Big Brother 25: Season Retrospective

For three years now, I've looked forward to Big Brother season. While I'm a little late to the party compared to others, my enthusiasm is always sky-high when the season begins. With the writers on strike throughout the summer, the season was announced to be 100 days, making it the longest in the show's history. The season took place in the BB Multiverse, with four separate universes colliding to bring havoc at every turn. On the one-week anniversary of a winner being crowned, I'll recap some of the most significant events, storylines, and talking points from 100 days of action. 

Night 1 Doesn't Skip Out on the Twists (Week 1)

The game wasted little time getting started as the houseguests entered the house. The 16 players entered the backyard and were divided into groups to compete in four competitions. The goal wasn't to win, just not to lose. The person in each competition who finished in last place would be on the block to be evicted at the first eviction. By the end of the night, Jared, Kirsten, Felicia, and Cory were the unfortunate souls to start the season on the block. Cory's loss was significant because he was pulled into the Nether Region, which had the rest of the house speculating about a potential power he'd earned once he returned. 

That's not all Big Brother had in store on Night 1. When the houseguests entered the house at the end of the episode, a mysterious 17th houseguest was waiting for them. That mysterious figure was Cirie Fields, a four-time Survivor player and winner of Season 1 of The Traitors US. She's a legend in the world of Survivor, making this a huge deal for those craving a crossover between the two shows. It's just the third time in the show's history that 17 people played, joining the Twin Twist in BB17 and Paul's return in BB19. It was theorized there'd be an 18th person joining to make it the largest cast, but that never came to fruition. 

Another Week 1 Removal Leads to Kirsten Getting a Raw Deal (Week 1)

Outside of expecting the unexpected, it's almost guaranteed that every season of Big Brother will come with its fair share of controversy. BB25 wasted little time joining the ranks. Last season, it was the deteriorating mental health of Paloma that saw her leave after eight days. This season, it was a white guy using a racial slur. While in the Have-Not Room with Jared, Cory, and Hisam, Luke thought it'd be smart to use the N-word. While the comment was not directed at a specific houseguest, it clearly crossed a line, and he was swiftly ejected from the house on Day 8. It was the right call by production, a rarity this season for the group. 

After Reilly won the HOH Competition, she was allowed to remove two of the four people on the block. She opted to remove Cory and Jared, leaving Kirsten and Felicia up for eviction. With Luke's removal from the game, many thought the obvious next step would be to cancel the eviction. There was precedent to do so. Last season, Paloma's leaving canceled the vote between Taylor and Terrance, allowing Taylor to survive and win the game. Instead, Big Brother went through with the eviction as Kirsten was unanimously evicted. I'm not saying Kirsten wins this season, but she got the short end of the stick with this decision. Given how the season plays out, they could've canceled the eviction and stayed on schedule. There's no way of knowing how she would do if she stayed because she'd done an excellent job of making herself a target. Still, if you did it one season, you could've done it again. 

HOH to Evictee (Weeks 2 & 3)

Becoming the HOH in any season comes with its pros and cons. It can help you develop early alliances, real or fake, that help keep you alive in the game. Winning early can also paint a target on your back. This season, it was clearly the latter. After Reilly won in Week 1, she was out the door seven days later, courtesy of Hisam. Reilly was given a chance to fight for her position in the game, but Hisam won the veto competition, all but ending her chance of being saved. After that, Hisam was backdoored and given the boot. He wasn't given the luxury of playing in the veto competition after Felicia nominated Cameron and Jag, with Jag winning to take himself down. 

Hisam's eviction was of particular interest to many in the Big Brother community. The lead-up to his eviction was unlike anything I'd ever seen. Following Jag's veto win, Cirie, Izzy, and Felicia spent days trying to think about the best course of action. Everyone's name was thrown out as a possibility to replace Jag on the block. Despite Hisam being the consensus pick for the rest of the house, it nearly didn't happen. Once Hisam was chosen to replace Jag, there was still talk about whether Hisam needed to go. The plans weren't solidified until shortly before the eviction, but Hisam was eventually evicted, allowing us to breathe a collective sigh of relief. 

Return of the Pressure Cooker (Week 4)

With the show celebrating its 25th season, there was hope that Big Brother would bring back the Pressure Cooker and allow it to play out over the live feeds. The Pressure Cooker is one of the most iconic competitions in the show's history. The version that everyone remembers comes from BB6 when Kaysar and Jennifer battled for nearly 14 hours with their hands on a button. It only ended after Jennifer promised Kaysar safety for the week, which turned out to be a lie, sending Kaysar out shortly after returning to the game. This version of the Pressure Cooker didn't disappoint. Most of the houseguests stayed on for several hours. I went to bed and only missed three people who let go of their buttons. The competition fell just four minutes short of BB6, with America letting go 13 hours and 49 minutes in, allowing Cameron to win the HOH. 

Jag Gets Saved (Week 4)

Following Cameron's HOH win, he put Blue and Jag on the block. After Red won the veto and didn't use it, it was locked in that one would be going home. However, the houseguests were privy to a vote by the public to determine four players to compete in a secret game with power on the line. Speculation ran rampant through the house as to who the competitors would be, with several incorrectly assuming they'd be in the Top 4 because of how little self-awareness they had. America voted for Cory, Cirie, Matt, and Jag to compete, with Matt beating Cory by eight seconds to take hold of The Power of Invincibility. This power allowed Matt to save an evicted houseguest over the next two eviction cycles. After the house voted Jag out unanimously, a transmission came to the house and explained that the Power of Invincibility had been used to keep Jag in the house. Cameron was stunned as the rest of the house celebrated. Many viewers were left upset because it made the results of the Pressure Cooker worthless; thus, the effort to stay up was for nothing. It would also prove to be a significant moment in hindsight. 

The Showmances of the Season

It was around this point in the season when the showmances started to heat up. There were two full-blown showmances this season, with an additional sorta-mance that took shape near the end of the season. Blue and Jared were the first ones to assert themselves as an item, despite initial uncertainty about Jared's current status. They had a weird relationship. Jared wasn't exactly the most stand-up guy, based largely on the conversations we saw on the Live Feeds. They had a messy situation on the couch in the loft, leading to the infamous Clorox wipes incident. He also spilled the secret about Cirie being his mom, which took Blue a minute to figure out. 

The showmance that most fans will remember from this season is America and Cory, or Americory, as they've become affectionately known. It was a slow burn in the first few weeks, with Cory refusing to break past barriers he'd placed regarding a potential relationship. There was a decent age gap between the two, but that never appeared to be an issue. They were indeed an odd couple in all the best ways possible. She helped him with grooming and glamification. He talked to her about the US Constitution and other nerdy topics, which seemed to get her going. I grew to love them, and I hope they continue for a long time. 

The final duo never really got a chance to flourish in the house, leaving their future in the air. Matt seemed to develop a fondness for Reilly early in the game, but her quick exit from the house made her present in name only for the rest of the season. Matt did admit his feelings to her shortly before her eviction, though it didn't seem like much came of it. However, she wrote him a letter during his HOH reign later in the season, and her name popped up a bunch in the final weeks. We got a few answers on Finale Night that seemed to suggest they'd give it a go once they left, but time will tell. 

Jared's Use of a Slur Highlights a Broader Issue (Week 5)

Controversy ran rampant in the house for the first few weeks. This time, the concern was the use of an ableist term by Jared toward America about possibly throwing the veto competition that week. Jared was the HOH during Week 5, with Red and Cameron on the block. After names were chosen to participate in the veto competition, Jared had concerns about America throwing the competition, which infuriated Cory, who got into a heated altercation with the HOH. Jared did eventually apologize to Cory for using the term, but the internet wasn't as forgiving. Jag's family used his social media to promote inclusivity through Jag's association with the Special Olympics, calling out Jared's use of the term and starting a fundraiser with their local branch. 

This incident wasn't an isolated event, highlighting a prominent issue in the house throughout the season. Many of the men in the house were guilty of shameful behavior. America was the center of many attacks behind her back, namely from Matt, Cameron, and Red at times. Jared needed to be lectured by the house one night about his behavior and thoughts about women. Production doesn't get a pass from it either because they choose to ignore these issues, never showing them in the edited episodes and rarely showing entire conversations on the live feeds. Whenever it gets brought up in the house, they cut to a different conversation. This isn't a new issue and is one that has plagued the show for a long time. Transparency has never been Big Brother's strongsuit, even with a show that lauds its 24/7 access to the house. 

The Jury Shrinks

Another element of the show that reverted to its roots was the jury. Since BB15, the jury has been comprised of nine members, but it hasn't always been that way. Beginning in BB4, when the jury was sequestered after being evicted, Big Brother was decided by a jury of seven. This season, they decided to bring the seven-member jury back. With how exciting the pre-jury phase was, this announcement was well-received. I liked reverting to the old days. Of course, it meant two houseguests wouldn't be able to say they made the jury, making the fight to get there even harder. 

Zombie Week Kills the Double Eviction and the Season, Figuratively and Literally (Weeks 7 & 8)

For six weeks, Big Brother was a runaway train that no one could control, making it must-see TV. Add the announcement of a Double Eviction, and Week 7 looked like it was going to be a wild one. It started with Jared winning his second HOH of the season and the house finally evicting Cameron, the house's target for weeks. He wasn't able to win the veto competition, opening the door for the house to get him out. When Cameron was unanimously evicted and had his interview with Julie, she teased him with a chance to get back in the game. 

Before we could dive into it too much, we needed to "evict" a second houseguest. Almost as if it was fate, Cory won the HOH and nominated Jared and Blue to eviction. Jared picked Matt to play in the veto competition, proceeded to be dominated by Matt, then didn't have the veto used on him. Jared was swiftly evicted from the house, only for Julie to give him the news that his game wasn't over yet. The houseguests were soon made privy to the information, telling them that one of Cameron and Jared would be back in the house the following Thursday night. After the two re-entered, the houseguests were also notified there'd be no HOH, nominations, veto, or vote for the entire week. Instead, Jared and Cameron would compete to determine which of them would control who competed on Thursday night to get back in the game. Cameron won the seesaw competition to earn the power, then put his game into his hands by competing in the Frankie Grande competition and killing it, sending Jared out for good and putting an end to the most boring week of the season. 

This was the most unnecessary and unexciting week of the entire season, which says a lot, given how boring the endgame was. It didn't help the two people everyone wanted out were back in the house. Cameron's and Jared's evictions were long-awaited, only to be negated by a terrible twist that brought the game to a screeching halt. Big Brother is a game of strategy. There was no strategy this week. Cameron and Jared did a little to position themselves in case they came back into the house, but it was an excruciatingly long week without the proper power structure. From this point, the season takes a sharp nosedive off a cliff. 

Familiar "Favorites" Return (Weeks 10 & 11)

Following Mecole's eviction in Week 9, the jury phase began. To ring in the occasion, Big Brother welcomed Zingbot back. Zingbot and his zings were brought in to host the veto competition, which happened to be OTEV. Your love or hatred for Zingbot is often paired with how much you love or hate terrible puns and jokes made about the houseguests. Sometimes, the zings hit hard. Other times, it's clear the writers have no clue who these people are. This season came with its fair share of duds, namely Bowie Jane's, Blue's, Felicia's, Jag's, and Cameron's. There were also a few good ones. Cory and America each got decent jabs, Matt was called a dumb blonde for picking a cardboard cutout of Josh Duhamel during a veto competition, and Cirie was roasted with a great Survivor zing about being left on an island again following Izzy's and Jared's evictions. Even Mecole caught a stray despite having just been evicted. It wasn't a perfect year for Zingbot, but he got some good ones in. 

The following week, Big Brother doubled down on the hits with the return of BB Comics. Much like Zingbot, these comics are either really good or really bad. This season, they were on the bad side. There were a few positive standouts, like Matt as Pool-tergeist and Jared as Muffin Hands. The rest were either okay or really bad. Some of the worst offenders this season were Mecole as Mecolamity, Kirsten as Curse-sten, Cory as Alba-Cory, America as Night-merica, Reilly as The Nashvillain, and Bowie Jane as The Bowie-rang.

Comic Week Turns into a Flop (Week 11)

As was the case at various points during the season, production did way too much with their twists during Comic Week. BB Comics was the HOH Competition for the week, but the winner wouldn't be announced to the rest of the house, only the winning time. This was because the winner of the competition was given the Power of Invisibility, meaning they'd be operating anonymously the entire week. There was one glaring flaw with the execution. Given the physical nature of the competition, only a few players could've won it, with a time of 8:30. Bowie Jane couldn't play because she was the previous week's HOH. Cirie and Felicia had struggled all season and weren't threats to win a physical competition. This left the five young players, Cory, America, Blue, Matt, and Jag. Cirie and Felicia were quick to solve the mystery, deducing Jag was the winner. This would be confirmed by Jag, who told almost everyone in the house he'd won, negating the notion of working anonymously. It made the entire twist null and void because there was no secrecy behind it. He put Felicia and Blue on the block with the hope of evicting Blue. 

The powers kept coming during the veto competition. The Power of Multiplicity meant there'd be two competitions, with two people holding a veto at the veto ceremony. Jag outlasted Blue in the first competition, a spinning endurance competition, by staying up for over two hours. The second competition came down to pure luck. The remaining competitors would write down how long they thought Jag would be able to hold onto a bar as he was swung. For every 15 seconds, Jag would earn $500. He lasted 110 seconds, earning him $3,500. Matt and Cory each had close guesses, but Blue would be the closest with her guess of 105 seconds, earning her the second veto of the week. This ensured her safety and kicked off a double backdoor blindside of Cory and America, who went up as the replacements, with the former being evicted at the end of the week. 

Ignoring the fact that one of my favorites for the season was evicted, this week missed the mark. At the very least, the week's first big twist was terrible because it was completely ignored. The Power of Invisibility turned into the Power of Complete Visibility. The production team gave zero incentive for Jag to keep his win a secret. Hence, he told everyone who'd listen in an effort to garner support and good connections in case he was in a vulnerable spot the following week. I have less of a problem with the double veto. I appreciate the second one being available for anyone to win. The fact that someone on the block was able to win it was an added bonus. 

A First-Time Event That Shouldn't Have Happened (Week 12)

The aftershocks from Comic Week were felt during the following HOH competition. Prior to the announcement of a winner for the BB Comics competition, the houseguests were informed that the HOH would be able to compete in the next week's HOH competition, meaning Jag, who ran the house with the "Power of Invisibility" during Comic Week, was eligible to win again. Lo and behold, that's exactly how it played out, making him the first-ever back-to-back HOH winner in Big Brother history. Jag would also go on to win the veto that week, giving him five consecutive competition wins and ensuring he sent Blue out the door. 

This was so stupid. There is no reason why Jag should've been allowed to play or win this competition. This isn't on Jag. The blame lies solely with production. They made the mistake of telling the house the winner of the Power of Invisibility could play again, giving Jag no incentive to keep it a secret. There should've been an added caveat where the winner had to keep it a secret or risk their ability to play in the following HOH competition. They also could've done what they did during BB23. When Claire unseated Tiffany during her HOH reign, production made Claire throw the next HOH competition. This was more than doable given the competition was played in individual rooms. All they had to do was tell Jag to throw it. It gave Jag way too much power over the game, but we came to expect that during the endgame. 

The Endgame Gets Predictable Thanks to Competition Inequity

One of the reasons why fans will likely dislike this season is that the endgame was terrible to watch due to its predictability. Following Zombie Week, nine houseguests remained. During those final six weeks, only four players won an HOH (Cameron, Jag, Bowie Jane, Matt), and outside of them, only one other person won a veto (Blue). Jag won three HOHs and five vetos in six weeks. Bowie Jane won three HOHs. Matt won one of each. The Mafia won 12 of the final 13 competitions, with Blue's veto the lone exception. They didn't need to bank on any social strategy. All they needed to do was win. They had a leg up over Cirie and Felicia, who were never going to beat them in anything physical, and America, who didn't win anything all season. It was boring watching them steamroll their way to the end, making the 100 days go by even slower. This needs to change in BB26. I'm not saying they need to completely eliminate physical competitions. I'm saying they need to either create more equitable competitions or cast a group where everyone is able to win a physical competition. The former is the obvious choice. Otherwise, you're turning into The Challenge. 

Jag's Record-Breaking Win (Week 14)

On Finale Night, the Mafia were in control. Bowie Jane, Jag, and Matt were in the Final 3, competing to see who the Final HOH would be. It came down to a tiebreaker between Matt and Jag in Part 3, but Jag was able to win his record-breaking tenth competition of the season, evicting Bowie Jane to sit next to Matt for the chance to win $750k. He outclassed Matt during the jury questions, and though his final speech felt a little too confrontational, he managed to secure five votes, beating Matt 5-2 to take home the ultimate prize. He had the resume to get the job done, setting records for most veto wins and most competition wins. He was able to articulate his strategy better than Matt, even though Matt was arguably the better player. Jag became the first Sikh winner in the show's history, giving us three straight first-time winners, following Xavier becoming the first black winner in BB23 and Taylor becoming the first black female winner in BB24. He's also the first winner to have been evicted from the house. 

Final Thoughts

100 Days is Too Long

When the show announced they'd be setting a new record for the longest season, there was cause for optimism. It wasn't as if it was the longest season by much, with BB18, BB20, and BB21 all lasting 99 days, while BB17 and BB16 lasted 98 and 97 days, respectively. However, it was a far cry from the 82 days we watched last season or the 85 days from the two seasons prior. The inflated length was likely attributed to the writer's strike, but Big Brother doesn't need to be that long. Even with 17 houseguests, they could've made it shorter, and we'd all have been grateful. I can also admit that the length was largely an issue because of the gameplay down the stretch. If the endgame had been more exciting, maybe my perspective on the season would have changed. 

Too Many Unanimous Votes

Another thing that I felt needed to be talked about was the number of unanimous votes we saw during this season. It was ridiculous how many times everyone voted together out of fear they'd be the next target. Historically, alliances vote together, meaning you'd better hope you had the numbers on your side. This season, once there was a consensus target, everyone was voting for them, regardless of alliances. Of the 14 times there was a vote this season with two or more votes, 11 of them were unanimous, including Jag's nullified eviction. At 75.5%, it's the third-highest percentage of unanimous votes in a season, behind only BB16 (10/13, 76.9%) and BB12 (7/9, 77.7%). There were only four dissenting votes all season. Cameron and Bowie Jane voted for Red to stay, and Cirie voted for Izzy and Jared to stay. Four dissenting votes are second to BB12's three, but there were significantly fewer votes compared to BB25. 

The Casting Was Phenomenal

While my tone toward the season likely comes across as unfavorable, the one thing that saved the season was its cast. Outside of a few duds, this was an incredible cast of houseguests. The cast was incredibly diverse. We had the first Sikh houseguest (Jag), the first deaf houseguest (Matt), and the oldest female houseguest in the show's history (Felicia). We had a Survivor legend (Cirie) and her son (Jared), along with another relative of a Survivor player (Cory). Izzy and Hisam were both central characters in the early portion of the game. America's chemistry with Cory made them an excellent showmance to watch. Mecole was good for a rant or several in the storage room. Cameron was a decent and unhinged antagonist at times, with his right-hand man Red. Blue brought as much personality as we've ever seen, and she came equipped with her own catchphrases. Even Kirsten and Reilly, who were in the house briefly, made enough of an impact in the first two weeks of the season. Bowie Jane was there, too. For better or for worse, everyone got their moment to shine, helping us to stay invested in the fates of these individuals. Were they all perfect? No. In fact, several of them showed sides of themselves they will likely regret if they ever watch the season again, but that's what makes Big Brother unique. People come together from different walks of life to live in a house for a decent amount of time, and differences and biases are bound to show. It's up to the houseguests to learn from their mistakes. That's why I'll keep coming back as long as it's on television.