AceShowbiz - "Big Brother" returned for its season 26 on Wednesday, July 17. The first half of the new season's two-night premiere featured something new as the houseguests would be given the power to vote in a seventeenth houseguest.

In the episode, the first octet, Tucker, Angela, Kimo, Chelsie, Cam, Rubina, Joseph and Makensy, was introduced via video clip to Ainsley, a blue-haired young woman who desperately tried to convince them to vote her as this season's 17th player. The eight contestants later started to cast their individual vote regarding Ainsley.

Ainsley needed at least five yes votes for her to join the fun. As the vote ended up with tie results, Ainsley was denied entry. The houseguests, however, were surprised after it was revealed that Ainsley wasn't a real person. She was actually "Big Brother" AI who would be controlling the game this season.

The vote turned out to be a test and the houseguests who voted yes got to compete for the chance to win an "upgrade" to their BB game. Meanwhile, those who voted no would be at risk of getting their game downgraded.

The contestants had to choose between playing a Color Calibration game or putting their head in a box of terrifying creatures. Angela, who chose Color Calibration, got one right. Joseph and Rubina did the same and got four right. Cam, Tucker, Chelsie and Kimo chose to put their heads into a box full of creatures, which included snakes, roaches, scorpions and spiders.

Makensy eventually came out as the winner as she was the fastest at Color Calibration, while Chelsie's game would be downgraded following her defeat. None of them knew their current position and how it would affect the competition results.

The houseguests would only learn about it until they meet the remaining contestants in the Thursday episode. T'kor, Matt, Cedric, Kenney, Quinn, Leah, Brooklyn and Lisa will be introduced in the next episode and face their own surprise encounter with Ainsley.