Recapping the Big Brother 16 Premiere

I was very impressed with this year's crop of Houseguests. Sure, there are some dummies and people who are just here to lie around in bikinis all summer, but there are some Houseguests here to play. Let's recap everything that happened throughout the first two days, and then I'll talk about how wrong I was about predicting the Houseguests' personas (Image credit CBS).

Night One

After enduring the forced surprise and shock of the Houseguests receiving their keys and posing in front of a camera crew, we were reunited with the Chenbot, who sent only eight Houseguests into the house, leaving the other half for the next night.

Sorry Pow-pow...El Cuatro
is doomed to failure.

Alliances immediately started forming; after the eight players agreed to stay tight against other intruders, they splintered off into several different sub-alliances. I particularly liked Devin's pact with Donny--the Double Ds is one of the few alliances I think we might be talking about for several weeks to come. Both guys realy impressed me, and I think they can stay under cover about their partnership.
El Cuatro, on the other hand, is doomed to failure even sooner than the ill-fated Big Brother Canada One alliance of the same name. Don't get me wrong--I'm all for a female Brigade-type alliance ruling the roost, but it just seems so unlikely. And if an all-woman alliance is ever going to happen, I don't see Joey, Paola, Nicole, and Amber as the ones to pull it off.

Paola and Cody also made a connection on the first night, with Paola fawning over the former soccer player throughout the evening and the HOH challenge. I have a feeling this relationship will be remarkably one-sided, and I'm already starting to see shades of Ginamarie and Nick from last year...which is even weirder considering that Paola is friends with Ginamarie, and is so far acting very similar.

I think Amber made the right call in throwing the HOH challenge to Frankie; the first HOH is always dangerous, and with the added twist it simply wasn't worth the risk. I really like Frankie and I think he could be a fantastic player. He's athletic and obviously very social, and I hope his first week as HOH works out alright.

Night Two

It became clear very quickly that there's love in the air this season--everyone's fawning over each other. I can't remember exactly who likes whom, but I predict that we'll have our first showmance within a week. 

Frankie and Victoria immediately hit it off, sharing a love of pink and vowing to be co-HOHs (yeah, no). Honestly, this will probably just drag Frankie's game down, because Victoria seems exceptionally vain and naive; if she sticks around long, she will not be playing the game, I'm sure.

Paola and Caleb, meanwhile, were scoping each other out after each identified the other as a threat. I'm looking forward to seeing their interactions over the coming week(s), and I really hope Paola gets the upper hand over Caleb.

Brittany and Derrick had the chance to bond over their kids, which is a connection they could also share with Devin, Jocasta, and maybe even with Christine, as I think she's planning on adopting. 

Not as dumb as he looks.

Zach immediately proved me right by coming across as too intense and abrasive, annoying Frankie about his high school and earning a diary room rebuke from Hayden, who I have been very impressed with so far.

The one thing that didn't impress me about Hayden was his strong performance in the HOH competition; it became clear that Caleb was going to win, so he should have just thrown it. Nevertheless, I don't think anyone is going to be looking at Hayden when Caleb showed off his strength, which immediately put a huge target on his back and doomed him.


We then learned that the first member of Team America is not Frankie, but Joey. Huh. Ariana Grande really dropped the ball there. We also find out that there will be three members of Team America, and they will complete secret tasks in the house for $5000 per task. Sounds like America's Player, but we'll have to see how the twist unfolds...I don't like it. 

She could be the
challenge goddess.

Time to see how my first impressions compared to my pre-season assessment. I'll write what I said before about the Houseguests and then what I saw from them on the show.

Amber Borzotra

What I said: "Amber isn't necessarily a player in the House this year, but she at least has a head on her shoulders, and acknowledges that a showmance would most likely ruin her game.
What I saw: Not much from Amber so far, but her throwing of the HOH was encouraging, and the fact that she was good at the challenge itself bodes well for her chances. She could be the challenge goddess of this season.

Donny Thompson
What I said: "I don't expect him to be exceptionally cunning or strategic, but I really do think everyone in the House will love him and he could make it very far."
What I saw: Donny has the whole package! Everyone does love him and his cricket noises, but he's also intelligent and held his own in the comp. I think he could make it very far barring a misstep. 

Zach Rance
What I said: "Sooner or later, people will see that he's playing hard and being arrogant, and they just will not want to keep him around."What I saw: Spot on with this one. I want to like Zach, because he's one of the nerds/gamers of the season, but he's too abrasive. He'll go soon.

Victoria Rafaeli
What I said: "She seems a little vain and full of herself...Victoria doesn't have any idea what she's getting into and will only ever have control of the game if she's lucky enough to win a comp or two."
What I saw: I was right here, too. She'll be Frankie's pawn, which I'm fine with, but I don't foresee Victoria making moves on her own.

Cody Calafiore:
What I said: "...maybe he does have some brains. If he's well-liked and popular in the House, he has all the tools to go far."
What I saw: I was actually relatively impressed with Cody. He's not as dumb as he looks. And if he cultivates a relationship with someone (a la Nick, who had control of GMs vote if he wanted it), he could be in a good spot.

No indication of
extreme emotions.

Derrick Levasseur
What I said: "Overall, he seems like a nice guy who wants to play an honest game, which is not really suitable for Big Brother. Derrick also doesn't seem like someone who's going to make a lot of waves or big moves inside the House."
What I saw: The overall theme with this cast so far is that they're outperforming our expectations. I thought Derrick got off to an admirable start, and his parental connections will help him.

Brittany Martinez

What I said: "She'll be a little worse than Sarah, and a little more emotional. Who knows how strong she could be once she's inside, but the separation from her kids could make her crack just a week or two in. 
What I saw: We saw very little from Brittany aside from her connection with Derrick, but she was engaging the other Houseguests at the HOH challenge and has given no indication of extreme emotions...yet.

Nicole Franzel
What I said: "I think a strong social game from Nicole will serve her well...I think Nicole is going to be one of the standout players of this season.
What I saw: We didn't see much of Nicole, but hey--Neda was UTR the first few weeks of BBCAN2. I'm still looking forward to great things from Nicole; she seems very smart.

Frankie Grande

What I said: "Frankie seems very personable and I think he could get along well with most people in the House, although he may be a little bit naive as well."
What I saw: Very self-aware, very charismatic, and an athletic threat too. Frankie is here to play, and my only worry with him is that he will be too big of a target, especially because he won that first HOH.

He's a likable guy.

Devin Shepherd
What I said: "I think that if he can survive those first critical weeks, Devin will be able to get into a strong enough position to make a deep run in the game...Devin's going to need to be making deals and alliances right away, and I think he's up to the challenge.
What I saw: I hold to what I said; Devin is going to have a tough time of things, but he's a likable guy and I think alliances (like the Double Ds) will carry him through.

Joey Van Pelt
What I said: "She seems like a personable type, and that could serve her well in the House. Doesn't appear to be much of a threat either."
What I saw: I have a feeling that Joey is here to play the game, and I think she's fully invested in her girls' alliance. Whether that succeeds remains to be seen, but she's always got Team America as a backup plan.


Paola Shea
What I said: "She'll appeal to some people in the House and be really funny, but her huge personality could turn others off."
What I saw: Well, she definitely has a huge personality, and it seems like people like her rather than are annoyed by her, so I have my fingers crossed. After all, Ginamarie made her way into 2nd place. Paola seems to want to take over this house, and I'm rooting for her.

Hayden Voss
What I said: "I think he could do really well and get along nicely with people...I'll probably be totally wrong, but Hayden is going to be my pre-season winner's pick!"

Extremely aggressive...will
be a huge target.

What I saw: I'm feeling good about my pick so far; he's sociable and competitive. But I can see him working hard at every competition and then becoming a huge target during his HOH week. We shall see.

Caleb Reynolds
What I said: "He could be another of the Andrew/Tom-type guys that pisses everyone off and goes from the top to the bottom in one week...he's going to make everyone mad at him and push his way along through an HOH win or two before people finally come together to vote him out.

What I saw: Well he's already got that HOH win in the bag. It's strange because Caleb is extremely aggressive and willingly shows off his strength, but it's just making people like Devin want to ally with him. But don't start thinking that's a good thing. In the long term, Caleb will be a huge target and he'll get eliminated. After all, Andrew and Tom started off as friends with the others as well.

Jocasta Odom
What I said: "I think that she can get along relatively well with the other Houseguests but will probably get taken out somewhere in the middle."
What I saw: I have absolutely nothing to work with for Jocasta. She was invisible in the episode and all I found out about her is that she's super religious...which we already knew. Stay tuned.

Christine Brecht
What I said: "Christine also came across as a little socially awkward...if she can make it through the first two weeks, Christine will become an undercover ninja and play her way to the end of the game."
What I saw: I take it back--she's not socially awkward at all. We haven't seen too much of Christine, but similar to Nicole, I think she could control the endgame if she can get that far.

That's it for the premiere recap...the Sunday night episode is tonight, so check back soon for a recap as we finally get to see the Battle of the Block. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting during the BB season, but I'll figure it out soon. It's also time to start preparing for our international Amazing Race shows...more on that soon!

Big Brother 16 Cast Scrutiny

First off, I apologize for my lengthy absence and lack of posts over the last three weeks. Big Brother is almost upon us, though (it premieres tonight, actually), and it's time to get back into the swing of things. So without further ado, here is my analysis of each contestant on the upcoming season, in no particular order (Image credit CBS).

To prepare for this, I watched each Houseguest's interview with Jeff Schroeder, and also watched some interviews with Rachel Reilly. I'll predict how well each Houseguest will be at Big Brother, from fantastic to decent to poor to terrible.

NOTE: I was a little late on posting this, so it'll go up after the first night of Big Brother, but it's all been written before seeing the episode.

Amber Borzotra
Amber lists her profession as esthetician, but she also reveals that she's a model, which is most likely the real reason that she was recruited. Yes, Amber says she applied, but I don't believe her. However, she is very calm, cool, and collected, and she seems like a genuine and honest person, which could serve her well in the House (although being too honest is also a problem). Amber isn't necessarily a player in the House this year, but she at least has a head on her shoulders, and acknowledges that a showmance would most likely ruin her game.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a nice girl that people like and will stick around for a while, but will eventually be evicted before the jury as a pawn.

Donny Thompson
Not the typical casting choice for Big Brother, is he? I'll admit that when I first saw him, I thought he'd be one of your typical Duck Dynasty-type guys and wouldn't get along well with maybe some more liberal-minded people in the House. But in his interviews, Donny is instantly likable and funny--I don't detect any malice or deceit from him at all (which could also be a bad thing on this type of show). I'm actually feeling pretty good at Donny's chances; he's also one of few true, longtime fans of Big Brother on the show. I don't expect him to be exceptionally cunning or strategic, but I really do think everyone in the House will love him and he could make it very far.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. He's going to be that one guy in the House that everyone likes and no one wants to get rid of--a friend to every clique and alliance.

Zach Rance
Wow...obviously cast to be the Dan/Ian/Matt gamer of the season, as others have already mentioned. Although I see a lot of similarities to Mike Boogie, which is unsettling. As a relatively recent Big Brother fan, I've only seen Boogie play on season 14, and he was someone that I hated but also often loved to hate. So maybe Zach will be the same way. It's completely possible that I'll end up rooting for him, and that he'll tone down the meanness and arrogance when he actually gets onto the show (like Spencer in Cagayan). I would certainly like to see some strategic gameplay this summer, so that's a plus, I suppose. I just think that Zach is overestimating himself and is going to exit the House quickly, much to his own surprise.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. He'll be trying too hard and will act similar to Garrett on this past season of Survivor. Sooner or later, people will see that he's playing hard and being arrogant, and they just will not want to keep him around.

Victoria Rafaeli
I'm not getting much from Victoria from her interviews. She seems a little vain and full of herself. Victoria says people will underestimate her because she looks naive, but I think they will accurately gauge her naivete. She plans on getting with a guy's alliance and doesn't get along well with the girls, and would rather lose the game and be loved than win and be hated (which was a great question to ask, by the way). I can see her being easily manipulated by a showmance partner and dragged along for the ride.
Gameplay Prediction: Terrible. Victoria doesn't have any idea what she's getting into and will only ever have control of the game if she's lucky enough to win a comp or two. Quite simply, she's an idiot (although of course, I could be eating my words soon).

Cody Calafiore

Cody is obviously an "ubercompetitive," attractive guy, and a professional athlete, which could be either a positive or a huge negative for him. If he can hold his ego in check, Cody will make a great player and will be loved by America (like Jeff), but I have a feeling he'll end up more along the lines of Tom and Andrew from BBCAN or Jeremy from last season. Interestingly (and positively), he says he doesn't plan on using his looks or a showmance to help himself progress through the game, so maybe he does have some brains. If he's well-liked and popular in the House, he has all the tools to go far.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. I have a feeling that I won't like him, but he'll probably be popular enough inside the House and will use his athletic ability to get himself to the jury.

Derrick Levasseur
The Rhode Island version of Tony?! Ok, look. Look. I had to talk llama 'cause...
Yeah, if you don't watch Survivor and are just a BB fan, that one will be lost on you. Anyway, Derrick does have some similarities to Tony, in that he doesn't plan on telling people that he's a cop, but I have a feeling that won't last any longer that Tony's secret did. Derrick believes that having worked undercover will help him in the game, which I agree with. Overall, he seems like a nice guy who wants to play an honest game, which is not really suitable for Big Brother. Derrick also doesn't seem like someone who's going to make a lot of waves or big moves inside the House.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. He may end up being a dud from the casting perspective--I have no idea--but I think he can stay under the radar pretty well and make it relatively far.

Brittany Martinez
Brittany obviously won't be as good as Britney, but I like her well enough. Even though she's relatively young, she was obviously cast to be the mom of the season (and has 3 kids). She reminds me a bit of Sarah from BBCAN2. I like Brittany, and she seems pretty smart, but there are a number of things not working in her favor. First of all, she's a recruit who was found in a bar two weeks before the show even started, so it might take her a while to get accustomed to the game. And apparently she cried for 48 hours straight (is that possible?) when she had to leave her kids, so that could be an issue. The jury is out on Brittany.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a little worse than Sarah, and a little more emotional. Who knows how strong she could be once she's inside, but the separation from her kids could make her crack just a week or two in. That seems harsh, doesn't it? Well, don't blame me--it's a guess!


Nicole Franzel
Here's someone I think I'm going to really like. She's a recent nursing graduation and a huge Big Brother super-fan and live feeder. Yay!!! From listening to her talk and interact with people in her interviews, she seemed very personable and charismatic, but a couple of the things she said made me worry. Nicole is scared of sleeping alone and ghosts, will probably "cry a lot," doesn't get along well with other girls, and is going to try to win the first HOH. But I think she can recover from these issues and I think a strong social game from Nicole will serve her well.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. This is a hard cast to predict, but I think Nicole is going to be one of the standout players of this season.


Frankie Grande
I'm sure we'll be taking about Frankie a lot this season, and I think all of the public voting will give him a huge edge, just like it did for Elissa last season. Frankie seems pretty smart, at least, and he says he plans on keeping money and his sister out of the equation. He says he's a super-fan, but that remains to be seen. Frankie seems very personable and I think he could get along well with most people in the House, although he may be a little bit naive as well; he doesn't think it's possible for him to win and be hated.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. He'll get along well with others and forge strong alliances to make it at least to jury.

Devin Shepherd
I liked Devin immediately, but I worry he's going to be a huge target in the House...and I mean that literally, because he's massive and very muscular, and people will want to get him out immediately because of that. Like Howard last season, though, we know that being large and strong doesn't necessarily make you a challenge beast. Devin also has a daughter, so he may be able to connect well with the other parents in the House. I think that if he can survive those first critical weeks, Devin will be able to get into a strong enough position to make a deep run in the game.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. Devin's going to need to be making deals and alliances right away, and I think he's up to the challenge.


Joey Van Pelt
Joey seems like a very interesting person, although unfortunately there was not much of a cast video for her with Jeff. I probably should have watched the other one. She says she gets along well with women, and I believe her. She seems like a personable type, and that could serve her well in the House. Doesn't appear to be much of a threat either, so if she's actually here to play the game, Joey could do well.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll ingratiate herself with the women to survive.

Paola Shea
Now here's another pre-game favorite of mine. Paola is a DJ from New York City, and seems pretty awesome. She's a fan, hilarious (at least in her interview), and has a huge personality. Of course, this could easily lead to getting the boot pretty early on, and I have no idea how well she's going to do game-wise, but I'm rooting for her and I like her personality. Paola's plan is to form an all-girl alliance...that's something we've heard before. She also says she has the memory of a goldfish, so hopefully she can forget that plan before she gets into the House; as much as I'm on board with the idea, it's never really worked on Big Brother.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll appeal to some people in the House and be really funny, but her huge personality could turn others off.

Hayden Voss
Did you say Hayden Moss? Hayden is back against all newbies? No, Hayden Voss. This has got to be a joke. Come on, CBS. But actually, I really liked Hayden. Immediately I thought of Fabio from Survivor, but hey--Fabio won. Hayden seems a lot more down to earth than Fabio, though, and plans on playing a friendly game. Honestly, this may sound crazy, but I think he could do really well and get along nicely with people. He also seems like a threat in terms of competitions, but isn't as obvious as someone like Devin or Cody.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. I'll probably be totally wrong, but Hayden is going to be my pre-season winner's pick!



Caleb Reynolds
A recruit cowboy from Kentucky, Caleb is "single and ready to mingle." He's super religious, and says he's "too athletic." If you haven't been following the BB news, some offensive comments that Caleb said on Instagram have already been dug up...I'm already not a fan of this guy. He could be another of the Andrew/Tom-type guys that pisses everyone off and goes from the top to the bottom in one week.
Gameplay Prediction: Terrible. He's going to make everyone mad at him and push his way along through an HOH win or two before people finally come together to vote him out.

Jocasta Odom
Typically, very religious people--like ministers--have not done well on reality shows. But Jocasta says she can "conform to different situations," and seems pretty competitive. So I'm cautiously optimistic on Jocasta. She's married, so that could give her a connection with Brittany and Devin. I'm not sure how well she'll do.
Gameplay Predictions: Decent. I think that she can get along relatively well with the other Houseguests but will probably get taken out somewhere in the middle.


Christine Brecht
Last but not least, we have Christine, who is the pre-game winner pick for many pundits. I really like Christine, and she's a Big Brother super-fan/nerd of the game. She has a plan to make alliances on both sides of the House, and is even a boardgame geek, which is awesome! I'm a big fan, but Christine also came across as a little socially awkward--at least to me--in her interviews, and I'm worried about her ability to fit in with the other Houseguests early on. You could say that Ian was the same way, but he would have been evicted if he hadn't had like 5 weeks of safety from Veto and HOH wins.
Gameplay Predictions: Fantastic. If she can make it through the first two weeks, Christine will become an undercover ninja and play her way to the end of the game.

So there you have it. Hayden Voss is my pre-game prediction to win. I would spend some time talking about the House and the twists, but you probably know more than I do at this point since it's Wednesday night. I'm going to go watch the premiere and then rescind every single thing I said about every Houseguest. Check back Thursday night for my recap of the two-day premiere, and stay tuned!

The Amazing Race 25 Cast Spoilers

In a rare move, the Amazing Race/CBS announced the entire cast the morning that the actual filming began, and encouraged fans to come out to support the racers at the start line in Times Square at 3 a.m. on May 31st. (Image credit Survivor Sucks and various fans)

The cast of Amazing Race 25 is:

• Bethany Hamilton and Adam Dirks: Married Surfers from Princeville, Hawaii (Bethany is the well-known surfer who survived a shark attack that resulted in the loss of an arm)
• Kym Perfetto and Alli Forsythe: Urban Bike Racers from Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Amy DeJong and Maya Warren: Food Scientists from Madison, Wisc.
• Lisa Thomson and Michelle Thomson: Realtor Sisters from Miami, Fla.
• Michael Ward and Scott Strazzullo: Firefighters from Boston, Mass.
• Brooke Adams and Robbie E. Strauss: Dating Pro Wrestlers from Houston, Texas and Woodbridge, N.J., respectively.
• Tim Tsao and Te Jay McGrath: College Sweethearts from Pasadena, Calif.
• Isabelle Du and Dennis Hour: Model and Accountant, respectively, from Tustin, Calif.
• Keith Tollefson and Whitney Duncan: Engaged Couple from Nashville, Tenn. (They met on the 23rd season of Survivor--South Pacific)
• Misti and Jim Raman: Married Dentists from Columbia, S.C.
• Shelley and Nici Porter: Mother/Daughter from Detroit, Mich.

I'm a little scared to continue venturing into the TAR Spoilers thread on Survivor Sucks, because people are tracking the racers all over the globe, and I'm sure there are elimination spoilers all ready. But if you want to go there yourself, here is the link.

Other pieces of info that were floating around (and again, I can't confirm anything because by now (over three days into filming), the thread will be rife with spoilers) is the introduction of something similar to the Salvage Pass, used in international versions of the show.

According to Survivor Sucks, a fan at the starting line found out the following information:

#AmazingRace #TAR25. A "Save", you can hand over before the end of 9th leg if you are facing elimination and stay in race. - spectator Ron Waxman

Supposedly, the Save is the new prize for winning the first leg, and from what I hear, the Express Pass(es) will still be awarded in the second leg.

Regarding locations, all I know is that the first place the teams have to go to is the finish line of the original TAR--Flushing Meadows Park. And I believe after that, they headed off to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Hopefully when the season finishes filming, the full list of locations will be posted somewhere less spoiler-heavy and I can get it to you.

In Survivor news, Jeff Probst revealed in an interview with Dalton Ross on location that, similar to last Blood vs. Water season, one of the pairs failed to pass medical clearance and did not get to compete on the show. This means that the season will start with only 18 contestants, which is great. However, the gender balance on each tribe has been thrown off, which isn't so great. Hopefully it wasn't the Twinnies that failed to pass the medical exam.

You can listen to Jeff's interview below.

New details are being revealed practically every day, so stay tuned to Survivor Scrutiny for more updates.