Summary
- Ian Terry, the youngest winner in Big Brother history, solidified his place as BB royalty with his gameplay and convincing victory against past winner Dan Gheesling.
- Tyler Crispen's well-rounded gameplay and dominance in Season 20 made him a fan favorite, despite his second-place finish and potential robbery of the win.
- Despite only playing once, Vanessa Rousso's masterful strategy and control over the house in Season 17 make her one of the best one-time Big Brother players ever.
Big Brother seasons are better than others. Players who appear in multiple seasons or have unique gameplay and personalities tend to rate highest.
With the show having such a large and dedicated fanbase, it can be challenging to get an accurate picture of who is regarded in the top tier of contestants. Hopefully, Big Brother season 26 will bring back fan favorites or introduce new faces who become icons. In the meantime, here are the top 10 best Big Brother contestants of all time.
10 Ian Terry
Big Brother Seasons 14 & 22
The lovable genius, Ian Terry, was the youngest winner in show history at just 21 years old. Ian navigated a season with four past legends and some challenging twists to first place. His six competition wins in season 14 are impressive, with his Golden Power of Veto victory being the most notable. Going up against past winner and Big Brother royalty, Dan Gheesling, in the final two and still convincing the jury that he deserved the victory was a mesmerizing moment to watch, solidifying his place as BB royalty.
9 Tyler Crispen
Big Brother Seasons 20 & 22
Another All-Stars contestant found their way into the hearts of fans, with West Coast lifeguard Tyler Crispen landing a well-deserved spot as a fan favorite. He could not win it all in either of his seasons, although it is a fair argument to say that Crispen was robbed of the win in season 20 with his well-rounded gameplay.
He could win six competitions while running the dominant Level Six alliance. He had the complete trust of everyone, ensuring he would make the final two regardless of who the final three were. While this did happen, some felt lied to by him and thought eventual winner Kaycee played a cleaner game, leading to his second-place finish. Regardless, he played phenomenally to even get to that point.
8 Vanessa Rousso
Big Brother Season 17
Despite only playing once, Vanessa Rousso is held in high regard due to her masterful strategy. She is quite easily one of the best one-time Big Brother players ever, as the way she controlled the house in season 17 was unbelievably challenging to pull off.
Her fingerprints could be found in practically every eviction, as she was either HoH or voted with the majority every single week. Her dealmaking was dizzying to keep up with, but it worked wonders for her, as she made it to the finale night before being cut by eventual winner Steve Moses. This was more of a smart move by Steve rather than a shortcoming of Vanessa, as she indeed would have won in a landslide if she got to the final two.
7 Danielle Reyes
Big Brother Seasons 3 & 7
Bringing some representation from old-school BB, Danielle Reyes, unsurprisingly, is a fan favorite. She was the most memorable player from one of the most watched Big Brother seasons, helping shape the game during its earliest days.
Danielle wasn't a competition beast, winning only a pair of competitions on each of her seasons, so she was forced to devise a master plan to advance in the game strategically. She almost took it in season three, but this was before the jury was sequestered, so they saw all of her diary room sessions and decided to vote against her for what she said. When someone is so good, they inspire a rule change. That is enough of a reason to be an all-time favorite with fans.
6 Derrick Levasseur
Big Brother Season 16
Another one-hit wonder, season 16's Derrick Levasseur, is a no-brainer to come up in any discussion of Big Brother legends. He helped shape how modern BB is played, as his mastery in season 16 is often used to inspire new players. Derek was in control of the house for the entire summer, as he was not nominated a single time, and the person he voted to evict was evicted every single week. Whatever his plan was for the week, he convinced everyone to do it. He capped it off with a victory, making it one of the most dominant BB performances ever.
5 Janelle Pierzina
Big Brother Seasons 6, 14, 17, & 22
As one of the most experienced Big Brother superstars of all time, Janelle Pierzina is the only player to appear in four seasons, spending over 200 total days in the BB house. She made finale night twice, ultimately falling just short of the grand prize and coming in third. While Pierzina is primarily known for her iconic quotes and competition dominance, her strategic decisions deserve more respect. Casting the sole vote to evict her showmance, Dr. Will, in the final four of her first All-Star season was one of the most significant decisions made in show history. Her 13 comp wins are also among the most impressive feats in show history. She recently put up a formidable fight on The Traitors US but was accused incorrectly of being a Traitor and banished.
4 Cody Calafiore
Big Brother Seasons 16 & 22
While both highly successful Hitmen alliance are fan favorites, viewers think Cody Calafiore is the better half of the iconic Big Brother bromance-meets-strategic-alliance duo. He followed in Derrick's footsteps when he returned for season 22, winning the season without being nominated and voting with the majority every week. He emulated Derrick's puppet master strategy perfectly, adapting it to work on an All-Star season filled with powerhouses, which makes his victory arguably even more impressive.
3 Britney Haynes
Big Brother Seasons 12 & 14
As one of the most entertaining houseguests ever entering the Big Brother house, Brittney Haynes's diary room sessions were must-watch entertainment. At the same time, she also kept up her carefree and hysterical antics in front of her fellow housemates. While being such a fan favorite certainly worked in her favor, her gameplay wasn't too shabby either. She ranked in the top four in her initial season before being thwarted by the dominant Brigade alliance and made it to eighth place in her second season. She probably would have gone further than the top eight without the miraculous Dan's Funeral event.
2 Will Kirby
Big Brother Seasons 2 & 7
As the pioneer of Big Brother gameplay and strategy, reviewing the game's history without talking about Dr. Will Kirby is impossible. With the show going over a dramatic overhaul that turned it from a popularity contest to an actual strategic match of wit, Dr. Will jumped onto a season without any blueprint of how to play the game, having to create his path, and he did as good of a job possible.
He won season 2 and made it to the final four in the inaugural All-Star season without winning a single competition. His extreme intelligence and ability to manipulate his competition made him extremely dangerous, but they were quickly evicted whenever someone began to catch on to it.
1 Dan Gheesling
Big Brother Seasons 10 & 14
The favorite Big Brother contestant of all time goes to strategic mastermind Dan Gheesling, who was the first player to make the final two twice, winning once. His cutthroat gameplay made him one of the most beloved houseguests by viewers and feared by fellow houseguests.
Some of the most iconic moments in BB history, such as Dan's Funeral, Veto Ceremony Roulette, and the blindside of Shane, were all orchestrated by Dan and his masterful strategy. He's widely considered the best gameplayer in the show's history due to all these genius moves. While he couldn't showcase his genius on The Traitors US, he's the best Big Brother cast member ever.
Big Brother
- Release Date
- July 5, 2000
- Network
- CBS
- Showrunner
- Allison Grodner
WHERE TO WATCH
- Seasons
- 28
Big Brother is available for streaming on Paramount+.
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