Big Brother Kicked Off with an Unexpected Twist—and It Warrants an Explanation

From Oprah Magazine

• Season 21 of Big Brother officially premiered on June 25.

• During the season's first episode, Julie Chen introduced a mysterious new twist and power called the "Camp Director."

• Spoiler: Nashville's Jackson Michie was the houseguest chosen to hold the power. But what, exactly, does it entail?

And let the games begin!

During the Big Brother 21 premiere, Julie Chen unveiled what is sure to be the first of many twists of the summer. She introduced houseguests to a new power called "The Camp Director," which fittingly goes along with this season's "Camp BB" theme.

"For the first time ever, you will be electing a Camp Director," Chen told the 16-member cast right after they first introduced themselves to one another. "This Camp Director will be given unprecedented powers. He or she will be safe for the first week. The camp director will not only impact the first HOH competition, but could singlehandedly put your game in jeopardy."

Yes, extremely vague, but we wouldn't expect anything less from BB. While they'd only just gotten in the house, the houseguests then had to choose who they wanted to be the Camp Director-all based on first impressions. A handful of players volunteered and campaigned for the spot, but in the end, Nashville server Jackson Michie earned the majority vote. To her surprise, model Jessica Milagros came in second, despite being told by fellow houseguests they'd vote to give her the power. Betrayal in Big Brother? Shocking, we know.

Chen then appeared again, finally revealing a little bit more about the mysterious duties of the Camp Director. It turns out that Michie will have to "banish four houseguests" by picking who he wants to leave the game. The four chosen will then have to face-off in a competition which will leave three safe for the week and one out of the Big Brother game for good.

So how does this look for Michie? On one hand, he'll be safe for the first week and given "unprecedented powers." But on the other, before the game has really started, he may already be putting a target on his back by possibly making enemies out of his chosen houseguests. Only time will tell.

This is not the first time Big Brother has introduced a powerhouse new twist right out the gate. Season 20 had the "BB App Store" and the "Hacker Competition" while season 19 premiered the "Den of Temptation," season 16 saw the "Battle of the Block" competition, and season 13 brought "Pandora's Box."

What's interesting is to see how the new powers affect the mental and social games of each player, in addition to how the benefits stack up to that of the HOH. (By the way, we may already know the first two season 21 HOHs thanks to audio leaks and BB Twitter super fans).

During the second premiere episode on June 26, we'll get to see who Michie picks and who's the first one out of season 21. And y'all, this was just in night one. We still have three months to go until that one lucky winner earns the $500,000 prize. Happy Big Brother season.!

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