If you’re a Big Brother fan, there’s one word that you’ve come to love (or loathe) — twist. Throughout the seasons, the CBS competition likes to give twists to houseguests. Some of these twists were more successful than others. In fact, there are a number of Big Brother twists from throughout the years that actually flopped or, in other words, failed to make a significant mark on the course of the game.
The current Big Brother season featured a number of twists. First of all, the season started with the houseguests being placed into four teams — the Kings, Queens, Jokers, and Aces. They also introduced the Wildcard competition in which houseguests could compete to win safety for their own safety and/or those of their teams. These twists were finished after the fourth week. At that point, Big Brother implemented the High Rollers room, another twist that enabled the contestants to either win safety or make a major impact on the game.
High Rollers Room (Season 23)
The High Rollers room saw the Big Brother 23 houseguests entering a room straight out of Las Vegas to compete in various competitions. All of the powers were used, but they weren’t enough to overcome the Cookout’s strategic advantage. The game was unaffected by any of the powers, so it wasn’t a great twist.
Tree of Temptation (Season 19)
Overall, Big Brother 19 just wasn’t the most exciting, particularly as it seemed like only a few of the houseguests were really playing the game (or, playing Paul’s game). The Tree of Temptation twist was a way to spice things up. It allowed the players to select an apple with a reward or punishment. Mark, the houseguest chose an apple. Ironically, Mark won safety to give to Paul. In other words, it was an overall failure.
Camp Comeback (Season 21)
Camp Comeback is another twist that had the potential to be one of the best. It didn’t live up its potential due to the way it was implemented and in large part due to the cast’s poor choices. Cliff, Ovi and Kemi were the first to be evicted from their house. Cliff was allowed to stay there after they were evicted. They competed for the right to re-enter the house after four weeks. Fans hoped for Ovi, Cliff, or David to return to the house. However, Cliff won the contest the night he was evicted. Talk about a disappointment.
Battle of the Block (Seasons 16 and 17)
The Battle of the Block saw two sets of houseguests nominated for eviction by two separate HoHs. The HoH who had nominated the winning pair would then be dethroned. However, the houseguests quickly found a way for them to cheat the twist. They realized that if one HoH simply placed two weak competitors on the block, they wouldn’t be able to win the competition. To make this even more of a fail, Big Brother decided to bring the “fan-favourite” twist back for Season 17, prompting groans from fans across the board.
The Saboteur (Season 12)
The Saboteur could have certainly stirred up a great deal of drama. The houseguest was assigned to cause havoc in the house. They would get $50,000 if they made it to the halfway point. This twist ended almost as quickly as it began. Annie Whittington was the first houseguest to be expelled
Triple Eviction (Big Brother 22)
In theory, a Triple Eviction could have been one of the most exciting nights of Big Brother, ever. For the first time, Big Brother tasked the houseguests with evicting three people on the same night. The Triple Eviction provided a significant speed boost in an otherwise lacklustre season. However, the houseguests were not surprised at the events. Production let it slip due to a stage mistake before Julie Chen Moonves could shock them.
BB Takeover (Season 17)
Remember the BB takeover twist? You don’t? No? For the first three weeks, the Takeover was held once per week. Each week saw a new twist announced by the show. The twists included blocking eviction vote votes (Da’Vonne won, but it did not help her avoid being evicted) and a party with Rob Gronkowski… so it was clear that it didn’t make any impact.