiana Jones.

Audrey: She's a girly girl who loves expressing her femininity who looks forward to "surprising people."

Austin: The giant pro wrestler is going to use his alter ego, Judas, to betray people. But he also has a Masters degree in Romance Literature. WHAT?

Da'Vonne: She's a tough poker dealer who is instantly awesome. And she's a single mom with a 7-month-old daughter.

Clay: He's the hot Texas farm boy who loves his mama and football.

Shelli: She's a 33-year-old DIY girl who does her own home renovations. She's not a cougar, she's a puma.

Huh, only eight HGs? Something is very, very fishy. Da'Vonne is a superfan and Meg is scared of superfans. Austin loves his Judas top hat while Audrey wants to be serial killer Dexter Morgan.

The First HGs Move In

This season will actually be 98 days, one day longer than last season's record. Da'Vonne, Shelli, Clay and Austin enter first. Da'Vonne says "Oh my God" about a million times. I'm gonna love her DR sessions. Clay thinks Austin looks like a giant magician. Shelli is smitten with Clay.

The second group enters and James runs around like "a cow on astro turf." Audrey hints about revealing "her truth" to complete strangers. Jace immediately asks if they're bringing in all-stars or more newbies. That would've been my first question to with only eight people. Then it's time for the introductions.

Jace instantly compares himself to Hayden Voss. Meg loves his high energy, although she thinks they might be annoying. Clay is the first to lie by omitting that he played college football. Shelli is super duper in love with him even though she's 10 years older than him. Shelli has a twin brother and three other siblings. Clay thinks she's the hottest girl in the house and they bond over both having a heart murmur.

Da'Vonne tells them about her 7-month-old daughter and claims to be a second grace teacher. Ugh, that is such an obvious lie for anyone who's a fan of this game. Austin admits to being a pro wrestler and tells everyone he left because he was injured, though he doesn't let them know that he's 100 percent recovered. James thinks Meg is hot because she looks like Taylor Swift. People are surprised and confused by James being an Asian hillbilly.

Then it's time for Audrey. She tells them that she's transgender! Everyone is surprised and they applaud her. They all comment on how great she looks and how they wouldn't have guessed it. James is thrown for a loop, but he can relate to being judged by others. OK, good, everyone seems super cool with it. It's a bit anticlimactic.

The First Alliance

Audrey talks to Da'Vonne and Shelli about wanting girls to win and not letting the guys run the game. They like each other and Da'Vonne is the first to say the word "alliance." It's going to be a secret and they're already worried about covering their tracks. They're all about the female power, though they don't have a name yet. Might I suggest SAD, for their initials and how it will make me feel when it dies in day 2 just like El Cuatro last year (Joey, Paola, Amber and Nicole). Meanwhile, Austin, Jace and Clay talk about working out and eating cookies.

Clay is the first to ask Audrey about how her family reacted to her transition. Her family was Conservative and a psychologist told them to send her to a wilderness retreat that messed her up. But now her family knows they made mistakes and they accept her. Clay and the others are moved. Da'Vonne thinks Audrey's story is exaggerated to manipulate people, but she's OK with it since it helps their alliance.

The First Twist: Battle of the Block

Yes, the Battle of the Block and two HoHs is back. Boo. It's going to work the same as last year. And these HGs will compete for the first HoH. Let's hope the other two twists are better than this crap. Or at least that it won't run for eight weeks like last summer.

The First HoH Competition

It's time for the first competition, but one person has to sit out . Austin wants to do it, but Da'Vonne speaks up first and volunteers to sit out, so she won't compete. If I were in her alliance, I'd be pissed.

Some reporter from ET is hosting a red carpet in the backyard for the fake movie UFOh No. Shelli wants to date Ryan Reynolds, which makes her nervous cuz Clay looks just like Ryan Reynolds.

Tomatoes will be thrown at the HGs while they stand on boards. The first person to collect 10 wins, but if they fall off their plank, they're out. James starts out with 2 while Clay and Austin get 1.

Clay, Meg and Austin all fall off after about 30 seconds. So James and Jace are in the lead while Audrey and Shelli have none. Jace keeps slipping, but saves himself like Elissa did when they did this competition in season 15.

Audrey comes back and gets into a tie with Jace and James at 5 while Shelli has 3. Then James jumps ahead and it makes everyone suspicious of him. How did the Asian hillbilly become the biggest threat?

But then EVERYONE falls off at the same time. Julie Chen must use the instant replay to see who hit the ground last. Wow, that's hilarious and awkward.

THE FIRST HOH IS...JAMES!

Since he was the last to hit the ground, he wins by default and becomes the first HoH. That's a huge difference from last year when the first HoH was Frankie.

Audrey calls James "roly poly" and says she now has to kiss his "camo ass." Ooh, she is so deliciously mean!

The Second Twist: BB Takeover

Julie drops the bombshell that there will be a new twist each and every week. They are all supremely confused. The BB Takeover will unleash new twists every time they hear "Get ready for a takeover!" over the loudspeaker. They get no real answers about what this means, which is the point. They instantly assume it's going to be a hodgepodge of past twists, including the Saboteur. Jace and Da'Vonne seem to be the most savvy when it comes to past twists the show did.

The Third Twist: Twin Twist

OK, the first twist was kind of lame (Battle of the Block) and the second didn't tell us anything new (BB Takeover), so what about this secret twist only America knows about?

YES! One of the HGs has an identical twist and both twins will switch out, playing as one person. It's the same as Big Brother 5 with Adria and Natalie. If they both survive the first five weeks, they will get to play as individuals. I absolutely love that this season appears to be honoring the history of this show, possibly bringing back every twist they've ever done!

Big Brother 17 Spoilers: Which HG Is Part of the Twin Twist?>>

Tomorrow we'll meet the other six(?) HGs, get our first BB Takeover and have the second HoH competition. Sunday is the first nominations and the first Battle of the Block.


(Image courtesy of CBS)



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