CBS has announced a few twists that “Big Brother” fans can expect to see when the show returns for Season 27, including one that even surprised host Julie Chen Moonves.
On July 2, ahead of the long-running summer competition show’s premiere on Thursday, July 10, CBS shared first-look images of the newly designed “Big Brother” house and revealed the theme for the season: “A Summer of Mystery.”
In a press release, the network teased that the houseguests will soon move into “Hotel Mystère, a place where secrets lurk behind every door and nothing is as it seems.”
What does that mean? Well, CBS explained that the season premiere will include “unexpected twists and turns including a masked visitor, a secret accomplice and the shocking arrival of a ‘Mystery Houseguest’ whose identity will remain under wraps … at least for now.”
The 90-minute premiere kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/PT and will be followed by another extended episode on Sunday, July 13, at the same time.
So, who is this “Mystery Houseguest” who will impact the game? Chen Moonves recently spoke about the new season and how the twists will reflect the show’s “expect the unexpected” motto that fans love.
In an Entertainment Weekly interview published July 3, the host said the mystery houseguest will be a “polarizing” figure who viewers will surely have an opinion about.
“What I can say is the mystery houseguest, when I was told who this person is, I had to expect the unexpected! I never expected that person,” Chen Moonves shared. “And I was very excited because, in my opinion, getting that person is epic. And that person is also very polarizing. So there’s going to be a strong reaction in both directions for this mystery houseguest.”
As for the secret accomplice, Moonves revealed that the person will be required to complete certain tasks.
She said, “The accomplice this person’s going to have — they’re going to have responsibilities, and they may or may not be able to pull it off, and that will affect the game.”
The host described the masked visitor as a more “disruptive” version of the AI Bot A.I.N.S.L.E.Y. who took over last season.
“Ainsley could do only so much, but this masked visitor is going to wreak havoc in ways that we’ve never seen before. And I would say on a deeper level. Much deeper. It’s more three dimensional,” she teased.
Speaking of Season 26, Moonves suggested that the AI Arena, which allowed three nominees to compete for another chance at safety on eviction night, could return this year.
“Yeah, I was a huge fan of it, as was everyone internally. I don’t know if you know this, but last summer it worked so well, so we extended it. Because it wasn’t supposed to go on for as long as it did,” she said. “The reason I liked it so much is because at the beginning of each season, there tends to be this herd mentality where there’s no surprise on eviction night because the whole house goes one way.”
Moonves added, “So things that work well tend to make an appearance again. I mean, look at the Power of Veto. That became a staple after Season 3. So I would say it’s like shaking the Magic 8 Ball — signs are pointing to yes.”
She also said the mystery theme will affect the houseguests and viewers at home. For instance, the host explained that some items in the house might appear ordinary but will play a role in how the game unfolds this season.
“You’ve got to be a detective this year to play this game,” she advised the Season 27 houseguests.
Following the format of previous seasons, “Big Brother” is expected to reveal its Season 27 cast a few days before the premiere.
