Regardless of what some may say about Big Brother (i.e. cheesy, tacky, garbage), there”s a real nifty bit of game design that often makes the show entertaining. Each week, one of the players wins a competition called Head of Household (HOH) and that person is responsible for nominating two houseguests for eviction. This allows for power shifts and changing alliances in the house. Someone can be in a minority alliance or unaffiliated one week and the next week, they find themselves in control. Dominant alliances are on much more unsteady ground than they are in Survivor, as their power can be usurped.
This year, two twists make it extra hard for someone on the wrong side of the numbers. In Big Brother 18, the contestants must play in teams, which incentivizes some to throw competitions so that their less powerful teammates can”t achieve HOH. There”s also another twist called BB Road Kill, wherein a Winnebago pulls up to the CBS Radford Lot, and each player takes a turn inside the magical RV and it”s backyard games of chance. The winner of the Winnebago game secretly nominates a third houseguest. That means a houseguest who is in trouble has to somehow win a team-game HOH competition and hope that no opposing player wins the Road Kill. It makes for a much more predictable game, favoring those already dominating. It”s an outrage and I encourage you to call your local Congressman (or CBS).
Also: I”ve featured my pick to win. Paulie Calafiore. This man has it all. He knows the game because his brother Cody took the runner up spot in Big Brother 16. He has the looks, with his great hair and toned body. (He also sports a “Calafiore” tattoo across his perfect abs.) He”s got the gift of gab. He can schmooze anyone. I wouldn”t like it if my wife and child left me for Paulie Calafiore, but I would understand. As he himself has said, “You never underestimate that Calafiore social game.” He”s also my pick for President in 2032