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Big Brother Canada season premiere recap: The season of secrets

By Kalem McSween    

Drama, excitement and betrayal. The next three months are going to be wild.

In its second season, Big Brother Canada (BBCAN) has wasted no time filling viewers’ minds with unnecessary suspense.

Arisa Cox, host of the show, begins with a cryptic stand-up when she says, “the biggest secret involves YOU,” which leaves me to cringe at such drama driven words.

The Twistos Twist is a new element to the game that allows BBCAN fans to chose the final houseguest that will join the current cast. These mystery houseguests will live in a secret, soundproof room within the existing house. Confusing, right?

On top of secret nooks and crannies, the BBCAN compound is outfitted with more surveillance than ever before. More surveillance means more opportunities to catch the houseguests slipping. Oh, Big Brother, you never fail to impress.

The roster this season includes one Ryerson grad in the mix. We’re all rooting for Neda Kalantar (right?) — I just hope she knows what she’s getting in to. The houseguests this season are:
Neda Kalantar, 22, Freelance fashion stylist and Ryerson grad – Vancouver, B.C.
Sabrina Abbate, 25, Hairdresser & Makeup Artist – Montreal, Que.

Kenny Brain, 25, Model – Grand-Falls, N.L.
Andrew Gordon, 27, Restaurant Manager – Calgary, Alta.
Arlie Shaban, 25, Unemployed – Stouffville, Ont.
Sarah Miller, 32, Mortgage Broker – Langley, B.C.
Kyle Shore, 24, Personal Trainer – Porter’s Lake, N.S.
Anick Gervais, 28, Reiki Master – Hanmer, Ont.
Ika Wong, 29, Hairstylist – Thornhill, Ont.
Jon Pardy, 23, Student – St. John’s, N.L.
Adel Elseri, 27, Welder/Inventor – Edmonton, Alta.
Rachelle Diamond, 20, Student – Edmonton, Alta.
Heather Decksheimer, 23, Model Agency Coordinator – Edmonton, Alta. Paul Jackson, 43, Consultant/Motivational Speaker – Toronto, Ont.

As per usual, the cast is made up of beautiful people who make real life look fun and effortless. Meanwhile, for the regular person, every waking day is a head-of-household competition (HOH).

For the first HOH competition of the season houseguests were told to stand barefoot and in bathing suits on separate blocks of ice. The last person standing was crowned HOH. Jackson was victorious after braving the cold for about an hour. Decksheimer and Wong won $1,000 and 48 hours in a patriotic bathing suit, respectively.

Jackson only won the competition due to some convincing words – nine houseguests were left standing on their ice blocks and Jackson cut a deal guaranteeing that none of them would be nominated for eviction. He is a motivational speaker by profession so I would expect this type of action from him. Watch out for Jackson, folks, he is a deadly force to be reckoned with.

On the sidelines, however, houseguests who stepped down early enjoyed a great party catered by Canada’s own, Pizza Pizza, and what looked like many bottles of vodka.

Note that this was the second time we’ve seen product placement in the season-opener. Nothing is more aggravating than watching a reality show loaded with plugs, honestly.

In further innovative steps taken by BBCAN producers, a new feature this season includes the

BBCAN Sideshow hosted by season one favourites, Gary Levy and Peter Brown. Viewers can catch the Sideshow every Thursday night following the live eviction on Slice. And in keeping with tradition, you can watch the houseguests’ every move on the free live-feed by visiting BigBrotherCanada.ca.

Tune in tonight to watch who will be put up on the block and the first one to leave the house. The live eviction will air at 9 p.m. EST on Slice.

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