The Big Brother 21 Premiere Reveals a Truly Game-Changing Twist

[Warning: The following contains spoilers for the Big Brother 21 premiere.]

Big Brother 21 kicked off on Tuesday night with the first half of a two-night premiere that saw 16 new houseguests move into the camp-themed house. Host Julie Chen-Moonves welcomed the cast into their new digs but they don't have much time to settle in before two of the houseguests realize one of the twists of this season: they already know each other.

When Tommy and Christie first see each other in the house, they're shocked because Tommy is a relative of Christie's older ex-girlfriend, whom she recently broke up with. The two decide to pretend that they're strangers and play off their connections as part of their strategy.

Then, while people are still saying their hellos, Julie reveals the real twist of the season: The houseguests must elect their "Camp Director," who will have immunity for the first eviction and be able to put someone else's game in jeopardy. Jackson, David, Jessica, and Cliff volunteer to take on the responsibility, and Jackson wins after a few of the houseguests who had pledged themselves to Jessica decided to switch sides.

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Just after Jackson is announced as the Camp Director, Julie revealed the exact details of his new power, which are harsh even by Big Brother standards. Jackson now has to choose four houseguests to "banish," aka force to fight for their lives in a comp in which three of them will be able to win back their spots in the house but the fourth will be evicted.

We have no idea just yet who Jackson has set his sights on to banish, but he better choose wisely because this is an easy way to make a lot of enemies early on. We bet he wishes he had just let Jessica win the Camp Director election now.

Big Brother 21's two-night premiere will conclude Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS. It will continue to air on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays at 8/7c until July 10, when it will switch to Sundays (8/7c), Wednesdays (9/8c), and Thursdays (9/8c). You can also catch all the drama as it goes down on the CBS All Access live feeds.

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