Big Brother: Over the Top

Did You Know?

• 12 of the 13 HouseGuests were announced on September 26, 2016, including a pair of sisters, Alex and Morgan Willett.
• The 13th HouseGuest was chosen by a public vote between Jason Roy from Big Brother 17 and Jozea Flores from Big Brother 18.
• During Week 6, no Have-Not voting took place as only three houseguests were eligible.

Development

CBS officially announced the season on August 3, 2016, while the eighteenth season was still airing. The series continued on the CBS television network during the summer, while the fall edition aired exclusively on the over-the-top streaming service CBS All Access, which had been broadcasting the live Internet feeds since the seventeenth season. The production team included executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan for Fly on the Wall Entertainment in association with Endemol Shine North America. Julie Chen, host of the series since its inception, also participated in this season. Robyn Kass, who had cast the program since the second season, did not cast this season. The season lasted nine weeks, making it the shortest since Big Brother 10. This was the first edition of the Big Brother franchise to air live exclusively online around the world and the second season overall to air only online, after the first Chinese season, which was pre-recorded and aired later in 2015. There was no television coverage; the season was completely streamed online at CBS All Access. Weekday replays aired on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT summarizing the previous day. Wednesdays featured a weekly recap episode at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT followed by the live eviction and the Head of Household competition. Thursdays included a live Q&A with Julie and an interview with the evicted HouseGuest. Special episodes on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:30pm ET/7:30pm PT showed live diary room sessions. Have-Nots were revealed on Saturdays at 4:00pm ET/1:00pm PT, and safety ceremonies aired on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00pm ET/7:00pm PT, with nominations revealed live on Sundays. The live Internet feeds had no scheduled blackouts, though slanderous statements and copyrighted music were blocked for legal reasons. For the first time, HouseGuests entered the house one by one live on the feeds after Julie Chen introduced the program and short introductory videos were shown.

Format

The format varied slightly from previous CBS seasons. Contestants, called HouseGuests, were sequestered in the Big Brother House with no outside contact. Each week, they competed in challenges for food, luxuries, and power. The Head of Household (HoH) competition determined who received a private bedroom and an MP3 player, and that person nominated two HouseGuests for eviction. The HoH could not compete in the following week's HoH competition, except for the final one. The Power of Veto (PoV) competition involved the HoH, the nominees, and other HouseGuests selected by random draw. The Veto holder could revoke one nomination or leave it unchanged; if used, the HoH named a replacement nominee, and the Veto holder was safe from being that replacement. On eviction night, all HouseGuests except the nominees and the HoH voted by secret ballot in the Diary Room. A tied vote resulted in the HoH casting a tie-breaking vote publicly. The nominee with the majority of votes was evicted. The broadcast edition's Nomination Ceremony was replaced by the Safety Ceremony, held over two days. The HoH was sequestered in the HoH room while other HouseGuests received a Block Pass. When instructed, the HoH activated a HouseGuest's Block Pass, turning it green to indicate safety from nominations.

America's Care Package

Each week, voters chose which HouseGuest received a special power. All Care Packages were revealed to the public when the first vote began, and HouseGuests were aware of the twist but not the weekly rewards until the package was dropped in the backyard for unboxing. A HouseGuest could not receive another Care Package until all other remaining HouseGuests had received one.