Big Brother Season 26 is almost here, and as we learn the names of the Houseguests joining this season, news of a new twist has also arrived. For the first time in show history, the CBS reality mainstay announced it will allow the players the opportunity to vote in a 17th Houseguest to play in the game. It's an exciting idea, assuming the cast bites and goes through with it, and I already have some theories about who this mystery Houseguest could be.
Now, in addition to waiting for the live feeds to be available with a Paramount+ subscription or on Pluto TV, we're waiting to see if the Houseguests want to roll the dice by adding someone new to the mix or if they'll play it safe and stay with 16 people. Obviously, there could be more details revealed between now and the premiere that will help lay out the situation better, but based on what we know now, here's some theories on who I'm thinking that 17th Houseguest is.
A Former Big Brother Houseguest
It hasn't happened in a few seasons, so I wouldn't be surprised to find out Big Brother is hoping to bring in a former Houseguest from a previous season to play the game. There are a few people from recent seasons I'd love to see play again, and fans have responded to these types of twists before in a positive way. I would love to see a former Houseguest the audience disliked have a comeback story like Rachel Reilly, and show they can win under the right circumstances.
A Reality Star Of Another Television Show
Big Brother 25 was the first time the reality show pulled the stunt of welcoming the legend of another reality show onto its cast. Survivor player Cirie Fields was revealed as a surprise player at the house, and she secretly played with her son Jared. Given the popularity of reality shows like The Bachelor, The Amazing Race, Love Is Blind, and more, I could easily see the cast poaching another star of that franchise and bringing them in to shake up the house and potentially pull in a new audience.
An A.I. Houseguest
Big Brother is leaning into A.I. in this new season, with the house even being designed like it was done with suggestions from a computer. I'm sure we'll see a lot more dealing with A.I. in the season, and I'm not ruling out the possibility that an A.I. Houseguest could make for a wild game twist. It's an interesting concept, though I'd be interested to know how it'd get paid to be on the show and where the prize money would go if it won. I think I'd start a Final 2 with a computer, though I'd be humiliated if I ended up losing to it in the final vote.
An Alternate Who Was Intended To Be A Backup
The most likely scenario, and a bit less interesting, is that the 17th Houseguest will just be one of the alternates who remains in sequester in case one of the original 16 players drops out. Fans may remember Christie Valdiserri was removed ahead of Season 23 and replaced with Claire Rehfuss, which ended up being huge.
Had Christie never gotten COVID, Claire might've never met her boyfriend Derek Xiao and gone on to win The Amazing Race with him! All this to say that while an alternate being the mystery Houseguest wouldn't be the most exciting option, it could also lead to good things.
Fortunately, Big Brother Season 26 premieres on CBS Wednesday, August 17th at 9:00 p.m. ET with the fun continuing on Thursday evening at the same time. This means we'll have our answer about the 17th Houseguest soon enough, and hopefully, the Houseguests will be brave enough to take a chance and let the audience have some fun.
