HOLLYWOOD—It is here! After weeks of speculation and 2 weeks of teases, the 28th season of the reality competition hit series “Big Brother” kicked off Thursday night. The 90-minute premiere saw BB staple Julie Chen-Moonves introduce the viewers to a season that is going to involve ‘Time,’ in particular how this plays out we will see.

At first, I thought it was going to be a BB historian season, but I suspect BB might be saving that for its 30th season, with fingers crossed it is a true all-star or all returning players. With that said, things kicked off with the announcement that the entire season will last 87 days. The BB Time Trip past and future is the twist of the season. So, our first houseguests we met were Ashley, Lyric and LaTrice.

Ashley is a bit of a ditz, but she has vibrant energy from her intro. LaTrice is a fashionista, she is a body builder and what, she might be the best threat of an older houseguest we have seen in years. Lyric seems to be in the game for fame, I’m hoping she proves me otherwise, but being a lawyer is not something that impresses me that much. We also met Haley and Melody. Now who is this, Melody? She was completely different in her interview, so what I’m seeing here, I love it; I do love her!

Haley just highlighted that she is very athletic, but personality wise, still nothing from her? Then we got introductions to Taylor and Mallory. Taylor is stunning, but I’m concerned about her strategy, but she was a fan of Ian from BB14. Now Mallory is she the nerdy archetype? I get that, but I’m wondering if she is going to be acting like this in the BB house.

The packages for the guys were introduced with Kamu, Drew and Jason aka Salina Estitties. Kamu is also Jamaican, that was something I didn’t expect, and he is a fighter, who wants to be a winner. Still waiting to see how he acts in the house. Drew is one that I think might surprise people more than I expected. He might be a sleeper that I didn’t imagine. Now, Jason is going to be a fun one considering he was on RuPaul’s Drag Race. Of course, CBS is not going to say his entire drag name.

We then met Rome and Barrett. Rome was a tennis player in high school, so he seems to be a flirt and respectable to women. However, he is a trash talker, too much and his ego is going to have to be busted. Barrett on the other hand, is a podcaster and BB fan. He loved Britney and Angela, oh is he in for a surprise when Angela walks into the house. Barrett is very likeable. We met Chuk and Yash. Chuk is Nigerian but loves the role of being a cowboy. Let’s see how he acts after getting into the house. Yash is a social butterfly from his TikTok videos. He noted he is ready for a showmance, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit he feels like comic relief.

We have all the guys and all the girls and it’s time for them to enter the BB house. Who is going to go in first and be victim to the BB curse. The first 5 were Kamu, Jason, Taylor, Ashley and Rome. Jason what are you doing as a BB fan, you know you never go in first! Jason is good in the Diary Room, but Ashley was already smitten by Rome, oh jeez. Kamu planned to admit he was a fighter, but not his competitive prowess. LaTrice, Lyric, Barrett, Yash and Mallory moved in next first.

LaTrice is DR gold; she is a natural. Taylor is very quiet, but it seems Barrett is attracted to Ashley who like Rome. Mallory immediately was drawn to Lyric but barely spoke to her. The final 4 to enter were Melody, Chuk, Haley and Drew. Chuk seemed focused on romance more than anything, but Melody was already annoyed by Drew who chats a bit much.

Drew already knew because there were only 14 people, other players are about to join the game. Julie introduced the first twist of the game, but this time in history the current players will NOT be able to be HOH for the week. I don’t like that. No surprise, we know there are more players. The dining room table is a Time Warp, and we saw Enzo aka the Meow Meow, but he was super stiff in that reading.

The HGs currently in the game get the opportunity to earn safety for the week. Ugh, I hate this, 3 groups of 4 people. The winner of each group will bring back a reality icon into the BB house. And she noted not everyone will get the opportunity to compete for safety. So only the first 12 houseguests to find the correct time batteries can compete. The number 28 is key, but Lyric you are so dead in the DR.

The only 2 not competing are Ashley and Barrett, guess what, I love Ashley. All players should be able to compete in the HOH. The 12 HGs started to compete to recruit 3 reality icons. I think who BB considers icons, not everyone else will think the same. The first date is July 9, 1988, with LaTrice, Rome, Kamu and Mallory. Yeah, none of these players EXCEPT LaTrice was born in the 80s. This is obvious that its Angela.

This is the balance competition we witnessed in BB27. Yeah, it feels like Kamu might have this in the bag, but I’m hoping Mallory or LaTrice deliver an upset. Kamu thought he had it, but he didn’t, ego bruised, and it was Rome who got the victory. Jeez this guy is going to be around for at least 2 weeks.

Rome is going to be so annoying, but to see Angela walk into that door was epic, because everyone lost it. LaTrice vs Angela that is going to be hilarious. July 7, 2018, saw Hayley, Chuk, Drew and Taylor competing, which meant this was for Rick Devens from “Survivor 38” and “Survivor 50.” You have to utilize planks to cross the river to deliver their letter; this is physical maze. Drew was doing pretty good. Haley got so stuck, so she might be physical, but not that smart. However, Chuk and Taylor came back in a massive way. Chuk got there first. Ugh, this means all the alpha bros might be safe.

We got Jeff Probst on “Big Brother” that is a first! The next big stunner was the arrival of Devens that left everyone aghast. Out of all the reality icons, I’m eager to see Devens play “Big Brother.” Drew was losing it seeing Devens, as Angela geeked out to see him. Jason made it clear that Devens cannot be trusted, as Jason, Melody, Lyric and Yash traveled to June 27, 2010.

This is a booth competition, exactly what Yash didn’t want. Melody was completely slimed, oh BB. This is definitely not Dee, this feels like Rachel or Janelle, but c’mon, they’re not bringing Rachel back again for another summer, are they? Yash was eliminated leaving the battle to Jason and Lyric. Yes, Jason is safe for the week, with Lyric getting slimed last. Jason was gagged when he opened the door and it was the one and only Rachel Reilly. Like for real, is this a joke or is Rachel seriously playing again.

Rachel, Devens and Angela are competing for HOH and Julie revealed that the BB Blockbusters is back in play this season. We’re traveling to 175 Million BC in the Jurassic Period and Angela wants redemption. Devens wants power, and Rachel the acting was too much, so it was obvious she wasn’t part of the game. That was so terrible! BB is so wrong for that. You can’t literally introduce an icon and make fans think she’s getting a second chance, only for her to swap her with someone else, seriously!

So now we have a cliffhanger and have to wait to that stupid BB: Unlocked to discover the other reality TV icon. Angela was too giddy for Rachel to not be in the game, and Julie decides she is finding a replacement. We can impact the first 6 weeks of the game, which means we are likely having a double eviction come week 7 if that is the case.

Julie went back to December 20, 2023, the same time Dee won “Survivor 45.” Leaks were out, so c’mon BB you must do much better. In Julie’s tease, that looked like the Silver Power of Veto from BB3, which means you can’t save yourself, you can only save one of the two nominees. I’m interested in how this vote works and how it impacts the game. Let the summer of BB28 begin.

Written By LaDale Anderson