According to Zap2It.com, Big Brother executive producer Arnold Shapiro, who helped revamp the show last summer along with producer Allison Grodner, has some new tricks up his sleeve this time around. While retaining most of the features from last time, they "have thrown in just a few twists and turns, just a few new roadblocks in terms of our rules and format so that the people coming into the house who have worked out a perfect strategy -- and believe me, all of them think they have -- are in for a few surprises."
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Host Julie Chen will still be on hand to serve as the house guests conduit to the outside world, but the food and immunity challenges (not the show's strong suit) will be more competitive, resulting in there definitely being "the haves and the have nots," according to Grodner.
In addition, a previous loophole has been closed making any smoking residents responsible for rationing their cigarette supply to last for the duration since no surplus packs will find a way into their pockets -- no matter what they promise the guards.
Also more hidden from viewers at home this year will be the planes carrying banners with messages for the house guests that fans have hired in the past. A prominent feature of the first edition, the banners got less play last year -- especially as the messages started warning contestants about others in the house.
"We're actually going to do everything to exclude it to the best of our abilities," says Shapiro. "We feel that the banner airplanes disrupt the game, and we're not interested in giving exposure or attention to anybody who spends their money that way."