Thursday night's big double eviction sent Shelli and Jackie to the Big Brother jury house, making them the first two members of the season. It's curious to imagine how those two will manage to get along considering their difference both inside and out of the house. However, they shouldn't get too comfortable, as they may be returning to the Big Brother house soon. Following in the footsteps of Seasons 15 and 16, Julie Chen has been dropping hints that a player could return to Big Brother from jury for a second chance at making it to the end, but how long will we have to wait until a returning houseguest shakes things up?
The "Returning Houseguest" twist has been used in five prior seasons, and it has been a little different each time. In Seasons 3 and 9, the houseguests voted on whether or not a jury member should return to the house. Seasons 6 and 13 saw the audience deciding who got to return to the house. The most recent incarnation of the twist seen in Seasons 15 and 16 featured the first four members of jury competing against each other to try and earn a place in the house. These competitions allowed the return of fan favorites like Judd and Nicole from their respective seasons.
Now that Big Brother has established a pattern with Seasons 15 and 16, it's same to assume that once the jury has four members, there will be a competition that determines whether or not Jackie, Shelli, or any future jury members are allowed to return. It's likely that after two more evictions, a houseguest will return to the house and either make it pretty far (Judd was able to end up in fifth place) or not last very long (Nicole was evicted two weeks after her return).
The jury likely needs to gain two more members before a competition, but houseguests are already talking about who they would like to see return. James and Meg would both like to see Jackie back in the house, while Austin and the twins are counting on Shelli (or someone other than Jackie) returning so that they won't be targeted.
Of course, for a show that has the motto "Expect the Unexpected," it may be naive to claim that it's certain this is how the returning player twist will go this season. Big Brother 17 could feature an audience vote, a houseguest vote, a random choice, or they could make everyone's dreams come true and have Jason and Da'Vonne come back to the house. No matter what happens, with these houseguests, it's bound to be interesting.
For more on this season of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room below.
Image: Sonja Flemming/CBS
