Warning! The following may contain spoilers from the second night of the Big Brother Season 26 premiere. Stream it with a Paramount+ subscription and read at your own risk!
And just like that, Big Brother Season 26 is off to the races. Well, technically, everything we've seen on television happened a few days ago, and we're seeing it on delay, but we'll be caught up to speed soon enough once the live feeds begin. I'm sure those who are still grumbling about not getting a two-night premiere as opposed to a live move-in premiere are happy we're finally ready for live feeds, so when can we expect the fun to start?
Have no fear. I have all the answers, and as an experienced viewer, I know exactly what those brave enough to stay up all night should be listening for as the night goes on. Considering BB made the shockingly bad decision to remove the flashback and archive features, we'll need plenty of informed ears listening to let those sleeping know what's up in the morning. Without further ado, let's get down to it.
What Time Do The Big Brother Season 26 Live Feeds Start?
Julie Chen Moonves announced that the live feeds would begin for those with Paramount+ or Pluto TV at 1 a.m. ET on July 19. Now, in a normal season, I would say this is standard because that would mean the feeds would turn on right at the conclusion of Big Brother airing on the West Coast. With that said, I think it's more than likely the Republican National Convention will delay that episode starting on CBS, so should we expect the feeds to start later?
It's a possibility, but as it stands, the countdown timer for the live feeds on Paramount+ remain consistent with the release date that Chenbot mentioned. So if you're trying to stream Big Brother and watch the live feeds before that, just sit tight and don't be alarmed if they don't start when scheduled.
Has The HOH Competition Already Happened?
The biggest piece of information we'll all want to know is whether or not the Head of Household competition took place while the feeds were off. My assumption is that it will have, considering that nominations usually happen on Fridays and they won't want to cut the feeds immediately after bringing them online. If the first HOH is in place, it'll be helpful to know first who won, and that should inform us on who they're targeting, and who they'll ultimately nominate come Friday. Look for who is hanging around the HOH most and who isn't because this can often create a line in the sand and show who is aligned with whom.
What Are The Details Of America's Veto And Deepfake HOH?
We learned the details of the downgrades that Chelsie Baham and Cedric Hodges received and they're pretty brutal. They can't participate in any competitions, but can still be nominated? That makes both easy targets for Week 1, so I have to think the powers won by Mackensy Manbeck and Quinn Martin are pretty damn good. Unfortunately, we learned next to nothing about what Deepfake HOH and America's Veto mean, though I suspect it allows them to impact the game while remaining relatively anonymous. A lot of Houseguests make the mistake of blabbing about their superpower, so if we hear about it, it might be a bad sign for them. Nobody likes a Houseguest with an advantage!
Who Is The Biggest Target?
Unfortunately, I think Chelsie and Cedric's relative inability to play the game makes them easy targets this week, so I would imagine the first HOH is going to target them. That said, there have been plenty of instances in the past where a Houseguest ends up putting themselves on the block by playing way too hard or immediately assuming they're safe and running their mouth a bit too much. Had Ainsley been a real 17th Houseguest and not the house A.I. in disguise, I would've predicted she'd be the person to do that, but if there is someone who put a target on their back, odds are we'll know not long after the feeds begin. Beyond that, just enjoy watching the live feeds, and keep your fingers crossed that this A.I. deal doesn't end up being on the list of worst Big Brother twists ever.
Big Brother airs on CBS on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. We at CinemaBlend will do our best to keep people informed on what's happening in the game in the meantime, and explain all the crazy twists that are sure to come this season.
