Big Brother27 is just around the corner, and with only a week away from meeting the new houseguests, there areseveral twists, game conventions, and competitions that should return to theBBhouse this season. After the success of last season’s twists,Big Brother27is anticipated to have an exciting season. While a fresh theme’s in the mix,BB’salways relied on old conventions.
Throughout each season,Big Brotherhas pushed the boundariesand been expected to update their twists and turns to make the game more complicated for the houseguests. Thoughthere’s a lot that can be done season to season to change things up, viewers have come to rely on some of the more well-known twists, like double eviction nights, to spice things up.
While there’s always room for a double eviction, a wall competition, or diary room montage,Big Brother27 has the opportunityto bring back some of the most popular, lesser-known or less frequently used competitions that viewers enjoy. Long-time viewers of the show have pushed for some older competitions' returns, andhope to see things make a comeback onBB27.
Despite knowing very little aboutBig Brother27 outside of the fun new theme of the season,which involves a glamorous mystery hotel, there’s a lot that could still be up in the air about the blueprint of the game.Host Julie Chen Moonves says it bestwhen she tells viewers to expect the unexpected, meaning any game twists could come into play.
6The Big Brother Key Wheel
An Old Nomination Ceremony Convention
The nomination ceremony is such an integral part ofBig Brotherthat a lot of viewers likely don’t even think of it as a changing entity, but it’s shifted a lot in recent years.Early seasons ofBig Brotherfeatured a large wheel with key slots that the Head Of Household would place housguests' keys into, revealing them one by one during the ceremony.
The key wheel was large, seemed improbably heavy, and was cumbersome for the HOH to bring down from their bedroom to the kitchen for the ceremony, butits simplicity made for some of the most intense moments inBBhistory. With the HOH revealing one key, the houseguest whose key was pulled would pull the next name until all the keys were pulled.
When there were no keys left, two people would be left without their keys and, ergo, without their safety for the week. AsBig Brothermoved into the modern era, production made things a bit more streamlined, butviewers have long missed the dramatics of the key wheel, which could be used as a strategic tool during the nomination ceremony, as well.
5The BB AI Arena Twist
A Newer, Likely Returning Twist
AfterBig Brother25, which started out strong and fell to the wayside during the dreaded Zombie week twist (please don’t bring that one back,BBgods), viewers were itching for a new set of twists duringBig Brother26. A refreshed team brought new life into the game,rolling out the AI Arena twist and changingBig Brotherfor good.
The AI Arena, a competition held prior to the live eviction,allowed one of the three houseguests nominated for eviction to save themselves. After the HOH made nominations and they played the Power Of Veto competition, the trio of houseguests left on the block played an intense, live competition for their safety. This reinvigorated the game in a way viewers were shocked by.
TheAI Arena twist may not have been for everybody. It made gameplay slower during the week, pushing conversations to happen late in the game and big moves to be orchestrated in the last second before the live eviction. Regardless, it provided a rushBig Brotherfans had been missing for seasons.It’s likely the AI Arena, re-branded, will return this season.
4The Famous Pressure Cooker Competition
A Record-Breaking Endurance Competition
Originally seen duringBig Brother6 and brought back duringBig Brother25, the Pressure Cooker competition is one of the most intense endurance competitions the show has ever held. While many thing of the Wall competition when they think of endurance,the Pressure Cooker is designed to be more difficult.The Wall is a feat of grip strength, flexibility, and endurance.
The Pressure Cooker is a show of sheer force of will. Competitors are brought into a separate space for the competition - duringBB6, it was a greenhouse in the backyard, inBB25, it was a separate dark room - and are told to press down a button while standing with their fellow houseguests.The last houseguest standing and pressing their button wins.
While the competition itself is simple,the Pressure Cooker is anything but easy. The mental fortitude, strength, and endurance it takes to stand in one spot for upwards of 10 hours is intense, and the competition has been known to last at least 12 hours each time.Though the competition shouldn’t be featured every season, it’s fun to bring back every few years.
3Eviction Night HOH Interviews
An Older Eviction Night Convention
In early seasons ofBig Brother, live eviction episodes were formatted differently than they currently are. Though everything focuses around the live eviction and exit interview, theBBlive eviction episodes didn’t always feature a live vote.Early seasons saw votes cast earlier in the day, then aired in a montage throughout the episode, while the results were then delivered live.
Though the live eviction episodes have come a long way and currently have a well-oiled format, some of the older features of the live episodes would be interesting to bring back.Host Julie used to interview the Head Of Household from their HOH roomwhere the other houseguests couldn’t listen in. This provided insights into the HOH’s game that viewers enjoyed.
While it seems the editing ofBig Brother’sepisodes does afford more clarity into the HOH’s mindset now than it did in the past, seeing live interviews with the person in power for the week could be fun for viewers.Understanding how the HOH feels about what happened throughout their weekand what they believe will come next could lead to interesting results.
2Viewer Voted Twists, Rewards, & Assignments
A Sporadic Twist Used Throughout The Show’s Run
While there have been iterations of viewer’s choice voting throughout most seasons ofBig Brotherin the past, in recent seasons,BBviewers haven’t had the chance to control the houseguests with fun, funny, or game-changing tasksthat win them extra prize money. ThoughBB26 featured Tucker Des Lauriersas the AI Instigator, viewers had less control over his actions than in the past.
In seasons past,Big Brotherfans would have control over things like what the houseguests could eat or who would be asked to take on secret tasks in the house, which gave viewers a sense of ownership over the game. Withtwists like Amerca’s Player bringing the power into viewers' hands, the houseguests had the opportunity to impact the game.
While these twists aren’t necessary every season, viewers having a hand in what’s happening in the house does bring some surprising elements into the game itself. Some houseguests, likeBig Brother8’s Eric Stein, are adept at being able to move through twists like America’s Player with ease,showing a different side to their gameplay.
1BB’s Iconic Knight Moves Competition
A Fun Chess-Style Competition
A long-standingBig Brothercompetition at one time, the Knight Moves competition brought a life-sized game of chess into theBBbackyard and upped the ante for many contestants. Some may not be aware of how integral the game of chess has been toBBin the past, as houseguests don’t play as often as they used to.Chess has always been a part ofBig Brother.
While some players don’t come into the game knowing how to play,some do and have used the board game as a strategy to figure out their opponents' play style.Big Brotherlegend Janelle Pierzinaused chess to discover what the guys ofBig Brother6 were like, affording herself knowledge of how to best play into their games.
Knight Moves, a life-sized chess board competition, has been played sporadically throughoutBig Brother’srun.The competition allows for those who may not be as physically inclined to still participate in a physical game, and bring their logic skills into the mix. While Knight Moves may not be the most fast-paced, it’s a classicBig Brothercompetition that’s worth reviving.
Big Brother27 premieres Thursday, July 10 at 8 p.m. EDT on CBS.
