by Gina Scarpa

 

Big Brother is back and certainly lives up its motto in the premiere episode: "Expect the unexpected". Fourteen new houseguests have arrived to compete for $500,000 but they're not the only ones battling it out this season. Four returning players are also in the house, but as mentors, and if one of they're people wins, they'll get a little bonus of $100,000! Janelle, Boogie, Dan, and Britney are back in the house and I'll agree that three of those four are some of the best players to ever be in the game (and let you figure out who I'm leaving out of that equation).

 

Without any chance to get to know one another, the group is brought outside so that the mentors can choose their teams and then, they must immediately compete in a competition with high stakes. The mentor of the winning team will get to choose the first HOH, while the mentor of the losing team will have to send someone home immediately, which is absolutely horrible! The teams are:

 

Britney: Shane (a house flipper who seems athletic and like he could have a good social game), Willie (tankerman from Louisiana, brother of Russell Hantz, seems nicer but only time will tell), and Jojo (high maintenance and tough talking girl from Staten Island)

 

Mike: Frank (unemployed, spent time preparing for Big Brother by reading books and working out), Ian (chemical engineering student and Big Brother superfan), Jenn (rocker girl from New York, an out and proud lesbian)

 

Janelle: Will (in his words, "not your typical Southern gay", seems athletic and perhaps a bit of a schemer), Ashley (mobile spray tanner, says she's smarter than she looks, finds Ian attractive), Joe (one of the older houseguests, professional chef)

 

Dan: Kara (model, looking for love, Dan's first pick - really?), Danielle (nurse who is pretending to be a kindergarten teacher, seems a little sheltered, has her eye on Shane), Jodi (newleywed and mother to five stepchildren, older than the other women in the house but active and seems to have promise)

 

Now that the teams have been formed, let's get to the competition and for this one, everyone suited up in pajamas. Players ran across a series of mattresses (some who spun, some who bucked) and grabbed teddy bears, returning them to their platform. Once three teddy bears were retrieved and returned, the last player ran across the mattresses to shut off a night light, signaling a win. While several people (mostly the girls) struggled with making it across, some flew across those beds like they did this is their everyday life. Britney clearly picked the best team and even though Jenn struggled a little, she fought her way back and her team won. Janelle's team finished second, Boogie's third, and Dan's came in last. Way last. There was a lot of face planting going on.

 

Knowing that people were suspicious that Willie was Russell's brother (he won't admit it even though it's glaringly obvious), Britney names him HOH to ensure he's safe for the week and give him a chance to make some connections and deals. Back inside the house, Dan stands to face his team and decides to send Jodi packing. Not sure that was a great move. I don't like floaters but she definitely could've flown under the radar for a while which would've helped Dan get closer to the $100K. I don't think his team has a chance in hell.

 

Any early favorites?

 

Find out who Willie nominates for eviction on Big Brother, Sunday at 8/7c on CBS.

 

(Image courtesy of CBS)