We’ve got a new season of Big Brother upon us and as we all know, it’s time to expect the unexpected. But there are some things that are expected. We’ve seen siblings of past contestants before and we have two for sure. We’ve seen competitors from previous seasons return before and we’ve got four in the Big Brother house, and there are some who are not happy about it.
However, there are some new twists, like making the house guests work in teams of four and the losing team having to compete individually against each other to stay in the game. That little bit of camaraderie followed by quickly severed loyalties could make things a little stressful for sure. So you may want to have an eraser handy for all the hashtagged alliances this year.
But as it is opening night in the Big Brother house, things are still relatively cheery and cordial and there’s hope for just about everyone. So lets get into the way too early rankings based more on first impressions than actual strategic play at this point.
The Rankings:
1. Victor (Team Unicorn) – The handsome gym manager seems like a womanizer, but still lives at home with his parents and large family. He immediately notices pro cheerleader/event coordinator Natalie and ends up on Team Unicorn with her. Will this be the first showmance? Just by the fact that he was the last remaining competitor in the first competition and his team is safe for the first two competitions, he sits atop the rankings.
2. Natalie (Team Unicorn) – The cheerleader-turned-event coordinator initially appears to be the more athletic of the female competitors on Team Unicorn, and her social game will likely keep her around for a good run. Early editing makes it appear as though she’s not the sharpest, though during introductions she downplays her event coordinating saying that she helps plans Barmitzvahs. Is she shrewdly downplaying her mental game to make her seem like less of a threat?
3. James (Team Unicorn) – Everybody loves James, the season 17 prankster who turned out to be a competition beast. Last time, he ended up on the wrong side of a giant alliance even though well-liked in the house. This time, there’s already growing sentiment that the newbies should get out the returning players, but if anyone has the social game to knock down those barriers, it’s James.
4. Bronte (Team Unicorn) – Like Natalie, Bronte tells a little white lie during introductions. She says she’s in child care, and her child like voice helps to mask her intelligence. She’s a SAT/ACT math tutor, a former competitive dancer and presenting at this point something that she’s not in order to stay off everyone’s radar. It’s too early as of yet to see if she’s forming any sort of alliances, but as a Team Unicorn member she’s safe for the next two competitions.
5. Michelle (Category 4) – There are some who suspect she’s related to Nicole, but so far she’s denied it even though there are definite similarities. She appears to be playing the game already, having ferreted out Tiffany being a sibling to Vanessa from last season and parlayed that into a secret she’s holding onto a chip that she can use to help control Tiffany. She’s a dietician and promised to help cook, which will probably earn some points in the house. And she’s one of the few contestants during opening night that seemed to be making some headway socially with other house guests.
6. Paulie (Category 4) – He’s the brother of Season 16’s Cody and he holds that secret during introductions, revealing himself to be a gym manager as well. But when Nicole from Cody’s season turns out to be one of the “stowaways,” he decides to come clean to the house about who his brother is. It rubs Paul the wrong way, but it might have been the smart move as the resemblance is there. It was only a matter of time before it came out. He was the last remaining competitor on Category 5 in the opening competition and also fared well during the night’s second competition. Odds are good that his mix of social and physical game will keep him around for awhile.
7. Bridgette (Category 4) – This traveling nurse seems like the kind of girl who will win over people in the house quickly while not being seemed as threatening. She comes across genuine and friendly and did nothing in the competitions to put a target on her back. She doesn’t seem like the type to lead any major moves, but could ride an alliance far in this game.
8. Frank (Category 4) – Frank was a competition beast in Season 14 and was generally well liked despite his alliance with Boogie. He has a target as a returning player early on, but like James, he has the social game to potentially break down any early biases. Still, he has started off the game humbled and almost feels like an outsider so far.
9. Corey (Freakazoids) – Yes, Corey’s team is on the block and will be sending someone home, but as all of the team members will fight to stay alive, the baseball coach is the least likeliest to go home. After all his team members slid off early in the opening competition, he held on to finish second. Sadly, his team doesn’t feel like much of a team as it does mismatched parts and he may have to fend for himself often until the “team” aspect is phased out.
10. Zakiyah (Big Sister) – Zakiyah’s team should be renamed Team Drama. All four members of Big Sister have attitude, but the pre-school teacher seems the most likely to be able to keep things in check and not put herself in danger. She, along with Paul and Jozea, are leading the charge to get out the returning players, including their very own teammate Da’Vonne. If she can somehow extricate herself from Paul and Jozea, who appear to be ticking time bombs ready to create huge targets on themselves, she could have a shot in this game.
11. Nicole (Freakazoids) – The well-liked competitor from Season 16 has some fans in the house, but she also seems to be one of Big Sister’s biggest targets. She appears to be the stronger female competitor on her team and could have a life if she wins when she needs to but lays low other times, allowing others to put targets on their backs.
12. Jozea (Big Sister) – The celebrity makeup artist is safe for now, but his inability to not say what he thinks will probably blow up in his face sooner than later. You can see the attitude likely taking him down early, and his addition to Big Sister just makes that team a powder keg ready to explode.
13. Tiffany (Freakazoids) – Being the first one out in the opening competition was not a good look. Being a dead ringer for your sister and not coming clean may also not be a smart play. But Tiffany appears to be as smart at reading people as her sister Vanessa was, and if she can get past the impending moment of everyone finding out her secret, she could advance far in this game.
14. Paul (Big Sister) – The rocker who runs a clothing company is coming off loud and abrasive to many of his housemates, and he’s especially rubbing Da’Vonne the wrong way. He has allies in Zakiyah and Jozea, but has the kind of bossy personality that not everyone is going to appreciate. If his other teammates weren’t just as much drama, the target would be even bigger right now.
15. Da’Vonne (Big Sister) – Da’Vonne also has a big personality that brings a lot of drama with it. Her early exit last season made her sort of an underdog, but putting so much attention on herself left her vulnerable. This year she returns and hoped to lay low, but unfortunately the team she picked couldn’t have been more drama filled or out to get her. She would be on the bottom of this list had they not won the night’s final competition. Momma Da is already feeling the heat.
16. Glenn (Freakazoids) – Big Brother’s oldest competitor seemed like he was being set up for an early axing from the moment he walked into the house. The 50-year-old former NYPD officer turned dog groomer is nearly twice the age of a majority of the house, making him the odd man out to start with. He was last picked for teams, had trouble mounting the rocket for the first competition, then made no friends during the puzzle challenge. He correctly spotted the error early on in the competition, but when his teammates didn’t listen he wasn’t as active a participant and offered a lot of “I told you so’s” at the end. As the Freakazoids are all on the block to go home, Glenn seems like the person most likely to exit.
Exclusive: the #BB18 Houseguests totally sizzle in their swimwear. https://t.co/WLuAu5e72n pic.twitter.com/PFrzTEKVZm
— Big Brother (@CBSBigBrother) June 23, 2016
Come back Thursday night at 9PM ET/PT for the second part of the two night Big Brother season premiere on CBS and see who’s the first to go.
