Big Brother's first part of its special two-night Season 18 premiere was chock-full of surprises and competitions heading into Thursday night's live eviction.

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The season began with introductions to 12 of the Big Brother cast members and four people entering the house at a time. Host Julie Chen announced to the 12 houseguests once they got settled that there would be four competitions and three twists over the course of two nights, and in addition, one person would be going home within no time.

At first glance, Michelle Meyer, a 23-year-old nutritionist from Washington Township, MI, vibed with Paul Abrahamian, a 23-year-old clothing designer from Tarzana, CA, right away because she could tell he was different like her. However, she was afraid of his beard.

Victor Arroyo, a 25-year-old gym manager from Slidell, LA, thought Natalie Negrotti, a 26-year-old event coordinator who currently resides in Franklin Park, NJ, was a sexy Latina. Natalie, however, was kind of into Corey Brooks, a 25-year-old baseball coach from Dallas, TX.

Zakiyah Everette, a 24-year-old preschool teacher from Charlotte, NC, also thought Paulie Calafiore, a 27-year-old deejay from Howell, NJ, was hot. Corey was thinking he could spark a bromance with Victor because he was a good-looking guy who seemed like a physical threat. Paul took a liking to Zakiyah.

When the 12 houseguests sat down to get to know one another better, Bronte D'Acquisto, a 26-year-old math tutor who currently resides in Denver, CO, told the group she works in child care so that no one would think she's very smart. Little did they know she's striving to become a mathematician for the CIA.

Paulie said in the Diary Room that Paul was "loud and obnoxious," adding that individuals with those qualities are usually the first people kicked out of the game.

Tiffany Rousso, a 32-year-old high school teacher who currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, didn't tell anyone that Season 17 player Vanessa Rousso is her sister in fear people would view her as a threat. She didn't want to put a target on her back so early on, but Michelle was totally onto her.

Julie then announced the season's first big twist. Four "stowaways" were hiding in the house the whole time the 12 houseguests moved in and got acquainted with one another. The four people would join the game and compete for the $500,000 grand prize like everyone else.

The veteran players who popped up one at a time were Season 16's Nicole Franzel, a 23-year-old ER nurse from Ubly, MI -- whom Paulie's brother Cody Calafiore sent packing; Season 17's James Huling, a 32-year-old staff recruiter from Wichita Falls, TX; Season 17's Da'Vonne Rogers, a 28-year-old poker dealer from Los Angeles, CA; and Season 14's challenge beast Frank Eudy, a 32-year-old medical sales rep from Charlotte, NC.

Paul; Zakiyah and Jozea Flores, a 25-year-old makeup artist who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA, immediately teamed up and wanted to take out the returning players because they had the clear advantage of experience. Meanwhile, the returnees were outnumbered and planned to stick together.

Out of paranoia, Paulie then revealed to the group he is Cody's brother, who finished his season as the runner-up. The reaction wasn't good, as houseguests seemed to lose trust in him, especially Paul. Tiffany then felt pressure to reveal her true identity, but she didn't feel it was the right time.

However, Michelle and Da'Vonne were both certain at this point that Tiffany is Vanessa's sister. Tiffany later admitted the news to Michelle and the girls bonded over their little secret.

Julie then announced Twist 2. Since a vacation is only as good as your travel companions, the houseguests would be playing the game this season in teams of four. Julie said they would play a role in choosing the teams.

It then became time for the first competition of the summer. Julie split up the returning houseguests and made them Team Captains. Each person could pick someone to join his or her team, and then that chosen person would select the next team member -- and so on, and so forth until everyone was on a team. However, the teams had to alternate from male to female each time to make things fair.

Frank ended up with Michelle; Paulie; and Bridgette Dunning, a 24-year-old traveling nurse who currently resides in Ventura, CA, on his team.

Da'Vonne got Paul, Zakiyah and Jozea.

James recruited Natalie, Victor and then Bronte.

Nicole's team was comprised of Corey, Tiffany and Glenn Garcia, a 50-year-old dog groomer and former police detective from the Bronx, NY.

For the challenge, each team had to sit on a giant rotating rocket as water squirted everywhere. They had to hold on for as long as possible, and a team would be eliminated once all its members fell off.

Julie explained the team to lose first would be the "Have Nots" for the week, meaning they must eat slop and sleep in an uncomfortable room. The team to finish in third place would receive a "mystery punishment" to be described at a later date. The second-place team would win a cash prize, and finally, the winning team would be safe from eviction for two weeks in a row.

Da'Vonne's team was out first. The challenge ultimately came down to one man from each team holding things down -- Paulie, Victor and Corey. The guys held on for as long as possible but Paulie dropped next, followed by Corey. Victor therefore won safety for James' team.

After the challenge, all the newbies got together and agreed they needed to target the veteran houseguests. Da'Vonne promised her team that she'd keep them off the returning players' radar as long as they did the same for her, but the newbies clearly had no intention of taking care of her. 

Frank's team then called themselves "Category 4." Nicole's team called themselves "Freakazoids." Da'Vonne's team came up with the name "Big Sister," and last but not least, James' team picked the name "Team Unicorn."

Julie then told the houseguests it was time to participate in Big Brother's second challenge of the season called "Hit the Road," which would be played in three rounds. James' team, however, didn't have to compete at all since they won the previous challenge.

Julie revealed that by the end of Round 2, one team would be vulnerable in that they must compete against one another as individuals in Round 3.

Twist No. 3: The houseguest to finish in last place in Round 3 will automatically be evicted from the Big Brother house on Thursday night. Meanwhile, the three other team members must choose which person among them will be the first Head of Household.

For Round 1, the four teams were required to build a pyramid using 15 large sandblocks. The pyramid had to be built on a tiny platform held in the air by ropes the players had to hold onto.

During the challenge, Da'Vonne and Paul really clashed. Da'Vonne wished she could just play the game by herself and therefore be in control of her own fate.

Frank's "Category Four" team won Round 1, securing their safety from the season's first eviction.

In Round 2, Nicole's team faced off against Da'Vonne's team. They each had to solve a 3D sandcastle puzzle. To make it tricky, decoy pieces that didn't fit were added for use.

Da'Vonne's team ended up winning, leaving Nicole's "Freakazoids" team vulnerable of elimination. As a result, Nicole, Glenn, Corey and Tiffany will face off against one another in Round 3 Thursday night in the hope of staying in the Big Brother house.

At the end of Wednesday night's episode, Julie teased that the season's brand new competition will be disclosed on Sunday night and give one player "unprecedented power to change the game."   
 
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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