Big Brother Season 20 premiere recap: 16 houseguests move in, one player gets a huge advantage
It’s summer which means it’s time for Big Brother Season 20. Sorry, Celebrity Big Brother, there’s no substitute for the real game.
Because this is a landmark season of Big Brother, there are sure to be even more twists and turns than ever. But, first, it’s time to meet the houseguests, and there is no Paul in the mix! I’m keeping these descriptions short and sweet, since we’re going to have plenty of time to get to know them all better later.
Samantha, aka “Sam,” a full time-welder from Georgia. Sam, 27, lives in a tiny camper with her dog Rooster in her mom’s side yard.
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Tyler, 23, a lifeguard from Hilton Head, South Carolina. He looks like a ’70s heart-throb. He admits his biggest weakness is his brain (presumably that the one he has barely functions).
Bayleigh, 25, a former beauty queen turned flight attendant from Missouri. Bayleigh is open to a showmance if the right man comes along.
Steve, 40, a retired NYPD detective who is now a college professor. Steve is from New Jersey and enjoys bubble baths.
Kaitlyn, 24, is a certified life coach and guided meditation instructor from California. She describes herself as “90 percent love and light, and 10 percent ‘Go screw yourself.'”
Winston, 28, a salesman and gun nut from Kentucky. Winston really loves his gun and really loves his dog, Dixie. Shockingly, this slice of heaven is single. Actually, he is pretty smoking hot. It’s too bad he likes to take a firearm to the movies.
Angela, 26, a fitness model from California. Angela’s isn’t just another pretty face. She’s a kick ass athlete (she’s a former gymnast and pole vaulter). Angela is also an entrepreneur whose online business selling home decor and gifts brings in six figures every year.
JC , 28, a professional dancer who also holds four U.S. national powerlifting records. JC may be small, but he’s “mighty.” JC says the first thing people notice about him is his height, so he’s learned to be loud to be heard.
The first eight enter the house which includes a rock climbing wall in the living room. BB‘s resident redneck, Sam, notices how clean Winston and Tyler are, telling the camera she’d rather have a man who needs a shower.
Steve decides to lie and say he’s a mechanic because he thinks it will hurt his game if the other houseguests know he’s a retired police detective. You know what else hurts your game? Lying from the jump.
When Angela discovers Tyler lives in Hilton Head, she freaks out because that’s her hometown. Tyler worries people will think he and Angela know each other outside the house. I’d say that’s ridiculous and paranoid, but he’s probably right.
The next group of Big Brother houseguests include:
Rachel, 29, a performer from Las Vegas. She admits to being a hustler. One of Rachel’s favorite Big Brother player is Janelle. Don’t let the fake lashes fool ya, she plans to be a fierce competitor.
Chris, aka “Swaggy C,” is a 23-year-old former college basketball player from Connecticut. When he’s not day trading, he works as a babysitter.
Angie, aka “Rockstar” is a 35-year-old mother of three from Maryland. She believes in “peace through partying,” and I believe she’s already working my nerves. Angie is also a pagan witch.
Brett, 25, considers himself a “bro.” He likes to hang out doing manly stuff like working out and picking up chicks. Brett’s from Massachusetts, and he’s a cyber security engineer. The only bros he doesn’t hang out with are his co-workers because they’re “nerds” who want to be left alone and play video games.
Kaycee, 30, a professional football player from San Diego, California. Kaycee is incredibly close to her parents. There are only two things Kaycee and her dad talk about: football and Big Brother.
Scottie, 26, a self-professed “dweeb” from Chicago, Illinois. Scottie, 26, has never been kissed, had a date or a girlfriend. Scottie is a huge gamer (shocker), but he was also voted “Most Athletic” in high school.
Haleigh, 21, a student at Texas A&M University. This farm girl plans to use her southern charm to get ahead in the BB house.
Faysal, 26, is a substitute teacher and football coach from Orlando, Florida. Like some of the other houseguests, he’s a former college athlete. Faysal is also a proud Muslim.
The final eight enter the Big Brother house. Kaitlyn and Angela immediately bond as do Brett and JC. Swaggy C is interested in working with Faysal.
It’s early, but there are some potential showmances brewing between Faysal and Haleigh and Rachel and Winston.
Not everybody makes a great first impression. Steve gives Tyler the creeps, and Kaitlyn does not dig Rachel’s red aura.
Only two cast members, Steve and Angela, are over the age of 30 which is disappointing.
This season technology is taking over the Big Brother game. Julie warns the houseguests to prepare themselves for “high-tech twists, “upgraded powers and punishments” and “the most tech-tacular competitions, ever.”
The first Big Brother 20 competition gives the winner the ability to keep eight houseguests (Including him or herself) safe, putting the remaining eight and their games in jeopardy.
The houseguests are split into two groups of eight. The first group must search in the dark for seven folders. Whoever finds the folder that contains the message “Escape and Play” will compete for the first advantage — a chance to reprogram the game. The houseguest who doesn’t find a folder will receive a punishment that will greatly hinder their game.
Angela finds the “Escape and Play,” and Kaycee gets the disadvantage.
The second group of eight are suspended in mid-air. They have to search among the pile of lettered blocks below them and spell “Houseguest” by stacking the blocks vertically. The first to do this advances to face off against Angela. Whoever comes in last, gets a disadvantage. Sadly, some of the houseguests think this is a spelling competition.
Swaggy C wins, and Sam loses.
Swaggy wants to try to strike a deal with Angela that keeps them both safe, but when he approaches her, she makes it clear that if she wins, she’s keeping her group safe. So much for working together.
The final part of the competition has a computer theme, but, basically, Swaggy C and Angela have to balance on surfboards, and whoever falls off first, loses. Swaggy C wins. He promises Angela she’s safe.
The houseguests moved into the house in groups of four. Swaggy must choose two of those groups to keep safe. Brett, Rockstar and Rachel are all safe because they came into the house with Swaggy.
Swaggy and Bayleigh are tight, but to save his gal pal, Swaggy also has to save her entire group which consists of Tyler, Winston and Sam (who has yet to return to the house).
Swaggy C also has to consider the promise he made to Angela.
Kaycee returns to the house wearing a ridiculous rainbow unitard. We learn from Julie this punishment is the “Pinwheel of Doom.” Kaycee is stuck in this costume until the first live eviction. When the pinwheel on her chest begins to spin, she must stay wherever she is until it stops.
Sam returns to the game in the form of a robot (if I wasn’t watching it as I type this, I wouldn’t be able to wrap my head around it.) She’s off in some undisclosed location, but she’s able to see and hear everything, and speak through a monitor. The other houseguests can’t see her face.
When Sam hears the words “Robot offline,” she must go to the diary room and return to the game as a human. When she hears the words “Robot online,” she does the reverse. Her punishment is also in effect until the eviction.
In addition to his own group, Swaggy C chooses to save Kaycee, Faysal, Scottie and Haleigh, screwing over both Angela and Bayleigh.
Julie informs the viewers of another twist called the “BB App Store.” It’s up to America to decide which houseguest is trending the most by answering questions about them. Each week, the houseguest with the most votes will be “trending” and will choose a special power from the BB App Store. Whoever receives the least amount of votes, gets a punishment.
Fans can go to CBS.COM/BBVOTE to find out how to get the houseguests trending.
Next: Big Brother Season 20: Meet the cast
Should Swaggy C have kept his promise to Angela? Will his choice affect his friendship with Bayleigh? Who do you think will win the first HOH competition? What do you think of this season’s tech-themed twists? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Big Brother airs Sundays at 8/7c, Wednesdays at 9/8c and Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS. Tune in Thursday, June 28 to see who wins the first Head of Household competition.