Written by Mike Mueller
On Wednesday, July 6th, CBS kicked off Big Brother 24. Sorry, let’s try that again. CBS kicked off its 24th season of BIIIIIIGGGG BROTHERRRRRRRR. There we go, that sounds better. The long running reality show has officially returned for another summer of twists, turns, and unnecessary drama. While it is starkly different from the early seasons of the show, some constants still remain: Julie Chen-Moonves is fabulous, basic white girls are pretty annoying, and you should expect the unexpected!
THE HOUSE
One of the things Big Brother fans look forward to on premier night is the house itself. Each season, the house has a certain theme in regards to its style and decor. We’ve seen airports, ski lodges, beach clubs, and…apples. This year, we are getting a “50’s Palm Springs” inspired design, which is cool, but it is giving off some unintentional Pee-Wee’s Playhouse vibes. Either way, the designs of the house typically are tied into whatever the theme of the season (if there is one) will be, so it will be fun to see how this retro look ties into the theme.
THE HOUSEGUESTS OF BIG BROTHER 24
The premiere episode is really about getting to learn the houseguests. Makes sense, these are the people we are going to be watching three times a week for the next few months. And if we didn’t have the houseguests, the 94 cameras and 113 microphones would be picking up every move of spiders and dust bunnies. So who are the 16 people competing for the $750,000 grand prize? Let’s meet them in the order they were presented in the Big Brother 24 premiere episode.
Jasmine Davis – 29 year old “Southern Belle” from lil ol’ Terry, Mississippi. She’s a “country girl” at heart, but she now lives in the ATL, so she’s sweet, but she’s not naive. At least, that’s how the producers are framing her.
Kyle Capener – 29 year old from Bountiful, Utah. That’s not a descriptor of the state, that’s the actual name of the city he’s from. Kyle is an ex-Mormon who makes dancing videos with his mom on Tik Tok for a living, so I hate him already and hope he’s the first one out.
Paloma Aguilar – 22 year old from San Marcos, California. Being young and attractive tends to make people underestimate you, and a lot of people are going to underestimate Paloma. She’s a UC Berkeley grad and also already has her real estate license, so she’s ambitious and far from just another pretty face.
Monte Taylor – 27 year old from Bear, Delaware. Monte is a personal trainer and absolutely looks like he should be from a city called Bear, because the dude is a beast. He’s in great shape, has a mechanical engineering degree, and salsa dances with his mom! He seems very lovable, but also seems like a huge threat to win the game.
Alyssa Snider – 24 year old from Sarasota, Florida. Aside from being from the city Macho Man Randy Savage was billed from, there’s not much that stands out about Alyssa. She’s a marketing rep who writes bad poetry, and it’s hard to imagine her making it far in this game.
Daniel Durston – 35 year old from Las Vegas. Daniel is a superfan, and superfans tend to do very well in this season, but that’s not the most interesting thing about Daniel. Our boy Daniel is an Elvis impersonator! How can you not love that? Speaking frankly, it’s a little disappointing that the twist this season wasn’t that everybody in the house was an Elvis impersonator. MAKE IT HAPPEN, CBS!
Taylor Hale – 27 year old Personal Stylist from West Bloomfield, Michigan. As someone who grew up not far from West Bloomfield, I can only imagine the level of patience and tolerance it would take to be a personal stylist to the people who live in West Bloomfield. I’m not saying they’re arrogant and entitled, but even the Bluth family would find these people pretentious. On top of that, she’s the 2021 Miss Michigan. Talk about poise under pressure! It’s unclear how Taylor will do in this game, but one thing is for certain: She’s not going to lose her cool the moment someone yells at her.
Michael Bruner – 28 year old from Rochester, Minnesota. Michael is a lawyer, Big Brother superfan, and a member of MENSA. That’s great for him, but if he’s as smart as he says he is, he won’t let either of these facts about him get out too early, otherwise he’ll be out the door. Michael just seems like the type who would excel in Big Brother, and he’s definitely an early favorite just based on credentials alone.
Nicole Layog – 41 year old Private Chef from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nicole was a police officer for ten years before completely changing career paths and entering the culinary field. Her background as a police officer will give her a good ability to read people, and she is clearly someone who isn’t afraid to take risks and make big moves. Nicole might also be an early favorite for this season, though it’s too soon to tell.
Matt Turner – 23 year old from New Bedford, Massachusetts. Turner owns a thrift store and designs rugs in Massachusetts, and he looks exactly like someone who would own a thrift store and design rugs in Massachusetts. He seems too young and concerned with his chakras aligning to do well in this game, but we’ve been surprised before. Hopefully Turner can find some trustworthy people who won’t pull the rug out from underneath him too early, but don’t bet on it.
Joseph Abdin – 24 year old from Lake Worth, Florida. Joseph was a last minute replacement. The producers clearly didn’t have enough faith to put him in the original cast, and it’s not clear to see why. He has a great look and physique, and he is Middle Eastern, a group that hasn’t always been given much of a spotlight in Big Brother, except for the iconic Kaysar (WHAT UP, KAYSAR?!). Hopefully Joseph can charm some people and stick around a while.
Brittany Hoopes – 32 year old from Austin, Texas. Brittany has that classic dual-job combo of hypnotherapist and…competitive belly dancer? It seems like whether it’s her soothing words or her flashy moves, Brittany plans on getting in the heads of all the contestants this year. Let’s hope she’s as entertaining as she seems, and doesn’t just put us to sleep.
Terrance Higgins – 47 year old from Chicago, Illinois. While there are a surprising number of people over the age of 30 this season (6 out of 16), Terrance is definitely the “old man” of the house. While that used to mean an early exit in the game, recent performances by Cliff on BB 21 and Kevin on BB 19 have shown us that the older contestants can definitely play and break through the generational gap that has so often doomed Big Brother contestants. Given that he moonlights as a karaoke DJ, Terrance might just have the personality and fun-loving spirit to connect with the younger players.
Indy Santos – 31 year old from Sao Paulo, Brazil. International contestants are rare on Big Brother, as the language barrier can often be an issue, but Indy is an globe-trotting corporate flight attendant, so language and making a good first impression should come easy to her. She seems quite crafty, and if she can work her way into a tight alliance, she could be a dark horse to win this whole competition.
Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli – 24 year old from Staten Island, New York. With a nickname like Pooch, how can you not root for this guy? He’s a New York college football coach, and if you had to take a guess just by listening to him for 10 seconds, you’d likely make that assumption all on your own. He’s a pretty stereotypical “bro”, and those players haven’t been faring well in the last few seasons, often finding the exit the very first week, but maybe Pooch can turn it around and pull out a Hail Mary. DON’T SCREW THE POOCH!
Ameerah Jones – 31 year old from Westminster, Maryland. Ameerah is a content creator for Google who understands the importance of laying low early and not showing your true allegiance too soon. She seems like the classic “floater” type, and although floaters tend to get a bad wrap in this game, it has taken several of them to the end, with a few even winning due to their strong personal bonds to people in the house. It sounds like this is what Ameerah is going to have to do.
LET THE GAMES BEGIN
As the houseguests prepare to enter the house, Julie informs them that there are four stations that contain tickets for the “hottest festival of the summer” Upon entering the house, the contestants will find a station and grab a ticket. Once contestants get their tickets and head to the back yard, they scan the ticket to find out which “hotspot” they will be in for the first competition. People in similar hotspots will compete against each other, and eventually we will be crowned with our first Head of Household (HoH).
The hotspots are the Porta Potties, the Piercing Tent, and the Merch Stand. However, one person receives the mysterious Backstage Boss pass, and guess who gets it? That’s right, POOCH, BABY!!! Touchdown! Pooch goes up to the vip lounge and the rest of the contestants get ready to face off.
The first group is the Porta Potty group consisting of Jasmine, Kyle, Paloma, Nicole, and Monty. The contestants must listen to a recorded conversation and determine if the speakers said the word “one”, “two”, or “three” the most. The first person to get it wrong, or the last player to get it correct is eliminated until there’s only one person left. Paloma is the first one out, and not only is she eliminated from the competition, but she gets doused with a disgusting blue slime that looks like the water inside of a porta potty toilet. Gross! Jasmine is eliminated next, followed by Nicole. Monty and Kyle are the last two remaining, and Monty gets his answer in first and advances to the Head of Household competition.
Next up is the Piercing Tent. Taylor, Brooke, Turner, Joseph, and Terrance must attach 10 piercings to specific parts of their face based on a diagram. The first person to get all 10 “piercings” on their face in the correct spots will win. A simple concept but it proves more difficult to execute. In the end, Turner wins and it seems like this competition was tailor made for someone like him. Hopefully if he ends up winning week one’s Head of Household, he can create a power duo with Pooch: Turner and Pooch!!!
The last preliminary competition happens at the Merch Stand. Ameerah, Indy, Daniel, Alyssa, and Michael Must hang on to an oversized shirt that is suspended in the air. The last person remaining in the air will get the last spot for the HoH competition. Honestly, this makes for very boring television, but in the end Daniel holds on the longest and joins Monty and Turner in the HoH competition.
This competition requires players to assemble a drum set puzzle and ring in as quickly as possible. Being good at puzzles is a “must” in later competitions of big brother, so winning this competition is a bit of a double edged sword. If you’re known as “the puzzle guy” that’s going to be a huge target on your back near the end of the game. Daniel absolutely destroys this competition, rings in first, and becomes the first Head of Household of the season!
BACKSTAGE BOSS
But wait! Pooch is still hanging out with his Backstage Boss pass. Julie informs him that being a backstage boss means he can not compete in the week 1 competitions, however he also can not be nominated or evicted, and he will be allowed to compete in the week 2 HoH competition. It’s a free week for Pooch, but it’s not going to be easy. He must also pick three people to “go backstage” with him, and these people can not be nominated either. However, unlike Pooch, their safety is not guaranteed (they will most likely have to compete against each other in a competition to be a 3rd nominee) and they can NOT play in the HoH competition next week. Pooch chooses Paloma, Alyssa, and Brittany and the first night of Big Brother is complete!
Come back all summer long as we give weekly Big Brother 24 recaps and predictions as the season unfolds!
