‘Big Brother 17’: Julie Chen Posts Video Of New Season Introduction
Big Brother 17 is less than a week away, and host Julie Chen is feeding the appetites of fans eager for a glimpse of the new series. Last Friday, she posted pages from her script on Twitter. Earlier this week, she posted a 10-second clip from what appeared to be the new show’s introduction.
The video is a shot of a television screen that one might assume is the already-taped introduction to the premiere. Although Chen’s words may seem innocuous, if they are accurate, they may contain at least one spoiler for the summer game show. Chen summarizes the numbers involved in the upcoming season.
“98 days. 14 house guests. $500,000. And more than 200 hours of live game play.”
Who’s ready? #BB17 pic.twitter.com/lvYQFG7MUt
— Julie Chen (@JulieChen) June 16, 2015
The video might dispel some rumors that more house guests will be announced during the premiere. Chen posted the clip just after CBS announced its new cast. Fourteen house guests seems like a low number for a 98-day season since there is usually at least one double eviction and there are typically three house guests left on finale night.
Unless the show plans to make serious changes to the format, more players will almost certainly have to enter the game. There may be some clues to that in the announcement that “special guests” will arrive in the Big Brother house every week and bring “twists” to the game. Perhaps some of those “special guests” will stick around longer than just an hour or two.
Get Your Game Face On #BB17 pic.twitter.com/ict6P7Rij8
— Julie Chen (@JulieChen) June 18, 2015
The new cast features a transgender contestant, the first in the U.S. version of Big Brother. CBS had planned to keep the fact of Audrey Middleton’s transition a secret from viewers until premiere night, but the tidbit was leaked to TMZ. Middleton, 25, is a digital media consultant from Georgia.
Chen discussed Middleton during an episode of The Talk, and as Us Weekly reported, she became emotional as she asked viewers to watch with compassion.
“For me personally and to anyone watching the game, I hope you watch with compassion and an open mind, to learn something about a community that you may not be familiar with. This is Audrey’s story to tell and I’m looking forward to hearing it next Wednesday.”
The two-night premiere of Big Brother 17 airs Wednesday and Thursday nights, June 24 and 25, on CBS.
[Julie Chen photo by John Sciulli / Getty Images Entertainment]
