Season 19 of Big Brother included tons of twists and turns, taking its motto of “expect the unexpected” to new heights. Dubbed the “Summer of Temptation,” there were several twists whereby players were tempted with money, power, or safety. But in every case, there would be a consequence to the choice should they be unable to resist.
In the long-running reality competition series, a group of people from all walks of life, from all across America, enter a secluded house where they must live together with no access to the outside world. While there, they compete in physical and mental games, create alliances (and often also enemies), and try to be the last person standing to be crowned winner.
In this particular season, some of the twists totally changed the game. And in some cases, the twists didn’t even have anything to do with ones presented by production, but rather involved the cast themselves and the drama they created. Here are the season’s 10 biggest twists, ranked.
Megan Voluntarily Leaving the Game
After only eight days in the game, Megan became one of few people to voluntarily leave the house and forfeit her chance for the final prize. Following a misunderstanding, fights, and bullying, Megan decided she didn’t want to be there anymore.
It was a shocking turn of events, given that viewers have seen many players break down in the past, but pull through. We learned later that Megan claimed the events in the house triggered her anxiety and PTSD, so her decision was the best one for her mental health. Nonetheless, it was an unexpected twist.
Tree of Temptation
An underwhelming twist, this one didn’t quite work out for the series. A tree lights up periodically in the house and if any houseguest wishes to pluck an apple from it, they can go to the diary room and say so. The first person to do this gets to pick any apple they want. However, the apple they pick could either help or hurt them.
In the end, the risk-averse group opted out of even trying, leaving the tree lying dormant for most of the time. Mark was the only one who gave it a go. Can you say boring? That said, it was a big twist that could have really shaken up the game but ended up being a flop.
Temptation Competition
The way this competition worked was that the winner would be guaranteed safety, potentially preventing the house from getting out a big target, while the loser would automatically become a third nominee for eviction.
However, players could also anonymously opt out before the competition was over to get a cash prize if they were the first to do so. The first temptation, accepted by Kevin (though no one knew it was him) led to Paul coming back into the house, while a subsequent one was what sent Jessica packing.
Christmas’ Fake HoH Win
This twist was so ridiculous that it’s amazing it even happened. After breaking her foot (due to an accident earlier in the house) Christmas was unable to play in any physical competitions, or at least had zero chance of winning any that she did. Yet during a race-based physical competition, her alliance members faked getting disqualified, one by one, in order to give her the win.
It was such an obvious move that the other side of the house could tell what was going on. And a sad twist to see competitors throw a competition to someone who couldn’t even compete — and whom many argue should have been ejected from the game following her injury.
Paul Returning to Play The Game
Paul dominated Season 18 yet still only came in second place due to his arrogant attitude and enemies he made thanks to his underhanded gameplay. So it’s no surprise that CBS wanted him back — he made for good TV. The manner in which he was brought back, however, was surprising (see next entry), as was the immediate power that was granted to him via instant protection and friendship bracelets of protection he could hand out.
Funny enough, Paul made it all the way to the end of the game again, but in a sweet case of déjà vu, he missed the win by one vote a second time around, hilariously crying “not again!” when he heard the result.
Cameron Getting Sent Home on Night One
It’s so unfair for a player to go through the grueling audition process and finally make it onto the show, only to get booted before it even starts. But that’s exactly what happened to poor Cameron, who was the victim of the first Temptation twist. Kevin secretly opted for $25,000 in exchange for a consequence being unleashed on the house. The consequence was Paul.
Called the Big Brother Swap, Paul entered as the 17th houseguest. But there was only room for 16, which meant someone had to get evicted immediately before they even had a chance to unpack their bags. Sadly, Cameron was meeting with Julie before the game even really began.
Everything About Raven
What wasn’t a massive twist about Raven? She came in looking like a sweet and quirky girl and turned into, well, a nightmare. Viewers began noticing her discussing several illnesses, diseases, and medical ailments, all of which she claimed to be afflicted with. She also made grandiose claims, like being a member of MENSA.
Beyond all of these comments, which many viewers didn’t believe, her switch from part of a majority alliance to someone seemingly doing nothing in the house was unexpected. The biggest twist of all? Upon entering the jury house, Raven claimed that she and her showmance partner Matt were pulling the strings behind-the-scenes the whole time, an idea that had everyone laughing hysterically.
Jessica’s Halting Hex
Fans were rooting for Jessica, feeling she got an unfair shake because of her relationship with Cody, who no one liked. So, viewers awarded her a visit to the Den of Temptation, and she was granted this power which allowed her to take over the live eviction.
It worked perfectly as it prevented Cody from going home. In fact, it meant no one was evicted from the game at all that evening. Needless to say, it sent the entire house into a tailspin.
Josh’s Goodbye Messages
John came across as emotional and clueless as to what was going on. But the truth was that he was smarter than people gave him credit for. In the end, he was the only one to have suspicions about Paul’s real allegiances and gameplay. And while he still didn’t turn against his ally, he began a subtle move that likely aided his win.
During every one of his goodbye messages to people who were entering the jury house, and who would ultimately be responsible for crowning a winner, Josh mentioned something about Paul and how he betrayed them, planting a growing seed of anger in each evicted houseguest’s mind.
Paul Comes In Second…Again
The biggest twist of the season came right at the very end, when viewers, and Paul himself, thought the veteran player had a win in the bag. As the votes were being read, however, Josh’s name kept coming up again and again.
As the hope slowly drained from Paul’s face, the tie-breaking vote was read and Josh was declared winner. It was so shocking because most people couldn’t fathom Paul coming in second not once, but twice in a row with such a close vote count both times.
