Big Brother: All 26 Seasons, Ranked From Worst to Best
It’s summertime and you know what that means: Big Brother is back in business, so let the BB26 chaos commence!
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But first: It’s been a whopping 24 years since the long-running CBS reality series hit the airwaves, so what better time than now to slap that Rewind Button and take a trip down memory lane? Below, we’ve ranked all of the BB seasons from worst to best. From the experimental, yet strange first season through Jag’s dominating victory in Season 25, we’re recalling the highs, the lows and the weirds in our comprehensive ranked list.
Not included, however, are the three Celebrity Big Brother seasons that aired in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The celebs were fine fun and all, but that offshoot was a different beast. (Ditto for Big Brother Reindeer Games.) What we did include was 2016’s streaming-only Over the Top run which (spoiler alert!) we actually loved! But where did it fall in the ranking? Scroll down to find out.
Revisit some primo BB seasons and moments down below (and also check out our ranked winners list if you feel so inclined), then light up that comments section and tell us which seasons are your favorite!
26. BIG BROTHER 1
No shade to Season 1, but comparing this OG run with the rest feels like comparing apples and oranges. Season 1 had wildly different rules, allowing a public vote to decide who was banished from the house. (Alliances, vetoes, powers and Head of Household competitions were all elements that would be added later.) We’re guessing that any attempt to rewatch this would be akin to watching paint dry. This drab season proved the show needed a glow-up, which is why CBS revamped it entirely ahead of Season 2.
25. BIG BROTHER 21
Blatant racism and other disgusting behavior made this season unbearable to watch. Not only was Camp Comeback not a good look (three people of color, David, Ovi and Kemi, were the first three sent to “camp”), but the misogyny, bullying and offensive comments were so rampant they needed to be addressed live during the season finale. Kemi and the others deserved so much better.
24. BIG BROTHER 15
No surprise here: The other highly racist season lands at the bottom right next to BB21. In some ways, 15 might even be worse. (Look no further than this horrific supercut and Aaryn Gries’ cringey exit interview.) But it wasn’t just one houseguest who let her ignorance run wild. It seemed like half of the house was in hot water by season’s end for things they said on camera. Still, the drama and fights in the house notch this one slightly higher than 21, but overall, we’re glad that the show holds people more accountable for their actions nowadays. (Also: Helen was pushed!)
23. BIG BROTHER 22
Oh, Season 22 (also unofficially known as Big Brother Small Stars). Even getting a season on the air in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic was a tremendous feat, but “All Stars”?! We think not. Yes, it brought us great joy to see Janelle and Kaysar reunited in the BB house, but pregame alliances and bizarre casting choices (David and Kevin?) made this one flop hard. Finally getting Keesha back only to have her walk out the door first was a stab in our BB-loving heart. And the gameplay?! These “All Stars” should be embarrassed. Thanks, but no thanks.
22. BIG BROTHER 9
Another entry that was thrown together during trying times, this writers’-strike-of-2008 fill-in season was a hot mess from the jump. To start, players competed and were evicted as couples as part of the “Soulmates” twist, which tortured poor Sheila and us in one fell swoop. The cast felt super off-brand too. However, if watching people have sex, make out and perform lap dances is your thing, maybe this was your jam! But it all felt particularly sleazy back in ’08, like something you’d see on Cinemax late Saturday night in the ’90s. Some of the houseguests felt downright unstable. Jabs about someone’s dead dad? Super gross. It’s obvious why none of these players were ever brought back for Round 2.
21. BIG BROTHER 19
Paul returning in back-to-back seasons felt like a slog that no one asked for, and the fact that none of the newbies thought enough to fight back against him made BB19 one of the most boring entries of the series. With an unmemorable cast and one dud of a finish, this installment of BB deserves this low spot. (But seriously, how great was Paul’s freakout as Julie read those jury votes? Losing twice in a row couldn’t have felt great, but man, what a moment!)
20. BIG BROTHER 18
There was a lot that didn’t work here: the mix of returning houseguests with newbies, the America’s Care Packages, Victor coming back not once, but twice. Even Vanessa Rousso’s sister Tiffany and the return of BB14′s Frank couldn’t keep our attention in this season that felt like it was running on fumes and stale creativity. We still wish Paul would’ve won. At least that would’ve spared us from the abomination that was BB19 the very next summer.
19. BIG BROTHER 25
Big Brother 25 had a lot of potential. There were some serious gamers and superfans who seemed like they were going to deliver. And in the start, we saw lots of shifting alliances, strategic thinking and good gameplay. Plus, adding Survivor legend Cirie Fields and her son Jared was fun enough at the jump. But the season’s 100 days proved to be way too long, with the zombie twist and Jag’s nullified eviction screeching the momentum to a halt. There were some great characters in Felicia, Izzy and Hisam, but by the season’s last few weeks, we couldn’t wait for it to end.
18. BIG BROTHER 16
Derrick and Cody played a flawless game that was expertly executed. The problem for us? It made for a boring season. Plus, the Battle of the Block twist — that saw two Heads of Household and four nominees each week — felt like too much to follow. It also led to heaps of thrown comps, which made watching them pretty futile. Donny, Nicole, Frankie and Zach were quirky and fun to watch, but besides Derrick’s deserved win, we won’t go out of our way to tout this one.
17. BIG BROTHER 12
Another predictable season. The Brigade was a respectable, well-executed alliance, but their dominance of the game and ability to fly under the radar made it a bit of a snooze. Props for introducing us to Britney Haynes, Rachel Reilly and Zingbot, though!
16. BIG BROTHER 11
Season 11 got a little spicy! The back-and-forth drama between Russell and, well, everyone served up heaps of entertainment value, while Chima vs. the producers kept us glued as well. (She was eventually removed from the game after throwing her microphone into the hot tub.) The Coup D’Etat twist was pretty much BS sent from producers to help out fan favorite Jeff, but we’ll admit, Jeff and Jordan were pretty adorable to watch. But clown shoes be damned, BB11 was good enough to be a middle-of-the-road installment of Big Brother.
15. BIG BROTHER 17
Some elements of Season 17 didn’t work — the return of the Battle of the Block and twin twists elicited mixed results. But Meg, James and Johnny Mac were super fun to watch, while Austin and Vanessa kept us on our toes with their gameplay. It’s a shame that pro poker player Vanessa couldn’t pull off the W, but the season’s mix of big personalities (Da’Vonne and Jason) and strategy made this an insanely watchable season of BB.
14. BIG BROTHER 24
There was a lot of early-season ugliness thanks to Paloma, Daniel and Nicole, but once that three-headed dragon was slayed, we rooted hard for Taylor to win the game, and good eventually prevailed over evil. While her competitive résumé may have been a little thin, she survived the block six times thanks to her stellar social game. Watching Kyle’s racism controversy unfold was extremely uncomfortable, but we loved Michael’s surprising transformation into a comp beast, The Leftovers’ triumphant formation and the kooky Turner, who turned out to be a hoot. Splitting the house into two separate inside/outside groups paid off in spades, too.
13. BIG BROTHER 13
The season that almost gave us a second helping of Evel. While we mourn what could’ve been had the infamous Evel Dick stuck around, watching Rachel rebrand herself into a fan favorite was a joy to watch. (Plus, her incessantly antagonizing Daniele? We weren’t mad!) The mix of veteran duos with new houseguests worked well enough, plus Jeff and Jordan fans got to see their faves once more. And the drama that came after Shelly backstabbed Jeff? Who knew Jordan had it in her!
12. Big Brother: Over the Top
This 2016 online-only installment of Big Brother had arguably the best cast the show had seen in years. Some of this offshoot’s houseguests could’ve and should’ve been cast on the main show. Justin was an absolute character. Sisters Alex and Morgan kept their familial relationship a secret from most of the players, and turned out to be a force to be reckoned with. And Danielle turned her game up to 11 after her showmance was evicted, winning two HOHs and a POV before being bested by Shelby. Producers gave America way too much voting power, though, and along with some other wonky format changes, some of the rules affected the gameplay way too much. That said, we loved the cast and wish the main show would take some riskier swings in the future.
11. BIG BROTHER 23
The season of the Cookout. While it rings true that things can get a bit dull when one major alliance steamrolls the competition, we couldn’t help but cheer on Tiffany, Xavier, Derek, Azah, Hannah and Kyland as they made a pact to ensure that Big Brother would crown its very first Black winner. Aside from those six, Derek X., Claire, Alyssa, Frenchie and more gave us plenty of hours of solid entertainment as they scrambled (and failed) to defeat the hidden alliance that they just couldn’t crack.
10. BIG BROTHER 14
Big Brother 14 delivered countless major moments including perhaps our favorite scene in franchise history: Dan’s funeral. Plus, Britney’s on-fire confessionals, the Mike Boogie blindside, Ian’s strategic, under-the-radar game and Janelle just being Janelle made BB14 an absolute riot to watch. Sure, pretending that the returnees were just “coaches” was pretty dumb, but this is Big Brother, after all. We’ll allow it.
9. BIG BROTHER 20
After a very questionable run from BB15 to BB19, Big Brother 20 arrived to get the series back on track. The season featured two strong alliances (FOUTTE vs. Level Six) warring back and forth with one another, not dissimilar from what we saw in BB6, arguably one of the series’ best seasons ever (keep scrolling!) Not only was 20 a fun tug of war between opposing sides of the house, but almost every houseguest had something to add. And the moments were huge! Bayleigh’s freakout on Tyler, Kaitlyn botching the easiest puzzle ever and Rockstar going off on Brett… on her daughter’s birthday! Plus, a Kaycee vs. Tyler Final 2 was one helluva showdown.
8. BIG BROTHER 8
Love him or loathe him, BB8 winner Evel Dick delivered a massively entertaining season. From rekindling his relationship with his daughter Daniele to “hell week,” his pots and pans tirade and more, we couldn’t get enough of the red-haired rocker and his quest to annoy almost every single person inside the house. His ongoing feud with Jen was also one for the record books. (Remember the cigarette battle?) Regardless, the father/daughter duo fought hard and made it all the way to the end, despite being the house’s biggest public enemies.
7. BIG BROTHER 5
Project DNA (which stood for “Do Not Assume”) changed the game like never before when two houseguests, Nakomis and Cowboy, were cast not knowing that they shared the same father. (Scandalous!) The season is also known for the show’s very first twin twist, which saw identical twins Adria and Natalie switch places in the house every couple of days, until Natalie permanently joined after the fourth eviction. Huge shocker. Plus, Nakomis cracked the code on how to completely control how the veto was played and used, thus writing the blueprint for the now-famous backdoor strategy. Talk about twists and turns!
6. BIG BROTHER 4
How do you spice up a reality series heading into its fourth season? By surprising the houseguests with their exes! The Ex-Factor twist paired up five houseguests with their exes, surprising everyone in the house and turning the game on its head. Needless to say, the stunt served up Drama with a capital D. Jun and Alison were the ultimate frenemies, working together when it made sense in order to further their game. In fact, Jun wrote the handbook for the “floater” strategy, paving the way for countless players to come.
5. BIG BROTHER 3
Sorry, Janelle, but Danielle Reyes is actually the best houseguest to never win. And you know what? We’re still a little salty about it. Back then, the jury wasn’t sequestered, which meant all of Danielle’s evicted housemates went back home and watched aaaaall of her Diary Rooms. And they didn’t like what they saw. However, it was still a joy to watch Danielle and her alliance-mate Jason (who never gets enough credit!) stay under the radar and absolutely work this house, but eventual winner Lisa played a damn fine game, as well. The following season, jury sequestering became a thing… if only it had happened just a little bit earlier.
4. BIG BROTHER 2
Talk about expect the unexpected! After Big Brother’s first season simply didn’t work, producers gave the show an entire revamp, changing up the rules to add more drama in the house and give all the power of backstabbing and deceiving to the houseguests. Plus, Dr. Will was a fascinating character to watch. A villain who refused to hide his antics, he was both a rogue player and an evil-doer inside those walls, and we viewers ate it up. The fact that he went on to win is the stuff of BB legend.
3. BIG BROTHER 7
Just one look at this dynamite All-Stars cast and it’s clear it’s one for the record books: Janelle, Dr. Will, Mike Boogie, Danielle Reyes, Nakomis, Chicken George and so many more. Not only was the cast stacked, but they delivered on all fronts. There was heaps of drama, memorable moments (“I can’t find an individual to hate because I hate you all,” Dr. Will jokingly told his fellow houseguests), showmances and heartbreaking early exits that made this season one we couldn’t tear ourselves away from. It’s also a prime example of not needing gimmicky twists to make a banger of a season. You just need a cast that will swing for the fences.
2. BIG BROTHER 6
As previously mentioned, a house divided makes for the best Big Brother seasons. This season saw Maggie’s Friendship alliance take on Janelle and Kaysar’s Sovereign Six and the competition was fierce. Making matters even better (for us, that is): The two warring sides of the house did not get along. There were petty insults, drunk screaming matches and one of the worst moves in BB history with Howie flipping on James and Sarah. The power shifted back and forth right until the very end, making this one action-packed and wildly dramatic season of Big Brother.
1. BIG BROTHER 10
Cast, gameplay, vicious fights. Big Brother 10 had it all. Dan’s performance here is perhaps one of the greatest runs in competitive reality TV history. He received zero eviction votes against him all season long, then went on to win by a unanimous jury vote. Aside from Dan’s “misting,” Keesha, Ollie, Libra, Michelle, Jerry, Renny, April and Jesse (aka Mr. PEC-Tacular) all added to the season’s antics, never shying away from showing their emotions and screaming them out whenever necessary. At a tight 71 days (note to producers: 90-plus days is too long), this season took off running and never looked back. And may we never, ever forget the magic that was Keesha’s birthday, which was quite possibly one of the best moments in franchise history. So now that BB10 has been crowned, “Anybody want cake?“
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