Big Brother season 26 night 1 recap: How BBAI has changed the game

Last night, Big Brother season 26 kicked off, giving us a premiere episode that had us on the edge of our seats!

Sixteen houseguests have begun their journey to securing the grand prize of $750,000. Only one can stand tall in the end to get that cash. But on Day 1, they're all on equal footing.

Or, at least, they were for the first few minutes of the season!

Curious to know how BBAI flipped this game on its head on the first night? Or maybe you're just in need of a quick recap? Don't worry, we've got you covered!

Chelsie falls as Makensy stands tall

For the first time ever, our sixteen houseguests were split into two groups that would move in on completely separate days.

We met the first eight houseguests of the season on night one. Here's who the first group included:

• Kimo Apaka (35)
• Chelsie Baham (27)
• Rubina Bernabe (35)
• Tucker Des Lauriers (30)
• Makensy Manbeck (22)
• Angela Murray (50)
• Joseph Rodriguez (30)
• Cam Sullivan-Brown (25)

Ahead of this season's plot twist reveal, these eight houseguests had the opportunity to vote for a houseguest named Ainsley. Everyone had their different reasons as to why they did or didn't want Ainsley in the game, ranging from wanting another female player included in their potential alliance to not wanting another person in the house to deal with. In the end, however, Ainsley didn't receive enough votes to be in the house.

Or so we thought!

Ainsley may have appeared to be a human being, but she was actually revealed to be an Artificially Intelligent robot that will live alongside the houseguests all summer. This robot isn't staying in the house passively though. Rather, the bot will be very involved, having the power to make or break anyone's game. And we saw an instance of this, as whoever voted to get Ainsley in the game received an opportunity to get a game-changing perk, while those who didn't were punished accordingly.

Those who voted "YES" to get Ainsley in the house competed in a hectic competition where they had to remember the sequence of the colors displayed on the screen while simultaneously spinning in a chair. Whoever remembered the most colors was declared the winner of the competition and would receive a power.

Here's who competed in the "YES" competition, including the winner of this heat:

• Rubina Bernabe (35)
• Makensy Manbeck (22) - WINNER
• Angela Murray (50)
• Joseph Rodriguez (30)

On the other hand, those who voted "NO" to Ainsley competed in an unnerving competition where each contestant had to stick their head in a box full of various bugs and creatures. On the walls of those boxes were letters that spelled out a certain word. Upon figuring out that word, the houseguests had to run to the wall, pick out the correct word, and place it on the respective box.

Once they completed all four boxes, they were then required to put a plug in the wall and press a buzzer that would lock in their time. This part of the competition was very crucial, as the time would continue to run if one didn't put the plug in the wall and press the buzzer.

Unfortunately, Chelsie didn't quite pay attention to the directions.

Along with Chelsie, here's who competed in the "NO" competition:

• Kimo Apaka (35)
• Chelsie Baham (27) - LOSER
• Tucker Des Lauriers (30)
• Cam Sullivan-Brown (25)

We don't know what the respective blessings and punishments are in store for Makensy and Chelsie just yet. But we do know that their games will be heavily affected from here on out.

The next and final group of Big Brother season 26 will move in tonight. What competition will await the second group? Who else will secure a fortunate power? Who will get a huge disadvantage? We will learn soon enough!

Don't forget to tune in to the second night of the two-night Big Brother season 26 premiere tonight, July 18, at 9:00 p.m. ET on CBS and Paramount+.