The Big Brother 26 cast is already playing the game hard, but they recently took a step back from that to even the playing field.
Sixteen new houseguests were introduced this summer, including a celebrity chef, a former undercover cop, and a real estate agent.
Those players got a chance to vote in a 17th houseguest but overwhelmingly decided to keep the count at 16.
Later, they all learned that the person posing as a potential player was an Artificial Intelligence.
AINSLEY tried to punish anyone who voted against her becoming the 17th player. It led to 10 people competing in a downgrade challenge.
Unfortunately for them, two players got their games downgraded, as they were shifted from players to AI mascots for Week 1.
Big Brother 26 cast stands up for the downgraded players
Cedric Hodges, a former Marine from Boise, Idaho, and Chelsie Baham, a nonprofit director from Rancho Cucamonga, California, got punished after the downgrade challenge.
Chelsie and Cedric became easy targets because they couldn’t compete for the HOH title and wouldn’t be able to play in the Veto Competition. They became sitting ducks and an easy “out” for the first HOH.
But the BB26 cast decided to cut them a break and play the first week with elevated integrity. An agreement was made to lay off Chelsie and Cedric, giving them a pass due to their disadvantages.
That AINSLEY punishment has shifted to a Week 1 immunity for Chelsie and Cedric. And with that safety has come some concerted gameplay by the duo as they seek alliances and control over who gets evicted first.
Below is an image from the Big Brother Live Feeds as Cedric and Chelsie discussed forming another alliance.
Additional Big Brother spoilers from the live feeds
The first BB26 HOH has nominated people for eviction. Here are the nomination spoilers from Week 1.
A large alliance formed early on BB26 and here are the details. It included Cedric and Chelsie but had some weak links. This alliance has controlled things thus far, but things could change.
The real-life identity of AINSLEY has also been revealed. She is well-known on social media, and fans will see her again this summer.
We have also learned what America’s Veto entails. A houseguest explained the BB26 power on the live feeds.
Previous episodes from Big Brother 26 are streaming on Paramount+. The service also features older seasons of the hit reality competition show.
Big Brother 26 airs on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9/8c on CBS.
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