Fill Your Summer With 'Big Brother 18'

Ah, summer. It's the time for relaxation, sunburns, and long walks on the beach — it's really a good time to commune with nature, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that my general uptick in "outside time" isn't also due to the general lack of TV. Summers are notoriously a drama drought. Even with the extensive television climate we're in now, the months of July and August stretch onward with no daily consolation of an extra Game of Thrones or leftover Orange is the New Black episode (because, let's be honest – we've already watched all of that, no?) Thankfully, the Big Brother schedule makes it the perfect show to fill those summer nights. Because not only is it the most addicting reality show this side of The Bachelor, but it's on a lot.

From the looks of it, Big Brother 18 will feature some of the most fun switch-ups yet. At 99 days, it will be the longest season in Big Brother history and four mystery houseguests will join after the initial 12 have a chance to get situated. But even when the CBS series is switching things up, it still has a reliable formula. For your viewing ease, I've rounded up the Big Brother 18 schedule that's been announced so far, but remember, expect the unexpected.

Week 1

Wednesday, June 22, 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Wednesday night's two-hour premiere will most likely see the introduction of the 12 announced houseguests into the newly renovated (but still confusingly decorated) Big Brother house: Paul Abrahamian, Victor Arroyo, Corey Brooks, Paulie Calafiore, Zakiyah Everette, Jozea Flores, Glenn Garcia, Michelle Meyer, Natalie Negrotti, Tiffany Rousso, Bridgette Dunning and Bronte D'Acquisto. As you might know, Paulie and Tiffany have Big Brother ties, with their siblings Cody Calafiore and Vanessa Rousso having competed on previous seasons of the show. But it's likely the pair won't be so forthright about their BB ties in an attempt to make themselves less of a target... Do I smell an alliance?

It's also on Wednesday that that we should learn of this season's twist and in light of the "Battle of the Block" twist from BB16 and BB17 (which selects two Head of Households instead of one), we could be looking at the same structure for this season.

Last season, the BB Takeover twist really helped to keep the season unpredictable, and while last season's "twin twist" would be a silly gag to repeat, it's likely that one of the twists will involve Paulie and Tiffany's sibling connections.

Thursday, June 23, 9 p.m. - 10 p.m.

There will be four more houseguests arriving at some point during the series, and Thursday night looks as likely a time as ever to introduce them. If we're lucky, we'll be handed another twist on top of that, and in the case of a "Battle of the Block" season, we'd be looking at a second "Head of Household" challenge.

Sunday, June 26, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Sunday is alliance night, as the house is getting ready to (for the first time) to evict someone. Expect some fun alliance names (a la last season's "Shelltown") and (possibly!) a "Battle of the Block" challenge instead of the classic "Have/Have Not" Competition. Elimination nominations are also expected to roll in this week.

Week 2

Wednesday, June 29, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

If the "Haves/Have Nots" haven't been appointed yet, this week should see some of the contestants losing their house privileges. In addition, amidst the strategic scrambling, this week will see the "Power of Veto" challenge to provide some instability as we go into the eviction round.

Thursday, June 30, 9 p.m. - 10 p.m.

This should be the first live eviction of the season. If this season is anything as twisty as last, we will see the introduction of a new, possibly game-changing development, along with a second "Head of Household" competition.

Sunday, July 3, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m.

To spice up Sunday night, this episode should be the time for the contestants to scramble for safety as the Head(s) of Households head for the "Have/Have-Nots" or "Battle of the Block" competitions, and the house decides their newest nominees for eviction.

Weeks 3 & Beyond

CBS doesn't officially have Big Brother 18 scheduled beyond Week 2, but it's safe to assume the schedule will continue like this, on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights, as the summer rolls out in front of us. That is, until the NFL comes for us and does a little creative redecorating with the BB schedule.

Part of the fun of Big Brother is how hard it is to predict, which means there are plenty of gray areas to be filled in with delicious drama, so you can bet I'll be staying tuned all summer long.

Images: Bill Inoshita/CBS; Giphy (6)