Big Brother Season 15 Throws Two Major Twists Into The Game

This season of Big Brother includes a major game-changer. Think about how big the Power of Veto was to the way the game was changed and how nominations worked, and you're on the right track. One of the first big twists of Season 15 is that instead of two nominations facing eviction each week, there will be three. The second involves America's participation in the game, which Julie Chen teased when she was giving a tour of this season's house.

So, the first twist is that instead of two Houseguests nominated each week, there will be three, which should really change the dynamic of the game and how alliances work. It should also be particularly interesting in the earlier rounds when there are more than a dozen people in the house. Though I have to assume they'll re-set it back to two in the later rounds when there are fewer people in the house. But who knows? That's thinking ahead.

The second twist is that, each week, America will vote for whichever player they feel is playing the best game. The majority winner will be the "Big Brother MVP" that week, and that will give them some secret power, which will be revealed during the season premiere. Does that mean immunity for the week? The chance to change a nomination? Both? We can only guess, but executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan say the Big Brother MVP will "force the houseguests to rethink their strategies." And that, "With America rewarding good game play, it doesn't pay to be a floater this summer." That's assuming America votes based on best gameplay and not just their favorite player.

America will start casting their votes for Season 15's first MVP, starting tomorrow (Thursday, June 20), which means we'll be voting blind… kind of. CBS is going to announce the BB15 cast members tomorrow, so we'll have some information to go on, but profiles and even intro-videos really only scratch the surface of who these players are. Fans will be able to vote at CBS.com.

As for the house, if you haven't seen it, you can watch Julie Chen's tour below and catch some pictures in the gallery. CBS says the HoH house is "entirely black and white" and includes an aquarium of Koi, which they got from Asia to bring the HoH good fortune. New additions to the house include a new high-gloss stage, a lighted runway and 103 inch plasma screen, which the houseguests will probably only get to use on Live night and competition instructions that require a TV. There are also "several other screens, for Julie to monitor and communicate with the Houseguests." Interesting.

Following the premiere on Wednesday, June 26 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), BIG BROTHER will be broadcast three nights weekly – Sundays (8:00 - 9:00 PM, ET/PT, beginning June 30), Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT, beginning July 2) and the LIVE eviction show hosted by Julie Chen will be broadcast on Wednesdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT, beginning July 3).

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.