Big Brother Season 28's first week ended with a genuine power shift: Head of Household Dee Valladares saw her primary target, Mallory Aurichio, win the Power of Veto and escape the block, forcing a scramble that ended with newcomer Ashley Trail evicted 14-0. The "alliance shake-up" behind it was Dee's double game — a real veteran-heavy alliance called The Crossovers and a decoy alliance she used to keep newer players loyal. If you follow reality TV as constructed drama rather than just competition results, Week 1 is worth attention. The season premiered on CBS on July 9, 2026, with a 90-minute episode, per Paramount's season preview, and the opening week already established the season's central tension: veterans versus newbies.
Table of Contents
- Who is in the house this season?
- How did the Week 1 power shift happen?
- What was the alliance shake-up?
- How did eviction night unfold?
- What should viewers watch for next?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who is in the house this season?
The announced cast features twelve new houseguests: Ashley Trail, Barrett Pfeiffer, Chuck "Chuk" Anyanwu, Drew Campbell, Haley Thogmartin, Kamuela "Kamu" Kirk, LaTrice Verrett, Lyric Medeiros, Mallory Aurichio, Melody Morris, Rome Seymour, and Taylor Brown, according to the Hollywood Reporter's cast rundown. The premiere then added surprise players from other franchises: Survivor 45 winner Dee Valladares, Survivor veteran Rick Devens, Big Brother 26's Angela Murray, and RuPaul's Drag Race alum Jason De Puy, as Deadline's premiere coverage detailed. That crossover casting is the engine of everything that followed — experienced players entered a house of first-timers with an immediate skill and reputation edge.
How did the Week 1 power shift happen?
Dee Valladares won the season's first Head of Household competition — the weekly power that lets one player nominate others for eviction. She nominated three houseguests, one from each team: Mallory Aurichio, Taylor Brown, and Yash Patel, per Parade's Week 1 spoiler tracking. The shift came at the veto.
Mallory, Dee's actual target, won the first Power of Veto and pulled herself off the block. That forced Dee to name a replacement, and she chose Ashley Trail, according to Gold Derby's veto meeting report. An HOH losing her target in week one is the classic Big Brother setup: the target survives, remembers, and now has a reason to organize against the person who came for her.
What was the alliance shake-up?
Dee ran two alliances at once. The real one, The Crossovers, groups her with fellow veterans Rick Devens and Angela Murray plus newbies Barrett Pfeiffer and Drew Campbell. The decoy, The Red Corner, paired Dee and Devens with Kamu, Chuk, and Haley — players kept close but outside the actual power structure, per Big Brother Network's alliance tracking.
This structure matters for how the season plays out. Decoy alliances buy short-term safety but create a long list of betrayed players once exposed. every Red Corner member who learns the truth becomes a vote — and potentially an HOH — against the veterans.
How did eviction night unfold?
Two twists shaped the live show. First, Yash Patel won the "Block Buster" competition, a new mechanic that removes one nominee from the block before the vote. That left Ashley and Taylor as the final nominees.
Ashley was then evicted unanimously, 14-0, over Taylor Brown. Her downfall was self-inflicted by Big Brother standards: Parade's eviction report notes that openly discussing the house's vote plans eroded whatever support she had. In a game built on information control, broadcasting vote counts is the fastest way to become the easy, consensus eviction.
What should viewers watch for next?
The veterans won Week 1, but the counter-move is already forming. Live-feed reporting from Cinemablend indicates the newbies have begun plotting against the Crossovers, setting up potential blindsides in coming weeks — a shift still in motion, not a finished story. The numbers favor the newcomers if they coordinate: twelve original houseguests against four crossover additions.
Two caveats for anyone following via recaps. Live-feed developments often change before they air, so plans reported midweek can collapse by eviction night. And episode edits compress or reorder events, so feed-based reporting and the broadcast version sometimes disagree on emphasis. Episodes air on CBS and stream on Paramount+; the official schedule and clips are on the CBS Big Brother show page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the "Block Buster" twist?
A Week 1 competition that lets one nominee win removal from the block before the live eviction vote. Yash Patel won it, leaving Ashley Trail and Taylor Brown as the final nominees.
Are the veterans eligible to win, or are they there as a twist?
They entered as full houseguests at the premiere — Dee Valladares won the first HOH and controlled nominations, so they are playing the full game.
Where can I watch Big Brother 28?
New episodes air on CBS and stream on Paramount+, following the July 9, 2026 premiere.
