The Unexpected: A Big Brother Fic

Chapter One: The First Boot

DAY ONE

The door opens on the house for the first time for this new set of Houseguests, and the first four cast members allowed to enter flood into the hallway.
"Oh my god, it's really happening!" yells one of them. "We're really on Big Brother!"
It's the same each year: the flurry of excitement as the new Houseguests scramble into the home, into the walls that will enclose them for the next ninety-nine days. And then, the urgency. The realization that they must find a bed, claim their spot in the house. Of course, this isn't quite as important as earlier seasons, when slower, less lucky Houseguests might wind up sleeping on a cot or in a sleeping bag at first, but still. Picking the right spot could be important.
No time seems to have passed for these first four Houseguests before the next four enter, and then the next four, and then the final four. This is a relief, for those who know the show: All sixteen Houseguests are here, and none seem to be returning Houseguests who have played the game before. A relief, yes. But still, they know the show's motto: Expect the Unexpected. If all sixteen are here now, there is a twist to come.
They gather in the living room. Though some have exchanged names with each other, they will go around the circle and introduce themselves one by one. Someone pops one of the two bottles of champagne production has provided for the occasion, and begins to pour the liquid into flutes.
"I'll start," says one woman, a blonde, older than most of the cast. She wears a slim-fitting champagne-colored dress and seems particularly bubbly, with red cheeks that betray her excitement. "My name is Leslie, I'm 43 years old, I'm from Chicago, and I'm a dietician!"

Whether because they think it will help their games or because they actually believe it, some of the Houseguests comment that she does not look her age.

They continue.
"I'm Toby, I'm 24 years old, I'm from Missouri, and I teach kindergarten and work at a coffee shop on the weekends." This comes from a wiry white man with deep black hair and light stubble on his chin. 
A man whose salt-and-pepper hair errs more towards the salt says, "I'm Zack, I'm a novelist, and I'm from Manhattan."

A large girl with a lovely red dress covered by a grey cardigan says, "I'm Mary, I'm 24 years old, I'm from Orlando, and I'm a bartender."

"I'm Retta, I'm 35, I'm from Kansas City, and I work in sales." This from a tall, stick-thin black woman in a sparkly teal dress with silver heels.

"I guess I'll go next," a soft voice says. "I'm Rodney, I'm 46 years old, I'm a pastor, and I'm from Sacramento." He is soft spoken, but he does not look like a pastor. He wears a clean white t-shirt with jeans and a black leather jacket. Looks of concern are cast around the circle, though nobody says a word. Can we trust him? many think. This is Big Brother, of course. He could be lying. More than one Houseguest thinks, he looks like he just stumbled off the set of a Grease remake, not out of a church. Who is he really?

"I'll go next," says an Indian girl in a white dress with banana designs printed on it that recall Andy Warhol. "I'm Maureen, I'm from Los Angeles, but my family moved to the states from India when I was five. I'm 22, and by the looks of it I might be the youngest one here?" At this everyone looks around to see if anyone corrects her. They don't. "Cool, so yeah. I work at a clothing store in a mall, so if you don't vote me out I can hook you up with my employee discount!"

Next is a blonde girl: Alice, 26, works on her family's farm in Nebraska, recently engaged to her high school sweetheart.

Mia, 29, is a Chinese woman whose purple dress is complimented by her white heels. Mia is a freelance writer.

Patrick is 27 years old. "I'm the first transgender man to play Big Brother," he says. "I'm from Queens. And I do vlogs on Youtube."

Caleb is 34, a chef from Omaha. He has curly red hair and a short, scruffy beard.