The first sign that all was not as it should be in the world of Big Brother was the cast reveal on Thursday, which showed eight shiny new faces ready to push their way to reality super stardom (cough cough). Next, the never changing Julie Chen revealed the "twist" — which in the BB world is the equivalent of giving everyone the finger. Dynamic Duos from the past would be brought back to play the game.
Afterward, CBS unveiled the website with the option to "Vote on the Twist" giving BB fans the false sense that they were actually affecting the outcome.
If this were a challenge, the thousands of people who cast their votes in hope of choosing who was to go into the house would be on slop this week. It's nothing more than an opinion poll that does nothing more than monitors the opinions of those taking the poll. Nowhere on the website does it say, "Attention, your vote will be used to determine which past duos re-enter the house." Instead, it states, "Who do you THINK …" A vast difference.
As if to rub the fans faces in it, Allison Grodner, the producer of this debacle, tweeted that she was in the process of picking out the photos of the cast, assuring everyone that the cast had already been selected. and the votes were meaningless.
Fans began stalking the twitter accounts of the 12 potential candidates on the CBS website to determine where they were and what they were doing.
Red Herrings
Several people began to catch on that at least half the photos of duos were "red herrings" and would never re-enter the house.Dr. Will and Mike "Boogie" - Seasons 2 and 7. They formed the alliance known as Chilltown during season 2 which resulted in a win for Dr. Will. That same alliance came back during the All Stars season and took on the house eliminating everyone until Mike "Boogie" finally reigned victorious. Would they re-enter the house for a third time? Hardly! Dr. Will is a popular television spokesperson and new father. Mike owns a restaurant and Big Brother is part of their pasts not futures.
Next red herring is the duo of Jessie and Natalie, Season 11. Jessie has become the perennial favorite of the show appearing seasons 10 and 11 with a cameo in 12; however, would Grodner reinsert him in the house for an unprecedented third time? No way. Especially not with the partner of Natalie who became one of the most hated runners up in the history of the show and not one which would create a ratings revolution. So are they likely to make a return visit? NO!
The final easily identifiable red herring duo is Hayden and Enzo. Why? Very simply, there is nothing dynamic about this duo. They were part of the larger group known as the Bragade, and together provided very little entertainment.
The Potentials
That brings us to the final three duos.Jeff and Jordan are by far the sentimental favorite for return. Their appearance as a potential duo caught the BB world off guard and caused forums to do back flips at the possibility. Would they return? Quite possibly. In fact, if they don't return, the BB fandom is likely to lash out in a big way against the powers that be within Big Brother.
The other "power couple" is Brendon and Rachel. The fans are divided with some looking forward to the return of Rachel (not her laugh) but would prefer she arrived sans the once-shamed Brendon. I'm almost certain Brenchel would make a return.
Finally, there's season 8's super duo of Daniele Donato and her father Evel Dick. Assisted partly by Daniele's uncanny competitive skills and partly by America's Player, this team managed to make it to the final two. The pair entered the house nursing a long-standing feud only to reconcile before the season ended. Now, it's rumored the two are once again not speaking to one another.
Their appearance among the candidates is difficult to gauge. Red herring or realistic BB13 potentials? Both Donatos have confirmed they would love to play the game again, but the biggest question is, would they play again together?
Daniele especially has been elusive when discussing her father. Co-hosting a Real Player pre-show, Daniele has been asked more than once about the welfare of her father, and each time her reply is evasive suggesting the callers ask him themselves. Daniele is slated for one more appearance on the RP show "Rumor Control" and it seems that it's anyone's guess as to will she or won't she?
So the larger question is, would they re-enter the house as a duo? Tough call. Individually, yes without a doubt. Together? Who knows?
Not Sequestered?
Here's the even bigger question though? How did the returning duos manage to escape the dreaded week long sequester? All of them were happily posting pictures, appearing at events and generally going about their business earlier in the week when all the rest of the house guests were locked behind closed doors.In fact, Daniele Donato's "Rumor Control" evaluated the various rooms in the house, an unprecedented glimpse into the house for a potential house guest.
Suddenly it seems that there's a potential that none of the duos on the website might actually appear. Maybe they are all red herrings. Why else would Grodner, a control freak, allow future house guests to run around unmonitored catching glimpses of the house and hearing rumors about the season?
Enter Grodner, who today confirmed that other duos not on the website would in fact be entering the house. So, are some on the CBS website returning or none. That is the question. There seems to be no easy answer.
Some or all have disappeared recently leaving behind twitter accounts with mysterious updates that have fans in a dither. Maybe the larger question is, how far will the producers go to keep their twist a secret?
