Big Brother 25 (Week 1)- ...And So It Begins

The 25th season of Big Brother has officially begun, and it started with a bang. 16 houseguests entered the house on August 2 in pursuit of $750k and joining Big Brother immortality. Little did they know, this season would be unlike any we've ever seen. An early twist would bring one more person into the house, but this is more than just your average player. The first nine days left us with plenty to talk about as we embarked on a 100-day journey to crown the 25th winner of Big Brother. 

The Elephant in the Room

Before discussing the fun stuff, we must address the situation with Luke. On Wednesday morning at about 1 am in the house, Luke used a racial slur in the Have-Not Room with Jared, Cory, and Hisam present. While it was not directly targeted at Jared, a black houseguest, he was ejected from the house later in the afternoon. An ejection for a racial slur is unprecedented for the American version of the show, though it was seen in 2007 during the 8th season of Big Brother UK when a player was ejected for using the same word. The producers of Big Brother US have previously issued a statement declaring that hate speech would not be tolerated following an incident during Big Brother 22 involving Memphis that was later debunked. 

Now, I am a white male in my mid-20s. I am not qualified to speak on the intricacies of this issue on a deeper level. I can only provide my surface-level opinion on what happened and the reactions from the rest of the house. First, I should admit that I was asleep when this happened on the Live Feeds since it was 4 am on the west coast, so I missed it as it happened. I'll give credit to Big Brother. They followed through on that previous statement and removed Luke, and rightfully so. Personally, I have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to white people using that word. However, the edit they used for the Thursday episode was horrendous. They largely glossed over the incident, focusing on Jared's reaction. 

For as much as he tried to play it off, Jared clearly looked awkward about the entire thing. This was a lose-lose for him, so I am okay with how he handled it. I did take exception to Hisam's response during the brief house meeting when it was announced that Luke was gone. The internet came prepared with receipts that suggest he's lying about not having heard it. The only other thing I'll say about this is that Luke's exit was right. Racism and the use of racial slurs have long been an issue on Big Brother, so to see them put their foot down and remove someone was a nice change of pace. Obviously, it could have been better, and the production of it all could have been handled better. This will likely fall to the wayside within the next week, which is a disservice to the gravity of the situation. 

We Have a New Houseguest

With the many twists that have hit the season already, the most noteworthy was the addition of a 17th houseguest. This was more than just a standard addition to the show too. The 17th houseguest is none other than Survivor legend Cirie Fields. While I haven't watched much Survivor, I'm still aware of who Cirie is. She's largely considered one of the best Survivor players to never win, finishing as high as 3rd during her four seasons. She's also a fantastic strategist who isn't afraid to cut some throats when needed. She also won the first season of the US version of The Traitors. Cirie adds a new wrinkle to the season because she's also Jared's mom. They have the potential to be a strong duo as long as their secret isn't found out by the rest of the house. 

The Clear Divide in the House

The gameplay started fast and furiously once the dust settled from the move-in. With it, a strong divide between the "younger" and "older" members of the house began to form. Two large alliances have developed, with Jared dipping his toes in both groups. On one side, Jared is working with the under-27s and Cameron. Conversely, he's working with his mom, Cirie, and the over-30s. For my money, he's much more loyal to his mom's side, given Cirie's involvement and Izzy holding the secret identity of the family members. This could be awesome for the game's dynamic if this holds to form. It'll either lead to large-group dynamics controlling the game or total fireworks once things dissolve. 

Second Impressions (+ 1 First Impression)

Before the season, I put together my first impressions of the houseguests and how I think they'll fare this season. Now that we've seen them in the house and interacting with the other houseguests, I want to re-evaluate my thoughts. 

First, I was clearly wrong in having Kirsten so high on my list. I put her as one of my frontrunners for the season, and that quickly disappeared once she started playing every side in the house. I was also very wrong about Hisam. I didn't expect to like Hisam as much as I have. His disdain for Cory is a little much, but I've enjoyed the personality he brings to this cast. Reilly and America are two others that have slowly moved up my board. Cirie's inclusion has turned my list on its head. While I won't put her on my list of frontrunners for now, the longer she lasts, the better her chances are of winning. 

Here are my revised houseguest rankings (Note: This isn't my list of who I think will win the season):

17. Luke- He made a huge mistake, and there's no redemption for now. 

16. Cameron- The general feeling toward him in the house could be better. 

15. Kirsten- It's easy to move her down in the list in hindsight since she was the first one evicted. 

14. Izzy- While she isn't a huge fan of Cameron, my feelings toward her aren't much better. 

13. Bowie- I need to see more from Bowie to make a more educated opinion. 

12. Cory- Being a superfan is one thing, but how he handles things is a bit offputting. 

11. Mecole- She's in a strong alliance, and that's just about how much I know about her. 

10. Red- The "Chill Billy" might not rub everyone correctly, though I like him. 

9. Hisam- He turned out to be a lot better than I expected him to be. 

8. Felicia- I'm still not convinced she can win, but she's in a great position with her alliance. 

7. Jared- He seems content being his mom's sidekick, which will hurt him in the long run. 

6. Cirie- Being a legend in a strategy-based game already gives her a leg up on the competition. 

5. America- She has yet to make any waves this season, thus keeping a target off her back. 

4. Reilly- Being the 1st HOH is always you, and while it could hurt her, she has proven to be endearing.

3. Jag- He needs to catch up in the house regarding information, but there's still time.

2. Blue- Her personality is one of my favorites this season, though I'm concerned about her spot. 

1. Matt- I'm still pulling for him to win it all after a pretty relaxed week for him. 

Reilly's Week as HOH

This week was weird for the HOH because her nominations were made for her on move-in night. The houseguests, then 16 of them, split into four different competitions. Jule notified the house that the loser of each round would be on the block. Jared failed to complete a puzzle. Kirsten failed to kick herself in the butt 100 times. Felicia failed to connect some wires. Cory failed to hold on the longest. Alas, the block was formed. For the HOH competition, the winner would take two names off the block, making the remaining two the official nominees for the week. Reilly opted to take Cory and Jared down, leaving Felicia and Kirsten, intending to send the latter home. Given her initial plans, the week was a success. She also got a solid alliance out of it. 

Eviction Thoughts

With Luke being ejected right before the eviction, the prevailing thought was that there would be no eviction on Thursday night. Big Brother had no intention of canceling it. Things went as planned, and Kirsten was sent out the door packing with the entire house in agreeance. Kirsten joins Joey (BB16) and Keesha (BB22) as the only houseguests to receive a unanimous 13-0 vote to open the season. 

The truth is Kirsten had no chance on the block against Felicia. She was a dead woman walking at that point. What surprises me is that no one gave her a pity vote. I was expecting someone like America to throw a vote her way to give her the sense that someone cared. Instead, no one decided to defy the will of the house. 

What Could Happen Next Week (WITH HOH SPOILERS)

After a week where the young guns were in charge, it is time for the old heads to get their shot. When the feeds came back last night, Hisam was wearing the HOH key, meaning he's about to shake some things up this week after his 2nd victory of the season. He's already made it clear that Reilly and Cameron will be his focus, though Cory will likely be in the line of fire. We also had our second visitor to the Nether Regions after Jared finished 2nd in the competition. He was gone until Friday afternoon, which will lend itself to speculation that he has some power that needs to be figured out. I'd bet we'll learn more about his time there on Sunday during the episode.