Big Brother 26 has already changed the game entirely with an exciting cast and a variety of twists, leaving me feeling like this season is the start of a new era for the competition series that’s reminiscent of old school BB. Throughout the last few seasons of Big Brother, the show has been struggling to find its footing. With Big Brother 22, the second iteration of Big Brother: All-Stars, flopping entirely due to the level of pre-gaming the houseguests did, things have been shaky for the series in the last stretch of seasons despite BB trying to reinvigorate the show.
Big Brother 26 was introduced as a fresh new season with a variety of different twists, but viewers weren’t sure about the concept before it premiered. With past seasons of Big Brother, the theming and conceptual information can seem interesting, but the execution can sometimes be lackluster on the actual show. For example, Big Brother 25’s multiverse concept seemed like it may create interesting gameplay, but with a lack of execution, the twists fell flat and the gameplay lagged. Though each season of Big Brother tends to have its shining moments, many were worried about Big Brother 26’s AI-theme execution.
Big Brother Has Been Stagnant In Recent Years
The Twists Have Been Slowing Down The Game
Although Big Brother is one of the longest-running reality TV competitions on the air, there’s been seasons of the show that perform better than others, and seasons that viewers enjoy more than others. With the show currently on its 26th season, the series has had the time to figure out what works best for the competition and how to revamp itself when needed, but many viewers have struggled watching the last few seasons of the series. After BB 22, the show knew it needed to revamp itself for the next generation of viewers, especially after a tumultuous second All-Star season.
While Big Brother 23 ushered in a rule that ensured the cast would be comprised of 50% people of color, the season was a steamroll of one dominant alliance. With The Cookout becoming one of the most powerful alliances in BB history, it was an interesting season in terms of strategy, but ultimately left viewers wanting more chaos and drama throughout. Big Brother 24 saw an underdog win when Taylor Hale took the title after being bullied by other houseguests throughout the season. Even with interesting social dynamics, it was difficult to watch Taylor have to deal with hateful behavior.
The most recent season, Big Brother 25, was meant to be an anniversary event for the show. With a multiverse theme, the season was supposed to visit some iconic competitions of the past and reinvigorate the game with twists modeled from huge moments throughout BB history. While the season brought back the iconic Pressure Cooker competition, things got stale in terms of gameplay quickly. The inclusion of Survivor legend Cirie Fields along with her son, Jared Fields, completely changed the game for the worst, giving the other houseguests such a disadvantage it took the wind out of the competition’s sails.
Big Brother 26’s Twists Have Been Refreshing
The AI Arena Has Created A New Sense Of Chaos
Big Brother 26’s AI theme was something viewers were initially worried about, especially considering the accusations of production rigging competitions throughout the show’s run. With a broad look at the way Big Brother could use AI to its advantage, many were wondering if the show would bring in an element of technology or if the AI twist would incorporate something different the series hadn’t seen before. When Big Brother 26’s premiere finally explained the AI theme, it proved to be more interesting than expected. The houseguests had to deal with new circumstances surrounding the pre-existing elements of the BB game.
With Big Brother 26’s competitions providing players an opportunity for an upgrade or downgrade, the competition started to heat up. When the upgrade competitions saw Makensy Manbeck winning America’s Veto and Quinn Martin winning the Deepfake HOH, and the downgrade saw Cedric Hodges and Chelsie Baham lose their ability to compete or vote, it was clear the houseguests were playing with higher stakes. The AI Arena competition, which pushes the HOH to nominate three houseguests to compete for safety in the Veto competition and on the night of the live eviction, has pushed the game to another level of intensity.
Big Brother 26’s Cast Have Major Drama
Their Dynamic Behavior Has Been Fun To Watch
The Big Brother 26 game was set to be more interesting, but things have also been between the houseguests now that the game is underway. The cast’s chemistry has been clear from early on. The first week of competition brought Angela Murray into the game as the Head Of Household and finding her too paranoid to keep her targets to herself, causing drama between her and the rest of the house as she targeted Matt Harderman and got him evicted from Big Brother 26. As things moved into the next week of competition, the houseguests continued to have serious drama.
Distrust between Tucker Des Lauriers and Lisa Weintraub began to create paranoia around the rest of the house, as they tried to figure out who had the upgrade powers in the game. With Lisa out of the house after week two, Tucker’s major plan to expose Quinn when he found out about the upgrade power he held backfired, creating massive tension throughout the game. With serious drama in just the first four weeks of gameplay, Big Brother 26 has already managed to create more drama in the first stretch of the game than some seasons have had in ages.
Big Brother 26 Is Ushering In A New Era
It’s Revitalizing The Game For New Audiences
Although there’s still more than half the season to go, Big Brother 26 has already revitalized the show in a way that it desperately needed. While there has been some incredible gameplay and serious drama between the houseguests, the season has also been able to capture the viewing audience in a way most seasons haven’t in the last few years. Ratings have been up for the weekly episodes of the series, and Big Brother live feed viewers have been enjoying seeing the behind-the-scenes moments that don’t make it to air, despite some changes to the live feeds that seemed detrimental.
I believe that with such dynamic casting, especially in the case of Tucker who has proven that ballsy gameplay and bold moves make the show more interesting, and some fun new twists to the game, Big Brother has entered a new era. With the fun style of bold gameplay that BB had in its early seasons seeming to make a comeback, it’s clear that the show has been shifting. Hopefully, Big Brother 26 can continue to make its mark on the series and re-introduce the fun of the game to new viewers moving forward.
Big Brother airs Wednesdays & Thursdays at 8 p.m. EDT, and Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT on CBS.