‘Big Brother’ Host Julie Chen Dances Around Battle Back Inquiry, Teases A Comeback

Keesha Smith was the first houseguest evicted this summer on Big Brother. The All-Star had her exit interview with host Julie Chen, who appeared to wish her luck and good health moving forward, suggesting she was leaving the game for good and wouldn’t be competing in some sort of Battle Back competition. A post was also shared to Keesha’s Instagram page after she was voted out, featuring a message which was written in first person — but some are suggesting it wasn’t her who actually wrote the caption. If Keesha did write this post, that means she’d have gotten her phone back, showing her game was officially over.

It looked like all signs were pointing to no Battle Back this season, but Julie’s recent interview with Entertainment Weekly gives a glimmer of hope to fans of the competition. The interviewer noted that Julie gave Keesha a “definitive goodbye” and inquired about a possible opportunity for the first four losing houseguests to come back into the house.

“You know our favorite saying… expect the unexpected. I can’t say nuthin’! Ha! Anything is possible… stay tuned! She was wearing a mask as you saw when she exited, so as long as she stays virus-free, anything is possible. By the grace of God… ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!”

As The Inquisitr previously reported, Janelle Pierzina revealed earlier this week on the live feeds that producers told her she wouldn’t go back home to her family until mid-September, should she be evicted early on in the season. This would suggest the first few players who were given the boot would go back into sequester before a Battle Back competition was ready to be played.

It’s also very possible that Julie is just yanking the chains of fans who are hoping to see one of their favorites reenter the house. The Battle Back comp is one of the most famous twists in Big Brother’s history, but this might be the season they choose to leave it out. Producer Allison Grodner recently said she didn’t want the houseguests to expect anything in regards to twists and said her team worked hard to come up with new twists to throw them off. This could mean the Battle Back was put on hold for the year and might not reappear until 2021.

A second possibility is that Keesha may not be eligible to reenter the game for some reason, but other booted houseguests are. There could be a twist on a twist that no one will see coming. The next eviction will take place this Thursday, as will two more the following Thursdays. This is traditionally when a Battle Back takes place, as the fifth evicted houseguest is normally the first member of the jury.