Big Brother 20: Blog Pool OPENS!

Big Brother 20 starts Wednesday night, June 27, at 8pm ET/PT. It's a two-hour premiere! The regular schedule will be Sunday at 8pm ET, Wednesday and Thursday at 9pm. Yes -- the Wednesday show this season will be an hour later than past seasons. The live eviction shows remain on Thursday evenings.
 
The time is right to jump into the blog pool! While the first eviction should be this Thursday night (along with the feeds going on after that show airs West Coast time), the blog pool sign up deadline will be Friday. We never get to know that first evicted, so that hamster isn't a part of the pool.

I want in! What do I do?

If you want in to the blog pool, you need to sign up in the comments of this post and this post only! Please don't try signing up on any other posts -- we might miss your comment.

Is there money involved in this?

Of course not! You needn't pay anything to get into the pool. You don't need to buy a seasonal beach pass or anything! Mind you, you don't win any money either. What you do win is bragging rights until the next season and the smugness that goes with it.

How does it work?

We make random picks betwixt the hamsters and the blog folks. You cheer on that hamster all season until they either win or get evicted along the way.

When is the cut-off for entering?

All pool requests must be in comments to this here post and submitted by MIDNIGHT Friday, June 30. Be there or be square.

REMINDER -- If you post comments anonymously, you MUST come up with some sort of sign-off name! 

Since there is plenty of time for signing up ... NO STRAGGLERS. If you don't sign up by the deadline, feel free to bring your floatie and beach towel, but ...

Are we ready for our summer fun?

BB20: New Hamster Cast - Part 4

Apologies for being a bit late in posting this last cast introduction installment. You can find the other three installments here, here and here.

Let's get it on!



Angie "Rockstar" Lantry is one of the "older" hamsters this season. Oh my, she's 34! Will she need Geritol to make it through the comps?!?! She's currently a stay at home Mom hailing from Columbia, MD. She apparently has a past in nightclub management career-wise. The mother of three children, her latest was just born around Christmas last year. Unlike whats-her-name, she claims she has her crystals with her. She's a bit out there. If talking my personal life, I think she might just drive me bonkers as she's rather loud and seems a bit too "on" all the time. For the house, it's a totally different game. She could be quite interesting in the house.

On her BBN bio page, she describes herself as eclectic and magical. Well, she comes across as eclectic, all right. In the interview, she called herself weird. Yeppers. I foresee she will be a singing problem resulting in feeds cuts because she won't work anywhere without music. I don't like her choice of favorite hamsters -- Joey from BB16 (it took me a moment to remember who that was) and ... sigh ... Frankie. I hope she realizes that, while it is entertainment, it's not BB20 the Musical and it's not an audition. She mentions Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People" which might be a good read for hamsters. We'll just have to see how she works out.



At 40 years old, Steve Arienta is the "old guy" in this cast of kids. To me, that's rather sad. But, at least they didn't throw one person in their 50s in to babysit. I'm kind of wondering if his wife, whom he calls a BB superfan, might fare better. But we have him. He's an ex-undercover narcotics detective and current college professor. When talking about players, he definitely felt the need to both mention and differentiate himself from Derrick. Alas, he named Mike Boogie as a favorite. The only good thing about that is that he also talked about Dr. Will and Chilltown. So, he has a wide range of BB background that others might not be old enough to possess. I noticed many of the commenters were critical of him. I don't know how well he's going to fit in with the other hamsters. But, if he can, he just might surprise the naysayers.

From his BBN bio page, he's originally from Parsippany, NJ and currently resides in Wanaque, NJ (as if his North Jersey accent didn't give it away that he's a Jersey Boy). No, I do NOT talk like that and few around my NJ area do. Hmm ... it was the NYPD he was in. I wonder, since he's 40, why he left before getting enough years in for a pension. Although talkative in his interview, his bio is very brief and to the point. One thing I already love about him is that he will not be in a showmance! I'm so tired of showmances! IF he can fit in with the others, he might last. On the other hand, he might be the first eviction. 



Bayleigh Dayton is 25, originally from Lees Summit, MO and is now living in Atlanta, GA. She's a flight attendant and ex-pageant girl. I do love her eyes! I don't quite care for bringing the prayers, closeness to Jesus kind of attitude into the house although I find her twist on that a bit more acceptable than I did for some hamsters in the past. I enjoyed her "don't poke me, don't touch me" statements. I have a feeling, despite what she says, that she is going to be all about the drama in the house -- she was rather dramatic in the interview. If she is, she could be great feeds fodder. 

On her BBN bio page, she mentions being a big Marvel fan. That's a plus for me. (Yeah, there are many sides to Jackie.) Surprisingly, all of her BB love goes to ... Donny! Oh my. I wasn't expecting that from her! Hopefully she'll remember his patience! I just don't know about this girl. If she keeps the drama under control, she could probably do very well. But, if she lets the Drama Mama fly wild, it could make for entertaining live feeds.
 



Finally (drum roll), here's the last hamster -- Tyler Crispen, age 23. He's from Rossford, OH and currently resides in Hilton Head, SC. He's a lifeguard. Reminiscent of early Frank Eudy with the goofiness of some of the surfer dudes over the years on Survivor, he is probably the only real superfan of the season. (Although I do think Steve is a closet superfan.) He's a bit goofy but seems very likeable. I love that he doesn't care for the alpha males.

On his BBN bio page, he couldn't mention just one favorite player -- he mentioned three of them. Victor, Zach and Dan, all for different reasons. Hopefully he can combine their talents into his own game. His bio page doesn't really give me a lot to go on. The interview is a bit more telling. If he's smarter than the average hamster he could do extremely well. But, if he's as goofy as he comes across, he just might do well, too. I think I'd rather see him go further in the game than some of the others.
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Since I was having video access problems and didn't post a video for Swaggy Whatever in Part 2, here's his video:



And, that's it for the cast! Opinions? Are you ready?

BB20: New Hamster Cast - Part 3

If you missed the other two installments so far, you can use this link to check them out.

Some of the videos seem to be vanishing through no fault of my own. But, here we go with the next group of four --



Sam Bledsoe is a 27 year old welder from Stuart's Draft, VA. I have no clue where that is. Had someone asked me, I would have thought it to be a beer on tap. I think she's the first one so far that I actually kind of like. I'm not saying she will win, but at least she's pleasant and seems to have a sense of humor, as well as coming across as a decent human being (which you don't always see on the hamster cast). First strike against her is that she didn't recognize the Diary Room. Oopsie!

On her BBN bio page, she's outdoorsy, which is good. She names Daniele Donato as her favorite player. That's an interesting choice. I always felt her to be a bit underrated as a player. She has seen many seasons -- I'm thinking from the way she talked, she watched many of the early ones on CBS All Access. That would mean shows only, no live feeds. Hmm. She's yet another one with a lay low at the start plan. I think, if nothing else, she might be enjoyable on the feeds. Maybe she'll win. Who knows?



Angela Rummans, age 26, is originally from Hilton Head, SC and now residing in Playa Vista, CA. They list her career as a Fitness Model. In her favor, she got excited when she realized she was in the Diary Room although she first thought it to be CBS Headquarters. @@ I couldn't help but notice her hands are twice the size of Ross's hands. Yipes! She's another who wishes to lay low at the start. Dang! The first bunch of comps will take forever with everyone laying low! She is a show fan since childhood, didn't mention the internet or feeds. I like how, at 26, she's lived "years and years" by herself. Hmm. I think she could be a strong player, but she's coming across as a bit too cocky for me to like her a lot.

On her BBN bio page, she lists Rachel Reilly as her favorite player. She must not be talking Rachel's first try on the show! She claims to be "very lovable and not afraid to use my sexuality to get ahead." First, people who think they're all that lovable usually aren't. Second, I do not want a summer of sleaze. I'll see how she comes across on the feeds and show, but I'm sticking with full of herself right now.

I'm switching to the Canada ET videos because they won't vanish on me ...



Winston Hines is 28, a medical sales rep hailing from Somerset, KY and now living in Bowling Green, KY. He wasn't interviewed in the Diary Room, so I can't judge him on that. He doesn't mention his fanship relationship with BB, but seems quite familiar with at least the shows themselves. Yet another lay low at the start dude. One thing I did take away from his interview that I liked is that he has no interest in having a showmance. It seems all of his unrequited love this summer will be for his dog at home.

From his BBN bio page, he lists Paul as his favorite player -- but in his interview he spoke about how Paul screwed up. He's right. Paul could play the game very well, but totally screwed up the social/jury management. In the interview, Winston said, if he doesn't win himself but makes jury, he will not be a bitter jury and will vote on game play. We'll see. In some ways, I think he just might be good at the game. Hmm.



Scottie Salton, age 26, is a shipping manager originally from Shorewood, IL and now residing in Chicago. He's the 26 year old who's never been kissed. Maybe because he's too energetic and even a tad entertaining to stop for a kiss? I don't know. He made me laugh, though. And he is a big fan of the show. Although not mentioned, since he's seen some of the Canada BB shows, he's probably a feedster himself. And, he actually wants to win one of the first two HOH comps. Finally! With everyone else laying low ...!

On his BBN bio page, he says he wants to play with the best and wants to knock out non-players first. Floaters, grab your waterwings! His favorite player listed is Evel Dick. Oh my. Hey, I didn't always like what Dick did, but he played the game very well and entertained me on the live feeds. Now, if Scottie doesn't turn off people with his Energizer Bunny personality, he could take this very far. I do think he'll be entertaining to watch! 

BB20: New Hamster Cast - Part 2

I'm not posting these in any particular order other than to present two females and two males in each installment. If you missed my first cast post, you can find it right here on this link.

Here's my next four for your perusal ...



Finally, the fifth new hamster in, and it seems that Rachel Swindler is an actual show fan. She recognized the Diary Room (and Ross) right away. She claims to be a superfan, having watched every season. Yet, that last question about winning and being hated or losing and America loves her threw her. She's 29 and listed as a "Vegas Entertainer." She relocated from her hometown of Myrtle Beach to Las Vegas. Now, if she watched every season, she would have had to start at nine. Hmm. It's possible she backtracked seasons via CBS All Access. But I think some of the regulars here on the blog might be more superfan than Rachel is. I feel she might gave only watched the shows themselves and didn't hit the online side of the spectrum.

On her BBN bio page, she lists Britney Haynes as her favorite previous player. She thinks Britney was hilarious, played a good social game, too. Hmm. Now, I adore Britney's sense of humor, but I feel she made many wrong decisions. Mind you, I'm not saying I would or could do better. Looking through that bio, I'm not seeing anything that screams out she will be the BB20 winner. I do like the nickname "Craychel." That said, I don't think she will be quite a Rachel in the house. I love how some of these hamsters come off so full of themselves -- she claims to use her "power over men to get big tips." Um. Well.



Oh my, two in a row recognize the Diary Room. Faysal Shafaat is 26 years old and a substitute teacher (coach?) from Miami. At least he claims to be a fan, not a superfan. He's "religiously" watched the last five seasons or so. I doubt he's really aware of the live feeds audience. I feel that if he doesn't watch it, he might be a quick target just because of his physical being.

On his BBN bio page, he says he thinks he's "joker, hilarious and confident." I often find that people who think they're hilarious just aren't. We'll be the judge of his hilarity, thank you very much. He's another Victor fan -- I'm thinking that has to do with Victor's competition wins more than anything else. I do like that he has a pit bull named Cooper. A doggie named Cooper has to be a good boy! He seems to have an okay strategy about playing low at the start. But, will the others quickly assume he's throwing comps? Hmm.



Another four season type show fan, Haleigh Broucher is a 21 year old college student from Texas. Like Faysal, she plans to lay low at the start. If everyone lays low, who will rise to the top at the start? Unlike him, she did not recognize the Diary Room until Ross told her. I also don't think she has a clue about the online doings and live feeds side of the show. She'll find out.

On her BBN bio page, she lists herself as "classic, cautious and contagious." I'd add in "alliterative" but it doesn't start with a 'c.' Her goals after college are to go to more college. It doesn't seem like she has a game plan. If someone isn't paying for her to attend school, she's going to pile up those student loans. Maybe winning BB20 could help pay them. Her favorite player is Derrick, not only for his game play, but she thinks he's adorable. Okaaay. She says she has an unreasonable fear of chainsaws. Hey ... Texas Chainsaw Massacre, little missy! Not so unreasonable of a fear! I kind of like her, but don't think she'll win it all. We'll see. I'm not overly thrilled with her, mind you.

YIKES! CBS is shutting down the videos due to copyright issues. Eep. So, if an interview video has disappeared, that's the reason. Oops.

It's hard to get as good a take on them without a video, but here goes ...

Chris "Swaggy C" Williams is 23 years old, a day trader from Bridgeport, CT. (Back when I lived in CT, Bridgeport was known as the Murder Capital of CT, don't know if that has changed or not.) He does seem to be a fan of the show, mentioning twelve years on his BBN bio page. 

That said, he's a huge Paul fan and thinks Paul was robbed. Personally, I think Paul could be a very good player but made huge mistakes which cost him the win both times. Plus, he can be obnoxious. I don't think Mr. Shags (I want to call him that!) is old enough to realize what Paul did wrong in the house. He claims to have a photographic memory which will help him in comps. I have a feeling he just might be a bit too cocky to be in serious contention for the win.

Stayed tuned for the next group ...

BB20: New Hamster Cast - Part 1

I'm sorry to be a bit late with these. But I had a rather stressful surgeon post-op, get air conditioner working, deal with employer and disability insurance company kind of day. I wasn't home for the Live Feeds introduction. But I have found the Ross interviews which, if they aren't the same ones, they're indeed Jeff-like. Because there are 16 of them, I'm breaking this down into four parts of four hamsters each.

Of course, Allison Grodner went for young and what she thinks might be sexy in casting despite the fact that the Celebrity BB was an older cast and well-received. I don't watch for hook-ups. I don't know about you. The oldest hamster is 40. Children rule once again.

And here are the first four, not in any particular order ...



Kaycee Clark is indeed a women's football player (and a server on the side). I guess they don't pay NFL rates, huh? She's 30, from San Diego but currently living in Tempe, AZ. She says, "You know what I'm saying?" way too often. That's an urban thing which tends to irk me as I live in an urban area and hear it way too much. Make her stop. (I do find it more acceptable than that midwest thing of using the word "whenever" in place of "when" -- that's just totally incorrect!) She claims to have watched every season yet didn't realize she was in the Diary Room. Hmm. 

According to the BigBrotherNetwork bio she claims to be a people person and a fun type. Being in the house could indeed change that! Her favorite player was Cody, especially if he had upped his social game. Maybe she's trying for second place? My jury is out on her. I think she could possibly be a competition beast. But I think she might be a bit more assertive than she thinks her fun people person persona displays.



JC Monduix might look 12, but he's 28 years old. He's originally from Spain then to Miami and now resides in West Hollywood. They say he's a professional dancer. I'm thinking a street busker, myself. That said, he made me snicker a bit during his Ross interview. That's always a good thing. He says he's outgoing, honest and eccentric. Eccentric is usually good in my book. By the way, he's 4'8" tall and I can see why he might be intimidated by big tall guys. 

On his BBN bio page, he lists Josh Martinez as a favorite, mainly because he reminds him of people he's known. I guess I won't hold that against him. Much. His plan to be the cuddly little guy flying under the radar just might work to a point. If he's indeed a professional dancer, he should be athletic. Will he win it all? I did like his win and have them love me answer. But I don't know if he's mean enough to lie and backstab. At least he's different from the usual bimbo and mimbo.



Oh my gosh. Kaitlyn Herman is an oh-so-wise 24 year old Life Coach, originally from Long Island (and retains a bit of the Lawn Guyland accent) currently living in Encino, CA. First off, she's going to be a pain to listen to on the live feeds because she tends to mumble some. Perhaps if she didn't try big smiles while talking, she would speak more clearly. Second, she plans to read auras of others to win the game. Say what? What planet is she from? What show is she on? 

According to her BBN bio page, she considers herself personable, intuitive and dramatic. Oh, yeah ... being dramatic always plays well for hamsters. Oh noes! She's going to be without her crystals and essential oils? Whatever will happen?!?! Her favorite hamster is Victor, not a horrible choice. But I'm wondering if that might be the first season she watched. I don't care that she has "manifested" herself as the BB20 winner. Unless she turns out to be entertaining on the live feeds, I wouldn't care if she got first boot. I know. I'm being cruel. 



Brett Robinson is 25 years old, originally from Oakdale, CT and now residing in Charlestown, MA (outside of Boston). He's a cyber security engineer. At least, after being almost prompted, he recognized he was in the Diary Room for the interview. He describes himself as "vehement, riveting and trophy." What the heck does that mean? Wait, I may not want to know if he thinks himself to be some sort of trophy. He certainly doesn't seem to come across as "all that." 

According to his BBN bio page, he want to play like his favorite player Derrick, but also wants to play dumb so they won't catch on that he's the mastermind of the game. Oh geez. If he's going to be the mastermind this season, I wonder if we'll see a BB21. He plans on lying about his job and playing a dumb surfer type. CT and MA aren't really known for big surfer types. He says he hacks the computers of friends for fun. I have no more words.

I feel like I'm being a Negative Nellie with these so far. Maybe the next four will be better. I can only hope.