By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Here are my early impressions of the three "Big Brother" 17 contestants with Georgia ties. They were part of the first eight contestants featured tonight. (Eight more will show up tomorrow.). All managed to finish in the top 4 in the initial Head of Household challenge featuring tomatoes flung at them while standing on a moving board. Go Georgia! But James Huling, the self-described "hillbilly Asian" from Sumter, S.C., won Head of Household, which provides him the ability to pick two people for possible elimination.
Audrey Middleton
The 25-year-old digital media consultant from Villa Rica comes off as very feminine and calls herself a "girlie girl." But she has a secret that she reveals immediately: she is transgender. She said she transitioned three years ago. "Now it's game time so buckle up b****s!" she told the "Big Brother" cameras. She looks like she is indeed ready to play the game hard. She quickly decided to create an alliance with Shelli Poole and the poker player Da'Vonne Rogers who pretends to be a second-grade teacher. "Female power, baby! Watch out boys!" She tells how difficult it was for her parents from a small town in Georgia to understand her issues. They even sent her to a camp with addicts to try to get her to change her ways. That obviously didn't work.
Shelli Poole
An attractive 33-year-old interior designer from Atlanta, she had her eyes immediately on a 23-year-old grad student named Clay Honeycutt. "Age is just a number," she said, not worried about the age difference. And Clay was interested in her as well. She would love to hook up with Ryan Reynolds. Is she a good strategic player? Hard to say at this stage. There will be a "twin twist" where someone will switch out with their twin back and forth. It won't be Shelli. She has a fraternal brother twin. That wouldn't work!
Jace Agolli
This 23-year-old Dunwoody native and personal trainer from Venice Beach, Calif. has an energetic "let's party" vibe. He might be easily bamboozled or under-estimated. It's too early to tell if his persona will irritate people over time or make him more likable. He surely has an ego. He thinks in a movie about himself, Johnny Depp could play him. The skateboarder shows some of his athleticism during the Head of Household challenge but loses.
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