Big Brother 25: First Impressions
We've waited forever and we are now just days away from the 25th season of Big Brother. With the start of the season pushed back to the beginning of August, we, as fans, are about to embark on a 100-day journey. We now know who the 16 houseguests for the summer (and fall) are going to be after they were announced on Monday at 1 p.m. It's a group of 16 brand-new players and while we don't have too much information on the houseguest, I have more than enough to give my first impressions on each one of them. That's what the purpose of this is going to be. I'll give my initial thoughts on each one and my preseason power ranking of the houseguests based on my perceived likelihood of winning the season.
Sometimes the bubbly person can skate their way to the very end and that seems to be what America is hoping to do this season. She mentioned somewhere that she isn't opposed to flirting to get to the end, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. She'll also play the waiting game in the early stages before turning up the heat after a few weeks, assuming she makes it that long.
Blue Kim (25, Born in California, Lives in New York, Brand Strategist)
The first thing I wrote about Blue when I first saw her was that she has tons of personality and she's going to be a trip if she lasts long. She might come across as a little abrasive if she doesn't tone it back a little. Still, I really hope she's in the house for a long time because she looks like she'll bring the fun. She hopes to play a mean social game, though that seems like something everyone says before entering.
Bowie Jane (45, Born in Australia, Lives in LA, DJ/Barrister)
With the average age of the season being slightly older than in previous years, I have high expectations for the older houseguests, Bowie Jane especially. As an international houseguest, her first exposure to the show was the Australian version, though she feels like she is more suited to the US version. She also plans to lie about her age, though it might work for her because I would've never guessed she was 45.
Cameron Hardin (34, Lives in Georgia, Stay-at-home dad)
I'm not sure I saw a single video of Cameron where his head was tilted to the side. His most defining feature is the massive amount of curly hair on his head. He does come across as very calm and collected, which could help him slide for a few weeks. Cameron seems like a very cool guy that could easily befriend the rest of the house. This might be great for him. Honestly, assuming he's not crazy, I'd be on a team with him.
Cory Wurtenberger (21, Lives in Florida, College student)
The first of two players with ties to Survivor, Cory is the youngest player in the house for this cycle, three years younger than the next youngest. He's the younger brother of Zach from Survivor 42, who was the second person eliminated during his season. As a superfan of the show, Cory is likely to know all of the ins and outs of the show, putting him in a great spot ahead of the other houseguests at the moment.
Felicia Cannon (63, Born in Washington, Lives in Georgia, Real estate agent)
At 63, Felicia holds the distinction of being the oldest member of the house, the oldest female to play the game, and the second-oldest houseguest overall, behind only Jerry from BB10. Her introduction paints her as being one of the biggest personalities of the season, which would be awesome. She plans to play down her age, though I'm not sure if that will help her when compared to the rest of the house.
Hisam Goueli (45, Born in Minnesota, Lives in Seattle, Geriatric Physician)
I'm not quite sure exactly what his job is, though I gather he works with old people for a living. That might put him at a slight disadvantage as the second-oldest player in the house. He gives off a very strong impression as a loud person. That could help to start some fights and put a target on his back. I'm not saying that is great for his game, though it could make for excellent television under the right circumstances.
Izzy Gleicher (32, Lives in New York, Flutist)
With a touch of musical prowess, Izzy seems to have done her homework coming into this season. She reported that she's watched every season of the show twice in 2023, allowing her to look at the strategies and gameplay of the strongest players to ever play the game. She has a strategy that seems to be common nowadays, so the hope is that she doesn't wait too long to become a comp beast.
Jag Bains (25, Born in Washington, Truck company owner/Realtor/Entrepreneur)
In another first for the season, Jag is the first-ever Sikh player in BB history. He strikes me as one of the smartest people this season based solely on what he does and how he has so many different ventures. He also seems like a genuinely good person, serving as a Special Olympics coach in Washington. He is an early sleeper pick for me. I'm not sure if he'll be seen as the most threatening person.
Jared Fields (25, Lives in Connecticut, Exterminator)
The second player with a Survivor tie, Jared is the son of Survivor legend Cirie. His mother played four seasons, finishing as high as 3rd place. This is going to be something he hopes doesn't get out because that could paint a major target on his back. He comes across as a strong player on the competitive side who won't look to make waves early in the game as he tries to wait for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Kirsten Elwin (25, Born in Dominica, Lives in Houston, Molecular Biologist)
Kirsten is a tough one to gauge. She obviously has the book smarts to last in this game as a molecular biologist. She will use the age-old strategy of hiding her occupation and while I don't think it really matters that much, it might allow her to fly under the radar. She was very clear that she wanted to form a strong alliance and steamroll her way through, which felt like a very sound strategy to get to the end.
Luke Valentine (30, Born in Weston, Lives in Coral Springs, Illustrator)
Every season has that "Wild Card" that seems so unhinged that you aren't sure where his head is on a daily basis. This season, I think Luke holds that distinction. I didn't gather much from his interviews, so he's going to be a big question mark once things get started. He's a self-described "himbo" and he plans on using that to his advantage to help him stay in the house.
Matt Klotz (27, Born in California, Lives in Louisiana, Deaflympics swimmer)
The final big first for the season, Matt is the first deaf player in the show's history. While his hearing might be impaired, he claims to be good at reading lips, meaning his deficit could still be seen as a strength. He has the typical look that we think of when it comes to recent winners of the show. He has an athletic build and the curly, blonde hair of a surfer bro that could either help him go far in the game or be the first boot of the season.
Mecole Hayes (30, Born in St. Louis, Lives in Maryland, Political Consultant)
A political background may help with certain aspects of the house, but I'm very curious to see how Mecole uses it to her advantage. She comes across as a very strong woman who isn't going to sit back and let her game be played for her. I'm not sure if that will make her unappealing to the large alliances, though I have no doubt she'll be persuasive in that regard.
Red Utley (37, Lives in Tennessee, Sales)
While we still haven't seen the houseguests move into the house yet, I've got a feeling I'm going to like Red a lot. He's giving major Donny energy from BB16, though that might just be the large beard and Southern accent. I'm really hoping he'll be the comedic relief in a game that can often become way too serious. I also hope that the term "Chill Billy" becomes a staple of this season.
Reilly Smedley (24, Born in Maine, Lives in Nashville, Bartender)
What she lacks in life experience, she might be able to make up for in personability. She claims that she can talk your ear off as a bartender and that could get her in on plenty of conversations. Where she might have trouble is finding that balance. If she's too talkative, it could turn off the rest of the houseguests and make her an easy target to get rid of during the pre-jury phase.
My Power Ranking of the Houseguest Before the Season Starts
I'm Not Convinced Yet
16. Hisam- Obviously, I haven't been able to form a definitive opinion toward any of the houseguests yet. My placement of Hisam here is more because I'm not sure where what he's going to do or how he'll come across based on the limited interview footage we have of him.
15. Felicia- Older houseguests don't win the Big Brother game and that's just a fact. However, they do tend to make it far in the game, so while I think she has an uphill climb to win, I could see her in the house longer than most of us expect her to be.
14. Cameron- Having a chill demeanor either means he's going to do really well in this game or Julie will be interviewing him as the first boot. He also didn't seem to give much of a strategy during his preseason interviews, so I'm not sure where he stands.
13. Bowie- She seems to be the "oddball" of the cast, giving me major Rockstar vibes from BB20. If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't a huge fan of Rockstar during that season, which doesn't bode well for her in my mind.
Still Not Sure
12. Luke- He's the ultimate Wild Card of the season and I'm not sure where exactly he's going to fall in the pecking order. My hope is that he stirs the pot the entire season and tries to get everyone in trouble, Luke might move up my list quickly.
11. Mecole- As a political consultant, Mecole has already made it clear that it will influence her gameplay once the season starts. If that's the case, I'm not sure whether or not I think she'll have a real shot because it doesn't always play out well.
10. America- With a sweet and bubbly personality that is going to help her make friends, she's going to lean heavily on that. She doesn't have much of a plan for her gameplay, which worries me if she plans to play the personality card the entire season.
9. Reilly- I think Reilly is going to be an interesting character this season because she's the type of person that America could instantly get behind. Assuming she doesn't do something stupid early on, she'll be popular with everyone, though it could up her threat level.
Getting Warmer
8. Red- The funny Southerner always seems to have an interesting journey on the show. While my hope is that he'll be closer to Donny from BB16, I'm not leaving it out of the realm of possibility that he's more like Frenchie from BB23.
7. Izzy- I'm honestly not sure why I have Izzy ranked this high other than having off-the-charts charisma. I don't have too much faith in Izzy being a competition beast unless I'm completely off base and it turns out I'm completely wrong.
6. Jared- Just because he's the son of a Survivor legend doesn't mean it will translate into the Big Brother house. Jared still has plenty to prove and while I think he could do well in competitions, it's his political game that I'm more interested in seeing.
5. Cory- Of the two Survivor relatives, I have more faith in Cory to get the job done than Jared. He's the youngest in the cast and while his stature might surprise people, it turns out he's a black belt, so he could be just fine against the stronger competitors.
My Early Favorites
4. Kirsten- Smart people who lie about their jobs have a checkered history because if you're found out early, it makes you an automatic target at the next eviction. If Kirsten is successful in hiding her job and balances it with some wins, she might be a low-lying threat.
3. Jag- I'm rooting for Jag based largely on how good of a person he seems to be based on the limited profile we have about him. He knows how to work with people and could make history as the first Sikh winner in the show's history.
2. Blue- When it comes to big personalities, I think Blue is going to steal the show from the rest of the house. We'll see if she can win her fair share of competitions or finds herself in a strong alliance to get her far because I'm firmly in her corner as the front-running female.
1. Matt- My confidence in Matt either means he's either going to be the first boot of the season or he will actually go on a good run. He has the most athletic prowess of the entire group as a Deaflympic swimmer, so he could be the houseguest to beat.
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