Originally filed Wednesday, June 27, 2018 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
Atlanta's Bayleigh Dayton came across as super confident during the first two hours of "Big Brother 20" on CBS tonight, dubbing herself as "princess."
She is competing with 15 others for $500,000, potentially staying in this house for up to 99 days. Among her competitors: an undercover cop pretending to be an auto mechanic, a stereotypical lifeguard, a day trader, a Las Vegas entertainer, a super handsome cybersecurity engineer, a professional female football player and a female welder. Plus, there is a truly weird festival coordinator who wears ridiculously over-large glasses.
Bayleigh’s employer (Delta Air Lines) and her Atlanta ties are not mentioned in her intro. It’s probably just as well since how she describes how she goes about her job is not exactly what Delta’s PR department would particularly like to hear.
In her intro, Bayleigh notes that she was the first black Miss Missouri, then talks about how she goes about her job as a flight attendant.
“I try to play nice nasty,” she said. “When it comes to passengers, basically I’ll help you if I absolutely have to but if I don’t, I probably won’t.”
Then she adds that being a flight attendant “prepares me for the Big Brother house because I’m used to dealing with panicky and bratty people all the time. So the Big Brother house will be just another day for me honestly! The other house guests better buckle up. They’re in for a bumpy ride. Turbulence is on its way!”
In the videos, she wears a flight attendant outfit but with no identifying Delta info on it.
Before entering the house, she said she’s not against a showmance.
During the first challenge, Bayleigh was the second one to find a folder in complete darkness full of viscous slime and crap. As a beauty queen and VIP, she said she wanted out immediately.
Later, she observed that Swaggy C, the other black person in the competition, came into the house after winning a second challenge with too much swagger. She told him privately that might be painting a target on her back. She told him to “calm down the beast.”
He and she become tight quickly. “I love Bayleigh,” he said. “She’s my sister in this game.”
He ended up winning a challenge against a fitness model Angela on a surfboard.
And in classic “Big Brother” fashion, two losers had to suffer punishments: welder Samantha became a robot while Kaycee the football player has to stay in whatever room she’s in when her dial around her neck spins..
Swaggy C, as the winner, could pick seven others (and himself) to be safe for the first elimination. He chose the seven he entered the house with, figuring that would cause least harm.
Bayleigh was not part of that group so she could be eliminated first. So much for the sibling connection!
There didn’t appear to be any super tight alliances built up yet or any major arguments - at least nothing the editors showed us. It will be easier to see Bayleigh’s likelihood for survival as conflict and strategy start unfolding.
On night two, Bayleigh and Tyler fought for Head of Household and Tyler just beat her out. They had started working together, then he placed a couple of “deletion” balls in her tube to give himself a better shot at winning. She wasn’t pleased but since he’s now Head of Household, she can’t go after him. So she tries to cover her tracks and play nice. Tyler says he sees through her and has his eye on her.
She later told him that she is very tight with Swaggy C. He considered blowing up her game by nominating her for elimination.
But instead, he chose the weakest players to date in terms of challenges: Steve and Samantha. It was a non-strategic move that will leave him with the least blood on his hands.
