Big Brother 25 has kicked off and 100 Days of Competition is underway. Episode one is not without new twists- instead of crowning the first HOH, four losers in separate competitions are up for elimination and one more houseguest is added to bring the total to 17 houseguests.

In the Scrambleverse Newsroom- the contestants must refit a puzzle into a box: America is first, Bowie is second, Mecole is third. Jared is last and up for eviction.

Losersverse- Players must move a bar back and forth forcing a boot to kick their butts 100 times. First is Matt. Hisem is 2nd. Blue is 3rd, and Kirsten is up for eviction.

Comic-verse- Dr Goo game where contestants complete a circuit at be dumped with goo. Felicia is last place and nominated for eviction. Tag wins, Izzy is second, and cameron is third.

Scary-verse- Hold on Fright- players hold on while being pulled into the nether-region. 1st one dragged into the nether region and up for eviction is Cory.

Four nominees up for eviction are Cory, Felicia, Kirsten and Jared.

As the contestants return to the house, they find that Cirie Fields has joined the cast.

Steve:

America Lopez- Seems really sharp. It’s early, but I can see her building a strong alliance and going pretty far.

Blue Kim- Blue seems like a fun, extrovert who will endear herself to the others. If she plays a strong social game, she should float by for quite a while.

Bowie Jane- Bowie seems way too excited about herself. She is a barrister, a DJ, and good at tennis. She has a huge personality. She is quite capable, but I think her “confidence” will be her undoing.

Cameron Hardin- His hair is “thicker than barbeque sauce.” I really like this guy. He seems genuine….which will undoubtedly not be good for game. I hope there are layers we haven’t seen.

Cory Wurtenberger- Cory is arrogant and thinks too highly of himself. Confidence is one thing, but he likes himself way too much. Losing the first challenge could spell his end if his personality is on display this week.

Felicia Cannon- She is the oldest houseguest. She has an amazing attitude; hopefully she doesn’t overplay her age and view that she is somehow better than the others due to her “wisdom.” She will struggle in physical competitions and will need to align herself with strong players.

Hisam Goueli- He is a doctor by day, burlesque dancer by night. Too early to tell, but, like Cory, he will need to back off a bit.

Izzy Gleicher- She is a flautist. She seems bright, yet like a normal player. If she can stay chill, she should be fine.

Jag Bains- He is Sikh, but willing to break his morals for the game. Seems like he has a great personality. His social game could work to his advantage.

Kirsten Elwin- According to her, she is a baddie with brains and wants a female alliance. She better not put that initiative above smart game play. Could spell her doom early.

Jared Fields (Cirie’s son)- Feel like he is falling back on his mother’s greatness. He lost the first challenge and is already at risk.

Luke Valentine- He is a computer illustrator. He seems really smart and will likely be an excellent player in the physical challenges.

Matt Klotz- Matt is deaf and very athletic. It will be fun to see how he does reading lips. He will likely get some sympathy early, which will be the downfall of the others. He is more than good enough to get by without sympathy. He could be around for the long haul.

Mecole Hayes- Mecole seems like a cutthroat player. She better be careful since she lost the first challenge.

Red Utley- Looking at him, he sems easily dismissable. Don’t sleep on this guy. He seems like he will be very likable due to a fun nature, yet there is intelligence behind the wit. I think there is more to him than meets they eye….codename Optimus:)

Reilly Smedley- She is sharp and self-aware. Reilly seems to know how she will be viewed and could use it to her advantage. She should be around for quite a while.

Cirie Fields- She is a late entry into the game. She has a lot of baggage being so well-known. They will get rid of her early to avoid what she is very capable of doing, or they will keep her around which will be their undoing.

Ray:

America Lopez – Seems likable, athletic, and sharp. She should be able to go far and get into a good alliance. The only negative is if she plays too hard too fast, but I think she can avoid that.

Blue Kim – Party girl. Her best strategy will be befriending the guys and making herself a fun presence in the house. Lots of potential.

Bowie Jane – Larger than life, will stand out for good or bad. I could see her being very ambitious early and playing herself out of the house.

Cameron Hardin – Nice, earnest guy. Not a strategic bone in his body. He’ll probably hang on for a while and then get blindsided.

Cory Wurtenberger – In a LOT of danger the first two weeks. If he follows his brother in being a first boot, they need to go on TAR together!

Felicia Cannon – I honestly think this nomination may work in her favor! She’s not a threat and people will discount her, and this will give her the time to use her natural likability to win allies.

Hisam Goueli – Easily one of the most unique contestants in this cast. He seems rather intense, so if he wins HOH early I could see him trying for a power play and ruining his game a la Frenchie/Devin.

Izzy Gleicher – She’s off to a good start. Doesn’t seem threatening, but is secretly sharp. I doubt she’ll be targeted early.

Jag Bains – Fun and highly strategic – I could see him being the linchpin of a successful early alliance. He just needs to not let his intelligence come out too strongly.

Kirsten Elwin – Every season there’s a woman who talks a big game about a woman’s alliance, and she’s almost immediately out the door. Already being nominated and probably the biggest threat out of the four nominees, she could be in trouble.

Jared Fields – Hoo boy, if they figure things out about his mother, he could be in trouble. If not, he comes off as hapless and clueless so that might protect him.

Luke Valentine – A jock/nerd combo? Interesting. Unless he pisses off people early, he’ll probably be seen as a strong asset for any alliance and seems laid back enough to have an easy pre-jury go.

Matt Klotz – Similar to Luke, but a complete powerhouse. I also think the house will be hesitant to try to evict the first deaf contestant immediately, and he seems savvy and likable.

Mecole Hayes – Yeah, she’s impressive. Smart, athletic, and seems cutthroat. She’ll be smart enough to form an alliance before letting her enemies know she’s coming for them.

Red Utley – Red fits a pattern of guys who can go early, but I think that could work in his favor. He seems to be playing the “Funny guy” archetype early, and if it doesn’t wear thin and he can get past the first few weeks, he’ll be underestimated. More importantly, the guy is a muscle ball and may surprise everyone in challenges.

Reilly Smedley – Reilly should be this season’s “Guy’s girl”, but she seems sharper than a lot of them. She knows how to smooth-talk people and should be a good social player. If she gets into the right alliance, she should go far.

Cirie Fields: …Look, if she can keep herself in this game, it’ll be the most amazing feat in Big Brother history. She’s a legend, everyone knows it, and she’s not great in challenges. But I don’t think this group of superfans will want to kick her out right away either. If she can get to jury, start working her social game magic, anything can happen.

Initial Top Picks:

Ray: America Lopez, Red Utley

Steve: America Lopez, Luke Valentine

Come back next week for BB25 updates.