BB15 Eviction Night Recap - Hello Redneck

Welcome to eviction night in the BB house! In honor of who I think is leaving the house tonight, (no, I am not going to say who) I dedicate my drink of choice to this wonderful HG.  And just want is the name of this lovely drink? Why, it is called “Howard’s Poison” In case you want to join me, here is what you need:  grab a tall glass and add 1.5 oz Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, 5 oz Orange Juice, 3 oz Pineapple Juice, and .25 oz Triple Sec.  Damn good stuff.  Sorry Howard, you should have been campaigning all week instead of waiting for until the last minute.  Anyway, on with the recap. 

Picking up where we left off after the POV ceremony, we have Howard and Candice in the backyard…and Candice is pissed.  Redneck? Rebel flag? Come one Candice, you are better than this...or at least say it louder so that someone can overhear you and run to Aaryn to let her know what you are saying about her.  Yes, I love me some drama.   

Finally, Howard and Spencer start playing the game.  They start working Judd and Andy and drag them into an alliance to vote Amanda out.  Spencer also works GinaMarie and Jessie.  Not sure this is working, but at least it is an effort.

 Opps.  Like I said, someone was not buying this whole new alliance thing.  Andy runs and tells Amanda that he and Judd made a deal with Spencer and Howard to flip the house, but that he really is not going to flip.  Amanda almost freaks out, but Andy tells her that there is no way he is voting her out.  This is when the tide starts to turn against Judd.  He eventually tells Amanda about the “fake alliance” but not quick enough for Amanda. 

After Andy tattles on Spencer and Howard, Amanda later calls Spencer out about trying to get her out.  Spencer denies it but admits it in the DR.  They get into an argument and Spencer tells her to shut up and Amanda calls him a bully.  I don’t like that Spencer told Amanda to shut up, but I really don’t like the “B” word being thrown around like it is.  Until they learn the true meaning of that word, it should be banned from the BB house.  Rant over. Moving on.

To help keep the drama going, Helen finds Candice and tells her that she overheard Amanda and Spencer arguing in the BY with Spencer saying that he wants Candice out.  Can you say BOOM?  Candice can with a house meeting.  Oh hell yeah.   Amanda calls it like is – “a house meeting…that always go well.”  Yeah…not.  And neither did this one.  I will say that Candice did let loose and calls Spencer out in front of everyone.  It was a wonderful five minutes for Candice and not so much for Spencer.  But, here is the problem: Spencer is no longer on the block and Candice is.  Next week is a long ways off and with a new HOH, this “house meeting” will probably be forgotten.  The only thing Candice accomplished was putting a bigger target on her back.  And this is exactly what Jessie, GM, and Aaryn saw as well.  They did not like what Candice did and now want her out.  Like Amanda said…

Back from commercial, Julie tells us that it is day 42 in the house.  She then turns to the HGs and start quizzing them on babies that have been recently born.  I will spare you.

The next filler segment is about Judd’s hometown, Englewood, which is a very small town in Tennessee.  It was actually a pretty good segment.  The best part was everyone, and I mean, everyone, was wearing bright orange #TeamJudd t-shirts.  Absolutely wonderful.

All right, boring ass speech time

Amanda – Hi to family and friends.  Not ready to go yet.  Love you McCrae.  I want to stay and have a nice big Jewish wedding.

Candice – Hi to all my family, friends and my bestie boos.  I’m a tough cookie. I don’t want to leave.

Howard – I would like to thank God, my Church, my family, God, and my Church.  I have enjoyed my cast mates and please vote with your heart.

Enough of that, on with the votes:

Helen – Howard

Elissa – Howard

Spencer – Candice

McCrae – Howard

Andy – Howard

Judd – Howard

GinaMarie – Howard

Jessie – Howard

With 7 votes, Howard has been evicted.  Bye bye Howard. 

Interview with Julie.  Talked about the Helen controlling the house, the Moving Company and lying to Helen.  Julie asks about the racism in the house.  Howard said that he bit his tongue, that he did not want to lose his temper, and he was not going to stoop to their level.  Crowd claps loudly.  In the goodbye videos, the only thing of interest was Candice calling him Howie boo.  When asked about Candice, Howard said several times that she is just a friend. Bottom line: Howard seems like a really nice guy.  Too bad he did not have a better game plan. 

Ugh.  Julie tells us that the BBMVP is still in play and that America is the BBMVP again.  I can not wait for this to end.

Here we go, the HOH Comp, which Julie calls it the “Bull in a China Shop” comp.  The HGs are on a rotating barrel holding onto a rope handle to help keep their balance.  After the HGs have been up on the barrel for a few minutes, Julie announces that the first three HGs that jump/fall off the barrel can open one of three boxes, which one of the boxes contains $5,000.  No one jumps.

As for the comp, Helen and Elissa are struggling, while Andy, Judd and McCrae are acting like they are taking walk around the block.

Julie tells us that there will not be Have-Nots this week.  The HGs are happy.

Julie also tells us that Thursday will be double eviction.  Oh hell yes.  This also means that the BBMVP crap is over next week.  About damn time. 

As we leave, Julie tells the HGs to hang on as “those bulls are going to run a whole lot faster.” 

There you have it.  Howard is gone and we are about to get a new HOH.  Sound off below and let us know what you think about Howard leaving and the double eviction next Thursday.

Say What Howard? BB15 Recap - BBMVP and POV

The sky is blue.  She painted her fingernails pink.  That car is really red.  Wow, that tree is tall.  And look at those green leaves.  Wow, that was a squirrel.  Yes, that is what it is like to have a conversation with Howard; you walk away shaking your head wondering what the hell just happened.  Three shot Howard.  That is my new name for him.  Why?  Because it takes three shots of your favorite strong alcohol to understand anything he has to say.  Anyway, on with the recap.

Picking up where we left off after nominations, from the DR Aaryn tells us that Howard is the target and Spencer is the pawn.  Helen appears to be ecstatic as she basically tells us that these are her nominees as she made a deal with Aaryn last week for Aaryn’s safety.  The deal was basically that Helen would convince the house not to vote out Aaryn but if Aaryn won HOH, Helen would get to select who goes on the block.  So, Spencer and Howard, say hello to the block.  With the nominations, Elissa surprised and Amanda is extremely happy.  In case you did not know – that would be those who NEVER watch the feeds - you would not have a clue how much Amanda wants Howard the hell out of the house.  Let me put it this way, one day last week I decided to count how many times Amanda said Howard’s name when Howard was not within ear shot of Amanda.  I hit 100 times within 10 minutes.  Need I say more? Good.  Moving on.

What is up with Jessie? After nominations, she finds Howard and starts crying.  What the hell? Did CBS not have enough filler for tonight?  Was there a petition to get Jessie more airtime?  Just call me confused.

After nominations, McCrae starts working on Spencer as he thinks Spencer will be more loyal to him and Amanda.  McCrae makes up some lie and Spencer in the DR says he see right through it and knows that McCrae is lying because he knows that Howard refuses to work with McCrae and Amanda.  Spencer is hoping that whoever the BBMVP puts up is more of a target than himself and Howard so that his alliance can stay intact.  Keep dreaming Spencer.

Okay.  It is that time.  The Howard house meeting time.  Howard has something to say and wants everyone to hear it.  What exactly did he say? I don’t have a freaking clue.  And it looks like I am not alone.  During the “Howard speech,” we get DRs from Judd, Andy, and Spencer asking what in the hell Howard just said.  And during the speech, everyone looks confused.  After the speech and in the DR, Howard is happy he got that off his chest.  Someone order me another shot.

Another fun segment.  Amanda and McCrae are in the hammock.  Elissa is jogging and decides to stop and share some of her wonderful insight regarding the BBMVP.   You see, Elissa just can’t believe that America turned on her.  America LOVES her.  There has to be a reason why she was not the BBMVP last week or this week. Pay attention, this is the fun part: Elissa believes that the reason why she is not the BBMVP is that the first three weeks was for the girls and the three following weeks is for the boys.  Which makes perfect since that Howard was the BBMVP last week and that Andy is the BBMVP this week. I would really like to know what meds she is on because I want some.   

POV time.  But first, we have to find out who Andy pick to be the third nominee…which is Amanda!!!  And of course, Amanda is pissed.  What CBS did not really show was the mini melt down Amanda had after this meeting.  Still yet, Amanda did later pull her shit together and started working the house.  In addition to Aaryn, Howard, Spencer, and Amanda, the other two picked to play were Candice and Jessie.  Aaryn selected Helen as the host.

The POV theme for this week is “Time Machine.”  The POV players are transported back in time to a “Jurassic Park” era and they have to find puzzle pieces that resemble a large carved rock of the POV.  Think Flintstones.  Fast-forward through all of the DRs about how hard this puzzle is…and Spencer “The Doughnut Master” wins the POV!!! Yee freaking haw. 

Amanda is upset that she didn’t win, but is happy that Howard will still be on the block.  Shocker.  Hmmm…who will Aaryn pick as the replacement nominee? Hmmm…could it be….Candice? Like you didn’t see that one coming.  Helen says that she will go with the group but wants to tell Candice that she fought for her.  Yeah, okay Helen, as long as you control everything.  Whatever.

Meanwhile, back in oblivion, Candice does not think that Spencer and Howard are doing enough to try to save their alliance and believes that even though Aaryn is the HOH, Helen is controlling the house.  Candice finds Helen and tries to cut a deal with Helen to save herself and Howard.  During this conversation, Candice tells Helen that she knows that Helen is running the house and can control who will get evicted.  Helen denies this and gets pissed off and walks out on the conversation. 

Helen makes a bee line to the HOH room to tell everyone what Candice just told her.  Prior to Helen making to the HOH room, we get a Helen DR telling us that she is going to get the house to flip on Candice.  Why Helen, how could you do that when you just said that you don’t control the house? In the HOH room, Helen tells Aaryn, Spencer, Andy, GineMarie, Jessie, Amanda, and McCrae what Candice just told her.  Like this group needed any further reasons to dislike Candice.

This, of course, leads us to the POV ceremony.  Spencer takes himself off the block and Aaryn, who looks directly at Candice and says, this is not a surprise to anyone, Candice, saddle up. 

So, who is going home?  Will it be Howard or Candice? Since I like drinking, let’s hope it is Candice.  Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think.

BB15 Weekend Update - Noms, BBMVP, and the POV

As we saw Thursday night, the damn clown is back in the HOH room.  No, I am not talking about Aaryn. Well, not really.  Yes, she won HOH.  And with her came that damn clown.  It’s just freaky.

Anyway, in case you have been sitting on a beach on a deserted island and completely missed what happen this weekend, have no fear as the weekend recap is here. 

Picking up were CBS left off Thursday night, Aaryn is the new HOH.  After the HOH room reveal, the return of the damn clown, and a few hours of sleep, we get the Have/Have-Not comp.  When the dust settled and all of the outlaws were arrested, GinaMarie, Amanda, Judd, and Candice were the Have-Nots for the week.  With GinaMarie being a Have-Not, everyone is wondering if Nick will came back into the house and sneak her food.  We can only hope the lunacy continues.  

After a couple of HOH confabs and a few hours later, it was time for Aaryn to make her nominations.  In a shocking surprise, (okay, not really) she nominated Spencer and Howard.  I heard that Howard actually cried after the nomination ceremony.  I guess we will have to wait until Sunday to find out if this is really true. 

You know how sometimes when the week starts out bad and just keeps getting worse? Well, that is how Amanda’s week is turning out.  Hello Friday and Hello Have-Not.  Hello Saturday morning and hello Amanda as America’s choice for the third nominee.  This lead to a minor breakdown, but Amanda quickly regained her composure and started working on Jessie and Aaryn in case they pull off a POV victory.  Speaking of which, the POV players were Aaryn, Amanda, Spencer, Howard, Candice, and Jessie.

A few hours later, the curtains were raised and our latest POV winner is Spencer!!!  Rumor has it that Spencer unleashed his Einstein brainpower and solved some complex puzzle.  Yeah, whatever, it was a doughnut-eating contest and after his trampoline debacle, Spencer redeemed himself…in a very spectacular fashion.  Good for you Spencer.  

On Monday, if he has recovered from his doughnut overload, Spencer should take himself off the block.  As it sits right now, it appears that Aaryn will put up Candice as the replacement nominee.  The only question that remains is who is going home on Thursday.  Who do you think will be walking out the door? Is Amanda’s time up? Or will it be Candi talking to Julie?  Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think.

BB15 Wednesday Night BBMVP and POV Recap

It’s Wednesday night BB recap time.  Who did America pick as this week’s BBMVP? Who is the third nominee? Who wins the POV?  Stay tune and let’s find out.

Picking up where we left off, Helen nominated Kaitlin and Aaryn for eviction.  The DRs by Kaitlina and Aaryn were actually not that bad, just the same rhetoric we usually see about getting off themselves off the block.  After the nomination ceremony, Kaitlin and Jeremy were talking about how the BBMVP will probably be Elissa…again…and he will get put on the block.  If that is not enough, we next get Helen in the DR telling us that she needs to talk to Elissa who will probably get the BBMVP again so that they can decide who to put up as the third nominee.  And take a wild guess who the BBMVP is?  Yep, Elissa.  HEY AG AND ALL OF THE DAMN BB PRODUCERS, EVEN THE HGS ARE GETTING TIRED OF THIS SHIT!!! Enough!!! Please!!! It is a joke. The best player is not winning the MVP.  Please, STOP IT NOW!!! As long as Elissa is in the house, she will be the BBMVP.  How about we just give her a three-week immunity pass and call it even and stop this non-sense of the crapola BBMVP?  I know, same rant from last week.  But, at least I feel better.  Moving on.

For the next 10 minutes, we get Elissa, Amanda, McCrae and Helen debating/arguing as to who the third nominee will be.  Actually, iit really was not a debate or even an argument.  It was Amanda making a lot of sense in selecting Howard to go on the block and Elissa, being the dumbass that she is, refusing to listen to logic and wanting to put up Spencer.  Let’s see, if your plan is to backdoor Jeremy and you want someone you nominate to win the POV so that you can control the replacement nominee, do you put up someone that is physically fit? Or someone that is not? Why yes, I would go with the latter every single time…if I were a freaking dumbass like Elissa.  “I was not going to be pressured on who to nominate.” SHUT. UP. You are an idiot. 

Before the POV, Amanda has a little chat with Kaitlin and basically tells her that Aaryn is on her own and she needs to win the POV.  And if she does win the POV and does not use it, she will be going home.  Kaitlin, surprisingly, took the news well. 

Time for the BBMVP nomination and the POV selection.  Of course, idiot Elissa picks Spencer.  How much you want to bet that Spencer finishes dead last in the POV comp? As for the POV comp, GinaMarie, and Candice were selected to play. 

The POV comp was “Keeping up with the Jones.”  One at a time, each POV player has to jump on a trampoline, look over a wall into a living room that contained several famous painting that had the HG’s faces on them, memorize the painting on the wall, get off the trampoline, run to their own living room, and hang the painting in the exact same order.  Fastest time wins the POV.  Guess who got exhausted? Guess who was so out of shape to the point that they had to cheat to complete the comp? Guess who did not get a time penalty for cheating because they were so far out of it that it didn’t matter? Guess who finished dead last? That’s right, Spencer.  Elissa, you are a freaking idiot.  As for the fastest time and the winner of the POV, that would be Kaitlin.

Sometime after the POV comp, Kaitlin talks to Helen about who the replacement nominee might be.  Kaitlin suggested that if she uses it, that Helen needed to put up Howard.  Helen point blank told her that she was going to put up Jeremy. Period. End of the story.  I will spare you all of the other conversations and tell you that Kaitlin used the POV and Helen, true to her word, put up Jeremy as the replacement nominee.

So, who do you want to see go home tomorrow? Who should have Elissa put on the block? Do you agree with me that Elissa is a freaking idiot?  Sound off below and let us know what you think.

#BB15: What In the World is Going On?

First off, I have to apologize for neglecting the very blog I started, for a very busy first three weeks of BB. Life happens.

Big thanks to Getting Lost, who has been an enormous help in keeping everyone up to date (including me - I had no idea why Daley had been expelled on BBUK until I read it on my own blog. That's a first...) I do intend to cover BB15 as much as I can find the time, and now that the game is in gear, it's a good time to start weighing back in.

Second, on that note - my God, what a season so far. The elephant in the room, of course, is the racism issue, which anyone who has the internet is aware of by now.

And wow. It's tough to watch at times. My own ethnicity has yet to be insulted (this season, anyway), so I can't even imagine what viewers who do fall into those groups must feel. I know I've spoken to folks who are having a very tough time watching this season. Is it any wonder that Production stepped in to keep Howard off the block this week? Their sole chance of a watchable edit would have been ruined. It's happened in the past, so it's nice to see some recognition from Production that we want the story we're watching to be satisfying. Aaryn's ride from queen bee to bottom feeder has certainly been a fun one to watch, for all her loathsome villainy.

Aaryn and her chosen chess pieces. Don't tell me you're surprised.

There are moments already making this season memorable outside of the horrible comments controversy. GinaMarie's endless mourning for Nick was feeds gold, especially with the recent revelation that the hat she's been wearing in tribute to him actually belongs to McRae, but no one can bring themselves to tell her that. Gold!

The fights have also been off the hook, with this Sunday's "Bedgate" sequence being particularly well-edited. Candice squealing "NICK'S NOT HEEEEERE AND I AM!" may go down as almost as memorable a moment as "Anyone want some cake?", at least in my book.

Kleenax, Nick's shorts - hard to tell the difference. 

And let's not ignore the fact that, for all the horribly unlikable players, there is some good game play happening this year. 

Unlike other recent seasons, houseguests are showing independence in their votes, throwing hinky votes and switching at the last minute. The Nick vs. Elissa vs. Helen vote quite literally came down to the wire, and was actually unpredictable on TV. Feeds viewers expected an 8-3 vote and were shocked when Howard decided to stay loyal to Nick in the Diary Room. 

Can anyone remember the last time we were actually surprised by a houseguest's vote in the Diary Room? It may not have changed the outcome, but the suspense is nice. For once, I don't feel like I know what's going to happen.

Team Helen

Strategy-wise, the Moving Company has now joined the ranks of BB Canada's Quattro in proving why the Brigade has been under-appreciated for their strategic success. The MC showed early promise, with members starting to build side alliances and pledging loyalty to the main alliance, but the gig was up the second Jeremy took his cue from BB Canada's Tom Plant and let his ego get in the way. 

The ultimate downfall of the Moving Company came down to one moment: Jeremy's decision to threaten anyone who wanted to evict Kaitlin while simultaneously pushing for McRae's side ally Amanda to be evicted soon. The second that started, the Moving Company was done.

Let's talk about specific games for a moment, McRae's to start. Wednesday and Thursday, the internet lit up with speculation as McRae started to shift without making his intentions entirely clear to the feed viewers. Ultimately McRae's decision to fully buck the MC in favor of Amanda changed the game - and yet, in the house, the blame is falling on everyone from Jessie to Spencer/Howard, with McRae's key role virtually ignored. I'm liking McRae and his game. He's a strong comp threat with a decent social game who is under the radar. The pizza boy is looking to go deep.

I like Amanda too, though she's a much more visible threat than McRae and topping several target lists right now. They're an odd couple, with Amanda's forceful personality and McRae's quiet beta male presence, but somehow it works, and their strategy together has been good so far. Ultimately, he's doing well to play with her, because she's very likely to go before him. Some of the internet shippers have been all about his "You're my queen" comment, not realizing that in context, that wasn't some sappy declaration of love - it was basic, solid game analysis. McRae is well-hidden behind Amanda and well-positioned to go deep into the game right now, with Amanda as the more visible "queen" in his game of chess. Until she goes, they're an unusual but interesting pair to watch, as long as they're not going to Sea World. (If you don't get that reference, feel lucky.) 

What about the others? Jeremy, Aaryn, Kaitlin and GinaMarie, of course, are abysmally awful. They've alienated the house with bullying and general high school snottiness, causing even follower Jessie to revolt in disgust. Of all of them, GinaMarie looks likely to go far in the game, more as a goat than because of any solid gameplay.

Howard was playing a good game until his hinky vote this week, which led to much suspicion and upped him on many target lists. I have to give him credit for his obvious efforts to suppress his (understandable) anger and focus on game play. That didn't look easy, but props to Howard for strategy on that. If he can manage to slide through the hinky vote guilt and survive another couple of weeks, he might go deep in the game. Wouldn't it be ironic if the "racism" season of Big Brother resulted in the first-ever African-American winner? I think it's entirely possible if Howard can get his game under control in the next few days. (Candice isn't out of the question either, though she seems to be high on the target list of the snotty girls, for non-strategic reasons I have yet to fully grasp.) Spencer is similarly playing an okay game, but is a little too shady to go much deeper than early jury as of right now. 

Judd is also playing well and quickly becoming a fan favorite with his drawling quips. He's a little too under-the-radar right now for me to judge his strategy, but I do find him and Jessie together to be a cute and inoffensive combination and very watchable on the feeds, which is more than I can say for most of the cast right now. Neither one looks likely to go anytime soon, so hopefully as the crowd thins, we'll see more of them and get a better sense. 

Then there's Andy. Oh, Andy. It's always something when you can invent an entirely new strategy never before seen on the show, and Andy's "feed bombing" is becoming legendary on nearly every Big Brother website. Besides being hilarious and something he will probably never live down, it's not bad strategy. Andy does have a solid, if hyperactive, social game, and is liked and trusted by many in the house. His over-the-top bouncing around the house also lands him in many key conversations (and prevents others that could harm him). Will the houseguests grow sick of him and evict him? I see Andy going deep in the game right now. By the way, you know how everyone always argues over the definition of "floater"? Andy is playing a classic, BB4 Jun Song-style floating game right now, and is doing that well. We'll see if he can keep it up as the power continues to shift.

As for Elissa and Helen... sigh. It's really time for someone else to be voted MVP, and I endorse anyone but Elissa at this point. Elissa is also likely to be voted out once the power shifts away from her, which should happen in the next week or two. Helen is a strong political strategist, but has been a little overbearing on her HOH. It's possible that houseguests will start to grow weary of her soon, especially once Elissa is gone and the rest of them have to spend time with her.

All in all, while it's been an uncomfortable season at times, there is some promise for a good game to play out over the coming weeks, and I promise that I will try to be around to weigh in on it as much as I can. And in the meantime - thanks again to new PBP correspondent Getting Lost! 

Big Brother 15 Launch

We have been complaining about it for the last several seasons.  The BB Gods heard us and finally delivered.  16 brand spanking new HGs.  Well, except for one.  With 15 newbies, I am willing to let her slide.  For now.  If you don't know who I am talking about, then there is no need to explain.  Anyway, LET THE SEASON BEGIN!!!

The show begins with Julie inside the house. If you have not seen it, there are several photos and videos online and it is sooooo much better than last year.  After the intro, we get the front of the house.  Holy crap.  What a make over.  So much better.  Now BB, let’s talk about HD.  What in the hell is it going to take to get you to switch to HD.  I mean, holy shit.  Besides BB, are there ANY shows that are not in HD?  Time to step it up BB. Moving on.

Next, we get the new HGs getting their keys letting them know that they have been picked to be on the show.  Ummm…yeah, with a camera in your face, please try to act surprised.  I will spare you and skip this part. 

Time for the HGs to move into the house.  The first group consisted of GinaMarie, Judd, Candice, and Andy.  After GinaMarie got her scream on, the second group moved in, which consisted on Jeremy, Kaitlin, Elissa, and McCrae.  The third group was Helen, Nick, Howard, and Jessie; and the fourth group was Spencer, David, Aaryn, and Amanda.  Even though we did not really get to see it, by the time the fourth group moved in, all of the beds were taken. Time for some to start doubling up.

Next we get the traditional meet and greet.  The one thing that stood out for me is that David is a complete and utter moron.   There is no hiding it.  He makes stupid look like a genius.  He does not draw unemployment because he is lazy, he draws it because he is so stupid that no one will hire him.  Unbelievable.  The second thing that stood out is Elissa saying that she is going to keep it a secret that Rachel is her sister.  That lasted about…ummm....10 minutes.  Thanks to the lovely CBS editing, we did not get to see just how many, if not all, HGs know that Rachel is her sister.  Hopefully we will find out on Sunday.

Now that the HGs are in the house, let the secret alliances begin.  The first group of idiots…errr…secret alliance members are Jeremy, Spencer, and Howard.  Exactly 30 seconds later, Jeremy, Jessie, and David formed a secret alliance.  A few minutes later, one of the girls mentioned something about an all girls alliance.  Obviously, someone has NEVER watched BB before.  You asked for newbies, here ya go!!!  Gotta love it!!!

Time for the first twist of BB15.  Julie reveals to the HGs that there will not be two nominees this year.  Some brilliant newbie said, “what, there will only be one?” I swear to God, I am not making this shit up.  Someone actually said that.  Like I said above, you wanted newbies, here ya go.  Anyway, the first twist is that every week there will be three nominees.  The HOH will pick two and the third will be picked by…we will get to that in a minute.  No really, Julie would not tell us.  We all had to wait.

So, on with the first HOH comp.  It is the typical hang on to some large stuffed thing as long as you can.  Like the banana thing last year.  This year is a “popsicle” while getting sprayed with some type of crap and a large tongue smacking them.  Judd and Howard were the first to fall claiming that they dropped on purpose, as they did not want to be the first HOH.  When it got down to the final four – David, Jeremy, Nick and McCrae, Julie offered a deal for the next one to drop: a chance to open one of two lunch boxes, which one of the lunch boxes contains a “Never Not” pass.  What is a “Never Not” pass you ask?  Exactly what it sounds like, a pass where you are never a Have Not.  What the hell?  How cool is this? Freaking awesome if you ask me.  Idiot David can’t resist and drops.  Of course, he picks the wrong lunch box.  Two seconds later, Jeremy drops and wins the “Never Not” pass.  Did I mention that Jeremy is a douche bag? Nope? Well, he is.  Big time.

With only Nick and McCrae left on the Popsicle, Nick quickly makes a deal with McCrae.  With that, we have the first BB15 HOH: Congrats McCrae!!!

After the HOH comp, Julie gather the HGs in the living room to explain the next twist, the BBMVP. The BBMVP  (BB - Big Brother  - MVP - Most Valuable Player - yes, I had to explain that as there is a good chance that David is reading this) will have the power to select the third nominee.  The BBMVP will be told in secret that they are the BBMVP and their nomination will also be made in secret. And who will pick the BBMVP?  Us, the viewers.  We get to vote every week who we want to be that week’s BBMVP. If this does not get abused, yeah right, this has a great opportunity to be a great twist.  Chances are, BB will find a way to screw this up.

Well, that is it.  Welcome to BB15.  What did you think?  Love or hate the new HGs?  And what about the new twists?  Sound off in the comments bleow and let us know!!!

Around the Web: #BB15: The Countdown Begins

Haha, just kidding, the countdown has been all over Twitter since, like, Christmas. OK, so it's now the final countdown.

So, it's almost here! The houseguests have been revealed, and are already plotting and strategizing away in the house (apparently, though CBS has yet to release the traditional entry photo and cast photo to confirm.) I watched interviews on Big Brother Network mostly for their lack of Jeff.

For what it's worth, I believe that it's almost impossible to tell anything from preseason interviews. I've almost never liked the same houseguests in the house that I like in the interviews, and the real gameplayers never emerge until they're under the wire. Why? Well, because most of us don't really know ourselves that well. It's all well and good to fire "what if" questions at them, but most houseguests don't actually behave in the house the way that they think they would, and the way they act is far more important than what they think about themselves.

So, that said, I thought it would be fun to record my initial observations before they slide off my Twitter timeline, and maybe later this season we can revisit just how wrong I was.

I hear Aaryn was less likable in other interviews, so this might be a fluke. 

Andy is an early contender for my favorite, based solely on interviews. I remember on Season 12, when Matt and Ragan would frequently discuss the casting process ("You are not allowed to talk about Production") and refer to doppelgangers they'd seen in casting, people who were clearly in contention for the same spot. Andy and Ragan, without a doubt, are doppelgangers of each other - energetic gay speech professors. Can Andy manage to do what Ragan couldn't? 

(I was a fan of Ragan, for the record.)

Girl alliance! I could root for some of these apparently vapid girls if they could get their act together and get some girl power rocking in the house this year without letting it dissolve into cattiness and backbiting, as usually happens. Some of them seem to want to do that, but can they pull it off? 

Elissa Slater is, of course, Rachel Reilly's sister. I'm willing to give her a chance on her own merits, especially if she dicks around with deals less than Rachel did. Also, her eyes:

David might be great for the lulz, though. 

I'm not sure I'm going to like Howard, but I see him wanting to play hard. Also, I agree with the countless folks who have speculated about a Howard/Candice showmance - it seems like they may have been cast with that in mind. (Robyn Kass, Matchmakers Inc.)

And finally:

So, which ones will I be right about? Oh, probably approximately none of them. We'll see their true colors once we get to see them scheming and competing. Some of these people we will love, some we will loathe, most of them will surprise us. I do think we have a number of potentially interesting characters and group dynamics on tap, and 

I've got some great things planned for the site this summer, which I can't wait to reveal. And I'll be watching the premiere at the BB NYC party on Wednesday with the New York area houseguests - if anything good happens, I will report back! 

Happy summer, everyone!