Big Brother 27 Premiere Reveals Identity of That Mysterious 17th Houseguest — But There’s a Twist

Hotel Mystère — also known as the Big Brother house — is officially open for business!

In Thursday’s Season 27 premiere, host Julie Chen tees up this summer’s murder mystery themed season, which comes with a brand-new house design (what’s with all the keys?) and of course, a bajillion new twists. Inside the “hotel,” mysteries lurk around every corner and nothing is quite as it seems (ooh la la!), as Julie teases us with mentions of a maniacal mastermind, a secret accomplice and a mystery houseguest. But more on that later.

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After officially meeting the 16 new houseguests (Adrian has his own wall comp in his backyard? Impressive!), a timer in the house slooowly counts down to zero. Julie calls the houseguests to the living room where she tells them they need to be observant little sleuths this season. As she reminds them to “expect the unexpected,” the lights cut out and the creepy looking HOH relic magically disappears!

Big Brother 27 Cast

Meet the Cast of Big Brother 27!

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When the lights return, Julie is gone and a red-masked baddie called the Mastermind says that without the HOH relic, the game can’t continue. He tells them to prepare for a night of “mystery and chaos” (yeah, yeah, we get it), as the phone rings. It’s Julie! She tells them to divide into two search parties — one will search for the missing host and one will search for the disappearing relic. The two successful houseguests will earn game-changing powers.

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All of that campy madness sets us up for our very first comp, where players must figure out which door the host is hidden behind. Pick the wrong door though, and they’re eliminated from the competition. After assembling a bridge puzzle and listening to some clues, Zach is the one to find Julie and he wins the game’s first power! The second batch of players then play a comp to find the missing relic amid a sea of phonies. After scoping out some clues and conducting a thorough investigation, Jimmy finds the right relic and earns the second power.

When we get back from break, Julie reveals the goods. One is actually a prize, and Zach is now $10,000 richer! As for Jimmy, only four houseguests will be playing the first Head of Household competition… and he gets to select who they are! He picks himself, Adrian, Ashley and Vince.

In the first HOH comp, houseguest must balance “cores” (weights) on arms called the “BB Blaster.” Then, they must race to press down a plunger in order to destroy the mastermind’s evil lair. After some careful balancing, the mustachioed Vince becomes the season’s first HOH!

But before this premiere comes to an end, the houseguests are in for a couple more major shockers. First, the AI Arena is back and it’s now a permanent part of the BB game. (It’s retitled the “BB Blockbuster,” but it plays the same.) Before Julie can finish her last thought, the Mastermind returns to add something to the game… or better yet, someone: BB13 winner Rachel Reilly! (Uhh, any life vests available in Hotel Mystère?)

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But Rachel isn’t technically the 17th houseguest. (Say what?!) The Mastermind says that one of them is his secret accomplice. If the house figures out who it is, that person will be immediately ejected from the game. But if he or she goes undetected, that player will officially become the 17th houseguest competing for the $750,000 check!

Phew! That’s a lot to take in, BB fans. So what did you think of the BB27 premiere? Vote in our poll, then let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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