Nothing signals summer like the premiere of “Big Brother,” CBS’s ridiculous, addictive reality competition show that kicks off its 18th season on Wednesday night.
Ah yes, it has been more than 15 years since the show first arrived on the airwaves, locking about a dozen people in a house together with cameras filming their every move as the contestants (“houseguests”) vote each other out, one by one — all for $500,00 at the end, of course. While the format has been tweaked over time, the premise remains the same: Watch people slowly lose their minds over the course of three months as they participate in degrading challenges, form alliances and grow increasingly paranoid as the summer progresses. It’s pretty great TV.
Every year, there’s always at least one controversy, and some are quite serious, such as horrible contestant meltdowns and fights and one houseguest pulling a knife on another, not to mention the contestants who apparently forgot they were on camera and used so many slurs they were eventually fired from their real-life jobs. The last couple of seasons have dialed back the crazy, but here’s some of the madness that will surely take place this summer:
1) TWISTS
As host Julie Chen says repeatedly every summer, “Expect the unexpected.” So what absurd twists will producers throw into the game that will impact everyone and likely infuriate viewers? Executive producer Allison Grodner told Entertainment Weekly to expect something big to happen with…phones.
“There are phone booths and phones — of course not to call out, but to call each other,” she said. “At some point it could be revealed that these will play into another twist.” (Our guess: Will all the calls be recorded and later revealed so everyone knows what people were saying about them behind their back?)
Grodner also says that this year’s theme (“summer vacation”) will also be involved in shaking up the game, whatever that means.
2) MYSTERY CONTESTANTS
Twelve contestants have already been announced by CBS. But according to “Big Brother” commercials and Internet rumors, producers will introduce four more houseguests during the premiere. Who are the four mystery contestants? Could it be people who have already competed on the show before? Producers have pulled that one before, so who knows, they may decide to use it again…
3) NEPOTISM
By coincidence (according to Grodner), the siblings of two former houseguests will compete this year: Paul Calafiore, a 27-year-old DJ from New Jersey who is the younger brother of Cody from “Big Brother” season 16, the runner-up who did well because he was so non-threatening. Meanwhile, Tiffany Rousso, a 32-year-old teacher from Florida, is the younger sister of Vanessa, last season’s third place finisher who became the most hated contestant of the season.
As we’ve seen in the past with contestants like Elissa in “Big Brother” season 15, it’s not really an advantage if you’re related to a former houseguest. Though she was a fan-favorite, Elissa was booted fairly quickly by her fellow contestants, who thought she had an unfair advantage and didn’t trust her. And as everyone knows in “Big Brother,” you never want to go into the house with an early target on your back.
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