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Each week, Big Brother executive producer Allison Grodner will answer a few questions about the latest activity in the BB21 house. In this first installment, she teases a brand-new twist in the game, and hints that other players may know each other from outside the house.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You all tempted the contestants to campaign to become the Big Brother Camp Director, which would give them power but also put a big target on their back. Generally speaking, do you think it is a smart strategic play to go for these things right as the game starts and stick out off the bat —as four different people did — or is it better to try to go more stealth mode and just blend in?

ALLISON GRODNER: I think different strategies work for different people. Cliff and Jackson saw themselves as targets right off the bat and took a gamble in order to have safety for the first week. Getting banished and battling back has endeared Cliff to the houseguests. Being in a leadership role may have given Jackson safety, but it has also gone to Jackson’s head, so we will see what that means for his game down the line. Volunteering for Camp Director was probably not the best strategy for Jessica and David because it made them look like strong players, and therefore a threat.

I’m sure you were looking forward to seeing what all the new players did once they got in the house, but which houseguest in particular after the casting process were you really excited, nervous, or curious to see play, and why?

I am always excited to see how all of the new houseguests will play once they move in. Isabella stood out in casting as a risk taker and Ovi has one of the higher IQs, so it has been interesting to see how that translates in the Big Brother game.

Christie and Tommy knew each other outside of the house before the game. Were they cast with the specific intent of getting people in the house with a pregame connection (which you all have done from time to time), or did they both apply on their own and you all figured out they knew each other later?

We liked what both Tommy and Christie brought to the show as individuals. We knew that they had a past together and decided to see how that would play out in the house. Just as in Summer Camp, there could be others who know one another…

After David could not make it out of the BB Wilderness, Julie told him that “You are out of the Big Brother house… for now.” Was that a nod to an impending Battle Back competition, or something else?

As Julie teased, something will be happening that has never happened on Big Brother before. Everyone will find out what that is on Wednesday. Stay tuned! ;)

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