Big Brother

Big Brother, hosted by Julie Chen Moonves, premiered on CBS in July 2000 and features a group of contestants competing against one another in strategic and physical challenges for the grand prize of $750,000.

The contestants — also known as houseguests — have no contact with the outside world after moving into the Big Brother house, which is equipped with 94 cameras and 113 microphones monitoring their every move for 100 days. Each week, Big Brother challenges its stars with new tasks and twists as they compete to be named Head of Household or secure the Power of Veto, determining who will be evicted from the house. A group of eliminated houseguests form the Jury, which ultimately chooses the winner when two contestants remain. Viewers are also able to vote for America’s Favorite Houseguest, which was introduced in 2007 and awards $25,000 to the fan-favorite player.

The Big Brother franchise originated in Europe in the ‘90s. As of summer 2023, the show airs in 63 countries around the world. The U.S. edition is the longest-running in the franchise to date. Notable winners through the years include season 1’s Eddie McGee, season 10’s Dan Gheesling, season 13’s Rachel Reilly, season 18’s Nicole Franzel and more.