Episode Rating: **** (4 stars out of 5)

Episode Overview: Big Brother 7: All-Stars begins the new season.  The twenty prospective house guests are whittled to 14, we see the first Head of Household challenge, the first nominations are announced, and a couple of surprising twists.

Recap:

All right!  It's time, finally, to welcome Big Brother back into our lives.  Of course, this season is different.  Big Brother 7: All-Stars will showcase America's favorite Big Brother house guests from previous seasons.  Two weeks ago, CBS announced a list of twenty all-stars, ten men and ten women.  From this group, us fans had a chance to vote for who we thought should be in the Big Brother house this season.  The fan's top six all-stars would enter the house; the remaining six would be chosen by CBS.

The episode begins with the reliably mediocre Julie Chen standing in the garden outside the front door to the Big Brother house.  She introduces the twenty candidates and reveals the first big twist of the game: since fan voting was so close, CBS has chose to take America's top eight vote getters into the house, upping the house guest total to a robust fourteen.  The twenty contestants are obviously pleased to hear this.

First, Julie reads off the names of the four women America voted in, in no particular order.  They are Janelle, Erika, Nakomis and Diane.  Hmm, which of the four doesn't belong?  They enter the house and, almost immediately, Nakomis complains that she is the only non-girly girl.  Which is true, I suppose, if girly-girl means healthy, in shape and well-dressed.  Anyway, the four girls decide to share the bedroom with only the one huge, emperor-of-the-universe-size bed.

Next Julie tells us who the men voted in by the fans are: Howie, Kaysar, James and Jase.  They enter the house and Howie expresses his delight with the females picked thus far, citing their “All-Star Boobies”.  Jase ponders over the heavy metaphorical odor of Big Brother 6 cast members in the house.  Of the first eight in, four (Howie, Kaysar, James and Janelle) are from Big Brother 6.  And not only that, they are all friends and will almost certainly form an alliance.

After a commercial break, Julie asks the remaining twelve limbo-dwelling members in the garden if any were surprised not to be voted in.  Only Marcellas is, and he is shocked.  Julie announces the final six Big Brother All-Stars: Dr. Will (obviously), Danielle, Marcellas (who runs into the house frolicking like a Dutch schoolgirl), Chicken George (who is shocked), Mike Boogie, and Alison (unfortunately).

The fourteen are all now in the house and are keeping the veil of camaraderie for now, everyone greeting each other in an overall jovial mood.  Marcellas confides to us that he and Danielle still have bad blood between them (for Danielle getting Marcellas evicted on Big Brother 3) and that this bad blood will remain forever.  Erika and Alison have an awkward moment talking about how Alison had no other choice when she got Erika evicted.  Erika still believes otherwise.

Will, somewhat inexplicably, hates on Kaysar for his unwarranted arrogance.  This is the definition of the pot calling the kettle black.  The most interesting partnership thus far is forming: Dr. Will and Boogie.  Interesting.  They stand on the balcony, scheming already, Boogie seeming to like the idea of being sidekick to Will's evil mastermind.

Julie has an announcement: another big twist!  For the first time ever, there will be TWO Heads of Household.  Not only that, the two Heads of Household have to completely agree on their nominations. If they don't, they become the two who get nominated.  This is an intriguing new wrinkle to the game.  I applaud CBS for having the balls to change up the show, allowing it to become fresh and new.   

We head outside for the first Head of Household challenge.  The backyard is festively decorated, with pedestals and stars everywhere, and a huge, papier-mache looking meteorite.  Marcellas says it looks like a “Gay Disco”; a very apt description.  The challenge: House guests are divided, randomly, into two groups.  The first seven people have to get up on their own pedestals, which are in a circle that revolve slowly, while the remaining seven take turns throwing the meteorite off a balcony, trying to knock the house guests off their pedestals.  They go until only one remains on their pedestal, that person becoming one of the Heads of Household.  Then the groups switch places and go again.

The throwing starts and there seems to be a lot of the house guests purposely losing the challenge, not really trying all that hard to win, and looking to avoid whatever stigma comes from being the first Head of Household.  Jase wins from the first group and Janelle is the last remaining in the second.  They are our new Heads of Household.

The new Heads of Household rules are already proving to be interesting; Jase and Janelle have conflicting interests, even this early in the game.

After a commercial, Jase and Janelle unlock the new Head of Household room; it is monstrous.  All 14 players crowd in, in awe of its majesty.  One large bed, snacks, a couple of big and comfy chairs and, coolest of all, a spy TV that the Heads of Household can control, giving them the ability to spy on anyone, anywhere in the house.  Everyone leaves eventually, giving Jase and Janelle a chance to have some remarkably unproductive preliminary discussions regarding their nominations.

And the scheming begins!  Danielle, Alison and Chicken George discuss the possibility of Jase purposely disagreeing with whoever Janelle wants to nominate.  If they can convince Jase that he has the numbers, they can begin ridding the house of the Big Brother 6 alumni, who they regard as a threat.  This is Danielle's idea, but Alison really runs with it.  She starts putting the numbers together and agrees that they would have the votes needed to evict Janelle.  All they have to do now is convince Jase.   

Alison tells Jase about this plan and asks him straight up if he could disagree with Janelle.  He tells Alison that he could.  In a confession, Jase says he understands why the plan is a good one, but is very reluctant to get himself put up for nomination this early in the game, because you never know what could happen.

Jase decides he wants to be upfront with Janelle about the scheming that is occurring; he doesn't want to be a target of the Big Brother Sixers.  He heads up to the Head of Household room to find that Howie, Janelle and James have already heard about this Danielle-concocted plan.  Jase assures them that he's not comfortable with it and asks for the Sixers protection later on if agrees with Janelle on nominations.  Jase is playing both sides very well early on.

It's nomination time.  Jase and Janelle bring out the spinning wheel of keys.  It seems that if they have agreed on nominations that Will and Boogie seem to be ripe for nomination.  However, somewhat surprisingly, Will and Boogie get their keys.  Danielle and Alison get nominated.  The scheming has blown up in both of their faces, that being the rationale given by Janelle for their respective choices.

We end the episode with Will in the confessional expressing how he is genuinely offended that he didn't get nominated.  He sees himself as a huge threat, and calls the Heads of Household stupid for not putting him on the chopping block early.  They may regret it.

Not a bad way to start Big Brother 7: All-Stars; a couple of surprises, a lot of intrigue early, with some solid story lines already beginning to emerge. 

 

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Posted by Oscar Dahl at July 7, 2006 02:20 PM | Big Brother All Stars