HOLLYWOOD—Holy smokes, that is the best way I can describe the first week of “Big Brother 19” which has been a complete whirlwind. “Big Brother” is known for throwing a ton of twists at fans, but season 19 looks like it might be the most twisted, theatrical and dramatic we’ve seen in years.

For starters, we had an eviction on Day 1 with Cameron getting the boot, a few days later, another stunner, Megan self-evicted from the compound under duress in connection to her PTSD. That was something that I don’t think any fans expected, and the TV show didn’t divulge too many details if you ask me. If anything, I felt totally sorry for Megan who seemed to be getting racked by the coals.

So with Megan and Cameron out, we have Cody as the first Head of Household, and this guy is arrogant, pompous and just stone cold. When I say stone cold, I don’t mean in a funny way, he shows very little emotion and might be one of the most guarded houseguests fans have seen in quite some time. Cody, can keep a secret, quite a big one to say the least America.

However, we have to talk about the elephant in the room: the return of BB18 alum Paul Abrahamian. Yup, ‘friendship’ and ‘pissed’ are vocabulary words that will become part of Americans lexicon. Do I think Paul should have gotten a second chance so soon? No, I think personally, the guy is an all-star and should have been part of that cast. So if there is an all-star cast, Paul might not be part of it people.

I swear I don’t understand how time and time again, newbies always geek out when they see an alum join the cast, instead of bonding together to take the threat out of the game, they keep the person around. I mean Paul was no slouch in the BB18 house; he’s perceptive, clever and his social game was stellar, but he already has an adversary in Cody who despises the guy. I like this tension because we could have two foes go toe-to-toe most of the season people.

Not again, this better not become the season of showmances people after what we witnessed in BB18, I’m over it. Less than 2 weeks in the house we already have 3 showmances: Marlena (Mark and Elena), Maven (Matt and Raven) and Jody (Jessica and Cody). You idiots, you’re putting prime targets on your back for the rest of the house, notably Alex who is well aware those couples have to be fractured. Not good that she divulged those details to Cody, but I like Alex more than I expected. The girl is indeed an underdog people, and NOT afraid to play the game which is what I look for in BB players.

So we already have alliances shaped in the house, the GOOD-LOOKING PEOPLE (Cody, Jessica, Matt, Raven, Elena, Mark and Dominque), with Paul and Christmas as additional numbers vs. the ODDBALLS (Alex, Jillian, Josh, Kevin, Ramses and Jason). However, with Alex winning the Power of Veto that shook the house yet again, because Cody learned a valuable BB lesson: expect the unexpected. Why?

Paul entered the Den of Temptation and won the Pendant of Protection from America that protects him from the next 3 evictions. So Paul is safe for 3 weeks people, but with temptation comes a consequence that forces Ramses to have to volunteer himself as a third nominee within the next 3 weeks. That is indeed a sucky result people for Ramses cause he’s in a Catch-22, while Paul gets to keep his secret, well, that was until the Power of Veto ceremony. Why? Alex saved herself, and Cody had to name a replacement nominee. It was utter chaos, cause Cody first attempted to nominate Paul, but couldn’t when Paul revealed his special power (so the jig is up for Paul), and Cody had to name another nominee, which was Christmas, and she was livid! She went on a rampage, and like that an alliance exploded into a million pieces, leaving people scrambling. We could for the first time in a very long time see a first vote that is closer than what we’ve seen in years.

I gotta say I love both Jillian and Christmas, but I see a bit more fight in Christmas that could prove entertaining the rest of the season compared to Jillian. As for other houseguests, Josh is a loose cannon and an emotional mess, Kevin is pure hilarity people, Jason seems like he’ll be a character and Ramses I feel is still finding his footing. He’s entertaining in the DR, but let’s see what strategy he can implement.

I like this Den of Temptation twist, but only if the twist has a consequence on the houseguest who takes it and not some random result. It’s apparent each temptation gets bigger each week, with week 3 having the greatest of them all: the ability to halt an eviction. Now, that is some powerful stuff people, and will shake the houseguests in ways they never expected America, because the unexpected will literally be in play all season. Christmas has made it clear Cody and Jessica are in her hindsight, and I’d argue the same for Jillian if she manages to stay in the house. So this second HOH could be the most competitive to date America, until next week BB fanatics!