Big Brother (US TV series)
Encyclopedia
Big Brother is the American version of the Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...

reality television show based on the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 television series of the same name
Big Brother (Netherlands)
The Dutch Big Brother is the original version of the TV reality shows. It created the format in which contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of a prize at the end...

 originally created by John de Mol in 1997. The show follows a group of House Guests living together twenty-four hours a day in the "Big Brother" house, isolated from the outside world but under constant surveillance with no privacy for three months. In thirteen seasons of the show, 151 different people have entered the Big Brother house so far. Big Brother US is currently the longest running version of the Big Brother format, running slightly longer than the British format which premiered a few weeks after the launch of the American version. It has remained the longest running version of the format since 2004 during its fifth season, thereby surpassing the Dutch version
Big Brother (Netherlands)
The Dutch Big Brother is the original version of the TV reality shows. It created the format in which contestants live in an isolated house trying to avoid being evicted by the public with the aim of a prize at the end...

 which was cancelled during its fourth season in 2002
Big Brother 2002 (Netherlands)
Like the third season, the Dutch Season 4 was broadcast by Yorin as well. It lasted from 28 August till 23 December 2002 . Presenter was Martijn Krabbé , aided by psychologist Dr. Steven Pont. This season the house was again divided in a rich area and a poor area...

. It has currently been renewed for a 14th season in which it will mark its 13th year on air.

The HouseGuests compete for the chance to win a $500,000 grand prize by avoiding weekly eviction, until the last HouseGuest remains at the end of the season that can claim the $500,000 grand prize. The American series is hosted by television personality Julie Chen
Julie Chen
Julie Suzanne Chen is an American television personality, news anchor, and producer for CBS. She has 16 years of newscasting experience. She is best known for co-anchoring CBS's The Early Show, alongside Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez. She has been the host of the U.S. version of Big Brother...

. Produced by Allison Grodner
Allison Grodner
Allison Grodner is an award-winning director, producer and writer, who has worked in documentary and reality-based programming for the past fifteen years. She is best known for her work on the American version of the reality TV show Big Brother. She is an executive producer of Big Brother and Big...

 and Rich Meehan for Fly On The Wall Entertainment, it currently airs in the United States on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 and in Canada on Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...

.

Along with America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....

, it is currently one of the last American primetime programs on the five major English-language networks not to yet convert to high definition, and it continues to be produced in 480i
480i
480i is the shorthand name for a video mode, namely the US NTSC television system or digital television systems with the same characteristics. The i, which is sometimes uppercase, stands for interlaced, the 480 for a vertical frame resolution of 480 lines containing picture information; while NTSC...

 standard definition.

On September 14, 2011, Big Brother was renewed for a 14th season that will premiere on Thursday July 5th 2012.

Main series

In all seasons, eviction night has been hosted by veteran television personality and news anchor, Julie Chen
Julie Chen
Julie Suzanne Chen is an American television personality, news anchor, and producer for CBS. She has 16 years of newscasting experience. She is best known for co-anchoring CBS's The Early Show, alongside Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez. She has been the host of the U.S. version of Big Brother...

, wife of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 President Les Moonves and co-host of the network's The Talk
The Talk
The Talk may refer to:*A discussion of sexuality given to children, also euphemistically referred to as "the birds and the bees".*An episode of Mortified called "The Talk", about a teen attempting to avoid the above discussion....

and formerly co-host of CBS's The Early Show
The Early Show
The Early Show is an American television morning news talk show broadcast by CBS from New York City. The program airs live from 7 to 9 a.m. Eastern Time Monday through Friday; most affiliates in the Central, Mountain, and Pacific time zones air the show on tape-delay from 7 to 9 a.m. local time. ...

. Television critics gave Chen largely negative reviews during her first season (2000), citing wooden delivery, stilted interaction with the studio audience, weak interviews with evictees on the live programs, and her overuse of the phrase "But first..." This led fans to dub her "the Chenbot," a moniker of which Chen is aware and says she accepts.

The announcer played an active role in the first season introducing every scene, but with the major changes to the program after the initial season, the announcer was relegated to the opening and closing of each episode. There have been several different announcers throughout the years. Past announcers include Dave Walsh (season one and episode 2 of season two), Chuck Riley (season two), and Phil Proctor (seasons 3-6 ). The current announcer is Clayton Halsey and has been the announcer since season seven.

Format

The format for season one was radically different than in the following seasons. Season one was identical to international versions of Big Brother in which each HouseGuest would individually go to the Diary Room and nominate two fellow HouseGuests for banishment. (The term "eviction" was not used until season two.) The two or more HouseGuests with the most nominations are then revealed to the House and were "Marked for Banishment", at which point the public were invited to vote for who they wish to evict by calling a premium rate telephone number. The HouseGuest who received the greatest percentage of the public vote was evicted. When there were three HouseGuests left the public would vote for the winner.

Beginning with the second season the HouseGuests compete to become Head of Household or HoH. The Head of Household is responsible for nominating two HouseGuests for eviction. During the Live Eviction show, HouseGuests individually go into the Diary Room (this was taped in early seasons, but beginning with the All-Star season 7, each vote has been done live) and cast their vote to evict. Julie then reveals the results of the vote to the House, and tells the evicted houseguest has only a few moments to leave the house. In the event of a tie the HOH breaks it. When two HouseGuests were left, the evicted HouseGuests voted for the winner and in the event of a tie the public would have broken the tie.

During season three a new power was introduced called the Power of Veto (PoV). The Power of Veto winner can choose to veto one of the Head of Household's initial nominations. When this happens, the HOH chooses someone else to replace that nominee. The winner is also protected from becoming a replacement nominee for the week. Originally, the Power of Veto was silver and if a nominee won the Power of Veto the nominee could not save themselves. The "Golden" Power of Veto, introduced in the last veto competition in season three, could be won by a nominee and used to save themselves. The Golden Power of Veto is now the standard veto since season four.

The fourth season introduced the Big Brother Jury, sometimes referred to as the "Jury of Seven". The Jury is made up of the final seven evicted HouseGuests. As each member of the Jury is evicted from the House they are sequestered in a separate house. The jury members are not allowed to watch the show except for segments which include all of the HouseGuests, for example the nominations and Power of Veto ceremonies. The jury members are not shown any Diary Room interviews or any footage involving strategy or twists to the game. The Big Brother Jury votes to determine the winner of Big Brother each season.

If at any time a houseguest violates the rules, the producers expel that person from the Big Brother house.

Live show

Live shows have been broadcast on Thursday night in every season, except for the first season, fourth season, and ninth season
Big Brother 9 (U.S.)
Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...

. Later in the season, there will occasionally be live shows on other days when Big Brother is on (for example, during a double eviction week). During the first season, the live show would rotate between a daily recap, the houseguests' live nominations, and live banishments (known as "evictions" since the second season). The first season's live show also featured a studio audience. Occasional guest commentators included Dr. Drew Pinsky
Drew Pinsky
David Drew Pinsky , best known as Dr. Drew, is an American board-certified internist, addiction medicine specialist, and radio and television personality. He has hosted the nationally syndicated radio talk show Loveline since the show's inception in 1984. On television, he hosts the talk show Dr...

, who talked about relationships the houseguests have inside and outside the house, and America Online "Internet Advisor" Regina Lewis, who would talk about what the live feed viewers were saying and show poll results related to events in the house.

From the second season through the ninth season
Big Brother 9 (U.S.)
Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...

, Julie presented the live show in an empty studio overlooking the house. Highlights are shown during the live show, then a houseguest is evicted and briefly interviewed by Julie. The Head of Household (HoH) competition is held shortly thereafter. For the most part, quizzes determine the next Head of Household due to the show's running time. Endurance competitions do not finish during the live show and are broadcast on the live Internet feeds; the highlights and results of the completed HoH competition are broadcast on the next episode. Starting with the tenth season
Big Brother 10 (U.S.)
Big Brother 10 is the tenth season of the American reality television seriesBig Brother The show premiered July 13, 2008 on the CBS television network, airing three times a week; Sundays at 8 p.m. , Tuesdays at 9 p.m. , and Thursdays at 8 p.m...

, the live shows once again had an audience.

Live Internet feeds

Each year CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 has made live streaming Internet video feeds from the Big Brother house available through RealNetworks
RealNetworks
RealNetworks, Inc. is a provider of Internet media delivery software and services based in Downtown Seattle, Washington, United States. The company is the creator of RealAudio, a compressed audio format; RealVideo, a compressed video format; RealPlayer, a media player; RealDownloader, a download...

. The Internet feeds were free during season one but became a subscription service beginning with season two. In order to preserve the drama for television broadcasts, CBS does not webcast certain moments that transpire in the house, including weekly competitions and the nomination/eviction process. Slanderous statements and singing of copyrighted music are also blocked for legal reasons.

Season details

|
Season|HouseGuests|Days In House|VoteNotes
Big Brother 1 10 Eddie McGee
Eddie McGee
Eddie McGee was the winner of the first season of the American version of Big Brother. He was awarded $500,000 for being the last remaining HouseGuests, beating out nine other contestants. McGee is a wheelchair basketball player who lost his left leg due to cancer.-Life and career:McGee was born...

59% Differed completely from later seasons, where eliminations were called "banishments" instead of "evictions" and occurred via the viewers instead of votes.
Big Brother 2 12 Will "Dr. Will" Kirby 5-2 (6-3) First season to feature the Head of Household (HoH) and in which a HouseGuest, Justin Sebik, was expelled from the game. Also the only season to have nullified votes in the finale.
Big Brother 3 Lisa Donahue
Lisa Donahue
Lisa Donahue was the winner of the third season of the CBS reality series, Big Brother. Prior to the show she was a bartender.-Big Brother:...

9-1 First season to feature the Power of Veto (PoV) and the only season to have every evicted HouseGuest vote for a winner. Also the first season to have a HouseGuest return to the house, but the HouseGuests voted for who to return, not a public vote.
Big Brother 4 13 Jun Song
Jun Song
Jun Song is a former investment manager from New York City, New York and the winner of the CBS reality show Big Brother 4.- Big Brother :...

6-1 Featured the "X-Factor", in which five people were joined by ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends. Also the first season to feature the "Big Brother Jury", where the last seven evicted HouseGuests voted for who to win.
Big Brother 5 14 Drew Daniel
Andrew Daniel
Andrew Theodore "Drew" Daniel was the winner of the American reality television show Big Brother 5 in 2004. Before moving into the Big Brother house, he had recently graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio...

4-3 Featured "Project DNA: Do Not Assume", in which two HouseGuests discovered they were brother and sister, despite having no prior knowledge of each other. Additionally, a pair of twins secretly swapped in and out of the house, pretending to be the same person, in a bid to get to play the game individually.
Big Brother 6
Big Brother 6 (U.S.)
The sixth season of CBS's American version of Big Brother consisted of thirty episodes which aired from July 7 to September 20, 2005. It was again hosted by Julie Chen....

Maggie Ausburn
Maggie Ausburn
Margaret Ausburn , a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, is known for winning the American version of the reality TV show Big Brother 6, broadcast by CBS in 2005.-Medical career:...

4-3 Billed as "Summer of Secrets", each houseguest began the game with a secret partner who they knew prior to entering the house. The prize money would be increased should one of the pairs make the final two. Additionally, for the first time, the public were able to vote for one player to return to the game after eviction.
Big Brother: All-Stars 14 returning contestants Mike "Boogie" Malin 6-1 Introduced the "Coup d'État", earning the power to overthrow the HoH and change nominations, and the "Big Brother Slop", which replaced peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich or PB&J is a sandwich, popular in North America, that includes a layer of peanut butter and either jam or jelly on bread, commonly between two slices, but sometimes eaten open-faced....

es as the weekly food restriction.
Big Brother 8
Big Brother 8 (U.S.)
Big Brother 8 is the eighth season of the US version of the reality TV-show Big Brother on CBS. The season was announced on February 1, 2007. Julie Chen returned for this season as host. Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan are executive producers. Arnold Shapiro stepped down as producer following last...

14 "Evel" Dick Donato
Dick Donato
Richard Louis Donato, known as "Evel Dick" Donato , a bar manager from Los Angeles, California, is the winner of the reality game show Big Brother 8. He and his daughter, Daniele Donato, are the only family member pair to win the American Big Brother program's top two prizes in the same competition...

5-2 Featured three nemeses (Dick, Dustin and Jessica), and the addition of "costumes", which would later be used in subsequent seasons. Also the first season to include "America's Player".
Big Brother 9
Big Brother 9 (U.S.)
Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...

16 Adam Jasinski
Adam Jasinski
Adam Jasinski is the winner of the U.S. series Big Brother 9. Jasinski is a public relations manager from Delray Beach, Florida...

6-1 First and only season to air in the winter as a result of the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Also the first season to have the HouseGuests play as couples and the first to have a player walk out of (voluntary quit) the game.
Big Brother 10
Big Brother 10 (U.S.)
Big Brother 10 is the tenth season of the American reality television seriesBig Brother The show premiered July 13, 2008 on the CBS television network, airing three times a week; Sundays at 8 p.m. , Tuesdays at 9 p.m. , and Thursdays at 8 p.m...

13 Dan Gheesling 7-0 Noted as a "back to basics" season by both CBS and the production team. As part of the back to basics format, there was no "twist" to the season, live audiences returned for the Thursday eviction shows for the first time since Big Brother 1, and for the first time since Big Brother 3 the HouseGuests were all complete strangers. Also the first and only season to have a unanimous vote winner.
Big Brother 11
Big Brother 11 (U.S.)
Big Brother 11 is the 11th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It began on July 9, 2009 and aired on CBS and Showtime 2 for 73 days, concluding on September 15, 2009 when Jordan Lloyd was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury and one vote from the viewing public...

12 + 1 returning contestant Jordan Lloyd
Jordan Lloyd
Jordan Hailie Lloyd is an American reality television participant, and the winner of the 11th season of Big Brother. Lloyd has also participated in The Amazing Race 16 and Big Brother 13 reality shows.-Early life:...

5-2 Featured high school cliques, whereas an entire clique was safe from eviction if one of their members becomes HoH. First season to feature "Pandora's Box", and to have the American public as a juror. Second season to feature the Coup d'État", earning the power to overthrow the HoH and change nominations
Big Brother 12
Big Brother 12 (U.S.)
Big Brother 12 is the 12th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. The HouseGuests moved into the Big Brother House on July 3, 2010 and the season premiered on July 8, 2010. The show was broadcast on CBS and Showtime 2 for 75 days, concluding on September 15, 2010 when Hayden...

13 Hayden Garrett Moss
Hayden Garrett Moss
Hayden Garrett Moss , is a college student from Tempe, Arizona. He become of the winner of Big Brother 12.-Early Life:Moss originated from Coolidge, Arizona to Gary and Renea Moss. Moss has a younger sister, Terryn. He graduated from Queen Creek High School in Queen Creek, Arizona where he lettered...

4-3 Featured the "Big Brother Saboteur", whose mission was to not win the grand prize, but perform various tasks to disrupt the lives of the other HouseGuests in order to win $50,000.
Big Brother 13
Big Brother 13 (U.S.)
Big Brother 13 was the thirteenth season of the American reality television series, Big Brother. The show was broadcast on CBS and Showtime 2 for 75 days, concluding on September 14, 2011 when Rachel Reilly was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury over Porsche Briggs' three...

8 + 6 returning contestants Rachel Reilly
Rachel Reilly (Big Brother)
Rachel Eileen Reilly is an American television personality and reality show contestant. Reilly appeared in two seasons of the American edition of the television series Big Brother, winning its thirteenth season in 2011.-Early life:...

4-3 Featured three "Dynamic Duos" from previous seasons returning to play again. In the early weeks, houseguest's competed and were nominated in pairs, with the surviving houseguest gaining a "Golden Key" which gave them immunity until the final ten. The duos twist was resurrected for a week later in the game.
Big Brother 14
Big Brother 14 (U.S)
Big Brother 14 is the upcoming season of the American reality television series, Big Brother it has been released that Big Brother will Priemere on July 5th, 2012...

TBA in 2012 TBD
TBD
TBD is an abbreviation often meaning in ordinary writing "to be discussed" "to be done", "to be defined", "to be decided", "to be determined", etc...

?-?

International broadcasts

Two seasons of the American version of Big Brother
Big Brother (TV series)
Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...

have aired in the United Kingdom in addition to airing in the United States and Canada. Big Brother 4 aired in the United Kingdom on E4 after the fourth edition of the British version
Big Brother (UK)
Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...

 ended. E4 aired the three weekly episodes and live footage from the House. The live footage was a time delay so viewers wouldn't be confused between the episodes and the live footage. Later seasons did not air in the United Kingdom due to conflicts with the British version. E4 announced on February 8, 2008 that Big Brother 9
Big Brother 9 (U.S.)
Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...

would air on the channel. The ninth edition of the American edition premiered on February 14, 2008 two days after its American/Canadian premiere. Unlike with Big Brother 4 E4 did not air live footage from the House during Big Brother 9 instead only the three weekly highlight shows were aired. The tenth season didn't air in the United Kingdom due to conflicts with the British version.

House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show

House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show was a live Internet talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....

 hosted by Gretchen Massey
Gretchen Massey
Gretchen Wynnifer Massey Lukas is a Los Angeles-based radio host and performer. Her CBS Radio talk show 'CrackinUp w/ Gretchen & the Lukes' aired weekly on the Los Angeles station KLSX 97.1 Free FM every 'Fraturday'...

 and focused on events in the Big Brother house as well as taking phone calls from viewers. The show started in 2004 during Big Brother 5 with Marcellas Reynolds as host/co-host, and became quite popular. House Calls has returned during each season of Big Brother. For Big Brother 9
Big Brother 9 (U.S.)
Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...

, Massey co-hosted with Big Brother 8 winner "Evel" Dick Donato
Dick Donato
Richard Louis Donato, known as "Evel Dick" Donato , a bar manager from Los Angeles, California, is the winner of the reality game show Big Brother 8. He and his daughter, Daniele Donato, are the only family member pair to win the American Big Brother program's top two prizes in the same competition...

, runner up Daniele Donato, season two's Bunky and season six/seven Kaysar, Contestants on Big Brother are bound by contract to appear on the webcast the Friday after their live eviction. Evicted sequestered HouseGuests do not appear on the show after their eviction.

The popularity of House Calls has spawned other Internet talk shows, including Survivor Live
Survivor Live
Survivor Live was an internet talk-show about the television series Survivor.The show premiered at the beginning of Survivor: Vanuatu - Islands of Fire as a result of the popularity of House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show, which began airing the previous summer during Big Brother 5...

for Survivor, Finish Line and Elimination Station for The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race
The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, who have some form of a preexisting personal relationship, race around the world in competition with other teams...

, Talk Model for America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model
America's Next Top Model is a reality television show in which a number of women compete for the title of America's Next Top Model and a chance to start their career in the modeling industry....

, and various Aftershows on MTV Overdrive for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 programming.

It was announced before Big Brother 11 premiered July 9, 2009 that House Calls had been canceled, due to the fact the show could not find a sponsor. The evicted BB11 houseguests appeared on Inside Dish with Ross Matthews after their evictions during the 2009 season. Currently, there is no direct affiliate to interview the evicted housemates.

Big Brother: After Dark

Big Brother: After Dark airs nightly from Midnight to 3:00 a.m. Eastern time (9:00 p.m. to Midnight) on Showtime 2 in the United States (re-airing from Midnight to 3:00 a.m. Pacific time
Pacific Time Zone
The Pacific Time Zone observes standard time by subtracting eight hours from Coordinated Universal Time . The clock time in this zone is based on the mean solar time of the 120th meridian west of the Greenwich Observatory. During daylight saving time, its time offset is UTC-7.In the United States...

 on the West Coast feed of Showtime 2) and on Global Reality Channel
Global Reality Channel
Global Reality Channel is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Shaw Media. The channel broadcasts reality television series and related programming...

 in Canada, and features footage from the same live camera feeds that are made available to subscribers of the shows 24/7 live Internet feeds. The program is the only first-run original program produced specifically for any of Showtime's seven multiplex channels. This program features house activity happening between these times, and is occasionally interrupted for slanderous statements, music copyrights and short promotional breaks for programs airing on the primary Showtime channel or Global Reality Channel. According to executive producer Allison Grodner
Allison Grodner
Allison Grodner is an award-winning director, producer and writer, who has worked in documentary and reality-based programming for the past fifteen years. She is best known for her work on the American version of the reality TV show Big Brother. She is an executive producer of Big Brother and Big...

, these three hours are entertaining as "That's prime time for the Big Brother house. It's when our HouseGuests are most wide awake and having fun, talking about strategy and playing the game. People are going to see quite a bit."

Competitions

Competitions have been part of the show since season two. Various competitions force the HouseGuests to work together, in teams, or against each other for prizes or power. There are three different styles of games: endurance contests test which HouseGuest can last the longest doing a certain task (such as holding a key); games of skill test the HouseGuests' athleticism, ingenuity, or luck; and quizzes test the HouseGuests' knowledge of each other and the house. All three styles are used to varying degrees in the weekly competitions. Sometimes, a recycled competition that has appeared in a previous season is used. For example, the game "Majority Rules" (in which the HouseGuests have to answer questions with opinions while trying to stay with the majority until the tie-breaker question), which debuted in season four, has been recycled into the sixth, eighth, tenth, twelfth
Big Brother 12 (U.S.)
Big Brother 12 is the 12th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. The HouseGuests moved into the Big Brother House on July 3, 2010 and the season premiered on July 8, 2010. The show was broadcast on CBS and Showtime 2 for 75 days, concluding on September 15, 2010 when Hayden...

. and thirteenth
Big Brother 13 (U.S.)
Big Brother 13 was the thirteenth season of the American reality television series, Big Brother. The show was broadcast on CBS and Showtime 2 for 75 days, concluding on September 14, 2011 when Rachel Reilly was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury over Porsche Briggs' three...

 seasons, each time being played for Head of Household.

Head of Household (HoH)

After each eviction (except the first week), HouseGuests compete to become the Head of Household. Due to the live show's time limit, quizzes are normally used for this competition. Games of skill also appear as HoH competitions occasionally, while the endurance contest is only used two to three times a season.

The HoH receives perks such as their own private bedroom, photos or gifts from home, and maid service. The HoH also nominates two HouseGuests for eviction. If one of the nominees is removed via the Power of Veto, the HoH will name a replacement nominee. The HoH reigns until the next eviction in which he or she may not vote except to break a tie. The HouseGuest may not participate in the following HoH competition unless only three HouseGuests are remaining or on special occasions, the rare Coup D'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...

 is used. In this event the HoH is also able to compete in the next HoH competition, because they have been considered 'overthrown'. The Coup D'État has only been used once and only ever in the game twice.

The final HoH competition occurs when only three HouseGuests remain. The competition is held in three parts. For the first stage, the HouseGuests compete in an endurance contest requiring the HouseGuests to hang on to their keys in the face of some unusual circumstance. The second stage is commonly a game of skill between the losers of the previous stage. The winners of first and second stage face off in a quiz where the participants must guess what departed HouseGuests thought. The winner of the third stage becomes the last HoH while the two other HouseGuests are automatically nominated. As none of the trio are eligible to vote, the last HoH breaks the 0-0 tie and chooses who to evict.

Although one HouseGuest normally retains the Head of Household rewards and responsibilities for the week, exceptions have occurred. In a "double eviction" week, the first HoH only reigns for a short period (between an hour and three days) while the second HoH reigns for the rest of the week. When this occurs, the first HoH is normally not provided the benefits such as use of the HoH bedroom. Another exception is when two HouseGuests share Head of Household, such as in the first week of Big Brother: All-Stars as well as the first few weeks of Big Brother 9. The co-HoHs had to agree on two nominees or else become the nominees themselves and lose their HoH privileges. If a tie were to occur when there were co-HoHs, then the Power of Veto winner would have to cast the tie-breaking vote.

The HoH has been adopted by some other countries with different rules, including the African, Australian, Brazilian, and the United Kingdom version.

Power of Veto (PoV)

The Power of Veto is a power that a contestant can earn. Debuting in season 3, the original Power of Veto allowed a player to save a person off the block, however a person who is nominated could not take themselves off the nomination block. If someone who was not originally nominated wins the power of veto, he/she can take any player off the block. Later in the same season, it was changed to the now current system, the Golden Power of Veto.

Each week after the Head of Household has announced the week's nominees, the six HouseGuests (the nominated contestants, the current HoH, and three other housemates, if possible) compete for the Golden Power of Veto. The winner of the Power of Veto can choose to veto one of the Head of Household's initial nominations. If the veto winner does not want to veto one of the HoH's nominations, he or she can choose to keep the nominations the same. If they do veto one of the nominees, the HoH must name a replacement nominee. The winner is also protected from becoming a replacement nominee for the week. This competition is more often a game of skill instead of a quiz or endurance contest.

The veto has been played for 120 times with the following results (from seasons 3-13):
  • 50 times a nominee saved themselves
  • 21 times a fellow houseguest saved a nominee (Including six times by the HOH and three times by the other nominee)
  • 49 times the veto was not used (Including one nominee choosing not to save themself)

Food competition

Food competitions allow the HouseGuests to win food for the week. Most food competitions are games of skill, although the HouseGuests may work individually, in teams, or as one group. The Head of Household hosts the Food Competition and can eat any food the winners would earn. Winners eat a variety of food during the week. Losers go on food restriction, which usually lasts until after the next eviction and HoH competition. However, food competitions may not be held every week. For example, no food competitions were played the latter half of season six.

During seasons two through six, the food restriction was a diet of peanut butter and jelly sandwich
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich
The peanut butter and jelly sandwich or PB&J is a sandwich, popular in North America, that includes a layer of peanut butter and either jam or jelly on bread, commonly between two slices, but sometimes eaten open-faced....

es, milk, water, and condiments. Starting in All Stars, the sandwiches were replaced with "Big Brother Slop". The slop looks (but doesn't taste) like oatmeal and has essential nutrients, but it is not appetizing. If the HouseGuests are hypoglycemic, they may request a sugar substance to mix with the "Big Brother Slop". In Season 9 Amanda Hansen fainted from a lack of sugar from her diet of "Big Brother Slop". This is when the show stated that HouseGuests may request the sugar substance. The HouseGuests can win "passes" to escape food restriction once. The passes are transferable until used or its holder is evicted, so trading the pass became a tool in strategy.

When all HouseGuests compete as one group, the competition changes slightly. The competition is not for all food or food restriction for the whole week. Instead, the HouseGuests may compete to earn different food groups. Alternatively, the HouseGuests may compete to earn the full food diet for each day of the week.

To date, HouseGuest Jen Johnson of Season 8 is the first house guest to defy the slop rules, eating a turkey burger, cottage cheese, and an apple. By doing so she originally received a penalty nomination for the following week but this was later replaced with a penalty eviction vote during Week 7 due to the original punishment being found unfair to the week's other nominee Jameka Cameron. HouseGuest Jeff Schroeder of Season 11
Big Brother 11 (U.S.)
Big Brother 11 is the 11th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It began on July 9, 2009 and aired on CBS and Showtime 2 for 73 days, concluding on September 15, 2009 when Jordan Lloyd was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury and one vote from the viewing public...

 drank Gatorade while he was on Slop, therefore earning himself an extra day. Kevin Campbell was also given an extra day during Season 11 for eating a grape.

Luxury competitions

The Luxury Competitions allow the HouseGuests to win special prizes. They usually involve games of skill. Examples of previous luxuries earned include margarita parties, movie screenings, and access to newspaper clippings. This competition occurred frequently in the earlier seasons. In later seasons, Luxury Competitions are held less frequently as the show began giving prizes away during the Head of Household and Power of Veto competitions. An example of this is the backyard's hot tub. The first Luxury Competition in seasons two through five were to earn the key to the hot tub. However, the hot tub's key was hidden in the Gold room in season six, and the hot tub was not locked at all in seasons seven through thirteen.

Have and Have Not competitions

Big Brother replaced the food competitions with Have and Have Not competitions starting with Big Brother 11. HouseGuests would be divided into either the "Haves" or the "Have Nots" depending on their performance in the competitions. The Haves would be able to eat anything they want, while the Have Not's would have to be stuck on Slop for the week, and also for the whole week the Have Not's have to sleep on a metal bed with a sleeping bag and a thin pillow but in Big Brother 12 they had to sleep on lawn chairs with thin blankets, and they are stuck with taking cold showers for the week. In Big Brother 13 the have and have not room contained the houseguests having to sleep in an insane asylum type bedroom with very uncomfortable beds and always having to leave the light on 24/7. From Big Brother 11 onward, an America's Vote poll allowed viewers to select a food item that houseguests on food restriction could have without penalty.

America's Vote

America's Vote, formerly titled America's Choice, allows the viewing public to select a HouseGuest to receive a special opportunity not available to other HouseGuests. Voting is done through the CBS website and text messaging. Though HouseGuests do not actively compete for the reward, it is essentially a reward based on viewers' opinions of the HouseGuests. America's Choice contests begin midway through each season and occur weekly. Previous contests have allowed HouseGuests to make a mobile phone call to family, have a walk-on role for a CBS soap opera, and conduct an internet chat with fans. In season six, the first America's Choice contest was to vote a previously evicted HouseGuest back into the house. America's Choice is not always a choice between contestants to earn a special opportunity. Sometimes viewers are asked what challenge the HouseGuests should play or what kind of appliance would be given to the HouseGuests. In season eight, America's Choice spun off into America's Player, where Eric was chosen to fulfill tasks voted on by the public for financial reward. During Big Brother 7: All-Stars, America's Choice was renamed America's Vote. An America's Vote poll during Big Brother 10 allowed viewers to select a food item that houseguests on food restriction could have without penalty. Big Brother 11 continued a similar poll weekly throughout the 12th and 13th seasons.
AV Wins Season(s) Prize
Janelle Pierzina 5 6/7 Phone call home, Set visit to Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men
Two and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...

, Entry into Big Brother All-Stars, Big Brother Prom Queen, $25,000 Jury Prize
Robert Roman 3 4 Letter from home, Phone call home, Internet chat with fans
Jeff Schroeder 3 11/13 Power of Coup D'État, season 11's
Big Brother 11 (U.S.)
Big Brother 11 is the 11th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It began on July 9, 2009 and aired on CBS and Showtime 2 for 73 days, concluding on September 15, 2009 when Jordan Lloyd was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury and one vote from the viewing public...

 $25,000 Favorite HouseGuest Prize, season 13's
Big Brother 13 (U.S.)
Big Brother 13 was the thirteenth season of the American reality television series, Big Brother. The show was broadcast on CBS and Showtime 2 for 75 days, concluding on September 14, 2011 when Rachel Reilly was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury over Porsche Briggs' three...

 $25,000 Favorite HouseGuest Prize
Kaysar Ridha 2 6/7 Re-entry into BB6 house, Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
Will Kirby 1 2/7 Internet chat with fans
Bunky Miller 1 2 Letter from home
Hardy Hill 1 2 Phone call home
Krista Stegall 1 2 Birthday Dinner Date
Danielle Reyes 1 3/7 Video from home
Jason Guy 1 3 Letter from home
Lisa Donahue 1 3 Internet chat with fans
1 3/7 Private dinner date
Marvin Latimer 1 5 Walk on role in The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless
The Young and the Restless is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in a fictional Wisconsin town called Genoa City, which is unlike and unrelated to the real life village of the same name, Genoa City, Wisconsin...

Michael Ellis 1 5 Phone call home
Erika Landin 1 4/7 Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
Diane Henry 1 5/7 Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
Jase Wirey 1 5/7 Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
Nakomis Dedmon 1 5/7 Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
Howie Gordon 1 6/7 Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
James Rhine 1 6/7 Entry into Big Brother All-Stars
Alex Coladonato 1 9 Possible re-entry into BB9 House (did not eventually return into the house)
James Zinkand 1 9 $25,000 Jury Prize
Dan Gheesling 1 10 Chance to become America's Player; $20,000 if accepted
Jerry MacDonald 1 10 Phone call home
Keesha Smith 1 10 $25,000 Jury Prize
Jordan Lloyd 1 11/13 7th Jury Vote to win Big Brother 11
Ragan Fox 1 12 Chance to become Saboteur; $20,000 if accepted (accepted)
Britney Haynes 1 12 $25,000 Favorite HouseGuest Prize
Brendon Villegas 1 12/13 Chance to return to the house; pending a challenge against the next evicted player (eventually won challenge and returned)

Pandora's Box

Pandora's Box was introduced in Big Brother 11. Opening Pandora's Box can unleash a good consequence and a bad consequence. Pandora's Box is a room located adjacent to the Head of Household bedroom and can only be opened by the HoH, although the consequences of opening Pandora's Box can affect the entire house.
Head of Household Season Good Consequence Bad Consequence
Kevin Campbell 11 $10,000 was released into the House Locked in Pandora's Box
Natalie Martinez 11 Private meeting with boyfriend
  • Can't compete for the Power of Veto
  • Clowns entered House to annoy the HouseGuests

Matt Hoffman 12 Diamond Power of Veto New Saboteur unleashed
Brendon Villegas 12 24-hour vacation from the House Evicted HouseGuest Rachel returned for 24 hours
Britney Haynes 12 House received a Luau
Luau
A luau is a Hawaiian feast. It may feature food, such as poi, kalua pig, poke, lomi salmon, opihi, haupia, and beer; and entertainment, such as Hawaiian music and hula...

 
Locked with seasons 10
Big Brother 10 (U.S.)
Big Brother 10 is the tenth season of the American reality television seriesBig Brother The show premiered July 13, 2008 on the CBS television network, airing three times a week; Sundays at 8 p.m. , Tuesdays at 9 p.m. , and Thursdays at 8 p.m...

and 11
Big Brother 11 (U.S.)
Big Brother 11 is the 11th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It began on July 9, 2009 and aired on CBS and Showtime 2 for 73 days, concluding on September 15, 2009 when Jordan Lloyd was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury and one vote from the viewing public...

Jessie
Lane Elenburg 12 Won $91.17
  • No silverware/cups for a week
  • Sock puppets for 12 hours
  • Dancing for 12 hours

Porsche Briggs 13 Won $10,000 (forced to divide it evenly with her partner) Dynamic duo twist returned
Rachel Reilly 13
  • New clothes
  • Visit with Tori Spelling
    Tori Spelling
    Victoria Davey "Tori" Spelling is an American actress. Spelling became known in the early 1990s for her role as Donna Martin on Beverly Hills, 90210. Spelling then had roles in a string of made-for-television films, such as A Friend to Die For and Mother, May I Sleep with Danger?...


Locked with seasons 10 and 11 Jessie

Key:
What HoH received

Big Brother 1

After the premiere of the first season, Chicago attorney Marvin Rosenblum filed a lawsuit against CBS, then corporate parent Viacom, and the production company Orwell Productions for alleged copyright infringement. Rosenblum, a producer of the film 1984
Nineteen Eighty-Four (film)
Nineteen Eighty-Four is a 1984 British science fiction film, based upon George Orwell's novel of the same name, following the life of Winston Smith in Oceania, a country run by a totalitarian government...

, owns the film and TV rights to the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...

and claimed the show "illegally borrows from it." Rosenblum accused the network of illegally using the Big Brother moniker from the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...

and "deceiving the public into thinking the author's classic novel was the origin of the show." CBS, Viacom, and Orwell Productions filed a motion to dismiss the $20 million lawsuit. The dismissal was denied on January 4, 2001. In 2001 Rosenblum, CBS and Viacom settled the lawsuit under undisclosed terms.

Big Brother 2

HouseGuest Justin Sebik was expelled on Day 10 for breaking Big Brother rules. Justin threatened his fellow HouseGuests with physical violence and intimidation, a violation of one of the most serious House rules.

Julie Chen, host of Big Brother, explained that Justin was given an official warning that such behavior was not appropriate in the Big Brother house. Justin repeated the warning, proving that he understood the rule. His behavior included destruction of house property, culminating in a final incident during which he and Krista were kissing on the kitchen table. He picked up a metal carpet sweeper and asked her, "Would you get mad if I cracked you over the head with this?" He swung the carpet sweeper towards Krista but put it down and kissed her. He walked away from her in the kitchen and asked, "Would you get mad if I killed you?" He then picked up a large knife, returned to Krista and, while they kissed, placed the knife against her throat. He briefly took the knife away from her throat but, with Krista's encouragement, returned the knife to her throat and they began kissing again. As the kiss ended he put the knife down.

After a confrontation with the show's psychologist, it was decided that Justin would be expelled from the Big Brother house. During the remainder of her time in the house Stegall, who was drunk at the time of the incident, never mentioned it to the other houseguests, and seemed to not remember what happened when asked by Julie Chen upon her eviction. However, Krista Stegall later sued CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 over the incident.

Big Brother 4

HouseGuest Scott Weintraub was expelled on Day 8 after having a violent outburst in the house, related to the season twist, X-Factor. Scott tossed furniture around the House, delivered an expletive-laden rant, and refused to go to the Diary Room when called. He later apologized to his fellow HouseGuests who were uncomfortable with his actions in the house. Once Scott went to the Diary Room he was removed from the house and expelled.

Big Brother 6
Big Brother 6 (U.S.)
The sixth season of CBS's American version of Big Brother consisted of thirty episodes which aired from July 7 to September 20, 2005. It was again hosted by Julie Chen....

HouseGuests Eric Littman and Michael Donnellan got into a confrontation regarding comments Michael made about Eric's family. Earlier in the evening, Rachel who was eavesdropping on Janelle and Michael in the Gold Room overheard Michael make a poor joke about Eric's grandparents to Janelle. Rachel told Eric that she heard them badmouthing his family. Later that night Eric and Ivette were outside discussing the incident when Michael went outside. Eric provoked Michael who retorted, calling Eric "a midget with a small penis." Eric lost all control going after Michael. The other HouseGuests blocked Eric's attack at Michael. Big Brother intervened, telling Eric to leave the backyard and go to the Diary Room, and telling Michael to go to the storage room. Shortly afterwards, Ivette told Kaysar he had no respect for women, attacked Kaysar's beliefs and made racial remarks. Big Brother intervened again giving warnings to all HouseGuests. Eric apologized to his fellow HouseGuests, saying he would never hurt anyone.

Big Brother 8
Big Brother 8 (U.S.)
Big Brother 8 is the eighth season of the US version of the reality TV-show Big Brother on CBS. The season was announced on February 1, 2007. Julie Chen returned for this season as host. Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan are executive producers. Arnold Shapiro stepped down as producer following last...

Big Brother 9
Big Brother 9 (U.S.)
Big Brother 9 is the ninth edition of the American reality television series...

HouseGuest Adam Jasinski made disparaging remarks during the first episode of the season, causing Autism United to demand an apology from CBS. During the first Wednesday episode, after the Power Couple Competition, Adam stated he worked for an autism foundation and would spend his winnings on a hair salon for people with developmental disabilities "so retards can get it together and get their hair done." His partner in the House, Sheila, told him not to "call them that," to which he said he "can call them whatever I want" because he "work[s] with them all day." In a letter obtained by TMZ
TMZ.com
TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...

 from John Gilmore, Executive Director of Autism United to Sumner Redstone
Sumner Redstone
Sumner Murray Redstone is an American media magnate. He is the majority owner and Chairman of the Board of the National Amusements theater chain...

, Chairman of CBS Corporation, Gilmore demanded action be taken after the Wednesday episode. Gilmore claimed that the network chose to air the segment for "their own personal goals." The organization also called for the show to be canceled and the organization has contacted advertisers over the issue. Due to the controversy, Lowe's
Lowe's
Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based chain of retail home improvement and appliance stores. Founded in 1946 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, the chain now serves more than 14 million customers a week in its 1,710 stores in the United States and 20 in Canada. Expansion into Canada began in...

 has decided not to advertise during future Big Brother episodes, but it was unclear whether or not they were currently advertising during the program. Autism United has also contacted other advertisers, such as Campbell's Soup, Claritin, Geico
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...

, McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...

 and Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...

. Autism United and various parents in South Florida are calling for an investigation into Adam Jasinski and the United Autism Foundation. The organization claims to be a 501 c3 charity (deductions made to the organization would be considered tax deductible under current IRS regulations.) The website for United Autism Foundation has an apology regarding Adam's behavior and states he will no longer be working for the company.

On Day 31, Matt used the word "nigga" when referring to another (white) HouseGuest. The incident in question was aired on both the live Internet feeds and the spin-off show Big Brother: After Dark
Big Brother: After Dark
Big Brother: After Dark is an uncensored, uncut live feed from the American Big Brother House. The program debuted on July 5, 2007 as a companion show to Big Brother 8 and it airs on Showtime 2 and Global Reality Channel....

on Showtime 2.

On Day 70, there was a controversial Head of Household competition. In the competition, Adam, Sharon and Ryan were read a series of seven statements relating to events in the game. The HouseGuests were to determine if each statement was "fact" by stepping forward or "fiction" by stepping backward. Each HouseGuest had their own section, so they could not see the answers of other HouseGuests. Many fans of the show, including House Calls
House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show
House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show is a spin-off of the American reality television series Big Brother. The program is a live Internet talk show hosted by Gretchen Massey and focuses on events in the Big Brother house as well as taking phone calls from viewers...

co-host Evel Dick
Dick Donato
Richard Louis Donato, known as "Evel Dick" Donato , a bar manager from Los Angeles, California, is the winner of the reality game show Big Brother 8. He and his daughter, Daniele Donato, are the only family member pair to win the American Big Brother program's top two prizes in the same competition...

, were displeased with the final "fact or fiction" statement. The controversial statement -- "Everybody knows that Jacob/Sharon and Ryan/Jen were two pre-existing relationships in the Big Brother house, but there is a third pre-existing relationship still in the house" -- was considered "fact" due to the guinea pigs knowing each other prior to entering. Many fans considered this question unfair because the guinea pigs are not actual players and just house pets. While many other fans considered the statement not only unfair but deceptive on the part of Big Brother producers as the relationship between guinea pigs is not equivalent or comparable to players of the game. If the question had pertained to only human relationships, Sharon would have become the new Head of Household. Ryan won, however, and Sharon ended up being evicted that week.

Big Brother 10
Big Brother 10 (U.S.)
Big Brother 10 is the tenth season of the American reality television seriesBig Brother The show premiered July 13, 2008 on the CBS television network, airing three times a week; Sundays at 8 p.m. , Tuesdays at 9 p.m. , and Thursdays at 8 p.m...

Big Brother 10 came under fire from critics such as the Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council
The Parents Television Council is a U.S. based advocacy group founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III in 1995 using the National Legion of Decency as a model...

 for airing the term "fucking" uncensored during the Tuesday, August 5 episode of the show. The event in question was aired during an argument between Libra and Jessie in which Libra said: "Memphis was in the fucking room!"

Big Brother 11
Big Brother 11 (U.S.)
Big Brother 11 is the 11th season of the American reality television series Big Brother. It began on July 9, 2009 and aired on CBS and Showtime 2 for 73 days, concluding on September 15, 2009 when Jordan Lloyd was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury and one vote from the viewing public...

On day 42, Chima Simone Benson was expelled from the house, due to refusing commands to wear her microphone and eventually throwing it into the jacuzzi, followed by repeatedly defying commands to report to the diary room. She was then forced to the diary room by executive producer Allison Grodner, who later explained to the remaining houseguests that Chima had been "expelled" from the house. As Chima's expulsion created an empty slot in the jury, America's vote replaced hers, voting for Jordan.

Big Brother 13
Big Brother 13 (U.S.)
Big Brother 13 was the thirteenth season of the American reality television series, Big Brother. The show was broadcast on CBS and Showtime 2 for 75 days, concluding on September 14, 2011 when Rachel Reilly was crowned the winner with four votes from the jury over Porsche Briggs' three...

DVD

A 9-disc set from the third season of the show, in its entirety as well as edits, have been released on Region 1 DVD. A supplementary included is the HouseGuests' original casting tapes. These casting tapes are taken from preliminary interviews rather than the tapes that the HouseGuests sent in. All episodes on this DVD were the actual edited broadcast versions.

A 2-disc Highlights set from the fourth season has also been released. With the release of the fourth season highlights, the clips would show un-aired footage, ostensibly racier than what CBS would allow to air.

Games

Virtual Me is a new digital entertainment concept that bridges the divide between traditional TV and videogames is being developed by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

 that will allow people to play games based on Mediaset
Mediaset
Mediaset S.p.A., known as Gruppo Mediaset in Italian, is an Italian-based media company which is the largest commercial broadcaster in the country...

 game shows.

Online games

During the first Big Brother seasons many online games based on forums were created. More specific Big Brother online games appeared later, specifically developed by Tengaged to simulate all the Big Brother experiences. Participants play against other online users during 7 to 16 day periods. Participants compete in daily challenges to become the Head of Household responsible for the nomination, while the rest of the users vote to evict one of the nominees.

Currently, CBS offers interactive games through CBS Interactive in the iTunes store for AppleOS based smartphones, as well as the iPod Touch and iPad based on the current season of Big Brother (13th season). The current game being offered is based on the Cornhole game in the backyard of the Big Brother house. While there are no other options in the game, based on the popularity of the simple app, it is possible that CBS Interactive will release future games based on Big Brother 13 for the same formats.

See also

  • Big Brother (TV series)
    Big Brother (TV series)
    Big Brother is a television show in which a group of people live together in a large house, isolated from the outside world but continuously watched by television cameras. Each series lasts for around three months, and there are usually fewer than 15 participants. The housemates try to win a cash...

  • Big Brother (UK)
    Big Brother (UK)
    Big Brother UK is the British version of the Dutch Big Brother television format, which takes its name from the character in George Orwell's 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four...

  • List of Big Brother (U.S.) HouseGuests


External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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