Since the launch of Big Brother 4, we’ve seen forty-eight different HouseGuests with pre-existing relationships enter the American Big Brother House. (That took some serious cross referencing, let me tell you!)

There have been ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, long-lost siblings, identical twins, sorority sisters, ex-roommates, co-workers, friends, dating couples, neighbours, enemies, and an estranged father and daughter - not to mention an entire cast made up of All-Stars from the first six seasons.

Last week, however, this tradition came to an end as Big Brother 10 premiered with a cast of thirteen complete strangers.

And that’s not all that’s new.

With a new look, a (relatively) new House and the long-awaited return of live audiences at eviction shows, Big Brother USA finally looks like it might be ready to claw back some much-needed ratings.

After Network Ten’s recent axing of Big Brother in Australia, fans around the world are realising that it’s a case of when - not if - their favourite version will reach the end of its life. With that in mind, it’s good to see the producers trying something different - and from the first three episodes it seems clear to me that taking a step backwards is exactly what the show needed to keep it moving forwards.

Hopefully, this marks a change in the way twists are executed in the future. In past seasons, I found gameplay twists like the Coup d’État in Big Brother All-Stars and America’s Player in Big Brother 8 - and even the introduction of the Power of Veto back in Big Brother 3 - far more interesting to watch than the endless casting twists and I’m interested to see what the producers have in store for the HouseGuests this year.

Speaking of the HouseGuests, this is the most promising cast there’s been in a long time - probably since Big Brother 5. My favourites so far are April, who gratuitously lined up towels and plates in her intro package to illustrate the fact that she “[likes] to keep things in perfect order”, Renny, a New Orleans socialite who I like to think of as a younger version of Jackie Stallone, and Memphis the “mixologist”. (Bartender.)

My least favourite is, without a doubt, Jessie, a 22 year-old bodybuilding douche who can barely string two words together. I can’t wait to see the look on his face when he gets outsmarted and given his marching orders, probably in the not-too-distant future.

In terms of gameplay, the first few episodes were pretty interesting.

I couldn’t help but cringe at Jerry’s “X Factor” alliance - naming your team after an unpleasant twist and introducing embarrassing hand signals is hardly the best way to progress in the game, after all - but it should still be fun watching the other HouseGuests underestimating Jerry and being evicted one by one.

So far, he’s the only HouseGuest who’s made any real effort at long-term strategy, so I think he’ll do just fine.

I really enjoyed the mini revolution on Day 2, too. It’s not often that nine HouseGuests join forces to achieve a common goal, so when they did it made for great viewing. And it was nice to see the girls take control of the House for a change.

Sadly, I think Renny and April - my two favourites - are likely to self destruct fairly quickly. We all know that Jessie and Renny aren’t exactly best buds, so I’m expecting her key to be missing from the box in Sunday’s episode, and April’s game is all over the place. It’s no secret that showmances screw up even the best players (for your homework tonight, I’d like you to research Big Brother 5’s Drew and Diane) - and when you’re put in the House for no other reason than OCD probably making a good “fun” segment for the show - well, you don’t really stand a chance.

Of course, this is only the beginning, and I’ll be here every week for the rest of the season with more thoughts about the show, right here on bbspyUSA. If you want to get in touch, just send me a comment using the form below.

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