The Big Brother motto is “Expect the Unexpected,” which usually comes in the form of twists that shake up the game. Each season of Big Brother introduces something new. From Rewind Buttons to Secret Powers, the competition show has found a way to keep players on their toes for over two decades.
Not every Big Brother twist is a hit. In fact, many twists have left viewers underwhelmed, but a few have stood the test of time. Here are five of the craziest Big Brother twists of all time.
America’s Player Twist
America’s Player was first introduced in Season 8 when houseguest Eric Stein was gifted the daunting responsibility of completing tasks sent by viewers in exchange for cash prizes. The twist gave fans an exorbitant amount of power, as they could control several aspects of Eric’s game, including who he voted for.
The twist was entertaining but robbed Eric of the opportunity to play his own game. It was shocking how well he played, given how handicapped he was by the twist.
America’s Player returned in Big Brother 10, but viewers had less control over the game this time. Dan Gheesling was chosen for the role and successfully completed a number of silly tasks during his reign, including his awkwardly long hug with Jessie “Mr. PEC-Tacular” Godderz.
Dan’s tasks in Season 10 might have made his fellow houseguests uncomfortable, but America’s Player did not affect his game nearly as much as it did Eric’s.
The Coaches Twist
In Season 14, four iconic players returned to the Big Brother house to serve as coaches to the newbies. Dan Gheesling, Janelle Pierzina, Mike “Boogie” Malin, and Britney Haynes surprised the houseguests on Day 1 and selected players through a drafting process.
The coaches objectives were for one of their players to win the game. If they were successful, they would be rewarded $100,000. However, the twist became more interesting halfway through the season, when the coaches were given the option of entering the game as players.
The coaches entering the game gave new life to the season and added new drama. Also, we got to watch Dan Gheesling play Big Brother again, so yeah, it was pretty great.
X-Factor Twist
Can you imagine being stuck in a house with your ex all summer? Well, in Big Brother 4, a number of houseguests had to endure the torture of playing the game alongside their ex.
Alison Irwin, Jun Song, Erika Landin, David Lane, and Scott Weintraub were in for a rude awakening when their exes walked in the door. Some players made the twist work to their benefit. Jun and her ex, Jee Choe, worked together for most of the game and protected each other when they could.
Scott, on the other hand, couldn’t handle having his ex, Amanda Craig, in the house and ended up being expelled from the game. Yikes.
The X-Factor twist, also known as the Exes Twist, was super entertaining and has to be one of the craziest twists producers have come up with throughout the years.
Summer of Secrets/Secret Duos Twist
In the last two decades, Big Brother has introduced a number of team and pairs twists, but our favorite is the Secret Duos twist in Big Brother 6.
Each player started the game with “a pair,” someone they knew prior to entering the house. The objective was to get to the final two with your pair. If a duo made it the final two, they would both be rewarded $500,000.
The twist added an interesting element to the game. The players worked hard to figure out the pairs and it affected who they targeted. The twist made it challenging to hide in the background and made the coaster strategy practically impossible, which made for better gameplay overall.
Twin Twist/Project DNA
The “Twin Twist,” also known as “Project DNA,” was first introduced in Season 5 with identical twins Adria Klein and Natalie Carroll.
During the first 5 weeks, Adria and Natalie played the game as one person. They would swap places every few days and hope their fellow houseguests didn’t notice. If they survived the first 5 evictions, they were allowed to join the game as individuals.
The twist returned in Season 17 with twins Liz and Julia Nolan. The Nolan twins weren’t as successful at concealing their identities, and the house caught on pretty quickly. However, the twins were protected by an alliance that saw the benefit of keeping them in the game. They did eventually joined the house as individuals.
Season 25 of Big Brother premieres on Wednesday, August 2 at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard time on CBS.
TELL US – WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BIG BROTHER TWIST?
