I gave it up years ago at a proper age, my late 20’s when it seemed all they had on was a bunch of immature jokers only looking to get drunk and have a one night stand and annoy everyone around them. Las Vegas jumps to the front of my mind.

But this year, I’m entranced. They did their homework and got some really interesting, intelligent sounding (at least they have big vocabularies) kids.

My favorites:

Ryan went to Iraq and was one of the soldiers in charge of guarding Saddam Hussein during his trial. But he’s also a prankster who dons a fake mustache to a fancy party. His asides crack me up and I wonder if his roomates get all his jabs, or if they have made the concious decision to ignore them. He can go from fun-loving one second to flying off the handle the next. And he writes music and sings accompanied by his own guitar playing. You could hardly write a more interesting and complex character.

Chet is Ryan’s partner in crime. Together these two are ensconsed in a serious bromance. They’ve set out to prank everyone in the house, and I think in four episodes they’ve already accomplished their goal. Chet’s cool because he’s laid back and yet has no problem (so far) living up to his high standards.

Of the girls, Baya is my favorite. She’s a girl’s girl. She doesn’t get worked up over the latest injustice in the house like Sarah. She’s the kind of girl you could be friends with, and she has an incredible talent for dance.

Then there’s Katelynn, who had gender reassignment surgery two months before she moved into the house. She’s so interesting to watch mainly for how people react to her. Plus, I like how cool she is, not forcing herself on others, speaking plainly and without taking some comments too seriously. Instead of being offended, she’s understanding and others in the house could learn a thing or two from her.

So, I’m hooked and so far it’s been an interesting ride…