‘Big Brother’ Season 28 Premiere Adds Bonkers Twist With Returning Player

Big Brother is officially back on your TV sets multiple nights per week, and Season 28 kicked off with a strong start.

Thursday’s premiere episode saw three reality TV icons join the cast of 14 newbies, and even left fans with a cliffhanger ending!

At the top of the episode, host Julie Chen Moonves introduced the 14 new players, who explored the house and got to know each other as is typical with every season premiere. Drew quickly theorized that because each season usually has 16 Houseguests, that two more may be joining. He was right and wrong: More players came in, but there were three, and they’re all reality TV veterans.

Twelve of the 14 original houseguests got to compete in competitions not for Head of Household, but instead for safety for the week. Using the Dining Table Time Machine, groups of four players were sent to different dates in the past where they played a mini competition for one player to win safety.

Pickleball coach Rome, supply chain analyst Chuk and RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Jason all earned safety for the week, and ushered in the new arrivals: Big Brother 26 star Angela Murray, Survivor veteran Rick Devens and Big Brother winner and general icon Rachel Reilly.

Julie informs the houseguests that Angela, Devens and Rachel will all get to compete in the season’s first HOH competition set back in time in the Jurassic Period. However, just as Rachel is launching into a speech about coming for her second Big Brother crown (again), a giant velociraptor emerges from the bushes and throws her into a volcano. In a way only Big Brother can do it, Rachel has been eliminated from the competition, much to many players’ relief, if their facial expressions are any indication.

Rachel’s replacement won’t be revealed until Friday’s episode of Big Brother: Unlocked.

Although it’s still early in the season, that’s not stopping Polymarket traders from taking bets on who will win the $750,000 grand prize. Though the margins are still extremely small, bartender Ashley Trail is the current leader, with 9% odds. Financial analyst Yash Patel follows her with 8%, then dental assistant Drew Campbell, jumbotron engineer Barrett Pfeiffer and rocket scientist Mallory Aurichio all follow with 7% odds.

The rest of the Houseguests have 6% or lower odds of winning the season.

The poll does not account for any of the late arrivals to the house, so the odds may change if the reality TV veterans are added in eventually.

Big Brother airs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with its companion show Big Brother: Unlocked airing Fridays, all on CBS and Paramount+.

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