The new season of Big Brother: All Stars may have just begun, but in some ways, it feels like the end of an era. After all, the past couple months made up one of the most insane pre-seasons in Big Brother history, as fans speculated left and right as to who may or may not be involved with the show's 22nd season.
Now that the cast has finally been revealed, the speculation can finally come to a halt. But what fun would that be? This intriguing cast is full of contestants who have played together in the past, or have had very similar Big Brother journeys. The possibilities for future alliances are endless, even if they inevitably end up with some corny names. While the All-Stars premiere featured very little interaction amongst the houseguests, it is worth doing what Big Brother fans do best and speculating as to who might work together in the weeks to come.
Memphis Garrett and Ian Terry may seem like polar opposites in every way, but they share a very significant Big Brother commonality. Both men sat next to Big Brother legend Dan Gheesling in the final two. Of course, Memphis lost to Dan in the show's 10th season, while Ian managed to upset him in BB14. However, the shared experience of playing alongside a well-respected player like Dan might be enough to intertwine Memphis and Ian's Big Brother lives.
In his limited screen time Wednesday night, Ian appeared awkward and nervous, just as he did when he first entered the house back in 2012. His apparent awkwardness made him an early target in his first season, and the same thing could happen here. Memphis, however, could have enough charisma and respect in the house to act as a support system for Ian and help ingratiate him with the others.
If Memphis and Ian don't get along, surely Memphis and Cody Calafiore will. Their Big Brother stories are particularly similar, as both men finished their respective seasons in 2nd place, specifically losing to their closest allies. Memphis and Dan ran BB10 as "The Renegades," just as Cody and Derrick Levasseur ran BB16 as "The Hitmen."
Memphis and Cody both likely feel as if they deserve more credit for their first performances in the Big Brother house, and their combined efforts may make that a reality in the show's 22nd season.
Alright, just one more possible alliance for Memphis, who is surprisingly one of the more well-connected individuals in the house. Memphis and Keesha Smith are one of several duos this season who have played together in a previous season. Not everyone who played on the same season had a very good relationship the first time around, but Memphis and Keesha's close friendship from BB10 could pay off twelve years later.
Of course, Memphis did ultimately turn on Keesha at the final four because he viewed her as the biggest threat to win the game. This duo could be the season's greatest alliance, or perhaps its biggest rivalry instead.
Some fans may be surprised to hear that Tyler Crispen and Bayleigh Dayton are a possible alliance after their infamous feud from Big Brother 20, but these two have a lot in common and could become a formidable duo in Big Brother: All-Stars. Both Tyler and Bayleigh are leaving behind loved ones whom they met on BB20 in Angela and Swaggy C, respectively. They also both stated their intentions to make drastic changes from their first time in the house.
When Tyler first emerged from the spiral staircase in the season premiere, Bayleigh motioned for him to walk towards her, and she gave him one of the biggest hugs of the night. Is this reading too heavily into the formalities of the first night? Maybe. But their relationship has clearly mended in the two years since they played, and could now account for one of the season's strongest alliances.
Big Brother has long struggled with diversity, and the show's 22nd season seems to be more of the same with only two black women in the house. It may seem unfair to assume that Bayleigh and Da'Vonne Rogers will work together, but there is plenty of reason to believe these two Big Brother greats will get along in the BB house. After all, Da'Vonne has an established track record of trying to mobilize an all-girls alliance. Of course, such alliances have a complicated history on Big Brother, but there is little reason to believe Da'Vonne won't return to this strategy, as she has consistently shown herself to be a strong and confident woman both inside and outside of the BB house.
One of Da'Vonne's strongest alliances on BB18 was Zakiyah Everett, who, like Bayleigh, found her game blown up by her involvement with a showmance. Perhaps Da'Vonne's experiences alongside Zakiyah can allow her to provide Bayleigh with some guidance as both women aim for the $500,000 grand prize.
Perhaps the most egregious sin of BB22, in terms of its diversity, is its casting of just one LGBTQIA+ individual in Kevin Campbell. Particularly as accusations of homophobia emerge elsewhere in the cast, Kevin could unfortunately become an early outcast. However, he is not to be underestimated, as he was undoubtedly one of the better strategists in BB11. But if Kevin does need some fellow outcasts to rely on, he'd be hard-pressed to find better options than Nicole Anthony and Ian.
Nicole played Big Brother just one season ago, and made it all the way to the final three despite spending the entire season in the minority alliance. She finished the season as America's Favorite Player, as fans fell in love with her unapologetic and authentic behavior. Ian similarly grew in the Big Brother house, entering as an awkward college student, and leaving $500,000 richer. The combined forces of these three could do some serious damage this season.
This alliance is mostly based on a hunch, but it would certainly pose a threat to the rest of the house. Besides, there are some similarities between David Alexander and Kaysar Ridha. David never really got a chance to play Big Brother, getting eliminated first on BB21 and living out the rest of his days in the house as a member of "Camp BB." Like David, Kaysar was eliminated pre-jury on both BB6 and BB7. Kaysar made some big moves in his short stints inside the house, but his early exits indicate that his game could use some adjustments.
Big Brother: All-Stars is the rare season of Big Brother not to feature a Texan (although Ian does live there currently). It does, however, star two Jersey boys in Enzo Palumbo and Cody. Not only are both of these guys born and bred in the Garden State, but they might have the most "Jersey" personalities ever seen on Big Brother. If nothing else, their Italian energy and love for all things New Jersey should help forge a close bond between these two men.
Both Enzo and Cody are impressive players in their own right, so a close friendship could quickly turn into an alliance as well. They both have experience in dominant all-male alliances, yet were both overshadowed by other members of those alliances. The key difference, however, is that Cody knew to develop an alliance with Derrick inside of the broader "Bomb Squad" alliance, whereas Enzo was ultimately cut at the final three of BB12 due to the close bond between Hayden and Lane. Both of these contestants are in need of a right-hand-man, and who better than a fellow Jersey boy to fill that void?
The alliance between Janelle Pierzina and Kaysar should be a given. After all, they've already played Big Brother together twice, even forging the "Sovereign Six" alliance together once upon a time. However, it's worth considering the possibility that Daniele Donato Briones may work with the two of them as well. It is very possible that this season unfolds as a battle between old-school and new-school players. Of course, the exact location of that line of division between the two is debatable, but these three players are the only members of the cast to have played in a single-digits season, so they are squarely in the old-school camp.
The old-schoolers are certainly outnumbered and could get picked off one by one. We saw this dynamic play out on Survivor: Winners at War just a few months ago. If they combine their forces properly, however, they could pull off the improbable and ride a strong alliance all the way to the end.
The most probable alliance in Big Brother: All Stars consists of Nicole Franzel and Da'Vonne, who played together in BB18. Da'Vonne was one of Nicole's strongest advocates in the jury house and played a large role in shifting the jury away from Paul and towards Nicole. The two women also worked together early on in the season via the "Fatal Five" alliance. While the alliance eventually disbanded, Nicole and Da'Vonne maintained a mutual respect, and have become close friends outside the Big Brother house.
Of course, just as fans might predict some of these alliances, players might as well! Even the most likely of alliances could mutate, dissipate, or merge with another one at the drop of a hat. Things tend to change rapidly in the Big Brother house, and in a season filled with All-Stars, anything is possible.
Big Brother 22: All-Stars airs Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 8 pm EST on CBS.
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August 10, 2020 at 06:43AM
