The June 28 premiere of Big Brother 19 crammed a lot of twists and turns into two hours. Paul from Big Brother 18 was a surprise arrival, and the housemates had to lose one of their contingent in the first night to even things out. But the show is saving one reveal for the June 29 portion of the two-night premiere event. The Den Of Temptation on Big Brother 19 will test the willpower of the remaining competitors. But how does the whole thing work?
Well, the theme of this Big Brother season is summed up in one word: temptation. Producers are clearly going to enjoy teasing houseguests with offers that will be very difficult to refuse, though, as the competitors learned during the first round, will have consequences to the group and the individual. The first houseguest to give into temptation was Kevin, the stay-at-home dad from Boston, who discreetly picked up $25,000 by pushing a little red button. I mean, could you resist?
To up the stakes on this battle of wills, Big Brother will add a regular feature in the June 29 episode. Host Julie Chen previewed the Den Of Temptation at the end of the premiere, showing viewers at home a glimpse of a room filled with... light sources? Lanterns, candles, and Himalayan pink salt lamps line the shelves of this mystery location. I'm starting to suspect the Den Of Temptation is housed in a Pottery Barn.
OK, no, I know — it's for real, and will have a real effect on life in the house and the way the evictions go down. Julie explained that America will choose one houseguest to enter the Den Of Temptation to be enticed by something. The first temptation that will be dangled in front of the first poll winner is the Pendant Of Protection, which will keep the houseguest — if they accept it — safe from the next three evictions. But the pendulum of fairness will swing back the other way in the form of a mystery consequence or two. Will it be worth it? Fans can cast their votes on CBS.com for who they'd like to see make a choice in the Den, and no houseguest can be voted into that spot more than once.
Clearly, these contestants aren't very good at refusing things that they want. And immediate gratification might win out over strategy in the Den Of Temptation. But that little extra bit of mind-messing is what makes Big Brother such an addictive summer treat.
