Big Brother: A Guide To Every Season
Previously on your favorite reality show …
Posted on Aug 13, 2025 | 09:00am
Big Brother has hit its silver anniversary. Yep, it’s been a quarter century since the groundbreaking CBS reality show, with host Julie Chen Moonves, began winning fans’ hearts with its shocking twists and, well, more shocking twists. You can celebrate the milestone occasion right here with our look at every season. We've got factoids galore on the show from 2000's Season 1, all the way up to the sizzling-hot Season 27, which premiered July 10.
So, go ahead, and enjoy a deep dive into Big Brother. And don't worry: While we'll reveal certain details, we won't name winners. This'll make it more fun when you sit down for a mega-epic binge-watch, and stream all seasons of Big Brother with Paramount+.
Note: New Big Brother episodes can be streamed live as they air on CBS on Paramount+ via the Paramount+ Premium plan, and/or they can be streamed on-demand, on the day after they air, with any Paramount+ plan, including the Paramount+ Essential plan.
Get Started
Season 1
Julie Chen Moonves introduces audiences to Big Brother on July 6, 2000. "What you're about to see is real," Chen Moonves says. "No scripts, no actors, and no second takes."
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 1 on Paramount+
Season 2
From alliances to food competitions to Head of Household, many of the elements that make Big Brother the show it is today are first seen here. The show also now puts the power of eviction into the hands of the Houseguests, as opposed to giving that vote to the viewing public.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 2 on Paramount+
Season 3
Who doesn’t love the Power of Veto? This shiny gameplay twist, which gives a contestant the ability to save a peer, or themselves, from the chopping block, is a Big Brother 3 innovation.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 3 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 4
Big Brother 4 definitely has The X-Factor. The season's format forces five of the eight Houseguests to play against their ex-partners!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 4 on Paramount+
Season 5
This season is wild. First, there's Project DNA, a game element that finds a pair of Houseguests discovering partway through their Big Brother tenure that they share a father. An even bigger family fakeout? Twins Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll play as one person, Adria – at least for a while …
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 5 on Paramount+
Season 6
In Big Brother 6, Houseguests are paired with a partner. Though they play as individuals, their ultimate goal is to make it to the Final Two alongside their partner; if they do so, the winner takes home $1 million, while the runner-up walks away with a cool $250,000. It won't be easy, though – this is the season with the 14-hour Pressure Cooker competition, still a Big Brother record!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 6 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 7 (Big Brother: All-Stars)
The first Houseguests in the Big Brother house are All-Stars who've been picked by the viewing public, and handed house keys by Julie Chen Moonves. As for the rest, aka the non-All Stars? They start the season locked out of the house.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 7 on Paramount+
Season 8
The America's Vote era begins, and now the audience is calling the shots on what challenges a Houseguest should be put through.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 8 on Paramount+
Season 9
The ’Til Death Do You Part twist forces the Houseguests to play – and get the boot – as couples. The pairings were determined by compatibility forms filled out during the audition process.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 9 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 10
To date, Big Brother 10 features the eldest Houseguest ever to play the game; war veteran, Jerry MacDonald, was 75 at the time of filming.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 10 on Paramount+
Season 11
This season splits the Houseguests into teams based on high-school cliques: the athletes, the brains, the off-beats, and the populars. Big Brother 11 also sees the introduction of the Coup d'Etat, an ability (granted by viewers) that allows a Houseguest to overthrow a Head of Household.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 11 on Paramount+
Season 12
Enter the Zingbot! Yes, Big Brother 12 marks the introduction of the iconic robot that loves to razz contestants.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 12 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 13
Eight new Houseguests pick fellow newbie teammates to battle it out against old pros from previous seasons. Every week, Houseguests fight to become the Head of Household. If picked, they and their partner are immune from eviction, and get to nominate a fellow pair to go home.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 13 on Paramount+
Season 14
This season sees past players return as mentors to the new Houseguests … before ultimately being incorporated into the game as co-competitors.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 14 on Paramount+
Season 15
Starting this season, viewers vote a Houseguest into the role of MVP. The MVP has the power to put a third person up for elimination (along with the Head of Household’s usual two picks). In a fun twist, the MVP learns of their role privately, leaving it for them to decide whether or not to reveal their status to their competitors.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 15 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 16
Ah, the Battle of the Block twist. Every week sees two Heads of Household crowned, and then each nominates two Houseguests for eviction. The nominated duos battle each other for safety. This season is also notable for featuring Frankie Grande, YouTube star, finalist on the UK's Celebrity Big Brother 18, and, yup, Ariana Grande’s brother!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 16 on Paramount+
Season 17
Season 17 is notable for its big personalities and savvy gameplay (kudos on both, Vanessa Rousso!). It even sees the return of twin shenanigans, thanks to Houseguests (and identical twins) Liz Nolan and Julia Nolan.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 17 on Paramount+
Season 18
In Big Brother 18, viewers dole out America’s Care Packages – that is, game advantages – to their favorite players. But if a Houseguest’s luck runs out, and they get evicted from the house, all's not necessarily lost: they now have the possibility of gaining a round-trip ticket advantage to return to the house!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 18 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 19
This season is all about the twist “Summer of Temptation,” which finds Houseguests tempted by prizes and game advantages. But beware: Each bite of the apple, as it were, inflicts a penalty. Like what? Like Big Brother 18's Paul Abrahamian unexpectedly entering the house on Day 1 – and leading to the eviction of one of the other just-moved-in Houseguests.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 19 on Paramount+
Season 20
In this milestone season, Easter eggs from previous Big Brother iterations abound. Beloved alums make appearances, past competitions are brought back, and long-retired twists reemerge. If you're afraid of nostalgia overload, don't be. The Big Brother house gets an overhaul, highlighted by a 22-foot-high rock-climbing wall, custom-made game consoles, and even – true story – a robot roomie.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 20 on Paramount+
Season 21
This season celebrates all things summer camp, with the Houseguests electing a Camp Director, a Hit The Road competition that banishes four Houseguests to the backyard, and a Whacktivity competition where contestants compete to win a secret ability.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 21 on Paramount+
Get Started
Season 22 (Big Brother All-Stars)
The second All-Stars-themed competition, this season finds its cast of returning Houseguests facing new challenges (like, a first-ever triple eviction!) as they compete for a $500,000 grand prize.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 22 on Paramount+
Season 23
Starting with Big Brother 23, the grand prize is a whopping $750,000. In addition, the runner-up’s consolation prize spikes to $75,000, while the America's Favorite Houseguest prize increases to $50,000. But the real star of the season? The Cookout, arguably one of the most famous Big Brother alliances of all time.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 23 on Paramount+
Season 24
The first season with no opening credits, Big Brother 24 is also the first to feature what host Julie Chen Moonves called the “biggest twist in Big Brother history.” The house is split into two groups of five Houseguests, each led by its own Head of Household. This means two nominations for each, two veto competitions, and -- yup -- two evictions.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 24 on Paramount+Get Started
Season 25
At 100 days, Big Brother's 25th season is its longest season. In addition to that distinction, Season 25 is significant for seeing Survivor icon (and Survivor 50 contestant) Cirie Fields move into the house. Son Jared Fields competes as a Houseguest, too.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 25 on Paramount+
Season 26
In its first AI-themed season, the Houseguests are asked to vote on a potential 17th Houseguest named Ainsley, who is later revealed to be an Artificial Intelligence Network Self-Learning Entity, or AINSLEY. The AI ends up supervising the goings-on in the Big Brother house before turning her hosting duties over to a protégée: a junior AI known as JANKIE (that's Junior Artificial Neurokinetic Intelligence Entity to you). This fun-loving bot compels the contestants to live 24/7 in “JANKIE World,” the backyard of the Big Brother residence, where pizza and ice cream are the only meals served, the outdoor showers are frigid, and dancing and singing are non-negotiable amusements.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 26 on Paramount+
Season 27
Another anniversary season! To commemorate its latest milestone, Big Brother is offering up the show's most original hours of programming since its 2000 launch. That means more hours of Big Brother per week, more twists per episode – and an all-new companion show in Big Brother: Unlocked.
Season 27 has been dubbed "A Summer of Mystery," and for good reason: There are mysteries afoot in Hotel Mystère (aka the Big Brother house). One has already been solved: the identity of the so-called “Mystery Player.” It’s Season 12 and Season 13 Houseguest Rachel Reilly! There are plenty more secrets to be uncovered, so stay tuned!
For all the info you need to watch Big Brother Season 27, including release dates and cast names, check out our watch guide.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 27 on Paramount+
Get Started
So, go ahead, and enjoy a deep dive into Big Brother. And don't worry: While we'll reveal certain details, we won't name winners. This'll make it more fun when you sit down for a mega-epic binge-watch, and stream all seasons of Big Brother with Paramount+.
Note: New Big Brother episodes can be streamed live as they air on CBS on Paramount+ via the Paramount+ Premium plan, and/or they can be streamed on-demand, on the day after they air, with any Paramount+ plan, including the Paramount+ Essential plan.
Season 1
Julie Chen Moonves introduces audiences to Big Brother on July 6, 2000. "What you're about to see is real," Chen Moonves says. "No scripts, no actors, and no second takes."
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 1 on Paramount+
Season 2
From alliances to food competitions to Head of Household, many of the elements that make Big Brother the show it is today are first seen here. The show also now puts the power of eviction into the hands of the Houseguests, as opposed to giving that vote to the viewing public.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 2 on Paramount+
Season 3
Who doesn’t love the Power of Veto? This shiny gameplay twist, which gives a contestant the ability to save a peer, or themselves, from the chopping block, is a Big Brother 3 innovation.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 3 on Paramount+
Season 4
Big Brother 4 definitely has The X-Factor. The season's format forces five of the eight Houseguests to play against their ex-partners!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 4 on Paramount+
Season 5
This season is wild. First, there's Project DNA, a game element that finds a pair of Houseguests discovering partway through their Big Brother tenure that they share a father. An even bigger family fakeout? Twins Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll play as one person, Adria – at least for a while …
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 5 on Paramount+
Season 6
In Big Brother 6, Houseguests are paired with a partner. Though they play as individuals, their ultimate goal is to make it to the Final Two alongside their partner; if they do so, the winner takes home $1 million, while the runner-up walks away with a cool $250,000. It won't be easy, though – this is the season with the 14-hour Pressure Cooker competition, still a Big Brother record!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 6 on Paramount+
Season 7 (Big Brother: All-Stars)
The first Houseguests in the Big Brother house are All-Stars who've been picked by the viewing public, and handed house keys by Julie Chen Moonves. As for the rest, aka the non-All Stars? They start the season locked out of the house.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 7 on Paramount+
Season 8
The America's Vote era begins, and now the audience is calling the shots on what challenges a Houseguest should be put through.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 8 on Paramount+
Season 9
The ’Til Death Do You Part twist forces the Houseguests to play – and get the boot – as couples. The pairings were determined by compatibility forms filled out during the audition process.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 9 on Paramount+
Season 10
To date, Big Brother 10 features the eldest Houseguest ever to play the game; war veteran, Jerry MacDonald, was 75 at the time of filming.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 10 on Paramount+
Season 11
This season splits the Houseguests into teams based on high-school cliques: the athletes, the brains, the off-beats, and the populars. Big Brother 11 also sees the introduction of the Coup d'Etat, an ability (granted by viewers) that allows a Houseguest to overthrow a Head of Household.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 11 on Paramount+
Season 12
Enter the Zingbot! Yes, Big Brother 12 marks the introduction of the iconic robot that loves to razz contestants.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 12 on Paramount+
Season 13
Eight new Houseguests pick fellow newbie teammates to battle it out against old pros from previous seasons. Every week, Houseguests fight to become the Head of Household. If picked, they and their partner are immune from eviction, and get to nominate a fellow pair to go home.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 13 on Paramount+
Season 14
This season sees past players return as mentors to the new Houseguests … before ultimately being incorporated into the game as co-competitors.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 14 on Paramount+
Season 15
Starting this season, viewers vote a Houseguest into the role of MVP. The MVP has the power to put a third person up for elimination (along with the Head of Household’s usual two picks). In a fun twist, the MVP learns of their role privately, leaving it for them to decide whether or not to reveal their status to their competitors.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 15 on Paramount+
Season 16
Ah, the Battle of the Block twist. Every week sees two Heads of Household crowned, and then each nominates two Houseguests for eviction. The nominated duos battle each other for safety. This season is also notable for featuring Frankie Grande, YouTube star, finalist on the UK's Celebrity Big Brother 18, and, yup, Ariana Grande’s brother!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 16 on Paramount+
Season 17
Season 17 is notable for its big personalities and savvy gameplay (kudos on both, Vanessa Rousso!). It even sees the return of twin shenanigans, thanks to Houseguests (and identical twins) Liz Nolan and Julia Nolan.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 17 on Paramount+
Season 18
In Big Brother 18, viewers dole out America’s Care Packages – that is, game advantages – to their favorite players. But if a Houseguest’s luck runs out, and they get evicted from the house, all's not necessarily lost: they now have the possibility of gaining a round-trip ticket advantage to return to the house!
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 18 on Paramount+
Season 19
This season is all about the twist “Summer of Temptation,” which finds Houseguests tempted by prizes and game advantages. But beware: Each bite of the apple, as it were, inflicts a penalty. Like what? Like Big Brother 18's Paul Abrahamian unexpectedly entering the house on Day 1 – and leading to the eviction of one of the other just-moved-in Houseguests.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 19 on Paramount+
Season 20
In this milestone season, Easter eggs from previous Big Brother iterations abound. Beloved alums make appearances, past competitions are brought back, and long-retired twists reemerge. If you're afraid of nostalgia overload, don't be. The Big Brother house gets an overhaul, highlighted by a 22-foot-high rock-climbing wall, custom-made game consoles, and even – true story – a robot roomie.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 20 on Paramount+
Season 21
This season celebrates all things summer camp, with the Houseguests electing a Camp Director, a Hit The Road competition that banishes four Houseguests to the backyard, and a Whacktivity competition where contestants compete to win a secret ability.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 21 on Paramount+
Season 22 (Big Brother All-Stars)
The second All-Stars-themed competition, this season finds its cast of returning Houseguests facing new challenges (like, a first-ever triple eviction!) as they compete for a $500,000 grand prize.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 22 on Paramount+
Season 23
Starting with Big Brother 23, the grand prize is a whopping $750,000. In addition, the runner-up’s consolation prize spikes to $75,000, while the America's Favorite Houseguest prize increases to $50,000. But the real star of the season? The Cookout, arguably one of the most famous Big Brother alliances of all time.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 23 on Paramount+
Season 24
The first season with no opening credits, Big Brother 24 is also the first to feature what host Julie Chen Moonves called the “biggest twist in Big Brother history.” The house is split into two groups of five Houseguests, each led by its own Head of Household. This means two nominations for each, two veto competitions, and -- yup -- two evictions.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 24 on Paramount+
Season 25
At 100 days, Big Brother's 25th season is its longest season. In addition to that distinction, Season 25 is significant for seeing Survivor icon (and Survivor 50 contestant) Cirie Fields move into the house. Son Jared Fields competes as a Houseguest, too.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 25 on Paramount+
Season 26
In its first AI-themed season, the Houseguests are asked to vote on a potential 17th Houseguest named Ainsley, who is later revealed to be an Artificial Intelligence Network Self-Learning Entity, or AINSLEY. The AI ends up supervising the goings-on in the Big Brother house before turning her hosting duties over to a protégée: a junior AI known as JANKIE (that's Junior Artificial Neurokinetic Intelligence Entity to you). This fun-loving bot compels the contestants to live 24/7 in “JANKIE World,” the backyard of the Big Brother residence, where pizza and ice cream are the only meals served, the outdoor showers are frigid, and dancing and singing are non-negotiable amusements.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 26 on Paramount+
Season 27
Another anniversary season! To commemorate its latest milestone, Big Brother is offering up the show's most original hours of programming since its 2000 launch. That means more hours of Big Brother per week, more twists per episode – and an all-new companion show in Big Brother: Unlocked.
Season 27 has been dubbed "A Summer of Mystery," and for good reason: There are mysteries afoot in Hotel Mystère (aka the Big Brother house). One has already been solved: the identity of the so-called “Mystery Player.” It’s Season 12 and Season 13 Houseguest Rachel Reilly! There are plenty more secrets to be uncovered, so stay tuned!
For all the info you need to watch Big Brother Season 27, including release dates and cast names, check out our watch guide.
STREAM NOW: Watch Big Brother Season 27 on Paramount+