16 People Packed into a House Makes Big Brother Delightful

I have a confession to make. I hate, despise, and even loathe reality TV, but I do love Big Brother. There is nothing so sinfully delightful as seeing 16 souls packed into a house and forced to compete against each other in a 3 month long battle of wills. And if last night's premiere of Big Brother: 'Til Death Do You Part was any indication, this season's houseguests are going to be tested and tortured to the breaking point.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the way the Big Brother game is played, it's actually quite simple. Each year 14-16 houseguests are selected to spend three months confined to the lavish Big Brother household where they compete against each other for the grand prize of $500,000. A series of cameras and microphones placed around the house monitor every move the houseguests make and every word they say. Over the course of the three months, they will face numerous challenges, both physical and mental, in order to gain perks and privileges, the most important of these being the Head of Household challenge. The winner of the Head of Household (or HoH) challenge is granted immunity and cannot be voted off by his/ her housemates during the eviction ceremonies. Each season of Big Brother usually features one or more big twists which tend to add fuel to the dramatic fire that rages through the house as the contestants use every diabolical means they can to lie, cheat, and deceive their way to victory.

Unlike previous Big Brothers (with the exception of Big Brother: Allstars) which have been given numbers to signify the season, this new season isn't called simply Big Brother 9. The new title, Big Brother: 'Til Death Do You Part, foreshadows the sort of surprises the houseguests should expect this time around. Julie Chen returns for another round of hosting duties and she wasted no time to get the ball rolling. The 16 houseguests (7 females, 9 males) were ushered into the redesigned Big Brother house and immediately the game was afoot.

Everyone had only a few minutes to introduce themselves and look around before they were called together and the big twist of the game, and the reason behind the ominous title, was revealed. The houseguests would be playing this game in pairs! That's right. The houseguests must do everything with their respective partner and that includes competing in challenges together, being evicted together, and even sleeping together for three months. A new and unexpected turn for the Big Brother game, this time the houseguests (with one exception) are single and looking and have been paired with another member of the house who could potentially be the other's soul mate. As you may expect, not everyone was exactly thrilled with whom they were paired with and tensions began to run high before the end of the first day.

To add to the fun, some other devious twists have been concocted to help throw the game into its trademark spiral of deceit and mistrust. Two of the houseguests, Ryan and Jen are in fact a real-life couple and hope to use that to their advantage. But what will happen when the two are not put together? Another pair, Jacob and Sharon, are an ex-couple who have not spoken with each other in years. Can these former lovers put aside their differences and work together?

The show ended with the first HoH competition and airs again tonight (Wednesday, February 13, 2008) with the first eviction ceremony. Though the show has only just started, it's clear to see this season's potential as high quality entertainment, or as a gimmicky attempt at originality. One way or the other, you can bet I'll be watching it. Big Brother: 'Til Death Do You Part airs Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights at 8 pm et/pt.

The Houseguest Pairs

Adam and Sheila

Allison and Ryan

Alex and Amanda (Current HoH pair)

Chelsia and James

Jen and Parker

Joshuah and Neil

Matt and Natalie

Sharon and Jacob