Double the Fun: Adria and Natalie – the Twin Twist – from ‘Big Brother 5’

For five weeks, Adria and Natalie, identical twins, played the Big Brother game. One was in the house, taking in information, but the other was essentially sequestered, with Big Brother food if they won it or PB&J if her twin had it. They traded off every few days, with the condition that if they made it to five weeks in the house without anybody getting wise to their deception, or a twin getting evicted, they would both win the right to compete in the house as individuals.

If you think this was easy, consider this: Twins may look alike, but they often have different personalities (such as my twin cousins). They had to not only absorb knowledge of the house in a 24/7 situation far worse than a job or home life would be, but get away with everything. Indeed, they didn't make a mistake-free journey into the house... but when push came to shove, they got away with their deceptions.

Indeed, the house was stunned by the twist. When Julie Chen was leading up to the revelation, Michael kept naming Holly as the twin twist – one name that many houseguests agreed with. So even when they were told there was a twin coming in, nobody pointed to Adria as the culprit. Evicted houseguests never noticed it until after the fact. Lori was shocked, Holly noted the differing size of their rear ends (after the fact), and Scott claimed to know – but never showed one trace of it during his stay in the house, even when he was on the block and had nothing to lose by exposing it. While in my live feed recaps I mentioned that many houseguests noted Adria's strange behavior in the final few days, they chalked it up to a wavering of loyalty more than anything else. Adria may have been ill – but she was also pulling off one of the greatest reality TV stunts of all time. She got away with it. She and her twin fulfilled all conditions of the twist and earned the right to enter together.

These twins lived in a controlled situation. They were under observation by the others 24/7. They were also looked at by the live feeds. I was watching them myself, just for kicks – but I completely failed to note a switch made by the twins (for the record, it was when one was in bedclothes and a housecoat – and the other wasn't – they switched then and there. One twin went on to breakfast. I didn't notice the switch at all, and I knew what to look for). The twins are good – very good.

In the end, the twins pulled of their switch and remained in the house for five weeks without being detected. Adria and Natalie pulled off ten switches, knowing only what one was able to describe to the other in 15minutes. They survived being nominated, incomplete knowledge of the house, and they still grabbed their prize. The evicted houseguests might have noticed some discrepancies. There might have been some clues. They viewers of the live feeds, knowing what to look for didn't catch on to when they switched. The twins fooled everybody. Few knew when they were switching – only Big Brother could figure out when they pulled off a switch.

Overall, it all comes down to the game plans of the twins. They planned their strategy to get to the point where they individuals, and they got away with it. They witnessed the fights for power in the house, and they got away with it. They lasted for five weeks without the others figuring the twist out, and they got away with it. From the live feeds, Natalie and Adria were complimented on getting away with the twist for so long instead of being hated for it. The twins had to get away with their stunts for five weeks of 24/7 interaction – complete with competitions, nominations, and requests for information.

Within this induction, we would also like to give special recognition to the producers of Big Brother 5 for coming up with – and pulling off – the twin twist. While the show has been criticized for some of the twists they have used, this one made for great television. The look on Jase’s face alone when Natalie walked out was worth the wait. But it all would have been for nothing if Adria and Natalie had not been able to pull it off.

Adria and Natalie might not win. They might not even get close to winning. And this induction does not cover whatever has come since the revelation, nor what might come later. But they were never found out, and nobody in the game even suspected their switching until it was revealed live. They fooled people completely. It's what earned them this position in the Reality TV Hall of Fame.

Jeffrey Clinard lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his cats, Lam and Princess. He can be reached at realityfeedback@bookslv.com.

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