‘All Access’ Flashback: Big Brother 4 Season Premiere Recap

Welcome to the twisty, twist twists, as one former Big Brother Houseguest is wont to do. Big Brother 4 arrived in 2003 and brought with it the first big season of twists that’s now busily filling every Big Brother summer. Let’s take a look back through that season’s premiere.

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Big Brother 4 on All Access – Source: CBS

As part of my All Access Flashback series I’m continuing on to Season 4 of Big Brother this week with its twist “The X Factor.” Thirteen HGs entered the BB House that summer and ten of them were there opposite a former loved one while the other three dodged that bullet.

This season we got to know Alison & Justin (ex), Amanda (ex) & Scott, Dana (no ex HG), David & Michelle (ex), Erika & Robert (ex), Jack (no ex HG), Jee (ex) & Jun, and Nathan (no ex HG). There was originally another HG who was allegedly tossed out just before the game started after making outside contact.

So about that twist, only eight of that season’s HGs were part of the opening night move-in event where they gathered outside the front door. These original eight included Alison, Dana, David, Erika, Jake, Jun, and Nathan.

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They were sent in groups of 3-3-2 and each group had to send a HG to a different bedroom to help mix things up. During move-in Jun tried to share a bed with Nathan, who declined the offer, but later in her DR session we saw Jun suggest she had changed her mind. Heh.

It doesn’t take long for the new Big Brother Houseguests to notice there are more glasses than current players settling in to their new home, but the truth isn’t revealed for awhile longer.

After the HGs take turns introducing themselves, where we get plenty of asides in the DR with comments of the women snarking on each other’s attire, they head out back for the food challenge. Yes, PB&J is still the food punishment of choice for Big Brother 4. No Slop just yet.

Unlike the past two seasons, this is a real challenge. They’re split in to two groups and must balance themselves on a narrow beam. Each HG gets a True/False question from Julie Chen about the other HGs. For each right answer, nothing happens, but for each wrong answer the beam tilts up in to the air, eventually forming an X across the backyard. If more than two HGs fall off, then it’s game over and everyone eats PB&J for the week.

Things start out rough for the Houseguests with a string of wrong answers that leave them precariously perched in the air. Jun was really regretting wearing a tennis skirt and picking the end spot with put her in a very revealing position as she details in her DR session..

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Luckily their guessing improved and the Big Brother cast earned a week’s groceries without a single player falling off the beams, but it was getting close for a couple of them.

Back inside Julie announces there’s about to be more visitors and they’ll be ex’s arriving shortly. Everyone freaks out including Alison who is in tears. She’s very worried about how her boyfriend will handle seeing her staying in the house with a former flame. It’s worth noting Alison spent most of the rest of the season getting rather up close and personal with the guys in the house, but I guess on the first night that back-home romance wasn’t a distant memory.

The next five Houseguests gathered in front of the Big Brother house and Julie simply informed them the other HGs had already entered before sending them on in to slaughter. You see, back inside the first eight HGs had made a pact to target the next five and stick together. Other than an expulsion, more on that in a bit, the plan lasted just a few weeks before it was open season on any and all players.

Arriving inside the new five HGs (Amanda, Jee, Justin, Michelle, and Robert) are shocked to see a familiar face and the original eight anxiously look around to see if they’ve been paired with a past romance. Only Nathan, Jack, and Dana are spared, but the question was whether or not that was an advantage for them.

As glares are thrown across the room and panic breaks out the Big Brother 4 premiere episode comes to a close. Unlike the past two seasons we didn’t end the first show with the Head Of Household being crowned, but with all the “ex”tra drama (see what I did there?) the time ran out too quickly.

The Big Brother 4 premiere only skimmed the surface of that season’s drama. Just days in to the summer the first Houseguest was eliminated and it wasn’t by votes. Scott was tossed from the game after throwing both a hissy fit and chairs around the house. It was nuts, and maybe he was too. Seems Scott wasn’t too happy about being locked up with Amanda and it pushed him over the brink.

Speaking of Amanda and drama, the Big Brother house lost its virginity that season when David and Amanda took over the HoH room for some on-camera sex, the first for the series. And while she didn’t have sex, Allison was known for getting pretty frisky with the guys and there may have been some undercover action going on with her and the male Houseguests.

In the end the season’s Final Two came down to a choice of the lesser of two evils for most the Jury as no one seemed thrilled with their choices. A 6-1 decision went against my “love to hate” player and looking back I still think the runner-up deserved the win that season.

Big Brother 4 brought us the first season of twists and set us up for that annual fist-shaking frustration for many years to come. This was another fun season with a lot of backstabbing, sneakiness, and enough showmancing to make you blush. Definitely worth going back and watching this one on All Access. Grab your Free Trial and watch any and all past Big Brother US episodes.

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