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Hello, and welcome to BOP's first-ever coverage of reality show Big Brother, airing way too many times – three! – per week over at CBS. From now until the September season finale, I'll be here once a week to recap all the juicy details of the week's crop of episodes.

Though before jumping into Big Brother 10's first week, I'd like to take a moment and go over the basics of the show and how it operates, either to refresh the memories of casual viewers or to enlighten those who have yet to witness America's best (and trashiest) reality show.

Strictly airing in the summer since 2000 – except for Big Brother 9, which just wrapped up in April due to the network's rash decision to air a quickie competition during the writers' strike – Big Brother is based on a group of contestants, here called HouseGuests, who live together 24 hours a day in the Big Brother house. Cameras pick up their every move, and microphones their every sound. Thus, all HouseGuests are under constant surveillance, without any contact with the outside world (hell, they don't even know Brett Favre wants to play football again!) Footage of what's going down within the house airs three times per week – Sundays at 8 p.m., Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

On Sundays, two HouseGuests are nominated for eviction by the Head of Household (HoH), which is a position of power within the house that all HouseGuests vie for on a weekly basis. On Tuesdays, nominated HouseGuests can relieve themselves from the Chopping Block by winning the week's Power of Veto (PoV) competition. On Wednesdays, one of the two nominated HouseGuests is evicted from the house live on television (based on a vote by the HouseGuests). The lone HouseGuest remaining in the Big Brother house at the end of the season pockets $500,000.

Got it? All right.

And now, an introduction to this season's 13 HouseGuests:

- Angie, 29, pharmaceutical sales representative from Orlando, Florida.

- April, 30, car dealership finance manager. This week, she got into a nothing fight – F–bombs and all – with Keesha, though it appears like things have settled down (for now). She also wants to bang Ollie.

- Brian, 27, an entrepreneur while also employed in the telecommunications industry. Upon entering the house, Brian immediately took control by manipulating the other HouseGuests to follow his orders. Then the HouseGuests caught on to his game and evicted him Wednesday during the live vote. Karma, dude.

- Dan, 24, Catholic school teacher. Dan began playing the game by aligning with Brian and Ollie. Then, after Ollie ratted out Brian's game plan to the other HouseGuests, Brian gets evicted and Dan is left all alone.

- Jerry, 75, retired general manager in sales/marketing environment and honorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps after four years in 1954. Jerry is the oldest HouseGuest in Big Brother history and is consequently the oldest person to ever become Head of Household. (Something tells me he's going to nail down a number of "firsts" before his run is complete). Also of note: the chicks in the house dig this man.

- Jessie, 22, professional bodybuilder. Jessie started a petty fight with Renny after she mistakenly kept him awake one night by making absurd noises. He's all muscle and no brains. I don't like him.

- Keesha, 19, Hooter's waitress from Burbank, California. She's...busted.

- Libra, 31, holds a bachelor's degree in political science and economics. She is partially responsible for taking down Brian. More on that in a second.

- Memphis, 27, self-proclaimed mixologist (a.k.a. bartender) from Los Angeles, California.

- Michelle, 28, realtor from Cumberland, Rhode Island.

- Ollie, 27, marketing sales representative and preacher's son. He has his eye on April.

- Renny, 53, beauty salon owner. Remember Miss South Carolina from the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2007? She's her! (only older). Nothing she says ever makes sense. Ever.

- Steven, 38, geographic consultant and rodeo competitor. Steven is the lone gay HouseGuest in the Big Brother house and was way too quiet during the first week of competition (though maybe that's the way to play the game?)

And now to the recap!

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