On Day 1, the new eight HouseGuests entered the house. Following introductions, the HouseGuests learned that they would be required to select a partner to compete with in the game. Though they would be competing as individuals, it was revealed that if a HouseGuest's partner won Head of Household, then they would be immune from eviction that week. They also learned, however, that rather than nominating two HouseGuests for eviction, they would nominate one duo for eviction. When picking partners, Keith and Porsche chose to be partners, as did Cassi and Shelly. Adam and Dominic then chose to be partners, leaving Kalia and Lawon as the fourth pair. Following this, the HouseGuests learned that three former duos would be joining them. This led to the original HouseGuests all forming an alliance with the goal of evicting the returning players. HouseGuests Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly, Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd, and Dick Donato and his daughter Daniele entered the house later that night. Like the new HouseGuests, the six returning duos were partnered together and would earn immunity should their partner win Head of Household. HouseGuests then competed in the "Going Bananas" endurance Head of Household competition. For this competition, HouseGuests held onto an oversized banana while being shot with chocolate and whipped cream; the last HouseGuest remaining on their banana would be the winner. Rachel was the winner. Upon returning inside, the HouseGuests learned of the "Golden Key", in which the HouseGuest who survives eviction would earn the Golden Key, ensuring them safety until only ten HouseGuests remain. The holder of a Golden Key could not compete for Head of Household or the Power of Veto, but were still required to vote for eviction. The returning HouseGuests quickly realized that the new HouseGuests had aligned, thus leading to the six of them forming the Veterans alliance.
