Big Brother is a reality TV show in which a group of strangers live together in a house that is constantly monitored. The cameras surrounding them broadcast to live feeds where CBS All Access subscribers can watch them interact. The slogan of the show is "expect the unexpected," and each year, there are new twists added to the game to keep the houseguests on their toes and shake up the game.
Some twists are more successful than others, and popular twists have become reoccurring aspects of the show. Unfortunately, because so many of these twists have been reused, they don't always impact the game in the way Big Brother.
A Secret Married Couple
One of the most popular twists is to have secret relationships in the house. We have seen casts that included exes, people who were dating, long-lost siblings, father/daughter duos, friends, and even the popular twin twist.
While there was a married couple on Big Brother: UK Season 18, this twist has not played out in the US version of Big Brother. It would be interesting to see the way this dynamic would impact the game, especially with all of the flirting and bed-sharing that occurs in the house. If the couple is able to keep their relationship secret and work with opposite sides of the house, this could make for some very interesting game-play.
Safety For Those Who Survive The Block
Each week, the head of household nominates two people for the block. The house then votes on who to send home, and the person with the most votes is evicted. Head of households want to get the least amount of blood on their hands, so oftentimes, someone becomes a perpetual pawn. This pawn is thrown on the block over and over again throughout the entire season simply because they've been there before and survived.
This can become repetitive and monotonous. If players who survived the block were given a week of safety, this would be avoided. This change could really shake up the game by forcing players in power to draw lines quicker. This change would also have a big impact on the aftermath of vote-flipping and blindsides.
Safety Competition
Some seasons have featured a special weekly alliances with other players.
Players with many allies are often seen as a threat. This twist could create mistrust and paranoia in the house, adding new complicated dimensions to the game. The plays would see who was saved, but not who saved them, which would lead to a lot of pointed fingers and speculation.
BB Bribe
Typically, Big Brother contestants are not allowed to promise part of their winnings to another player in order to entice them to make decisions. Occasionally a "BB bribe" has been offered as a one-time special prize in a competition. This special money allows players to offer prize money to another houseguest to get them to do what they want.
Instead of making this a one-time special occasion, a fun season twist would be to have this money in play throughout the game. The twist is, whatever money houseguests offer to the other players comes out of their individual potential winnings. A houseguest who makes a lot of deals with their money could walk away the winner with very little prize money. A houseguest who accepts a lot of deals and still makes it to the end has the potential to win more money than they would on a normal season.
Mutiny Power
This twist would change everything we know about Big Brother. The main benefit of being head of household in Big Brother is safety. With this power, the houseguests would have a choice to vote for a mutiny in the diary room instead of naming one of the houseguests on the block.
If the houseguests unanimously vote on a mutiny, the head of household would be evicted. If even one person votes for a houseguest on the block, the person with the most votes would be evicted. This could lead to some amazing blindsides and has the potential for a huge power play.
Veto Blocking Power
The power of veto is the only way to save a houseguest from the block and force the head of household to nominate a new player. Sometimes players are removed by their allies, and sometimes, heads of households make deals with the contestants on the block using them as pawns and planning to switch them out with a veto.
A secret veto blocking power could really shake up the game if used at the proper moment. This power would either be assigned to a player by America's vote or won during a secret competition.
Final Message To House
When contestants are eliminated, they either go home or enter the jury. Sometimes when houseguests know they are on their way out, they reveal crucial information to their fellow houseguests. A twist that could majorly impact the game would be having houseguests record a final message that will play to the house after their eviction.
They would have 30 seconds which they could use to say goodbye, to point a target at another player, to spread misinformation, or to reveal something about themselves. This twist would require contestants to be strategic when evicting other players and to carefully choose what secrets they reveal to each other.
Gamble Your HOH
The head of household has to stand in front of the house and explain their reasoning for nominating the two players they have selected for eviction. Sometimes, heads of households are offered deals that could impact the game - such as the popular pandora's box twist.
This twist would give the head of household the opportunity to win prize money by agreeing to select the nominations by random draw. If they choose to accept this twist, they have to justify the nominations to the other houseguests, potentially destroying their relationships with their closest allies.
Double Eviction Twist
Double evictions are always exciting, but the houseguests of recent years have always had a plan for these evictions as they have become staples of the game. Instead of having back to back evictions in one night, a super HOH could be crowned.
This HOH would be forced to nominate four players for eviction. The veto would still be played, and one person could be removed from the block and replaced. Come eviction night, the two players with the most votes would be sent home, creating a new model for double evictions that the houseguests won't see coming.
Double House Twist
One fan-favorite idea for a twist that has floated around for a while is the idea of a two-house twist. This twist would have two casts playing in two separate houses. They would play the first half of the game as normal, and when halfway through, they would find out that they were not the only ones playing and the two houses would be combined.
This could create some interesting social dynamics within the house, causing contestants to quickly adapt and change their strategies. With a twist this large, Big Brother would be guaranteed a complicated and entertaining season.