We've made it through the drought. Another summer of BB is about to begin and after a grueling wait, we now know the 16 houseguests that are about to enter the Big Brother house. It's going to be a whirlwind summer of drama, laughs, and cries. It’s a brand new cast with all new players, something that Big Brother fans have been begging for. It’s anyone’s guess who’s going to win the $500,000 prize, but after hearing the infamous cast reveal pre-season interviews with Jeff Schroeder, here are my thoughts on the contestants. Ramses (Grand Rapids, MI) Ramses seems like a quirky, but likeable contestant. He calls himself a super fan, even though he has only been watching for the last 2 ½ years. We know that super fans can play one of two ways, they will either use their knowledge of the game to their advantage or they’ll make a target out of themselves playing too hard, too fast because of the excitement of being on the show. If Ramses keeps his cards close to his chest and stays quiet in the early weeks of the game, I can definitely see him making Jury. He’ll be liked by a large majority of the cast buying him time in the house, but when it’s time to really step up and win competitions I don’t believe the odds are in his favor. He'd have to align with a strong group to protect him throughout the game. He needs to be an Andy Herron this season to have a shot at the prize. Alex Ow (Camarillo, CA) Alex reminds me so much of Pao from Season 16. We all know how that turned out for her. She told Jeff that her favorite player was James Huling and her hashtag was #AsiansForTheWin. She also said her strategy is going to be playing with hopes of coming back for Season 20. If her plan is to model her gameplay after James, she’ll be playing for America’s Favorite Player and not the $500,000 prize. I don't think she'll be around long enough to be a threat for either. Cody Nickson (Plano, TX) Cody is in Sales and hopes that it gives him the upper hand to sell himself to the other contestants. He seems vanilla to me, similar to a Shane is Season 14. He’s going to play hard for those competitions and he’ll probably even win the first one. Winning will put the target straight on his back. He will see the block early in the game if he doesn’t lay low and wins competitions. Megan Lowder (Phoenix, AZ) Megan is a fan of Frank and Victor. Both are very strong players, but their gameplay has proven too dominant to take them deep in the game. My first impression of Megan was that she seemed friendly, but she would have no trouble having her friends in the house pack their bags so she could stay. It looks like she is going to play very aggressive, both physically and socially. She'll likely be noticed from the beginning by doing so. My prediction is she gets what she wants by pulling the strings behind the scenes for the first half of the game and once she loses allies, she will crack under pressure. She'll need to mimick Rachel Reilly's game to win. I don't think she has it in her to float. Dominique Cooper (Woodbridge, VA) Dominique is one of the contestants that I was impressed with her interview, but a few of her answers were signs she has probably never watched the show before. She’s stated that she is not afraid of controversy. She’s probably going to make herself too big of a target to go far into the game right after she walks through the front door. I don’t look for her to be a front-runner at endurance, but mental comps could be something she excels at and saves her if/when she needs it. Matthew Clines (Arlington, VA) Matthew is another favorite of mine after the interviews, but I think his kindness will be his weakness in the game. His favorite player is Donny from Season 16. How many ways can we say it, you can't be a nice guy in this game! I look for him to hang with the competition in the physical comps, but lack when it comes to making big moves to further himself in the game. He could be a contender if his nice guy persona makes the other houseguests forget that he is a physical threat. Christmas Abbott *Winner (Prediction) (Raleigh, NC) I think Christmas will play the best game of the season. She’s been a female on a NASCAR pit crew, which is impressive. That being said, she's a beast. She’s definitely going to have to tone down her dominance in the house and let others make big moves for her early in the game or she will be a target right out of the gate. If her social game is strong, she will be a huge player with a chance at the end. I pick her as my favorite to win! Elena Davies (Dallas, TX) I’m on the fence about Elena. She has a monsterous personality, that’s probably going get her in trouble. On the flipside of that, she does remind me of Shelly from Big Brother 17. I see her being aligned well early on in the game. If their alliance can stay strong, I could see her going far and placing in the top 5. Jason Dent (Humeston, IA) This guy is interesting to me. I think everyone will like having Jason around! He’s a rodeo clown, he is definitely going to be fearless in competitions and play hard. Jason will also be someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously this summer. He’s never seen the game; I don’t think that will turn out well for him. Big Brother is a game of chess and it’s crucial to plan out your game, based on the knowledge of what comes is probable to happen next. Without the knowledge of major milestones coming in the game (ex. Backdoor, O-T-E-V, Knockout Comps, etc...) it’s going to be interesting if he can hang with diehard fans of the show. Jessica Graf (Los Angeles, CA) Jessica is going to make great TV, she claims to want to be the “Whole Trifecta”. She picks Janelle as her favorite player of all time; and like Janelle, she’s also willing to do just about anything to win the game. She’s going be cut throat. She wants to play to be on an all-star season which means she’ll make huge moves to make a name for herself. She’ll play too hard to win the game, but I’m interested to see how her game turns out and all the drama that is sure to come along with it. Cameron Heard (Woodbridge, IL) Cameron is obviously being cast as the new Ian or Steve, previous winners of BB 14 and 17. Cameron actually reminds me of Kevin Martin from BB Canada. I think people are on to this kind of game, especially with this cast who seems to be pretty knowledgeable of past seasons. There’s a good chance he will overthink while in the house and overplay too early. I also think he knows so much about the game that he’ll try to create paranoia to divert attention off of himself, ultimately ending up on the chopping block. I’ll be rooting for this kid, but I think he’ll be a target around Jury. Mark Jansen (Grand Island, NY) Mark seems like a nice guy. I can see him getting played by one of the ladies in this house. My guess is Jessica. The houseguests will find it very easy to manipulate him. He’ll win competitions, putting a target on his back early. The people who align with him will keep him around, but only to protect themselves from being put of the chopping block. Jillian Parker *Runner-Up (Las Vegas, NV) I really like Jillian. She seems very reserved and that will be perfect for her in the beginning of the game. Chances are that she will probably be trusted by a lot of people in the house, giving her the intel she needs to be an asset to her alliance. Let’s hope she’s not too trusting of some of cutthroat players. If she can see through their lies and manipulation she could do really well. She screams loyal to me and I think she’ll have a great chance of blending in until it’s time to win at the end. I like this girl as being in the final three HOH; I predict Jillian will be in the final two chairs with Christmas! Kevin Schlehuber (Boston, MA) I can already see the segments on the show; this guy is going to be a trip. He reminds me so much of Enzo, the “Meow Meow”, from the BB14 Brigade. Do I think he wins? Probably not. He seems very funny and he's a family man; he’ll probably be a pawn for several weeks early in the game to get rid of bigger targets. My guess is most of the houseguests will want to compete near the end against this guy. I predict he is so well liked that it’s his downfall in the game. You can’t take someone to the end that everyone loves in the jury. Raven Walton (DeValls Bluff, AR) Raven seems like the sweet girl from a small town; America will like her. I think she's smarter than she's leading on. I like her chances in the competitions, but I think her social game will be her strongest attribute for her. I can see her leaving early if she is thrown up as a pawn and trusts the house to keep her in the game. It normally happens at least once each season of Big Brother! Josh Martinez (Miami, FL) If there is one person I do not think has a chance of winning this game, it’s Josh. He looks intimidating, he has a huge personality, and I think he'll be the first to spill the tea. He wants to have a ride or die in the game, but it would be a huge risk to play with this guy. He seems like he could be a lose cannon and escalate small drama quickly. It should make for interesting feeds the first couple weeks. Hi guys! Most of you know me as a musician and songwriter from Nashville, TN, but I am a huge Big Brother fan! I've been watching avidly for over 10 years and I've decided to do a blog throughout this season of the show! I've been wanting to do this forever; I am so excited to be to sharing my thoughts on the game with all of you! This will be a great opportunity for all of us to connect with new people that love BB and share the summer cheering for your favorite houseguests as the games plays out!
Don't forget to subscribe to the Live Feeds at www.cbs.com to stay up to date on the game. Blog updates will be posted every step of the way. Kristen |