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‘Big Brother 17’: So Many Twins, So Little Time [Photos]

By Sarah Field
Published on: 10:08 PST, Jul 1, 2015

Big Brother victory is achieved through alliances, competition, prowess, and lies. Fans of Big Brother 17 know that at least one houseguest is carrying on a significant ruse. That houseguest is actually a set of twins, playing as one person. If they can make it through five evictions, they enter the house as individual players.

Big Brother announced the twist as part of the two-part premiere last week. The show has not disclosed which of the players is swapping out with her sibling. Bloggers have deduced it must be Liz Nolan, who sometimes models with her twin sister Julia. Fans were quick to point out that Liz and Julia don’t look exactly alike, although they are very similar.

But is it Liz and Julia?

Shelli Poole told the houseguests she has a fraternal twin brother. No one in the house questioned whether she was telling the truth. This week, a Shelli Poole fan Twitter account posted what appears to be a family photo.

The caption does not say that Shelli herself is in the photo. So the conspiracy theorists may say that the woman that looks like Shelli in the photo is in fact her twin sister. But if Shelli is swapping out every so often with her twin, she’s playing a dangerous game, as she continues to flirt with Clay.

But the conspiracy theorists are probably wrong. The fan Twitter account answered its own trivia question with a throwback picture of Shelli and her twin brother Wes.

Then, there’s the case of Jeff Weldon. Jeff entered the game with his Amazing Race partner Jackie Ibarra. Weldon is also a twin, although judging from this Instagram shot, the pair could not easily pass for one another. Jeff captioned this photo, posted for National Siblings Day,

“My fraternal twin brother eweldon88 has been not only a brother but a best friend that has been one of the few people who I’ve been able to count on my entire life.”

If Jeff and Eric are swapping places, no one has yet caught on.

Jeff Weldon of 'Big Brother 17' and his twin brother Eric
Eric and Jeff Weldon (Courtesy of Jeff Weldon / Instagram)

That leaves Liz and Julia, who many have assumed are the pair making the swap.

The twin twist was last used in Big Brother 5. At that time, Entertainment Weekly commentator Lynette Rice wrote that it gave the twins involved, Natalie and Adria Montgomery, an “unfair advantage.” Indeed, the twins involved in Big Brother 17 do not have to survive five evictions without being found out. They have to simply not get voted out by their fellow houseguests.

This week, CBS should finally reveal to home viewers just who is involved in the twin twist. From that point on, Big Brother watchers will be squinting at the screen, trying to figure out which twin is playing the game at any one time.

Big Brother is broadcast Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday nights.

[Main images: CBS]

[Updated July 1, 2015 6:23 pm PT]

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