‘Big Brother 27’ week 1 review: A Mastermind and the masterclass

If the summer is here, it must be time for Big Brother! A new season of CBS’s reality TV staple is back for another summer of twists, competitions, and blindsides. In the first week of the season, the house guests must survive the twist’s first wave of chaos. Shocking reveals, baffling decisions, and a looming threat were just a few of the treats awaiting us for what became an exciting first week. Big Brother 27 had plenty of thrills and chills up its sleeve to kick off its new season.

A murder is afoot.

Big Brother 27 chose to go with a murder mystery theme for the season and house. Think of it like a mix of the board game Clue, True Crime, and a spy thriller, like James Bond. Plenty of intrigue and terror splashed throughout the game as the house guests competed to win $750,000. And let’s just say, the house looks gorgeous! The Big Brother 27 house clearly was inspired by the Clue mansion. There’s plenty of fine details and secrets within the rooms, like hidden doors. The house looks expensive and opulent, with a grand touch for an old-time murder mystery. Plus, it’s infused with the gimmicks of a Big Brother house, like the Have-Not room being a police crime scene.

The thematic elements of the game and twists were a nice touch. The new Big Brother logo includes a magnifying glass, heightening its connection to Clue. I can’t deny that it does look nice, but I would’ve preferred if they had kept to the same logo. These logos only last for a season. Also, the introduction of a mystery theme seemed like the show is trying to play in the same space as other mystery shows, like The Traitors or The Mole. The subtlety was not lost on the reasoning, especially when the former had won the previous Emmy Award.

The Saboteur 2.0?

As part of Big Brother 27’s big twist, there was the introduction of the Mastermind, a mysterious masked figure causing chaos and twists. For Week 1, that chaos came in the form of the hidden accomplice who unleashed former Big Brother 13 winner Rachel Reilly into the game. I loved the concept of this looming villain because the Mastermind can keep these players on their toes and organically reveal twists. And having an accomplice in the first week gave the house guests a mystery to uncover on the first night.

But seriously, did anyone think that the group was actually going to find the Accomplice? The odds were there, but some of the theories the house guests made were completely off the radar. Turning the target toward Rylie and Zae because of a few confused looks seemed so reckless and quick. We need to give Lauren credit for trying to get the others to think about the clues. Like, why did the women outnumber the men? Who could be similar to Rachel to fill her spot? What other clues were in the house that could point to an accomplice? Some of the threads could’ve easily pointed to Amy.

I wish the Accomplice twist lasted more than a single night. Amy’s tasks were easy to complete (e.g., pull a lever, hide a keyhole, etc.), and regardless of her mission, it’s obvious Rachel was going to join the game regardless. Amy fairly won her spot to stay in the game, but it would’ve been amazing if she still had to work for the Mastermind by sabotaging the house. Something similar to the Saboteur twist from Big Brother 12 would’ve perfectly fit here: a mystery figure sabotaging and causing chaos for money. This Accomplice twist had plenty of potential, so it’s disappointing it was only relegated to premiere night.

Welcome back, my new friend.

Returning to Big Brother 27 is the A.I. Arena twist; however, it’ll now be rebranded as the “BB Blockbuster” and become a show staple. I loved this twist from Big Brother 26 because it positively changed game play and made the house guests strategically use their votes. Out of the three nominees, we wouldn’t know who’d be facing the vote or under what conditions until eviction night. Even Week 1 faced the pressures as the entire house bounced back and forth over the votes if Zae, Amy, or Kelley won the BB Blockbuster. That type of chaos feels so refreshing.

So, with that close of a vote, it’s shocking that anyone would even consider going on the block or throwing the BB Blockbuster. Kelley is such a baffling house guest. It makes no sense for her to ask for a nomination when your ally is Head of Household (HOH) or to throw the BB Blockbuster. The first week is the most unreliable because everyone is looking for a reason to make it an easy vote. Just look at Ashley, who got nominated for taking a long shower and got extremely paranoid toward HOH Vince!

Kelley should’ve tried playing in the background and focusing on building up her connections. Her creating this narrative about rumors and people speculating about her only grew her target. And if people know you’re someone who can be nominated, they’ll feel comfortable nominating you in the future. Luckily, she won the BB Blockbuster because there is a world where she would’ve been voted out if she were sitting next to Amy. She and Vince should learn from this mistake, not to risk allies again.

Too obvious of an alliance.

Speaking of Vince, can we agree that his HOH was very messy? He nominated Ashley after promising her that he wasn’t going to; he nominated Kelley to take the easy choice, and he toyed with people who could’ve been his allies (e.g., Jimmy, Keanu, etc.). Vince seemed too focused on not getting blood on his hands that he created situations that worked against him. As the first HOH, you should be walking away from the week with strong starting alliances and deals. Vince, on the other hand, felt like he floated too long until he knocked some sense into himself, like with creating The Burger Boys. And those decisions feel like they’ll come back to bite him.

Case in point, the house banding together to break up the bros. The Burger Boys were such a bro alliance; I’ll never understand why house guests don’t target super athletic alliances first. The muscle bros (Zae, Zach, and Keanu) made it so obvious they wanted to work together and ride their athletic skills to the end. Having Vince and Will in their group would’ve given them strong numbers to build around the house. But for the rest of the house to succeed in voting one of them out, it’s cutting off a strong threat and a potential landslide for the future.

Bro vs. queen.

Zae’s eviction was a perfect outcome for the first week of Big Brother 27. Don’t get me wrong, Zae could’ve been a good long-term player, but it’s more about all the steps that went into his eviction that made it a great reveal. There’s speculation that Zae is the Accomplice, so he naturally found his way on the block due to the theories. And for someone so athletic, he lost HOH to Vince, POV to Ashley, and BB Blockbuster to Kelley. So, all the safety chances kept slipping through his fingers.

However, the true masterclass in his error came from starting a war with the queen herself, Rachel. What was he thinking? Why would he tell Rachel (an experienced Big Brother veteran) that he was targeting her and wanted her voted out?! Rachel is not a pushover. Between her quips during the episodes and her defending herself on the 24/7 live feeds, Rachel fought fire with fire and burned this man down. She knew exactly how to rally the house guests together to recognize Zae’s future threat as a very physical player. Plus, she accurately exposed that Zae only wanted to work with the strong physical men, which was a problem for the women and the non-jocks.

Zae had a good campaign in establishing his public position toward targeting a specific person. However, he chose someone who knew how to play the game better than him and was campaigning for someone to stay (Amy). If he were sitting on the block next to Kelley, there’s a chance, but Zae’s ego got the better of him, and he got outmatched by those he wasn’t working with. It’s a good lesson for future Big Brother players to know how to deal with conflict and campaigning in the first week. We’re 27 seasons in; house guests aren’t going to waste opportunities to eliminate huge threats anymore.

The bottom line.

Week 1 of Big Brother 27 kicked off the season with a loud, thunderous roar. The murder mystery theme added plenty of intrigue, unleashing fun and satisfying twists for the players. The introduction & return of the BB Blockbuster continued its strong momentum for being a great new era twist. And this new crop of house guests came ready to play the game, albeit to varying degrees and thoughts. While some players faltered in their strategies, others rose to the occasion to land a powerful move by eviction night. If the rest of the summer is like this, Big Brother 27 will be keeping us on our toes as a must-watch.

Big Brother 27 airs new episodes on Sundays, Wednesdays & Thursdays on CBS.