Big Brother (American TV series)

Did You Know?

• Big Brother: Reindeer Games, a holiday-themed spin-off, aired in December 2023 with six episodes over two weeks; it was entirely pre-taped and Julie Chen Moonves did not host.
• The first season of Big Brother: Over the Top premiered on CBS All Access in October 2016 as an online-only series with a ten-week season.

Format

Big Brother is a reality game show where a group of contestants, called HouseGuests, stays in a specially built house under constant camera surveillance. Each season runs for about three months, and the HouseGuests have no contact with the outside world unless there is a medical emergency or a family crisis. The show is often described as a social experiment, pushing contestants to build relationships and handle conflicts with people from different backgrounds and beliefs. The first season followed the original Dutch version, focusing more on the social experiment than on competition. HouseGuests did not compete for power or safety, and they could not discuss nominations. The public voted to evict nominees, and the season got mixed reviews. Challenges came in three types: food, tasks, and live challenges. In most food challenges, each HouseGuest bet up to half of their allowance to finish a task. One luxury challenge gave the winner a golden ticket to the Primetime Emmy Awards. Every two weeks, later shifting to weekly, HouseGuests secretly nominated two others in the Red Room. The nominees with the most votes were marked for banishment, and the public voted by premium phone line to remove one. When only three HouseGuests remained, the public chose the winner, who got $500,000. Second place received $100,000, and third place got $50,000. After spending millions, CBS changed the format for season two, making it more competitive and strategic, like Survivor. Now, HouseGuests vote to evict each other and compete for safety and power. On the final day, a panel of evicted HouseGuests votes for the winner from two finalists. The winner gets $750,000 (up from $500,000 before season 23), and the runner-up gets $75,000 (up from $50,000).

History

CBS bought the series in early 2000 for an estimated $20 million, and it premiered on July 5, 2000, with ten HouseGuests. The series takes its name from George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four; since 2001, a lawsuit settlement requires the end credits to display a disclaimer stating the program is not associated with Orwell's estate. Julie Chen has hosted since the premiere. The show is produced by Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan for Fly on the Wall Entertainment and Banijay Americas. It airs once a year during the summer, except for season 9 which aired in spring 2008. Throughout its run, Big Brother has been criticized for harassment, intimidation, bullying, violence, obscene language, breach of integrity, and the physical and mental strain on contestants. Several seasons, notably 15 and 21, faced criticism for racism and discrimination. In September 2018, after her husband Les Moonves resigned as CBS President amid sexual misconduct allegations, Chen closed an episode by saying, "From outside the Big Brother house with Brent, I'm Julie Chen Moonves. Good night." She had never previously used Moonves professionally. She returned to host the following year and has become increasingly spiritual and religious on and off the program. Beginning with the 2021–2022 broadcast season, CBS mandated that its reality show casts be at least 50% BIPOC. Big Brother was nominated for Best Competition Show at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

Broadcast

Big Brother has been broadcast on CBS since it first appeared, and Canadian viewers can watch it at the same time on Global. Seasons 4 and 9 were also shown in the United Kingdom. The debut season had six episodes each week, but every season after that has aired three nights per week. Only the Thursday eviction episode is broadcast live, and it is the only one hosted by Julie Chen Moonves. The show usually runs once a year during the summer, with season 9 being the exception when it aired in the spring. It was the last prime-time program to switch to high-definition television; the first 15 seasons were in standard definition, with season 16 being the first produced in HDTV. The live feeds did not become HD until season 17. Seasons 3 and 4 came out on DVD, and starting with season 7, viewers could buy seasons from digital stores. TVGN, now called Pop, began showing reruns with season 15, and that continued with season 16. Every season is available on Paramount+. A key feature is the live feeds, which let people watch the contestants in the house. These feeds are turned off during the weekly nomination ceremony, the Power of Veto ceremony, competitions, and evictions to keep the suspense. Slanderous comments and copyrighted songs may be blocked for legal reasons. In the first season, the live feeds were free on AOL, but from season 2 onward, a paid subscription was needed, first through RealNetworks. Since 2016, the feeds have been on CBS All Access, which became Paramount+ in March 2021. In 2023, the live feeds started appearing on Pluto TV with commercials, marking the first time they were free since season 1.

Companion shows

From 2004 to 2008, Big Brother aired the companion web series House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show, a thirty-minute weeknight show that allowed fans to call in and discuss the game. It was the first live internet talk show produced exclusively for a television network. During its first two seasons, it was hosted by Gretchen Massey and season 3 HouseGuest Marcellas Reynolds; later seasons featured different co-hosts each day. The show was not renewed after its sixth season. Big Brother: After Dark debuted in 2007, airing nightly on Showtime 2 from 12:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. ET; in 2013 it moved to TVGN (now Pop), where it remained until 2019. Former HouseGuest Jeff Schroeder began hosting Big Brother: Live Chat in 2012, interviewing HouseGuests before they entered the house and after evictions, and conducting post-finale backyard interviews. On August 10, 2017, Schroeder announced he was moving to Colorado and could no longer do the interviews. For season 20, Live Chat was replaced by Off the Block with Ross and Marissa, hosted by former Celebrity Big Brother HouseGuests Marissa Jaret Winokur and Ross Mathews, airing on Facebook after the live eviction. For season 27, CBS announced Big Brother: Unlocked, airing bi-weekly on CBS and hosted by former winners Taylor Hale and Derrick Levasseur with a rotating guest, featuring gameplay analysis and additional footage. Unlocked will return for season 28 with Jerry O'Connell joining Hale and Levasseur, and CBS teased a new interactive fan vote and live studio audience.