Now that the jury phase has begun, I'm comfortable saying the Big Brother Season 26 is the best season of the game I've seen in a decade. It's the season that keeps on giving in many ways, and I feel like Season 16's Jocasta Odom in finally getting to receive after being a dedicated fan for years.
Those streaming Big Brother may have an idea, but others may be curious about what sets this season apart from some of the more recent ones. For those who know, as well as those who don't and may want to catch up with a Paramount+ subscription, here's what has me loving Season 26 of Big Brother.
The A.I. Arena Kept Houseguests Strategizing Until The Eviction
I'm so used to seeing twists flop that I never would've guessed how much I would've loved the A.I. Arena at the beginning of the season. After seeing it in action and how it kept Houseguests actively campaigning and strategizing until the live show each week, I've advocated for making it a permanent fixture in the game.
Surprisingly, Houseguest Joseph Rodriguez even agreed it was a great twist, though he did have some gripes about how it could be improved. Personally, I love that the Houseguests didn't know who they're evicting until the last possible minute, and seeing what can happen in that short period of time between the competition and the vote.
Houseguests Are Prioritizing Their Games Over The HOH's Wishes
Fans have joked this season about Quinn Martin having two Head of Household reigns blowing up in his face, but it's really not his fault. Unlike previous seasons, Houseguests aren't really letting the HOH rule the roost, and only aligning with the HoH's goals provided it also serves their own game. Its led to the veto being used a record-breaking amount of times in this season, and every player constantly advocating for a change of plans that better suits what they would like to do.
There's No Fear In Voting Against The House
No one likes to be on the wrong side of the vote in Big Brother, but it certainly hasn't stopped Houseguests from doing it constantly this season. Even if it was a formality some weeks, there has not been a single unanimous eviction this season so far. What's more, few people have been punished for voting against the house, which I always thought was silly in the first place. I get finding ways to make a target out of people, but targeting the vote choice always seemed like it would just force more uniformity in the future, which is ultimately bad for Houseguests when they hit the block.
There's Drama, But Not The Problematic Kind Of Drama
Big Brother has had a lot of problematic moments it would surely rather its fans forget, but that has largely been absent in Season 26. At the same time, the house hasn't been the peaceful, loving vibes of Season 23. There's been some real tension! Angela Murray set the tone with her blow-up on Matt Hardeman, and it feels like there's been at least one big argument between Houseguests a week. It's nice to see some drama that doesn't involve derogatory comments or other things that could get a Houseguest expelled from the game.
The Competition Equity Is Giving Everyone A Chance To Have Power In the Game
For the past decade, Big Brother competitions more often than not favored the young and strong Houseguests. Provided they had good stamina and an athletic build, many players could thrive with little social strategy and simply get to the end of the game by being a "comp beast." While Tucker Des Lauriers may fit the bill of that for Season 26, we also have Angela and Kenney Kelley, who -- between the two of them, so far -- have won two Head of Households and one veto despite being the oldest people in the house. More diversity in the competition wins has led to less predictable outcomes and some interesting shifts in the game.
Houseguests Have Abandoned Popular Strategies That Past Houseguests Have Emulated
It wasn't until I watched Big Brother Season 16 for the first time that I realized how much Derrick Levasseur impacted the modern game. His textbook strategy of keeping a low profile and allowing others to make moves that benefitted him inspired a generation of players to follow and try and emulate that same strategy. I think there are people in Big Brother Season 26 who thought they were playing a similar game, but none have really effectively done so. There's really no other way to say it, but the majority of Houseguests are playing the game messily, which has resulted in a lot of drama and fun, even if it isn't so great for their game.
Houseguests Are Actually Being Blindsided On Eviction Night
Previous Houseguests who played in other Big Brother seasons saw it as a common courtesy to let a Houseguest know they were going home before the live eviction. I'm sure that would've happened in Season 26 if it wasn't for the A.I. Arena, as there was little upside in informing someone they were leaving if you didn't know with certainty that they would still be on the block after A.I. Arena. Brooklyn Rivera learned that the hard way when she tried to prepare Rubina Bernabe for an eviction that didn't happen, and it ultimately led to her eviction the following week. Blindsides make for great television, so lets keep this trend!
No Majority Alliance Steamrolling The House
One thing I don't think Quinn gets enough credit for in Season 26 is squashing the idea that a majority alliance can run the game. Him selling out The Pentagon and Collective showed all Houseguests that they can dismantle an alliance if they aren't at the top of it, and slide in elsewhere. Now we're kind of at a point where it seems no one really trusts more than a couple of people, which has been great for this season and prevented the usual steamroll of Houseguests outside the majority alliance being systematically sent home each week.
My Only Complaint This Season? No Ability To Rewind The Live Feeds
If I could make one complaint about this season of Big Brother, it's that Paramount+ knee-capped the live feed experience with its update, which doesn't allow us to go back to an earlier point in the live feeds, as we could in previous seasons.
If you live in the Eastern timezone, you're forced to rely on video clips shared on social media to see important conversations that happened while you're asleep. It's very aggravating because it's much harder to get the full story on house events this season, and there's always the chance of bias from the person sharing what happened, or the clip not showing the full conversation. Give us back the ability to rewatch the feeds on our own, especially since it's not stopping people from showing clips anyway.
One complaint aside, I'm still as eager as ever to watch Big Brother on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET and on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET. The back half of this season should be a blast, but I'm almost afraid that I'm going to jinx it by saying that.
