Meet the New Houseguests

July is a wonderful month. It starts of with a celebration of independence (for us American readers). It continues with fun-filled days in the sun. And three glorious days a week it provides television viewers with the best damn summer reality show ever. That's right folks it's time for Big Brother 11! The show premiere's Thursday night but here's the run down of what we know so far:

What does the house look like?
-Well this year Big Brother's gone green. For the first time ever, the house is eco-friendly. The houseguests will be required to actually compost and recycle! But really, who cares? It's nice and all but the house is never as important as the twist/players!

So what is the twist?
-This season the houseguests are going back to high school. There will be four cliques: the jocks, the popular group, the off-beats, and the nerds. The twelve houseguests will be divided into these cliques and they will compete in these groups for food competitions, luxury, and safety from eviction. Now, the food and luxury competitions are fine for groups but I don't understand exactly what "safety from eviction" entails. Does this mean the group as a whole will win HOH? Or does this mean they compete as a group for veto? This new twist could really screw up this season if they don't work it out right. Competing with the same groups will surely cause tension but it just won't be as fun to watch as the individual competitions (especially if there is no longer and individual veto or HOH).

So that's it for the twist?
-NOPE! The even bigger twist is that a mystery 13th houseguest will enter the house. No one will find out who this houseguest is until the premiere episode but the producers are saying he/she will give an advantage to one of the cliques. The best guest at this point is that a houseguest from one of the past seasons will enter.

So who are the other twelve?
-Well here's a quick overview. Based on each player's bio and video interview, I have compiled a brief description of my first impressions. At the end of each description is the My TV rating which explains who my current favorites are (1 being the best and 12 the worst). (DISCLAIMER: these are initial reactions to people I barely know...therefore, I am extremely judgmental):

1/ Braden: A cocky California surfer who works as a model/actor (don't they all?). He considers himself a fashion icon and seems to be your typical metrosexual tool. Braden shows little personality in his video interviews.
Probable Group: Popular
My TV Rating: 12

2/ Casey: A 41 year old teacher by day DJ by night. The oldest contestant this season is the father of a 19 year old and a nine month year old son. He seems like a family man and a dedicated father. My guess is Casey will be one of the most liked among the other houseguests. Although, he does compare himself to Evel Dick and Marvin...which does not bode well. I'm thinking Casey just wants to be like Dick and therefore I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that he might actually be a good guy (plus he shares my birthday, so I'm biased).
Probable Group: Off-beats. Possibly a nerd?
My TV Rating: 8

3/ Chima: The only African-American female this season, Chima is a freelance journalist who spends her time taking care of her sick mother. She'll probably be playing with the most heart and determination. She's a military brat who is proud of her independence. She may cause some drama since she claims to say what she feels always without filters.
Probable Group: Off-beats? Maybe popular.
MY TV Rating: 2


4/ Jeff: An advertising salesman who is your typical guys guy. He is into sports and the outdoors. Jeff says that he wants the audience to see how big of a heart he has. He claims to be looking for a showmance, but my guess is he won't need to look hard. Jeff is clearly the guy who will have a showmance. He seems charming and athletic. I predict several challenge wins and close alliances on his part.
Probable Group: Jocks
MY TV Rating: 3

5/Jordan: A small town girl who will be the innocent, naive one this season. Her bio is fairly boring and provides little information about her...perhaps a hint that she's lacking some substance? Jordan is terrified of being voted out first...and my guess is she will be. Her only hope for salvation could be starting a showmance with Jeff. Also, she had a boob job recently so she all ready loses points in my book.
Probable Group: Popular
MY TV Rating: 9


6/ Kevin: First and foremost, Kevin is the gay of the season. Each season has one. Big Brother clearly has a quota they try to meet; however, he probably has the most interesting back story. Kevin grew up as a Jehovah's Witness and was excommunicated at the age of 21. He is a graphic designer with an African-American and Japanese heritage. Kevin is setting himself up to be the bitchy gay who is likely to cause drama in the house. He may have the greatest strategy so far when it comes to alliances: his plan is to find the butch, straight male and have a secret alliance that no one will know about. It'll be interesting to see if he can accomplish this task. So far he seems to be the most strategic of the houseguests, but his personality might ruin his game.
Probable Group: Off-beats
MY TV Rating: 5

7/ Laura: 21 year old bikini model. That kind of sums it up right? A girl obsessed with her looks and tanning who also claims that abstaining from sex will be the hardest part of the show. She thinks her strategic game play is on par with Dan, Dick, or Danielle....my guess is her sex appeal will be her only strategy.
Probable Group: Popular? But she is into kick-boxing and is a black belt so maybe a jock.
MY TV Rating: 11


8/ Lydia: This tattooed lady used to be a nanny for a high-profile famous couple (tell us who!!!!). She is eccentric and says that liars piss her off (good luck in this house). Her bio is also fairly boring but she definitely has the best video of all the contestants. She seems really nice, refuses to have a showmance, and does not want to be a diva...I like her!
Probable Group: Off-beats
My TV Rating: 1

9/ Michele: A married neuroscientist who is always the smartest person in the room. Umm...that's about it. I have a feeling she will have trouble with the social aspect of the game.
Probable Group: Nerds
My TV Rating: 7


10/ Natalie: A Latina Tae Kwan Do world champion who is sure to cause a crap load of drama. She claims to be feisty and believes that no one can intimidate her. She has an interesting strategy: hiding her physical strength until she eliminates the strong players in the competition and is left with the weak. So far she is the only houseguest who I hated while reading the bio but actually liked while viewing her video...so I'm not so sure how I feel about Natalie.
Probable Group: Jock
My TV Rating: 6

11/ Ronnie: A married Star Wars and video game geek. Ronnie is probably the biggest fan of Big Brother this season which would help him strategically. He describes himself as a hybrid of Dr. Will and Dan...which would be the ultimate (and hottest) player...I'm really doubting Ronnie will live up to this. I predict an early exit from the game due to the social aspect.
Probable Group: Nerds
My TV Rating: 10



12/ Russell: This houseguest looks like the meat-head of the season. Russell recovered from a paralyzing motor cycle accident and is ready to destroy the competition. He has a martial arts background and an aggressive personality that will surely make for good television. He supposedly has a bad temper but he has a good personality on the camera. Russell will probably make a lot of friends and I predict he'll be in one of the main power alliances this season.
Probably Group: Jocks. Again, maybe popular (the two kind of go hand-in-hand).
My TV Rating: 4

So tune in tonight at 8pm to judge the new houseguests yourself...and hopefully find out who the mystery 13th is!


Big Brother 11 airs Thursdays at 8, Sundays at 8, and Tuesdays at 9.