#BB15 NYC Launch Party

Last year, I put out an innocent call via Reality Nation (RIP?) for fellow fans to gather for the launch of Big Brother 14. It evolved into a huge production with input from Big Brother alums, and was repeated this year through the stewardship of BB14's Adam Poch at Murray Bar 34 in midtown.  This year, relieved of hosting duties (relieved being the operative word), I hit the party as a spectator with my good Big Brother buddy ST in tow.

The night was interesting, to say the least - it was a hot and humid night in NY, and if you can't tell from the party pictures, the place was about 95 degrees and even more humid inside. That didn't stop fans and houseguests alike from mobbing the place for hours, squeezing through and stepping on each other's toes for photo ops and strategic debates.

A few highlights:

-The bar was 21 and up, and a group of young kids were unable to get into the bar. When we arrived, a considerable number of houseguests were kindly posing for pictures outside with the forlorn kids, including Porsche, Enzo, Ian, Adam Poch, Monica, and JennCity.

-Porsche was considerably taller than I expected, especially in her six-inch heels. She was pleased to hear that I was rooting for her at the end of BB13, then whispered: "Even against Rachel?" Yes, I said, even against Rachel. She seemed satisfied with that.

-I was squeezing through some close quarters and ended up standing in front of BB2's Monica for a few moments. I felt compelled to share with her, truthfully, that I've been re-watching Big Brother 2 on my iPhone at the gym lately, and I hope she wins this time.

-Somehow ST and I ended up chatting with Chef Joe Arvin of BB14 for awhile. We struck up a conversation as the show was airing, and ended up getting into a detailed consideration of whether Elissa should come clean about her family relations. Joe, who famously got Russell Hantz's brother Willie booted, was of the opinion that everyone would know immediately about Elissa's family connections. His prediction proved to be right.

-Joe also informed us that on BB14, while he wasn't familiar enough with Survivor to make the connection, he found out very quickly about Willie's family ties from his fellow housemates.

-Chef Joe Arvin is possibly the loudest human being I have ever met in my life.

-One more great Chef Joe moment: While discussing his season, Joe noted to us that, while his game may have been lacking, he at least knew what was going on in the house the majority of the time. The fan standing beside us piped up: "When the lights were on, anyway." Ouch. I took the opportunity to ask Joe how that conversation would have gone if Dan hadn't outed himself. He said he was planning to tell "Shane" that Dan was still with Danielle, and not to believe any of it.

-We also had a chat with BB14's JoJo, who was very into the premiere episode. She wasn't a Big Brother fan before going on the show, but like most former houseguests, she now claims to be obsessed, to the point that she even watched Big Brother Canada online. JoJo was a fan of The Sheyld and Talla, which makes sense, since Talla was basically the Canadian JoJo.

-Michelle Maradie was in attendance ("Who?" First boot on BB4, look it up!), which made us note her more-than-passing resemblance to BB15 houseguest Aaryn.

-Eric Stein remains one of my favorite Big Brother houseguests of all time. He did not seem pleased about his recent loss in Risk, which he was quick to point out was just a silly board game. Duly noted, Eric.

-Michelle Costa was audibly shocked when McCrae won the first HOH.

-ST wanted a picture with Ian, who was looking quite adorable as he got a little more drunk and sweaty. Not that I'm planning to rob the cradle or anything. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't consider it. We asked Ian how Jun's matchmaking service is working out for him. (ST is Jun's honorary sister.) Ian admitted that it wasn't. Hopefully ST can use her honorary family connections to make that happen for Ian.

-On a similar note, ST and I both noted Elissa's misspelling of Jun's name on her dreamboard and immediately docked her points for that.

-All in all, it was a great party, and shoutout to our new bar buddies, Karen and Jeffery, as well as all of the houseguests who put up with the heat, humidity, and harassment of fans to enjoy the premiere with all of us.

The BB NYC party is becoming a fun tradition, and I'm already looking forward to next season. Thanks for keeping it alive, Adam!