The summer may be winding down and school is back in session, but CBS’ most anticipated summer hit, Big Brother, is just getting started. The 12th season of Big Brother returned to the airwaves on July 8th to over 7.5 million viewers, according to TVbytheNumbers. That includes old fans (yours truly) and new fans alike. The format for the show has been the same for the past ten years—but let’s takes a minute or two to refresh your memory.
Thirteen houseguests live together for seventy-five consecutive days. This season’s contestants include Andrew (a Jewish podiatrist), Annie (a Floridian bartender), Brendon (a swim couch with a Master’s in Physics), Britney (a hotel manager from Arkansas), Enzo (an Italian-American insurance adjuster from New Jersey), Kathy (a Deputy Sheriff), Kristen (a boutique manager), Lane (a Texan oil rig salesman), Matt (a diabolical super genius member of MENSA and web designer), Monet (a model), Rachel (a waitress/Chemist from Las Vegas), and lastly, Ragan (a college professor from California). Inside of the Big Brother house, there is zero interaction from the outside world. This includes no television, radio, music, newspapers, or even phone calls.
Every week, the contestants participate in various challenges that dictate life in the Big Brother house. There is the “Head of Household” competition, which saves one person from eviction that week and gives that person the power to choose two people for elimination, one of which will be evicted. Next, you have the “Have vs. Have Not” competition, which decides who gets to eat slop, take cold showers, and sleep in an insect-infected bedroom. Lastly, there is the “Veto” competition (the second most sought after power in the house), which allows one person to save a nominee (including themselves) from eviction. If the power of veto is used, the Head of Household puts up a replacement nominee. This power has definitely caused rifts in the house as unsuspecting house guests are blindsided and sent packing.
If you are just tuning into the show, here’s a little recap. About two weeks past the half-way mark, six house guests have left the House, with the remaining players being Brendon, Britney, Enzo, Hayden, Lane, Matt, and Ragan. In Week 5 of the competition, Rachel, the love of Brendon’s life, was evicted by a unanimous 6-0 vote, after a heroic but failed attempt by Brendon to try to keep her in the game. In Week 6, Brendon fought to avenge Rachel’s untimely departure (at the hands of Matt and Ragan) and became the Head of Household. This was much to the dismay of everyone in the house, including Britney. Brendon chose to put Lane and Ragan on the block, but Ragan saved himself by winning the Power of Veto. This caused Brendon to choose Matt as the replacement nominee. But, wait! Two weeks ago, Matt acquired the Diamond Power of Veto, which he received when he opened the mysterious, but often misleading, Pandora’s Box. So, who ended up being replaced by Matt: poor, unsuspecting Kathy who was evicted by a vote of 5-0. A little afterwards, the Head of Household competition took place and Britney took control of the house—much more than anyone could have imagined. This has proved to be very important because TWO people are being evicted this week. Everything lies in Britney’s hands.
The game is getting much more intense, as the numbers are dwindling and everyone’s fighting to stay alive. So, who will end up winning the $500,000 grand prize? Stay tuned on September 15th, where the winner of Big Brother 12 will be crowned!
