In the Big Brother Super Fan Community, it’s commonly believed that twists in Big Brother aren’t usually a good thing. Even if twists are created with good intentions, many miss the mark. Whether they’re too disruptive, overpowering, or just derail the season’s momentum, some twists simply don’t land. Today, I’m sharing some of the worst twists that I hope never return. Consider subscribing if you’re new to the channel—without further ado, here are five Big Brother twists we should never see again.
The first twist that comes to mind, and probably for many of you too, is the Battle of the Block. Introduced in Big Brother 16, this twist initially caught viewers’ attention. Instead of one Head of Household (HOH), there were two, each nominating two houseguests for eviction, creating four nominees. These pairs would then face off in a competition called the Battle of the Block, where the winning duo would not only come off the block but also dethrone the HOH who nominated them. Meanwhile, the losing pair would remain the nominees, and the HOH who nominated them would become the sole HOH.
The concept was intriguing because it shook things up. Winning HOH no longer guaranteed safety for the week—you could be dethroned, end up vulnerable, and possibly evicted. However, it quickly became apparent that this twist benefited the majority alliance, making it much harder for minority players to gain power. Not only did they need to win HOH, but they also had to ensure their nominees didn’t win the Battle of the Block and dethrone them. The twist made gameplay risky, especially when it came to nominating strong players. If you put up two physical threats, they’d likely win the competition and you’d end up in a worse position. To top it off, alliances would game the system, intentionally throwing the competition to control who remained in power. What was supposed to be an exciting twist turned into a boring and predictable one—so much so that it returned in Big Brother 17, to everyone’s dismay. It halted gameplay and made it easier for the dominant alliance to steamroll the season.
Next up, we have the infamous Zombie Week from Big Brother 25, which absolutely killed the season’s momentum. After a promising start, everything came to a screeching halt in Week 7 with this twist. Following a double eviction, instead of continuing the game, both evicted houseguests, Cameron and Jared, were brought back as “zombies.” No HOH, no veto, no real game—just a week-long competition between the zombies to determine who would re-enter the game. This twist completely negated the excitement of the double eviction and wasted an entire week of gameplay, leading to a dead zone from which the season never fully recovered.
Another twist that fell flat was Camp Comeback from Big Brother 21. This twist allowed the first few evicted houseguests to remain in the house as non-players until they could compete to re-enter the game. In theory, it seemed like a good way to give early evictees more screen time, but in execution, it was disastrous. It halted big moves because HOHs were afraid of evicting strong players who might return, and it created awkward dynamics. Worse, the evicted houseguests were forced to wear camp uniforms and live in poor conditions, which only highlighted underlying issues of discrimination, as all early evictees were minorities. The twist added nothing of value and culminated in an awkward and unsettling payoff.
The Duos Twist, implemented in several seasons, including Big Brother 9, Big Brother 13, and Big Brother 24 with the “Festy Besties” twist, also made this list. Pairing houseguests together essentially forced them to rely on each other, with both partners facing nominations, safety, and eviction together. This twist heavily favored the majority alliance, as they could easily manipulate the game by targeting pairs where one member wasn’t aligned with them. Instead of shaking things up, this twist reinforced the dominance of mega-alliances, stifling gameplay. Thankfully, in Big Brother 24, an uprising by the minority players managed to flip the game, but the twist almost ruined the season.
Finally, we have the Coup d’État, which allowed its holder to completely overthrow the HOH and replace their nominees right before eviction. While this power first appeared in Big Brother 7, it became infamous in Big Brother 11 when Jeff Schroeder was given the power through a fan vote. Without earning it through gameplay, Jeff used the Coup d’État to completely upend the week’s eviction, nullifying the HOH’s power and changing the course of the season. This kind of overpowered twist removes strategic gameplay and makes the outcome too dependent on external factors, such as popularity with the audience.
Twists are meant to shake up the game, but when they go too far, they do more harm than good. Here’s hoping Big Brother has learned its lesson!
