Big Brother 21: Power Rankings and the House by the Numbers

You could argue that watching every move and listening to every word from 16 strangers for three straight months is not fun.

But there’s a reason Big Brother does so well each and every summer. Now in its 21st season on CBS, each contestant attempts to lie, manipulate, and win his or her way to finale night and the opportunity to win the $500,000 prize.

Season 21 is off to a fine start. Nothing too crazy has happened just yet, with the “GR8FUL” (+ Sam?) alliance running the table since Day One.

Here’s the initial Big Brother 21 Power Rankings based off each houseguest’s strategy and where we stand heading into tonight’s episode:

1. Christie- Has by far the best resume so far and in the best position socially. As the season’s first Head of Household (HOH), she got little to no blood on her hands with Ovi’s unanimous eviction. She is part of the “GR8FUL” alliance, and all the targets from the outsiders are on the power couples (nobody seems to know about Christie and Tommy’s prior relationship outside the house). Also holds the Diamond Power of Veto.

2. Tommy- Also a part of the majority alliance and flying under the radar. Seems like he is the most well-liked person in the house so far and everyone enjoys his company. Not a challenge beast by any means, but his social game will carry him.

3. Sam- Timing is everything in the BB house, and this outgoing father is lucky that the “GR8FUL” alliance added him as some sort of sidekick before they continued picking off the minority one by one. But he does seem like he knows what he’s doing. Sam is also a perfect 2-0 in veto competitions, which is of course something that never hides on a resume when potentially facing the jury on finale night.

4. Nick- The reigning HOH got his win at a crucial time. His alliance already brought up the idea of putting he and partner Isabella (who’s game is toast, we’ll get to that later) at the bottom of their “GR8FUL” list. But now, Nick has a room to himself upstairs and fellow “bros” Jack and Jackson have to suck up to him for at least this week before imploding the majority. He shoots to #1 if he pulls of a successful backdoor this week.

5. Analyse- Another houseguest who is in a great spot socially. The college soccer star is playing a low-key game so far and has a lot of bigger targets ahead of her in the majority alliance. Will be interesting to see what happens when she gets some power.

6. Holly- Similar to Analyse, Holly has been laying low for the most part, while still being on the right side of the numbers. The Wine Safari Guide noted in her introductory bio that she isn’t exactly a huge Big Brother fan, so keep an eye on that as the numbers continue to dwindle. Although she does seem smarter than she tends to lead on.

7. Jackson- (AKA “Michie.” Not sure why production changed his name mid-season. Same goes for Analyse and “Sis.”) Jackson made it known right away that he would not be laying low, insisting that everyone should elect him as “Camp Director” in the season premiere. With that, he had to get blood on his hands by putting four opponents’ game lives at stake right out of the gate. Threw in the “rogue vote” in the last eviction with the hopes of strengthening his alliance, but that could blow up in his face as he won’t shut up about it. That, plus being one of the ringleaders in “GR8FUL” can lead to future danger for Michie.

8. Jack- Should be fine this week with his alliance still in power, but he’s already exposed himself as a huge threat. Tried taking over Christie’s HOH Week One which pissed her off, and on paper, he is one of the biggest physical threats in the house. It’s only a matter of time before the Jason Momoa doppelgänger will have to start relying on winning challenges if and when his alliance blows up. Keep in mind, he also has the Chaos Power, which allows a redo for drawing veto players.

9. Jessica- Definitely the smartest one outside of the current majority alliance of nine. If GR8FUL + Sam doesn’t self-destruct, I’m looking at Jessica to be the one who steps up and makes the big move. She tried putting together the all-female alliance (which Isabella ruined), but at least she is aware of the work cut out for her. If Jess makes it a few more weeks in this game, she will have earned it.

10. Kathryn- She could be this season’s case of “survive a few weeks here and there because she poses no threat.” Kathryn seems to still be looking for an alliance, got shut down by Michie, and has most of her attention on getting in a relationship with someone who’s not even in the house (s/o Level Six and Brett).

11. Nicole- Poor Nicole. Seems very innocent but is currently working out of deflecting any accusations of that “rogue vote” we mentioned earlier. Feel like someone in the GR8FUL alliance should team up with this Long Islander who could win the superlative for “most trustworthy person in the house” up to this point. Her paranoia may end up being her biggest downfall.

12. Cliff- Damn it, Cliff! The oldest person usually doesn’t make it too far in this game, and Cliff unknowingly outed his own game to… the cameras? That’s right, the Houston native was addressing friends and family while in a room by himself. But Christie was right there on the other side of the door to hear it all: who he’s working with, alliance name, the whole nine yards. Good luck getting out of this one, my guy.

13. Isabella- She has nobody to blame but herself for being dead last on this list. The public health analyst can’t keep her mouth shut about anything, and it will most likely cost her the game. Luckily, she’s in a fling with the man near top of these rankings (Nick), which essentially guarantees safety this week. But she is not to be trusted with any type of game information, and the other houseguests are quickly figuring that out.

Currently out of the game and living in Camp Comeback: David, Ovi, Kemi.

Let’s take a deeper look at what makes Big Brother such a unique social experiment and competition:

94: Number of HD cameras in the house
113: Microphones scattered throughout the house
4,875: Square feet of the house
1: toilet for the 16 houseguests to share
99: days the winner will spend in the Big Brother house