Big Brother's 'X' Factor

Even The Early Show co-anchor Julie Chen was shocked when the producers told her what's going to happen Tuesday night. It's called the Big Brother "X"-factor.

For the next three months, eight of the 13 people in the Big Brother game house will be locked in the same house with their ex-boyfriends or girlfriends. Many of those relationships di dnot end on the best of terms. And the houseguests don't find out who will be living there with them until they're already locked inside.

This season, the "Big Brother" house is decorated like a swinging singles pad. Why? Because all 13 houseguests are single and most of them have a reason to come out "swingin'." Eight of the houseguests are in for the surprise of their lives when they find themselves face-to-face with an ex-boyfriend or girl-friend, cameras following their every move, 24 hours a day.

Executive producer Arnold Shapiro, asks, "Will an old flame be re-ignited? Will one of the single people in the house who is not part of an ex-couple become attracted to one of them, and something may begin, creating a jealousy?"

This year's contestants include Erika. She says, "I don't have any qualms about lying or cheating." She is a Pilates instructor from Los Angeles.

Also in the house are Brandon, a computer engineer from Newport Beach, Calif.; Alison, a Pittsburg resident who works in retail; and Jack, a 58-year-old retired FBI agent from Alabama.

Jack says, "They'll have a cop in the house. I've got to blunt that and just be a relaxed person and not assert myself too much."

Danielle Reyes, who was the runner-up in last summer's edition of Big Brother along with and Jason Guy, says, "I'm seeing a lot of opportunities here. Great TV! Absolutely." Jason just laughs. The two formed a friendship that's still going strong.

When they visited the house last week, they barely recognized the place. Looking at a at sunken tub, Danielle notes, "Two people could fit in here. How seductive is that?"

Besides the sunken bathtub, now the house has 1960s décor and a provocative round bed for the so-called "head of household." The diary room brought back memories for Danielle. Many believe this is the place she lost "Big Brother 3."

Shapiro says, "Danielle was delightfully candid in the diary room. She said what was totally on her mind, and it probably cost her the game."

About that, she says, "Do I think I would have won the game? I don't know. I think the votes may have been different."

So there will be a new rule this year designed to keep the results untainted.? Of the 13 houseguests, only the final seven will vote for the winner. And those seven will see nothing from the Diary Room.