S22.E01: Season Premiere

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

All Stars Season Premiere

 

[Melina22]

That was so much fun! As I mentioned on the Live Chat, I loved seeing people hugging, laughing, interacting without danger. 

That said, when I saw the first four, with masks on, and Julie was talking about quarantine, testing, etc., I suddenly got choked up. I'm not sure why, but maybe because it brought home how much life has changed since a few months ago. If they can keep the virus out, this season could be just the distraction we all need right now. 

[choclatechip45]

I was glad they had so many people from Big Brother 6-11. I was worried it would be filled with people from the last 3 seasons. Rooting for Kaysar, Janelle, Dani, Kevin and Keesha. I'm sure all 4 will do something to piss me off and I'll change my allegiances.

[Cotypubby]

So what was up with that first challenge with the balls being so obviously rigged in favor of the men? All the women had to try and get their balls in the farthest away holes and all the guys had the holes right by the beginning. Wtf!? The guys had it so much easier.

[IndyMischa]

18 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

So what was up with that first challenge with the balls being so obviously rigged in favor of the men? All the women had to try and get their balls in the farthest away holes and all the guys had the holes right by the beginning. Wtf!? The guys had it so much easier.

Yes and no. Yes, because hello, we all have eyes. 🙂 But no, because it was only the first round, and times didn't carry over. So they were only competing against hg's with the same advantage or disadvantage. 

[Ananayel]

Could really do without Cody and Christmas (would have preferred Danielle Reyes and Marcellus,) but I am cautiously optimistic. I feel old, because some of them I barely remember - I remember their names, and could come up with a fact or two about them (Hi Memphis and Keesha and Kevin!) but couldn't place the name with the face if you held a gun to my head. Love that Janelle and Kaysar can play together again, I can't remember if I liked Kevin, I like both Nicoles, didn't mind Enzo, liked Tyler well enough. But whatever -  no Frankie, no Paul, no Derrick, no Andy. I should be good! And it's great to have it back. It isn't summer without this nonsense.

[Gregg247]

I'm already pulled completely into the game again!  I love BB, and it was so nice seeing so many familiar faces.  Right now, I'm rooting for Kayser and Janelle, but I don't dislike anyone (yet!).  This is definitely the oldest group ever, with several contestants in their 40s.  YAY!  There's something really nice about reconnecting with these contestants who have progressed in their lives to a more mature, settled existence.  It was nice seeing their families prior to them entering the house, too. 

I wish Dan Gheesling (S10) had returned this year, but he would have just waltzed his way through to another $550k, so maybe it's for the best! haha

Is the house new?  I remember they built a new house between S5 and S6, but it seems like Julie indicated that they've built another new house this year, too?

I can't wait for this season to really get going, and I hope and pray that no one gets sick.  Big Brother is back!!!!!!!

[AryasMum]

3 minutes ago, IndyMischa said:

Yes and no. Yes, because hello, we all have eyes. 🙂 But no, because it was only the first round, and times didn't carry over. So they were only competing against hg's with the same advantage or disadvantage. 

But they were one woman short since the first answer was the most difficult. 

[leocadia]

1 minute ago, Ananayel said:

no Frankie, no Paul,

I am so very thankful for this!

 

2 minutes ago, IndyMischa said:

Yes and no. Yes, because hello, we all have eyes. 🙂 But no, because it was only the first round, and times didn't carry over. So they were only competing against hg's with the same advantage or disadvantage.

But the men had better chances of making it to the final round.  Only 2 women managed to complete the challenge.  4 men finished because their target was much easier to hit in the time allowed.   Overall, I don't think it matters much at all.  First HOH is as much a risk as it is a reward!

[AryasMum]

26 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

So what was up with that first challenge with the balls being so obviously rigged in favor of the men? All the women had to try and get their balls in the farthest away holes and all the guys had the holes right by the beginning. Wtf!? The guys had it so much easier.

I think Keesha tried to give herself an advantage. Instead of simply starting her turn by placing her ball on the table, she shoved it through the first opening. 

1 minute ago, leocadia said:

I am so very thankful for this!

 

But the men had better chances of making it to the final round.  Only 2 women managed to complete the challenge.  4 men finished because their target was much easier to hit in the time allowed.   Overall, I don't think it matters much at all.  First HOH is as much a risk as it is a reward!

I didn’t even notice they were two women short. Definitely stacked for the guys.  

[Growsonwalls]

Great to see all the old timers! But this will be a rather old cast, and I don't think there will be any showmances since so many people are married with kids.

I mean who are the possible showmances? Christmas and Enzo? Keesha and Enzo? David and NicoleA?

Motherhood suits Dani, Day and Janelle. Wow they look great.

[30 Helens]

Well, that was... underwhelming. Full disclosure: I had never seen an episode of BB until April, when I got a free 2-month trial to CBS All Access and started binging BB because, why not. At this point I have seen most of the seasons (skipping a few where the cast seemed annoying or I read bad things, like S21). There are so many people who I would have loved to see again, and for the most part these weren’t them. It’s kind of crazy to see how some of them have aged in just a month or two, though! 😄

The first challenge was too slow for live and, as already noted, rigged against the women. The wobbly stepping stones challenge was more fun to watch, but it made me nervous for Christmas. All I could think was, if she slips off the wrong way, there goes another ankle! 

Interpersonal dynamics are what really define a season, so I remain optimistic and hope this cast gels well. Now, I’m off to check out the live feeds, as I’ve never had the opportunity to do that before...

ETA ...or not. No live feeds yet. Bummer.

Edited August 6, 2020 by 30 Helens

[Cotypubby]

2 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

The wobbly stepping stones challenge was more fun to watch, but it made me nervous for Christmas. All I could think was, if she slips off the wrong way, there goes another ankle! 

I’m kinda glad Cody was able to do it so quickly right away so everyone else didn’t have to keep going back and forth like Memphis. That challenge just looked like a broken ankle waiting to happen. 

[Maverick]

 OMG y'all...it''s back!   The Production misogyny (is it that Groder hates other woman or just loves alpha guys as much as Probst?).   The ill-designed and/or rigged comps.  The janky production values (I hate that word, but it's really so appropriate for BB).  

 The woman having rooms at the end of the board so that they couldn't get two winners was so blatantly obvious it had to be intentional.   If no one involved with setting this up realized that, they really need to consult with that show-specific HR rep CBS keeps touting.

 Let's be real, Cody one because half those toadstools were still wobbling.  They run through these comps when they're designed/built, so again there's no way no one noticed how long it took them to stop.   And I really needed Christmas to go all Admiral Ackbar and yell "It's a trap!" when she fell off.

 Is Memphis divorced?  There was no sign of a wife/mother in his intro package but I could only see Enzo raising his hand about being divorced.  Speaking of Enzo, please let him go first.  A doucebro who blusters, thinks he's awesome because he has abs and has the female members of his family catering to him.   Pass.

 Is there anyone on this cast even available for a showmance?   That's not a bad thing, but Grodner has to be losing her mind.  That's undoubtedly why there hasn't been an All Stars for so long.

 Was Paulie not in Cody's intro because he's bitter over not being an All Star?   Cody's cute and all but he's got a slight smarmy edge because of it.  He did get points for cockblocking his dad.

 Da'Vonne better not screw it up this time.  I still remember her basically being handed the twist in her first and season and still blowing it and getting evicted that week.

 Ian is just...wow, full of himself doesn't quite cover it.  "I'm a big boy now!".   Cringy.  Not quite as cringy as the fake phone calls in his and Kaysar's intro but close.  BTW Cody, Kaysar's name doesn't rhyme with quasar.  

 So there's a Safety Suite?  So I guess they'll find a Halting Hex in there.   I guess the next room they find will be based on Miami and have a Round Trip Ticket.   Cause really, who wants to go to the Covid Capital with Josh and Kaycee on the loose.

 

[Alice Mudgarden]

5 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 Is Memphis divorced?  There was no sign of a wife/mother in his intro package but I could only see Enzo raising his hand about being divorced. 

When Enzo mentioned being divorced, I think Memphis raised his hand to say he was too. And I think Keesha chimed in that she was also divorced.

[Yogisbooboo64]

Could do without Christmas or Memphis and hope they go sooner rather than later.

Never liked Memphis for the way he was so dismissive towards Jerry due to him being older and Christmas was a bully in her season.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I agree there was some type of intention by BB as to difficulty of the comp balls.  

I disagree with many posters in that I believe the guys had a tougher job faking a genuine attempt to win.  To me, most of the hamsters were faking.   Poor Ian was an exception.  The lad just cannot help hisself.

Chenbot performed sub-nominally.  Too much Live.  Too much extemporaneous talking.  Too much hamster disrespect (Unprecedented, actually).  She looked mahvelous, though, which may be the most important thing to her.

[Nashville]

Well, we’ve already seen the first Production flub - and no, I’m not talking about the HNs not being able to get into the HN room.  What I am talking about is the initial timing between HoH contestants on the Star Steps comp.  They brought Cody out immediately after Memphis’s run; so quickly, in fact, that in the overhead camera shot you could see the wobbly stars which Memphis hit were still moving.  If we could see them I’d be pretty certain Cody could too, which gave him a HUGE advantage on his run - a substantial number of the pitfalls were already exposed to him.
P. S.: I found it notable that shortly thereafter, following another HoH contestant’s run, Julie made a point of saying “we’re waiting for everything to settle down” before letting the next contestant come out from behind the wall.  Pity they didn’t think of that earlier.

[Alice Mudgarden]

17 minutes ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

Could do without Christmas or Memphis and hope they go sooner rather than later.

Never liked Memphis for the way he was so dismissive towards Jerry due to him being older and Christmas was a bully in her season.

Jerry did call him a womanizer behind his back, based on absolutely nothing, for no reason at all. If I were Memphis, I wouldn't have been particularly fond of Jerry, either. 

[methodwriter85]

I'm kind of surprised that this wasn't stacked heavily towards the past two or three seasons, like the first All Stars was like. I haven't watched since Nicole's winning season so I was expecting not to recognize most of the people on here. That this is a mostly older cast is interesting.

Edited August 6, 2020 by methodwriter85

[SnideAsides]

Just now, methodwriter85 said:

I'm kind of surprised that this wasn't stacked heavily towards the past two or three seasons, like the first All Stars was like. I haven't watched since Nicole's winning season so I was expecting not to recognize mist of the people on here. That this is a mostly older cast is interesting.

The first All-Stars also only had six seasons to choose from (and realistically only five, because of how different BB1 is), was at least partially chosen by viewers, and didn't take place during a global pandemic that ruled out huge swathes of potential casting choices.

[grandmabegum]

1 hour ago, Growsonwalls said:

Great to see all the old timers! But this will be a rather old cast, and I don't think there will be any showmances since so many people are married with kids.

This was my first thought as well. Certainly doesn't mean that people won't be cuddling and crawling all over each other. I think the bigger risk of getting sick (though hopefully no one does) is whispered conversations.

[Katesus7]

I really like this cast. Enough “old timers” to make this curmudgeon happy, no absolutely terrible people who would make me want to vomit, some people I will actively root against, some I will actively root for. Let’s do this thing! 

[Nashville]

16 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I'm kind of surprised that this wasn't stacked heavily towards the past two or three seasons, like the first All Stars was like. I haven't watched since Nicole's winning season so I was expecting not to recognize mist of the people on here. That this is a mostly older cast is interesting.

Actually, the fact this is a mostly older cast is pretty reasonable; the older you are, the less likely you are to engage in the sort of activity which has you popping positive on a COVID-19 test and expelled from consideration (exs: Josh, Kaycee).

[Yogisbooboo64]

23 minutes ago, Alice Mudgarden said:

Jerry did call him a womanizer behind his back, based on absolutely nothing, for no reason at all. If I were Memphis, I wouldn't have been particularly fond of Jerry, either. 

But Jerry didn't say that when they met....IIRC, Memphis was rude to Jerry before he got to know him.

Back to tonight, it was cool to see Kaysar married with a son.

[Maverick]

 Regarding the comps being slanted against women, the whole setup of the Stars comp was.  Women generally have a smaller leg span and it's easier for most guys (especially among the type of guys BB casts) to go from stool to stool and to hold their stance between stools while testing their stability.   

[Alice Mudgarden]

4 minutes ago, Yogisbooboo64 said:

But Jerry didn't say that when they met....IIRC, Memphis was rude to Jerry before he got to know him.

Back to tonight, it was cool to see Kaysar married with a son.

I don't remember that being the case, but Memphis didn't strike me as the most smiley in general in S10. He seemed it much more on tonight's episode, actually, to tie it back to the current season.

[Brian Cronin]

I can't believe Ian fucking "But actually"ed Julie. She noted that the two HGs in his group that didn't win the competition would now be in jeopardy and so one of them could be evicted, and that little fucker seriously said, "Wait, aren't we all in jeopardy? Only one person can win the HoH." 

That dude just can't help himself. 

[BK1978]

2 hours ago, Ananayel said:

Could really do without Cody and Christmas (would have preferred Danielle Reyes and Marcellus,) but I am cautiously optimistic. I feel old, because some of them I barely remember - I remember their names, and could come up with a fact or two about them (Hi Memphis and Keesha and Kevin!) but couldn't place the name with the face if you held a gun to my head. Love that Janelle and Kaysar can play together again, I can't remember if I liked Kevin, I like both Nicoles, didn't mind Enzo, liked Tyler well enough. But whatever -  no Frankie, no Paul, no Derrick, no Andy. I should be good! And it's great to have it back. It isn't summer without this nonsense.

I was hoping against hope that Danielle R. would be there.  I would kill to see Marcellus back again.  I have said this plenty of times before but Marcellus was the biggest reason why I got into the show in the first place. 

I hate the fact that I find Christmas to be hot, it truly does bother me.  I mean I know she's an asshole but damn is she sexy, especially when she has her glasses on.  Really there is not one unattractive woman in the house this season.

Where is Chicken George?

Great to see my favorite alliance back together again (Kaysar and Janelle). 

I forgot to add, Cody and Paulie sound exactly alike.  When I heard his voice I was not looking up and I thought, "Oh shit it's this asshole.  They didn't put him on the Challenge but I have to suffer dealing with him for the rest of the summer."  Glad it was Cody, at least Cody isn't a crazy asshole.

 

Edited August 6, 2020 by BK1978

[mertensia]

Nicole A sure looked thrilled to be back.; I hope her friends "accidentally" point out her return to all the bullying assholes from last season.

They all need to be wearing shock collars so Julie can shut them up properly. Plus their lying on the floor twitching helplessly would make me glad.

[SnideAsides]

1 hour ago, mertensia said:

They all need to be wearing shock collars so Julie can shut them up properly. Plus their lying on the floor twitching helplessly would make me glad.

I mean, given they've already taken big chunks of the house design from BBUK, they might as well take the shock suits too.

I'm going to give the show the benefit of the doubt with the HOH rigging claims - it's true the groups of women had to go farther through the table maze, but they also had one item that they already ran past (the kitchen) and one that would've been in plain sight as soon as they went back in (the living room) to balance it out, while the men had to go around the corner into the bathroom and search the bedrooms. It's not Grodner's fault people who've been on this show before and know what challenges turn up every year didn't bother practicing one of the most stock-standard recurring challenges of all. The wobbly platforms I'm less forgiving of, but also Memphis is a big dude who was hitting the stepping stones quite hard. It's plausible they just didn't shake that hard when they were testing, and I absolutely buy that they didn't bother testing that much, both because of The Current Times and because it's This Damn Show.

[nickp1991]

For it being the first ever live move in that was a pretty solid premiere 

[Cramps]

Best thing about last night— No Paul! Worst thing— No Danielle Reyes. On the one hand I’m worried about another Production favored-Brigade-esque boy alliance with Cody, Memphis, Enzo and fill in the blank. On the other hand, these women are savvy and these aren’t boys. Memphis was panting after every comp. 

[Tachi Rocinante]

Wow.  Enzo is still a titanic douche.

There are too many hamsters to root against.

[Metal]

I was confused with the first competition where they were asked which room was the spray can art.  There's a sculpture of spray cans hanging on a wall in the hallway, but there is also a big spray can image in the kitchen.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

On the one hand I’m worried about another Production favored-Brigade-esque boy alliance with Cody, Memphis, Enzo and fill in the blank.

Tyler.

Overall, the cast could be worse, and I have to admit just seeing the show again made life feel normal again, if only for 2 hours.

There's nobody I outright can't stand, although I groaned at the sight of Dani D (God knows why they keep bringing her back), Memphis and Tyler.

And I definitely noticed the whole thing heavily favored one of the dudes becoming first HoH. Technically any of them could have made the cut to compete for HoH but the men had a much better chance of making that cut, and a much better chance of winning based on the design of that challenge.

[eskimo]

All-Stars seasons are always a little more interesting to me because my opinions of some people often change.  All the people I like don't end up in the same alliance, have to go after each other, and it makes it more fun (and aggravating!) to watch.  In this case lots of players have a lot more life experience than they did before and I'm curious how it changed them.  I loved Kaysar his season, but he seemed a tad full of himself in last nights introduction package, as did Ian.  Well, I suppose everyone did, and I'm sure it was production inspired, but some of them I expected it from.  So I'll reserve judgement until I see how they behave in the house.  I'm hoping we don't have any of the bulling, treating-people-like-crap-just-because, behavior.  That is worse than showmances, which I also can't stand.  So I think this will be a good season.  Also, we all NEED something from the Before Times in our lives right now. 

ETA-How did Tyler get into my high school math teacher's (circa 1992) closet and get that shirt? 

Edited August 6, 2020 by eskimo
to add

[sara416]

First cast in a long time where I haven't immediately hated at least one person! I'm sure some of them will annoy me and I have zero memory of some of them though. I haven't watched since the beginning and I cannot remember the first season I watched, so the flashbacks helped last night. There are TWO black women on the show, which is huge for BB. This cast is so much more diverse than past casts and I really hope it doesn't get automatically whittled down to young, attractive, white people. Let's see David run this game, he deserves to play it out. 

I remembered that Danielle was very thin on her first season, but looking back at those clips it is just painful to see how skinny she was. She's looking great now, motherhood has been wonderful to her. 

[HurricaneVal]

12 hours ago, Maverick said:

Let's be real, Cody one because half those toadstools were still wobbling.

Yup.  And even when Julie said they'd wait for them to settle, I noticed they never really did.  Typical BB production stupidity.

It will be interesting to see what sort of a season this is.  This is All Stars, after all, so these hamsters are very, very, very aware they're on camera all the time, so I doubt we'll get any of the candid nasty drama, but I'll bet we'll get a lot of very studied manufactured drama that will be purposefully played out for the benefit of the cameras.  I think we'll need to look for some tell tale signs, like adjusting positions for better camera angles, hamsters glancing at the cameras to make sure they're in the shot, stuff like that.

I can't help it, I have a soft spot for the nerds.  I hope Nicole A and Ian go far.  I didn't originally like Janelle in her first season, I thought she was fake and a mean girl to boot, but my opinion of her has mellowed, and I love how she genuinely loves the game.  Oh, Kaysar...I hope you can make it far.  He's too mature and level-headed to be stuck with the douchebros, so I fear he will be out soon.  I want him to team up with Ian, David, Janelle, and Da'vonne--I think that would make a nice alliance, but what do I know?

[Wandering Snark]

Hah, I was at a birthday party and watched my recording when I got home at like 3am, couldn't let it just sit there on the dvr!

I liked the focused intros of everyone but the ball-puzzle game was too slow for live teevee I thought. Also as mentioned it was clear that there were several of the 'wobble' stars moving when Cody went so that wasn't great either.

I like the potential of this casting though! Thank gahd there is no Frankie or other super annoying players, I'm pretty happy with the group but it's obvious who they casted and who was added in as a replacement! I agree with David getting another chance as he was mightily shit upon by the racist setup, but that doesn't mean he should qualify as an 'All-Star'. I wonder if we'll learn who all fell out?

Love the "loft", it's more open layout than usual which I liked.

I can't help but cheer for the Nicoles and of course Janey.

Enzo and Ian are far to heavily relying on their previous playing successes. I hope they both are among the early bootees.

On Aussie BB they almost always nominated three people, I hope maybe they pick that up to try out here. (among other things, but BBAu is a completely different game basically).

Game on!!

ETA: I forgot to mention how awesome JCM's "Someone's gettin FIRED for screwing up the Have-Not room entry" face was so evident at the end of the evening. Whoever was supposed to unlock the 'door'? So fired.

Edited August 6, 2020 by Wandering Snark

[iMonrey]

Yeah I see Julie is still using Moonves as her third name. Kind of a blatant slap in the face to CBS. I wonder what they think of it. I guess not enough to replace her.

[nkotb]

My favorite moment of the show was the Kaysar/Janelle hug. I know they're both happily married parents, but they're also kinda Big Brother married, too. Janey looks fantastic, I couldn't take my eyes off of her last night. Breathtakingly beautiful, as is Kaysar, who is probably my favorite BB player ever (Kaysar, with Janey a 2nd). 

My 2nd most favorite moment of the show was the final male intro package, when I realized that it meant no Frankie or Paul! I dreaded both of them, so I'm thrilled. 

We've tapped-out the last few years, so while I remember All Saints Day, I don't think I've seen a season after hers. 

Edited August 6, 2020 by nkotb
I forgot that I despise Paul as much as Frankie, maybe more.

[Cherry Cola]

What did Enzo say to Julie when she asked how they can win? I forgot now, but laughed so hard when Julie repeated it wondering what the hell he meant! 

[Ananayel]

I wish we had Cody Nickson rather than Calafiore, but with Jessica pregnant again there's no way. Also, besides Donny and the aforementioned Danielle R and Marcellas, I wouldn't mind seeing what Tommy's game would be like without Christie, and I would like to see Jun again. All Star seasons aren't necessarily bad, but they have to get the casting right. 

[Lsk02]

7 minutes ago, Ananayel said:

I wish we had Cody Nickson rather than Calafiore, but with Jessica pregnant again there's no way. Also, besides Donny and the aforementioned Danielle R and Marcellas, I wouldn't mind seeing what Tommy's game would be like without Christie, and I would like to see Jun again. All Star seasons aren't necessarily bad, but they have to get the casting right. 

It would have been interesting to see how Tommy and Nicole A played together since she and his brother recently broke up. And Tommy would’ve been stuck in the house with his siblings’ exes twice! Although their relationship seemed very brief, so it probably would’ve been fine. 

[Ananayel]

12 minutes ago, Lsk02 said:

It would have been interesting to see how Tommy and Nicole A played together since she and his brother recently broke up. And Tommy would’ve been stuck in the house with his siblings’ exes twice! Although their relationship seemed very brief, so it probably would’ve been fine. 

I had no idea - that would be funny! But then we can save Tommy for the next All Stars. 

[slasherboy]

I was so glad to see BB return, more than I even expected.  And it's going to be difficult for me to pick a favorite, since I like a lot of them.  At the moment, my favorite male is Tommy and my favorite female is Nicole .... not the one who has been on 3 (?) times, but the one who broke out of her shell and lives at home with her family.  Those favs could easily change by the second episode.  

Can't stand Memphis.  Don't like Christmas or Meow Meow.

Welcome back to all my Forum Friends!  Let's have a fun summer with BB!

Forgot to say, Tyler is a favorite too.  And I liked Kaysar a lot from previous seasons.

Edited August 6, 2020 by slasherboy
I have more to say!

[mojoween]

I just started watching, but just hearing “Big Brother“ by the most wonderful announcer man makes me so happy in this no good, very bad, terrible year.

[HartofDixie]

Great first episode I hope the twists don’t ruin the season. Wonder what ratings the show got.

[grandmabegum]

40 minutes ago, slasherboy said:

my favorite male is Tommy

?