Big Brother Season 26 - Episode 1 - Premier Night #1

[Fuskie]

The excitement was building for Big Brother! The Season 26 premiere kicked off and host Julie Chen Moonves returned with sixteen all-new Houseguests and a familiar face to introduce the BBAI season twist. Welcome to Big Brother 26!

 

The battle for $750,000 unfolded again this summer with a 90-day (or so) season that kept viewers busy from the premiere night until the season finale on October 13th. Recaps, highlights from the Live Feeds, and reports on all the biggest events were available for fans who didn't want to miss anything.

 

For those who truly craved constant updates, the Big Brother App (free!) and social media pages offered all the BB26 coverage imaginable.

The premiere night kicked off with streaming on Paramount+ and Live Feeds starting after the West Coast broadcast on Thursday night. Unfortunately, the first few nights of Live Feeds were missed since the Houseguests moved in on Tuesday, but viewers were assured they'd catch up quickly.

 

The excitement was stretched out as tonight's premiere part-one was just an hour (last year was 90 minutes). Half the Houseguests moved in tonight with the other half arriving on the second premier night.

 

Julie confirmed that only eight Houseguests would be introduced tonight with the rest joining tomorrow. She also promised new competitions, powers, and punishments. Then, the Houseguests were introduced: Angela, Cam, Chelsie, Joseph, Kimo, Makensy, Rubina, and Tucker.

 

The first group to enter the house was Tucker, Angela, Kimo, and Chelsie, with Tucker managing to be the first one in the door. Cam, Joseph, Makensy, and Rubina followed next. The Houseguests explored their new home with excitement.

 

Julie called everyone out to the backyard, promising them a chance to change the game. The first eight Houseguests had to decide whether or not to invite a 17th Houseguest. A message played from a potential Houseguest, Ainsley (24, San Diego), begging to be let in. At least five of the eight votes were needed for her to join the game.

 

The votes were hidden, and the results were a tie: 4-4. Ainsley was denied entry. However, with a twist, Ainsley was revealed to be an AI personality named AINSLI. The four who voted against her would face a punishment competition, while the four who voted for her would battle for a special power. The winner would be Upgraded, while the loser would be Downgraded.

 

The "YES" Houseguests competed in the "Color Calibration" competition for an Upgrade Power. Each HG was spun around in a chair and had to remember a sequence of colors lighting screens around them. The one who remembered the most colors in the right sequence in the fastest amount of time would win. Makensy was the only one who completed the sequence and won the power.

 

Meanwhile, the "NO" Houseguests competed in the "Fear Word-Scramble" competition, which was a punishment. The HG had to stick their heads into four boxes containing a scary insect or reptile where they would find letters that, once unscrambled, matched words on a board. The HG who selected the correct words in the slowest amount of time would lose. Chelsie finished the slowest and was stuck with the Downgrade.

 

Julie explained that the second half of the Houseguests would face the same situation with a vote for or against the AI fake Houseguest on the following night. They too would go through competitions to be upgraded and downgraded.