And Here We Go: Big Brother 23 Week 1 Power Rankings

It's that time of year again. Big Brother is back and 16 houseguests from all around the country have moved inside the house with the hopes of taking home the record-breaking $750,000 grand prize. After the last season of All-Stars ended up being an absolute dud, we can only go up from here. I'm being cautiously optimistic, but the vibes from the first four episodes this season have actually been very good. This will be my third season blogging power rankings for Big Brother, and it seems like everyone is excited for what should be a fun season. 

I know that there are spoilers galore when it comes to Big Brother. Since there is only one live episode per week, nominations and veto results can be easily accessed on the internet. But for the sake of not wanting to ruin it for anyone, these blogs will ALWAYS be spoiler-free. Before we get to the power rankings, let's introduce you to the teams this season (which has been done before to start off BB14):

Jokers: Frenchie, Derek F., Azah, Britini

Queens: Kyland, Travis, Claire, Tiffany

Kings: Christian, Xavier, Alyssa, Sarah Beth

Aces: Brent, Derek X., Whitney, Hannah

And quickly, a recap of the headliners from the opening week...

Head of Household (HOH): Frenchie

Wildcard Winner: Christian

Pre-Veto Nominees: Kyland and Alyssa

Veto Winner: Derek X.

Post-Veto Nominees: Travis and Alyssa

Evicted: Travis (11-2 vote) Tough look for the subject of our friend Caleb's college football piece back in the fall!

Alright, now it is time to dive into our first Big Brother 23 power rankings of the season. Keep in mind that these are based on how I think who has the best chance to win the game, not with the moves they've made so far. Let's get to it. 

15. Frenchie - Where do we start with him? I don't think anyone will be shocked that the Week 1 HOH is dead last on our list. Sure, he secured safety to start off the game, but most people don't want that Week 1 responsibility, anyways. Frenchie then made a deal with pretty much everybody in the house, which then resulted in him going against his word on one deal (Travis). Now, it's very tough to trust him.

14. Britini - We didn't really hear anything from Britini this week. She did have safety thanks to being on Frenchie's team, but I'd put my money on her being a big floater early on. She isn't involved in many of the big alliances, but could stick around for a while.

13. Hannah - Hannah was NOT happy when her name got randomly drawn for the first Wildcard Competition. Not only did she lose, but she is now ineligible to play for safety in future Wildcards. 

12. Brent - As one of the initial targets for Frenchie, Brent talked his way into safety by opening up to the first HOH and convincing him he's not a "meathead." That was enough to get the job done for the flight attendant.

11. Sarah Beth - Here is another houseguest who flew relatively under the radar in the opening week. But again, that is not necessarily a bad thing. She is not a part of the biggest alliance in the house, "The Slaughterhouse," which could make her a target if that eight person group maintains the power for a while.

10. Whitney - As one of the few parents in the house, Whitney made a statement out of the gate by becoming the captain for Team Aces. She is a member of the aforementioned "Slaughterhouse" alliance, which could keep her in the loop until it inevitably blows up. Not sure if she has a backup plan.

9. Christian - This houseguest came up clutch this week when he won the first Wildcard competition. Frenchie said that he was an initial target, but blew up his plans when he secured his phone, wallet, and keys without making much noise. The rumblings of a potential showmance with Alyssa does not help his game, either.

8. Alyssa - Alyssa has one thing in this house that nobody else has: to know what it is like to survive a vote. Despite Frenchie saying that he wasn't putting up a woman, she did not freak out and trusted the process. 

7. Derek X. - The first veto winner of the summer controlled his own destiny when it came to securing safety this week. He isn't a part of any of the big alliances, but he's proven to be a smart competitor who can feel out what is going on.

6. Xavier - The X man was saved by Christian via the Wildcard competition, which is always a nice thing. Even more importantly, he is still eligible to play this upcoming week. He is in a handful of alliances, too.

5. Claire - The captain of Team Queens saw one of her teammates walk out the door this week. However, it really didn't have much to do with her. As the runner-up in the first HOH competition, she's proven she can compete when it matters most. 

4. Azah - By the looks of BB Twitter, we may have our frontrunner for America's Favorite. Azah is a part of "The Cookout" alliance, and seems to have a good relationship with a lot of people.

3. Tiffany - This member of "The Cookout" alliance was one of the two rogue votes in the first eviction. With so many people still in the house, it will be difficult for people to sniff out that she was the one who did it. That's already some strategy on her resume, and she seems to be aligned with some trustworthy people.

2. Kyland - I can't imagine there being many better feelings in this game than when you go from on the block to being HOH. That's what Kyland just pulled off last night. He seems like one of the most likable guys in the house and everybody just wants to be around him. Even Alyssa said that she'd vote for him to stay over herself!

1. Derek F. - The man in our No. 1 spot on opening week is in a great position. Not only is he a member of the two biggest alliances in the house, but he has a handful of individual deals as well. Everyone loves to be around Big D.