Big Brother 8 (US)

Big Brother 8 (US)
Season Information
Country	United States
Host	Julie Chen
Season	8
Prize Money	$500,000
No. of Houseguests	14
No. of Days	81
Winner	Dick Donato
Runner(s)-up	Daniele Donato
Returnees	Daniele Donato (BB13, BB22) Dick Donato (BB13)
Production
Network	CBS RealNetworks (live feeds) Showtime Two (BBAD) CBS.com (HC)
Executive Producers	Allison Grodner Rich Meehan Don Wollman
Casting	Robyn Kass
Announcers	Don Wollman Clayton Halsey
Production Company	Fly on the Wall Entertainment Endemol USA
Season Run	July 5, 2007 - September 18, 2007
Filming Dates	June 30, 2007 - September 18, 2007
No. of Episodes	33
Viewership	7.52m
Companion Shows	Big Brother: After Dark House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show
Cast
Opening Sequence
Series Chronology
Previous Season	Big Brother 7 (US)
Next Season	Big Brother 9 (US)

Big Brother 8 (US) is the 8th season of the broadcasted edition of Big Brother (U.S.).

Background

Development

The season was announced on February 1, 2007. Julie Chen returned for this season as host. Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan are executive producers. Arnold Shapiro stepped down as producer following last season's All-Stars edition, but serves as executive consultant on the show. Casting calls ran until May 5, 2007. A preview was shown on the The Early Show on July 5, 2007, the day of the premiere. The show aired three times a week; Sundays at 8pm, Tuesdays at 9pm, and Thursdays, which was broadcast live, at 8pm.

CBS's cable/satellite premium network Showtime Two carried a spin-off of the series called Big Brother: After Dark, which aired nightly from 12 midnight—3am. The show was live for the viewers on the east coast, however viewers on the West coast viewed it on a broadcast delay. This program featured all of the house activity happening between the local hours of 9pm-12 midnight in the House, and was edited only for slanderous statements and music copyrights.

Twists/Changes

• Rivals: Unbeknownst to the 11 Houseguests initially entering the house, 3 other Houseguests entered prior and were secluded in the HOH room, watching the other houseguests closely. These 3 players had a tense connection with someone else among the 11. They were not allowed compete in the first HOH competition but choose the first HOH among the pairs that competed in the first HOH competition, and were given immunity.
• America's Player: One houseguest; Eric Stein, played for the viewing public. The viewers voted and controlled his every game decision on which houseguest target, nominate, or evict. He was also given various other non-gameplay related secret tasks voted by the viewers.
  • America's Winner: As Eric Stein reached the jury portion of the game, his jury vote was also controlled by the viewers. The viewers voted on the houseguest that Eric should vote for and campaign to win the game.

House

The house design for Big Brother 8 had an Alice In Wonderland theme; The entrance was mirrored to represent the looking glass, The living room had large lights on the wall and a nomination couch vs the traditional nomination chairs. The bedrooms each had a different theme, The first bedroom made the houseguests feel like they were small, it featured large beds and dressers as well as a small door frame leading into the back bedroom which was made to make the houseguests feel large; the beds were tiny, and featured tiny furniture that outfitted the room. In between a giant magnifying glass. The Side Bedroom had an Moroccan/Aladdin theme, complete with 2 round beds. The kitchen also followed suit, with large cups adorning the cabinetry, the gym had multiple colors, the hallway leading to the bathroom was skewed to make the houseguests look large as they entered the bathroom. The balcony was meant to look like a whimsical forest, the HOH room was given a modern touch, and the back yard had a giant teacup that the houseguests could spin around in, as well as a giant chess board, and topiary animals to match.

Houseguests

Winner    Dick

Runner-Up    Daniele

Jury: Dick    Zach

Jury: Daniele    Jameka

Jury: Dick    Eric

Jury: Dick    Jessica

Jury: Dick    Amber

Jury: Daniele    Jen

Jury: Dick    Dustin

Evicted    Kail

Evicted    Nick

Evicted    Mike

Evicted    Joe

Evicted    Carol

Voting History

		Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7	Week 8	Week 9		Week 10	Week 11
										Day 63	Day 69		Day 76	Finale
	Dick	Carol			Nick	Eric		Jen	Amber	Jessica		Vetoed Jameka	Zach	Winner
	Daniele	Carol	Vetoed Joe	Mike	Nick		Vetoed Dustin		Amber	Jessica	Eric			Runner-Up
Zach		Carol	Joe	Kail	Kail	Eric	Dustin	Jen			Eric			Dick
Jameka		Carol	Joe	Mike	Nick	Kail	Dick		Zach			Rep		Daniele
Eric		Carol	Joe	Kail	Kail	Rep	Dustin	Jen	Amber	Jameka				Dick
	Jessica	Carol	Joe	Mike	Nick	Kail		Jen						Dick
Amber			Joe	Mike	Nick	Kail	Dick	Vetoed Jen						Dick
Jen		Amber		Vetoed Mike	Vetoed Nick	Vetoed Eric	Dustin	Rep						Daniele
	Dustin	Carol	Joe	Mike		Kail	Rep							Dick
Kail			Dick
Nick		Carol	Joe	Mike	Rep
Mike		Carol	Joe	Rep
	Joe	Carol	Rep
	Carol
Penalty Vote								Jen

Key:

Nominated

Rep: Replacement Nominee

POV Holder

HOH

Immune

America's Vote

Jury Member

Evicted

• Note: Dick, Dustin, and Jessica were introduced into the game following the first Head of Household Competition. As they could not play for HoH, they were instead awarded immunity for the week.
• Note: Eric was America's Player, thus; the public controlled his votes, including his Jury vote.

Game History

#	HOH	Initial Nominations		Veto Holder	Used?	Final Nominations		Result
Week								Houseguest	Vote	Finish
1	Kail	Amber	Carol	Daniele		Amber	Carol	Carol	10-1	1st Evicted Day 13
2	Jen	Daniele	Dick	Daniele		Dick	Joe	Joe	9-1	2nd Evicted Day 20
3	Dick	Jen	Kail	Jen		Kail	Mike	Mike	7-2	3rd Evicted Day 27
4	Dustin	Jen	Kail	Jameka		Kail	Nick	Nick	6-2	4th Evicted Day 34
5	Daniele	Jen	Kail	Jen		Eric	Kail	Kail	4-3	5th Evicted Day 41
6	Jessica	Daniele	Dick	Dick		Dick	Dustin	Dustin	4-2	6th Evicted 1st Jury Member Day 48
7	Daniele	Amber	Jameka	Daniele		Jameka	Jen	Jen	6-0	7th Evicted 2nd Jury Member Day 55
8	Jessica	Amber	Zach	Eric		Amber	Zach	Amber	3-1	8th Evicted 3rd Jury Member Day 62
9	Zach	Jameka	Jessica	Daniele		Jameka	Jessica	Jessica	2-1	9th Evicted 4th Jury Member Day 69
	Dick	Eric	Jameka	Zach		Eric	Jameka	Eric	2-0	10th Evicted 5th Jury Member Day 69
10	Zach	Daniele	Dick	Daniele		Daniele	Jameka	Jameka	1-0	11th Evicted 6th Jury Member Day 74
11	Dick					Daniele	Zach	Zach	1-0	12th Evicted 7th Jury Member Day 76
								Daniele	5-2	Runner-Up
								Dick		Winner

Week 1

HOH    Kail

POV    Daniele

Nominee  1 Vote    Amber

Evicted  10 Votes    Carol

Kail Harbick and Eric Stein were the winners of the first HOH competition. The eleven houseguests then learned that three of the houseguests, the nemeses, could not be nominated in the first week, as they did not compete for the title of HOH. They also learned that those three would pick who became the first HOH, Eric or Kail. The group decided that since Kail had been the one to ride the mushroom, she should have HOH. She nominated Amber Siyavus and Carol Journey for eviction, after her alliance of Zach Swerdzewski, Nick Starcevic and Mike Dutz gave her the idea. The decision was based on the fact that Amber and Carol were the first team eliminated from the HOH competition. Daniele Donato was the winner of the first POV competition. She chose to leave the nominations intact. Carol was evicted by a vote of 10 to 1.

Week 2

HOH    Jen

Pre-Veto Nominee  POV     Daniele

Nominee  1 Vote    Dick

Post-Veto Nominee  Evicted  9 Votes    Joe

Jen Johnson won the HOH competition "Majority Rules". She nominated Daniele Donato and Dick Donato for eviction, deeming them as the most negative people in the house. Daniele won the POV. Daniele used the Veto on herself, and Jen put Joe Barber up in her place. The original plan was to evict Joe. However, after Kail Harbick feard that Dick would discover her secret alliance, she tried to convince her fellow houseguests to evict Dick. Joe was evicted by a vote of 9 to 1; Kail's plan had failed.

Week 3

HOH    Dick

Pre-Veto Nominee  POV     Jen

Nominee  2 Votes    Kail

Post-Veto Nominee  Evicted  7 Votes    Mike

Dick Donato won the HOH competition "Getting Schooled". He nominated Jen Johnson and Kail Harbick for eviction. During the Veto competition, houseguests would wear various costumes to distract the houseguests from the game. It was clear that Mike Dutz was purposely trying to distract Dick. After it came down to Dick and Jen, Dick stepped down and allowed Jen to win the Veto, as he had decided to put Mike up. Jen saved herself with the Power of Veto, and Mike became the replacement nominee. Mike was evicted by a vote of 7 to 2.

Week 4

HOH    Dustin

POV    Jameka

Pre-Veto Nominee    Jen

Nominee  2 Votes    Kail

Post-Veto Nominee  Evicted  6 Votes    Nick

Dustin Erikstrup won the HOH competition "Eliminator". He nominated Jen Johnson and Kail Harbick for eviction, making it the second week in a row the duo were nominated together. While drawing for the Veto competition, Jen drew Jameka Cameron's name. Jameka, a strong Christian, felt that if her ball was pulled during the draw, she was meant to use the Power to save the person who had drawn her name. Jameka won the POV and chose to use it on Jen. Dustin nominated Nick Starcevic in her place, after Eric Stein had convinced everyone Nick had voted to evict Kail Harbick the week before. Nick was evicted by a vote of 6 to 2.

Week 5

HOH    Daniele

Pre-Veto Nominee   POV    Jen

Post-Veto Nominee  3 Votes    Eric

Evicted  4 Votes    Kail

The houseguests competed in the endurance HOH competition, called "Times Up". After nearly two hours, Kail Harbick agreed to give Daniele Donato the title of HOH in return for her safety. Kail and Jen Johnson were nominated together for the third week in a row. Daniele confirmed to Kail that she was just a pawn, and she did, indeed have a backdoor plan in mind. Daniele felt that Eric Stein was the one responsible for casting the second vote against Kail, which everyone attributed to her best friend Nick Starcevic. Jen won the POV and used it to save herself. Daniele put Eric up, just as she had planned. Despite the Donatos' wishes, however, their former allies turned on them, and Kail was evicted by a close vote of 4 to 3, receiving the votes of Jen, Dick and Zach.

Week 6

HOH    Jessica

Pre-Veto Nominee    Daniele

POV  Nominee  2 Votes    Dick

Post-Veto Nominee  Evicted  4 Votes    Dustin

Jessica Hughbanks won the "Let's Make a Duel" HOH competition. She nominated Dick Donato and Daniele Donato for eviction. Dick won the POV. He chose to use the POV to save his daughter, Daniele. Jessica put Dustin Erikstrup up as a replacement nominee, as he had requested. Before the Veto ceremony, Dustin had asked Jessica to put him on the block, as he wanted to survive the eviction over Dick. After Eric Stein learned America wanted him to get Dustin out, he successfully campaigned for Dick to stay. Dustin was evicted by a vote of 4 to 2.

Week 7

HOH  POV     Daniele

Pre-Veto Nominee    Amber

Nominee  0 Votes    Jameka

Post-Veto Nominee  Evicted   6 Votes    Jen

Daniele Donato won the "Strange Visitors" HOH competition. She nominated Amber Siyavus and Jameka Cameron for eviction. Daniele won the POV. She chose to change her nominations by removing Amber from the block and nominating Jen Johnson in her place. Jen was penalized for going against the slop restriction and was given a penalty eviction vote against her. Jen was evicted unanimously.

Week 8

HOH    Jessica

POV    Eric

Nominee  1 Vote    Zach

Evicted   3 Votes    Amber

Jessica Hughbanks won the HOH competition "Tanks For the Memories". Staying loyal to her alliance with the Donatos, she nominated Amber Siyavus and Zach Swerdzewski for eviction. Eric Stein won his first competition and the Power of Veto for the week. He did not use the POV. Amber was evicted by a vote of 3 to 1.

Week 9

Round 1

HOH    Zach

POV    Daniele

Nominee   1 Vote     Jameka

Evicted   2 Votes    Jessica

Zach Swerdzewski won the HOH competition "Big Brother Tea Party". After making a deal with both Dick Donato and Daniele Donato, he nominated Jameka Cameron and Jessica Hughbanks for eviction. Daniele won her fourth POV of the season. She chose to keep the nominations intact. Dick and Daniele originally had an alliance with Jessica. However, after deciding to break up the "showmance", they decided to evict her. Jessica was evicted by a vote of 2 to 1.

Round 2

HOH    Dick

POV    Zach

Nominee  0 Votes    Jameka

Evicted  2 Votes    Eric

After Jessica Hughbanks's eviction, the houseguests learned it would be a double eviction night. Dick Donato won the HOH competition "Before or After". He immediately had to pick his nominees, and chose Eric Stein and Jameka Cameron. Zach Swerdzewski then went on to win the "Niagara Balls" Veto competition. He chose not to use the POV. During the second eviction of the night, Eric was sent home by a vote of 2 to 0.

Week 10

HOH    Zach

Pre-Veto Nominee    Dick

POV  Nominee  0 Votes     Daniele

Post-Veto Nominee  Evicted   1 Vote    Jameka

Zach Swerdzewski won the HOH competition "Picture This". After he won, him and Jameka Cameron agreed to try to evict Dick Donato or Daniele Donato, and the father-daughter duo were nominated for the third time. Daniele was the first to crack the code and won her fifth POV. This meant that Daniele is tied with Janelle Pierzina for the highest number of Veto's won in a single season. She chose to use the Power of Veto on her father instead of herself. Dick immediately cast the sole vote against Jameka Cameron, and she was subsequently evicted.

Week 11

HOH Pt. 2 Winner   HOH Pt. 3 Winner Final HOH    Dick

Nominee   0 Votes    Daniele

HOH Pt. 1 Winner  Evicted   1 Vote    Zach

The final HOH competition is played out in three challenges, to give the remaining houseguests a fair shot at securing a place in the final two. During the first endurance HOH competition, Zach Swerdzewski won an endurance challenge. Days later, Dick Donato beat Daniele Donato in a memory recognition challenge, meaning Daniele was nominated. At the live HOH part 3 competition, Dick beat Zach in a personality guessing quiz, claiming the final HOH. He then chose to evict Zach.

Finale

Winner   5 Votes    Dick

Runner-Up   2 Votes    Daniele

Jury

Dick  Dustin

Daniele  Jen

Dick  Amber

Dick  Jessica

Dick  Eric

Daniele  Jameka

Dick  Zach

Notable Punishments

• In the week 2 Power of Veto competition, many houseguests received punishments:
  • Amber had to choose someone to be handcuffed to for 24 hours; she chose Kail.
  • Jen received a red unitard to wear for a week.
• In the week 5 Veto competition, many houseguests received numerous punishments:
  • Jen, Zach, Daniele and Kail had to wear a bunny suit for 5 days.
  • Those 4, as well as Jameka, also had to dump manure on their head for 24 straight hours.
  • Kail and Jen had to eat slop for 30 days.
  • Jameka and Kail gave up her spot in 5 HoH competitions, although Kail was evicted before the next HoH was played.
  • Jen gave up $250,000 of the grand prize if she would have won, however this was not the case.

Trivia

• This is the first season to feature the America's Player twist.
• This is currently the only season in which the Final 2 were not strangers prior to entering the house.
• This is the first season to have a female evictee receive 10 votes.
• This is the first season to have America vote for a winner.
• This is the first season to have a houseguest receive a penalty vote.
• This is the first season where females have won the first five Power of Veto competitions. Daniele (twice), Jameka, and Jen (twice) have all done this.
• There was an alternate for the season named Samantha, who would've been cast if one of the other fourteen houseguests dropped out.
• This is the third season in a row where females won more competitions than males. 14 out of 23 competitions (6 HOH's & 8 POV's).
  • Coincidentally, females also won 14 out of 24 (or 23) competitions in Big Brother All-Stars, even with the same amount of HoH and PoV wins.
• This is the second season to have females win four HOHs in a row. The first was Big Brother 5. It would later be followed by Big Brother 10, Big Brother 13, Big Brother 17, Big Brother: Over The Top and Big Brother 20.
  • For this specific season, this occurred weeks 5 through 8.

References

References

External Links

• CBS Official Site
• Global Official Site
• Wikipedia Page