7 'BB' Twists Better Than Battle Of The Block

On Wednesday night, the first half of the Big Brother Season 17 premiere was aired, and everyone settled in for another summer of twists, showmances, and Julie Chen fashion flawlessness. However, before the episode was even over, fans were already despairing about the direction that the season is taking. Not because the houseguests aren't interesting or the competitions aren't still as hilariously interesting as ever, no. It's because Big Brother 17 brought back the Battle of the Block twist, claiming it as a "fan favorite" twist from Season 16. The problem is that, as any fan on Twitter will tell you, the Battle of the Block wasn't really anyone's favorite twist at all. In fact, the general reaction to its return was a loud, overwhelming, "NO!"

For those who forgot, the Battle of the Block had houseguests competing for the right to become, and remain, the Head of Household. You might win one competition to become Head of House, and then find yourself dethroned before nominations, or, in some extreme cases, even find yourself on the block and evicted by the end of the week. It requires an entirely different level of strategy than other Big Brother twists, and fans seriously don't appreciate it.

Quite honestly, there are so many great twists that have happened over the course of Big Brother history that could have, or should have, been introduced instead. Here are seven of my favorites, which I hope will be one of the twists introduced in upcoming episodes.

1. Secret Power of Veto

The Secret POV was introduced in Season 2, and it was amazing. The houseguests have to figure out clues that will lead them to the Secret POV, which they then hold on to and unveil at the exact opportune moment to shake up the nominations for the week. For best results, the Secret POV should be used after the Normal POV has already been used, which is exactly what Allison White did.

2. Secret Partners

It might be a little too late for Secret Partners, but, then again, it might not. This twist from Big Brother Season 6 gave each house guest a secret partner that was predetermined before they even entered the house. Sure, the partners competed as individuals, but each pair had known each other prior to entering the house and thought they were the only pairs in the game. If they both made it to the Final Two, they both got awarded money.

3. The Saboteur

Ah, the Saboteur. The twist has already been mentioned by the Big Brother 17 houseguests, and I'm already hoping it becomes a reality — one that is a lot more well-handled than it was in Big Brother Season 12. All the Saboteur has to do is go around, well, sabotaging people, groups, or the whole house. If they make it to the halfway point of the competition without being found, they get money. The paranoia that having a Saboteur in the house breeds among the guests is always hilarious.

4. Coup d'Etat

The Coup d'Eat is a power given to house guests that first appeared in Big Brother All Stars, but I think it's the most fun when America gets to vote for which guest gets this special power. It allows them to overthrow whomever the Head of Household puts on the block for the week, and then name their own replacement nominee. It's like the Power of Veto, except better.

5. Golden Key

This twist from Season 10 gave the holder the magical power of immunity, allowing them to be kept safe until the Final 10, and to sit out of competitions while still getting to cast eviction votes. So, basically, the Golden Key allows you to advance in Big Brother without doing much of anything but trying not to piss off enough other houseguests to get immediately evicted once the Golden Key period is over. Yes, please.

6. Team America

Ah, Team America. While the Big Brother 16 twist threw three people together that eventually proved way too willing to betray each other (and included Frankie, who later became a fan-hated guest), this was still a beloved twist that I'd love to see again. If I had to change one thing, it would be to make the tasks that Team America has to undertake in the house a little bit more interesting. Some of them were just kind of silly.

7. The Twin Twist

OK, so the Twin Twist has already been introduced and explained in Big Brother 17. However, we already know exactly which two house guests have twins, and exactly which house guest has an identical twin, which completely ruins the twist for fans. Can there please be a third house guest with a twin that fans don't already know about? We could call it the Twin Twist Twist, and it would still be better than bringing back the Battle of the Block.

Image: CBS