Big Brother, one of the most iconic reality shows of the 2000s, is gearing up for its 26th season. Airing on CBS since 2000, the reality competition series is one of the longest-running and most popular in the genre of the 21st Century. Every season, the show changes things up with new twists and turns. One season had past players as coaches, and another brought in players’ exes to join the game. There have also been comeback challenges for those who were voted out, double and triple evictions, and more.
This season, the big twist is that the 16 guests entering the house will have the opportunity to vote in the 17th player. Who will the potential 17th player be? It would have to be someone worth adding to the game, someone that would entice the other players to want them to join. It’s possible players won’t even know the person’s identity until they decide what to do, which makes it even more intriguing. Whatever the case, there are a few most probable options on the table.
There Are Three Directions They Could Go with the 17th Player, Based on Fan Theories Thus Far
The Show Could Bring in a Past Player
The most likely potential 17th player could be someone who has played the game before. It could be a legend like Dan Gheesling or Derrick Levasseur. Both are considered among the best to ever play the game, having won their respective seasons. Gheesling is responsible for the most iconic Big Brother season with his funeral whereby he managed to throw his closest ally under the bus, gain sympathy to stay in the house, make up with her right after, and send her other ally home. Levasseur, meanwhile, kept his occupation as a police officer who had done undercover work a secret the entire time, shocking everyone when he revealed in the end how well he had been running things from the sidelines. While they would pose serious competition, it’s not out of the realm of possibility for new players to be excited by the chance to play with them.
Gheesling, after all, lost the second time he played to Ian Terry, who was one of his mentees on the Coaches Twist season 14. What’s more, his triumphant return to reality TV fell flat when he didn’t perform well on The Traitors season 2 earlier this year, the first time he has appeared on a reality competition show since Big Brother 14 in 2012. He might want to return to gain back his reputation. As for Levasseur, he was initially tapped to join the latest All-Stars season, but opted out because his kids didn’t want him to leave for the entire summer, according to his Tweet on X.
The 17th player could also be a past player that fans think deserves a second chance. One name that has come up is Brandon “Frenchie” French from season 23. He came out of the gate strong, winning the first Head of Household. He made strong alliances, but his ego got the best of him. He started to feel paranoid as though his alliance members were turning against him, and it ultimately led to his premature demise.
Most recently, there’s also Cameron Hardin from season 25. He was dubbed a villain of the season by many, but fans loved his strategic, intelligent, and brash game play, even if he wasn’t one of the most likable players among the Big Brother Season 25 cast. So much so that he was named America’s Favorite Player at the end of the season. He was welcomed to return for the holiday special Big Brother: Reindeer Games. However, he was voted out first by the other alums who targeted him simply because they didn’t really know him and he was the easiest target.
The 17th Player Could Be a Star From Another Reality Show
Another possibility is that the 17th player is a star from another reality show, which would get fans excited e nough to want to play with them. A twist in season 25, for example, was the inclusion of Cirie Fields in the cast. A legend in Survivor, she had also recently won the inaugural season of The Traitors. She was involved in the season’s bigger twist (beyond her appearance) whereby she was secretly playing with her son Jared, but no one knew of their relationship.
It could be, then, that the extra player is another person from a show that airs on the same network, like Survivor or The Challenge, or even a reality show from a different network or streaming service, like The Bachelor, Love is Blind, or The Circle. Many people describe The Circle as Big Brother meets Catfish, so it’s entirely plausible that a fan favorite from that show, like season 6’s Myles Reed (who happens to work in the field of AI) would make sense.
The 17th Player Could Be a Robot or AI Player
Some fans theorize that the 17th player might not be a human player at all, but rather a robot or an artificial intelligence (AI) entity. A robot named Chenbot would be perfect, named after the humorous nickname fans have given to host Julie Chen Moonves because of her robotic, serious speech when she talks with the house guests. There’s also Zingbot, the adorable robot that pops in each season to roast the remaining house guests and host a competition.
It could also be an AI computer similar to those found in the best shows about artificial intelligence, like the one that was introduced in The Circle’s latest sixth season. On that show, the AI analyzed data about the show from the Internet to determine which qualities players tend to like and what types of decisions often yield the best chance at winning and then played using this formula. It was doing pretty well but was intentionally pulled from the game as a short-lived twist.
In a Big Brother scenario, this robot could analyze information online about past seasons or the 16 other players to help make its decisions. But it could also serve as a modern version of America’s Player, a twist that first appeared in the game in Season 8, by reading all the online chatter each week about the season and calculating aggregate data based on everything, then making decisions fueled by what viewers have to say. In the original America’s Player twist, player Eric Stein had to do things viewers at home voted for him to do each week. It negatively impacted his game, but it made for entertaining TV. If this role was shifted to an AI player, the fans at home would effectively get to play vicariously through a machine. It’s a pretty wild concept to think about.
Here’s What to Know About Big Brother 26
One of the best CBS shows, Big Brother 26 will air starting Wednesday, July 17 with a two-night premiere. The second episode will follow on Thursday, July 18. From there, the reality competition show will stick with its usual schedule, airing every Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. Those who want more can tune into the live feeds via Paramount+ with Showtime or Pluto TV.
The 16 main players who will be deciding if they should bring in the secret 17th player are as follows (L-R, top row to bottom row in the above photo):
- Cam Sullivan-Brown (25) Bowie, MD, Physical Therapist
- T-Kor Clottey (23) Atlanta, GA, Crochet Business Owner
- Rubina Bernabe (35) Los Angeles, CA, Event Bartender
- Cedric Hodges (21) Boise, ID, Former Marine
- Joseph Rodriguez (30) Tampa, FL, Video Store Clerk
- Chelsie Baham (27) Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Non-Profit Director
- Matt Hardeman (25) Roswell, GA, Tech Sales Rep
- Brooklyn Rivera (34) Dallas, TX, Business Administrator
- Makensy Manbeck (22) Houston, TX, Construction Project Manager
- Kimo Apaka (35) Hilo, HI, Mattress Sales Rep
- Lisa Weintraub (33) Los Angeles, CA, Celebrity Chef
- Kenny Kelley (52) Boston, MA, Former Undercover Cop
- Tucker Des Laruriers (30) Brooklyn, NY, Marketing and Sales Executive
- Leah Peters (26) Miami, FL, VIP Cocktail Server
- Quinn Martin (25) Omaha, NB, Nurse Recruiter
- Angela Murray (50) Syracuse, UT, Real Estate Agent
Big Brother 26, dubbed the “Big Brother Artificial Intelligence” or “BB AI” summer, is shaping up to be an exciting season with a modern twist that fits the times. “We are leaning into the madness but giving it our own special sauce,” Julie Chen Moonves told Entertainment Tonight. “This summer’s ‘BB AI’ theme promises to bring the fun, the comedy and the unexpected game play that is hallmark of Big Brother,” add Allison Grodner and Rick Meehan in the CBS press release about the show. Fans are excited to see how it all plays out.