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The Head of Household (abbreviated HOH) is the position of supreme power and control in the Big Brother house. The Head of Household is selected each week during the live show. The winner of Head of Household is free from the threat of eviction. They receive perks, such as getting their own private bedroom, but are also faced with the decision of nominating two houseguests for eviction and putting up a replacement nominee when the veto is used..

HOH Competition

Each week, all houseguests, except the outgoing Head of Household, compete in the HOH Competition. The final 3 is the only time that an outgoing HOH can win consecutive HOH competitions (or if a twist happens and nobody is evicted as did in Big Brother 14 with the coaches reset. Frank and Joe were spared and Shane as outgoing HOH was still eligible to compete). HOH competitions fall into one of three major categories:

Quiz Competition

Hoh quiz

BB14 HouseGuests compete in a quiz HOH

Quiz competitions are fairly short and are shown during the live show. Questions range from events in the house to comments from previously evicted houseguests. The houseguests line up, each getting their own booth, unable to see each other. Julie Chen communicates to the houseguests through the microphone system in the backyard and can see the houseguests through a television screen outside of the house in the studio. She communicates the question to the houseguests, who then answer when she says "Answers, please." Typically, houseguests answer by turning a dial to either "True" or "False", "Yes" or "No", or "Red" or "Blue", although some competitions have used paddles, or cubes with houseguests pictures on them. One incorrect answer results in elimination. The last person standing becomes the Head of Household. If, after all possible questions have been exhausted and there are still more than one remaining houseguest playing, the competition continues into a tiebreaker round. The answer is always a number, ranging from the number of seconds that the houseguests have been in the house to the weight in pounds of an object used in a competition. The houseguests write the number on a chalkboard provided for them. The houseguest closest to the number without going over becomes the HOH. If all competitors go over, the houseguest closest to the number becomes the HOH.

Skill

Hoh skill

BB11 HouseGuests compete in a skill HOH

Skill competitions, sometimes referred to as crap shoots, usually involve bowling type games or shuffleboard type games in which house guests compete while trying to get their marker closest to a certain point without going past it (although sometimes these competitions may differ from that format). The games are usually completed live, but at times, they're not complete by the end of the live show, and viewers can watch the outcome on the live feeds or on the following episode.

Endurance

Big-Brother-12-surf-hoh-competition

BB12 houseguests in an Endurance competition

Endurance competitions extend well past the time constraints of the one hour live program. They can be viewed by the live feeds on CBS.com. Houseguests generally line up in either a small platform, revolving cylinder, or in a cage. The last person standing becomes the Head of Household. Some competitions require Houseguests to keep hold of a button. If they let go, a light goes out and they are eliminated, while others do not. Harsh weather conditions, such as rain sprinklers, falling leaves, or foamy "snow" are frequently included to make the competitions as grueling as possible. Other times, prizes are awarded to the first out of the competition to tempt the houseguests. Some competitions include both endurance and skill, such as filling up an enormous fishbowl with water, only using a teacup, while the water the houseguests need to transport are several yards away from the bowl.

The Final HOH

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Two BB8 HouseGuests in the Final HOH Competition

The Final HOH competition occurs when there are only three remaining houseguests in the house. It is broken into three parts; each to be played on a different day. The first competition is always an endurance competition and usually requires the houseguests to hold onto their key to the house through some sort of grueling weather condition. The winner of round one automatically advances to round three, while the two remaining houseguests compete in the skill competition. The final round is a quiz competition (Usually "Jury Statements" is played) and since season 11 has been played on finale night . The winner selects who to take to the final two, with the other houseguest being immediately evicted and seated with the jury outside in the studio. Being the most important HOH of the game, all houseguests are eligible to compete, even the outgoing HOH. The format for the final HOH in season 2 was different to later seasons. The first two rounds were point based and the two highest point-getters would compete in the final round.

List of Head of Household Competitions

U.S. Seasons

Season Competition Winner
2 "Wheel of First Impressions" Mike
"To The Mat" Krista
"By The Numbers" Hardy
"Higher/Lower" Kent
"Face The Facts" Hardy
"Pushing It To The Limit" Nicole
"Big Brother Road Trip" Hardy
"Strange Bedfellows" Monica
Final HOH Part 1 Nicole/Will
Final HOH Part 2 Nicole/Will
Final HOH Part 3 Nicole
3 "Wheel of First Impressions" Lisa
"In the House" Marcellas
"One Step Beyond" Roddy
"Face Off" Gerry
"Gutter Ball" Chiara
"Houseguest Soup" Amy
"Who Said It?" Jason
"Evicted Statements" Marcellas
"Freezeframe" Jason
"...And Then There Were Four" Danielle
"HoH Lifeboat (Final HoH Part 1)" Lisa
"Household Chores (Final HoH Part 2)" Jason
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Lisa
4 "Who's Ya Chum?" Nathan
"Majority Rules" Jee
"Everything in 3's" Dana
"Around the Water Cooler" Alison
"Who Said It?" Justin
"Steel Cage Match" Erika
"Black HoHle" Jee
"Dissapearing Act" Jun
"Dearly Departed" Robert
"On The House (Final HoH Part 1)" Alison
"Unexpected Relations (Final HoH Part 2)" Jun
"Exact Match (Final HoH Part 3)" Alison
5 "Treadmills of Terror" Jase
"Majority Rules" Marvin
"High/Low" Drew
"I Have A Secret" Diane
"Home is Where the Answer Is" Nakomis
"The Puck Stops Here" Adria
"Who Said It?" Nakomis
"Putting For Power" Marvin
"Chemical Reaction" Drew
"Ready Set Gone" Nakomis
"Before and After" Drew
"Earthquake (Final HoH Part 1)" Drew
"Twisted Twosomes (Final HoH Part 2)" Michael
"Encore Presentation (Final HoH Part 3)" Drew
6 "Wipe Out" Rachel
"Fast & Easy" Eric
"Majority Rules" Kaysar
"Power Roller" Maggie
"Eliminator" Howie
"Pressure Cooker" Jennifer
"Face the Facts" Janelle
"On The House" Beau
"High/Low" April
"Playing it Straight" Howie
"Magnetic Attractions" Ivette
"Before and After" Janelle
"The Key of Being Safe (Final HoH Part 1)" Ivette
"Pad-Locked (Final HoH Part 2)" Janelle
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Ivette
7 "Falling Stars" Janelle & Jase (Co-HoH)
"Alison Rules" Kaysar
"Pay Attention" James
"Define & Dismiss" Janelle
"Caught in A Web" Danielle
"The Ghosts of Big Brother Past" Janelle
"Prom Night" George
"Revenge of the Gnomes" Mike
"But First" Erika
"Battle of the Sexes" Janelle
"Big Brother Bowl" Mike
"Mount HoH (Final HoH Part 1)" Erika
"Fly by Night (Final HoH Part 2)" Mike
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Mike
8 "Mushroom Madness" Kail
"Majority Rules" Jen
"Getting Schooled" Dick
"Eliminator" Dustin
"Times Up" Daniele
"Let's Make A Duel" Jessica
"Strange Visitors" Daniele
"Tanks for the Memories" Jessica
"Big Brother Tea Party" Zach
"Before and After" Dick
"Picture This" Zach
"Bunny Hop (Final HoH Part 1)" Zach
"Chain of Commands (Final HoH Part 2)" Dick
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Dick
9 "Do You Know Your Partner?" Alex & Amanda (Co-HoH)
"Big Brother Democracy" Chelsia & James (Co-HoH)
"Words of Love" Joshuah & Sharon (Co-HoH)
"Time After Time" Ryan
"Big Brother Disco" James
"En Garde" Adam
"Big Brother Election" Natalie
"More... or Less" Adam
"Glass Houses" Sheila
"Fact or Fiction" Ryan
"Up A Creek (Final HoH Part 1)" Ryan
"Who's the Guinea Pig Now? (Final HoH Part 2)" Adam
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Ryan
10 Houseguests First Impression Votes Jerry
"Majority Rules" Jessie
"Alien Abduction" Keesha
"Livin' on the Edge" April
"Rude Awakening" Michelle
"Diary Room Confessionals" Renny
"King of the Jungle" Dan
"Big Brother Headlines" Keesha
"Days Go Bye" Jerry
"Freezeframe" Dan
"On A Wing and A Prayer (Final HoH Part 1)" Dan
"Memphis v.s. Jerry (Final HoH Part 2)" Memphis
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Dan
11 "The Wedgie" Jessie
"Most Likely To..." Ronnie
"Buzzworthy" Jessie
"Graduation" Russell
"Say What" Chima
"Hit the Road" Michele
"Big Brother Country Club" Jordan
"Can Do" Jeff
"The S'More the Merrier" Kevin
"Fact or Fiction" Natalie
"Log Jam (Final HoH Part 1)" Kevin
"Heads Will Roll (Final HoH Part 2)" Jordan
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Jordan
12 "Hot Dog! We Have a Weiner" Hayden
"Majority Rules" Rachel
"Hang Ten" Matt
"BB Knockouts" Rachel
"True Colors" Matt
"Oh What A Tangled Web" Brendon
"Big Brother Says" Britney
"Delivering the Goods" Hayden
"Big Brother Blackjack" Lane
"Big Brother Christmas" Hayden
"Rumble in the Big Brother Jungle
(Final HoH Part 1)"
Hayden
"It's Alive (Final HoH Part 2)" Lane
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Hayden
13 "Going Banana's" Rachel
"The Big Brother Open" Jordan
"Big Brother Online" Rachel
"Big Brother Slalom" Daniele
"Check Mate" Kalia
"Count on America" Daniele
"All Washed Up" Jeff
"Before and After" Kalia
"Snake Eyes" Porsche
"Rollin' in the Dough" Rachel
"Big Brother Fortune Teller" Adam
"Big Brother Mixer (Final HoH Part 1)" Rachel
"Underwater Maze (Final HoH Part 2)" Porsche
"Jury Statements (Final HoH Part 3)" Rachel
14 "Teddy Bear Madness" Willie (Chosen by Britney)
"Big Brother Break-In" Frank
"On Thin Ice" Shane
"Walk The Plank" Danielle
"Big Brother Battle of the Bands" Frank
"Swamped" Shane
"Before or After" Ian
"Pull Some Strings" Frank
"Soak Up the Sun" Ian
"Make Your Case" Dan
"Memory Lane" Ian
"Photographic Memory" Danielle
"Hook, Line and Sinker (Final HoH Part 1)" Dan
"Climb Time (Final HoH Part 2)" Ian
"Jury Statments (Final HoH Part 3)" Ian
15 "Popsicle Factory" McCrae
"Big Brother BBQ" Aaryn
"Overnight Delivery" Helen
"Big Brother Royalty" Judd
"Roulette Me Win" Aaryn
"Bull in a China Shop" GinaMarie
"Summer School" Aaryn
"Cherry on Top" Andy
"Way Off Broadway" Aaryn
"Off the Wall" Elissa
"Big Hopportunity" GinaMarie
"Go Fetch!" McCrae
"Pixel This!" Spencer
"Before or After" Andy
"The Greatest Skate"  (Final HoH Part 1) GinaMarie
"Under the Sea" (Final HoH Part 2) Andy
"Tip the Scale" (Final HoH Part 3) Andy
16 "Go Fly a Kite" Frankie
"Over the Coals" Caleb
"BB Rager" Amber
Devin
"Underwater Polo" Derrick
Nicole
"Deviled Eggs" Cody
Frankie
"Country Hits" Frankie
Zach
"Getting Loopy" Nicole
Donny
"Mathcathalon" Caleb
"BB Tourn-eye-ment" Nicole
Christine
"Dead of Household" Derrick
Frankie
"Punching for Days" Cody
"Sloppy the Snowman" Caleb
"What the Bleep" Derrick
"Seed-Saw" Frankie
"Seed-Saw: Rewind" Caleb
"Foggy Memory" Derrick
"Fly High or Bye Bye (Final HoH Part 1)" Cody
"Ancient BBgypt (Final HoH Part 2)" Derrick
"Scales Of Just Us (Final HoH Part 3)" Cody
17 "Flying Tomatoes" James
"UFOh No" Jason
"Ginger Fever" Becky
Shelli
"Gronk Pong" Austin
Vanessa
"Bustin' Moves" Liz
Shelli
"Pop Till You Drop" Jackie
Vanessa
"On the Edge" James
"Midway Mayhem" Becky
"Getting Loopy" Steve
"Mixed Emojis" Liz
"Ready, Set, Woah!" Austin
"Dizzyland" Vanessa
"BB Road Trip" Liz
"Starting Lineup" Steve
"Under the Rainbow" Vanessa
"What The Bleep" Steve
"How Bout Them Apples" (Final HoH Part 1) Vanessa
"Colossal Crossword" (Final HoH Part 2) Steve
"Scales Of Just Us" (Final HoH Part 3) Steve
18 "Hit The Road" Part 3 Nicole
"Berry Balanced" Paulie
"Kiss My Ace" Bridgette
"Euro Trippin'" Paulie
"Watch Your Dubstep" James

Canadian Seasons

Season Competition Winner
1 "The Phone" Suzette
"Lumber Jack and Jill" Jillian
"Popular Vote" Tom
"Remember That" Gary
"Face Off" Andrew
"The Great Urban Adventure" Alec
"Before or After" Topaz
"Diary Room Confessions" Andrew
"Iceberg Alley" Jillian
"Plead Your Case" Emmett
"Fly the Coop" Jillian
"Brick by Brick" Emmett
"What the Dunk" Jillian
"No Blood on My Hands"  (Final HoH Part 1) Emmett
"Big Brother Big Top" (Final HoH Part 2) Gary
"Strategies Quiz" (Final HoH Part 3) Gary
2 "Ice Breaker" Paul
"Fresh From the Farm" Andrew
"Big Brother Tabloid" Ika
"Hang In There for HoH" Rachelle
Canada's HoH Canada
"Blindside" Heather
"We're Counting on This" Neda
"How We Roll" Jon
"Pure 21" Neda
"The Eyes Have It" Adel
"On the Ropes" Jon
"Before or After" Sabrina
"Big Brother Bailout"  (Final HoH Part 1) Jon
"Walk the Plank" (Final HoH Part 2) Neda
"Jury Statements" (Final HoH Part 3) Jon
3 No Competition All Houseguests
"Wall to Wall" Bobby
"Story Time" Kevin
"Switching Gears" Brittnee
"Through the Wringer" Bruno
"Before or After" Zach
"Student Film Fest" Pilar
"Ratetribution" Kevin
"Talk of the Block" Brittnee
"Pick Your Poison" Ashleigh
"100 Minutes of Hell" Sarah
"Web of Flies" Brittnee
"The Voice of Housebots Past" Sarah
"The End of Time"  (Final HoH Part 1) Godfrey
"The Final Front-Gear" (Final HoH Part 2) Ashleigh
"Jury Questions" (Final HoH Part 3) Godfrey
4 "One Night Stand" Loveita
"Big Brother Roast" Jared
"Big Brother Breakaway" Loveita
"Locked Lips" Joel
"Heads Up" Maddy
"Blast From the Past" Tim
"Trading Fates" Raul
"Before or After" Maddy
"Big Brother Roulette" Nick & Phil
"Rock and a Hard Place" Cassandra
"Bowled Over" Nick & Phil
"Previously on Big Brother Canada" Kelsey
"Earn Your Slot" Nick & Phil
"Tip of the Iceberg" (Final HoH Part 1) Nick & Phil
"Holy Craps" (Final HoH Part 2) Kelsey
"Jury Questions" (Final HoH Part 3) Kelsey

The Perks of Head of Household

Bb12 house HDR-1

The HOH suite as see in season 12

The HOH receives their own private bedroom, equipped with a private bathroom, bathtub, a luxurious suite, and from season five onward, a "Spy Screen" allowing the HOH to watch the other houseguests in the comfort of their own room. The television does not have sound. The HOH also receives a gift basket with their favorite foods, a CD, and a letter from home. The Head of Household does not need to compete in the Have/Have Not Competition because they are guaranteed food for the week. They also get to compete in POV.

Responsibilities of Head of Household

The Head of Household hosted the Food Competition, and then the Have/Have-Not Competition which replaced the Food Competition in Big Brother 11 and ended in season 15, explaining the rules to the other houseguests. They also call house meetings and announce when competitions are being played to the other houseguests. Most importantly, the Head of Household selects two houseguests to nominate for eviction.

Prep

The HOH prepares the Nomination Box.

The procedure of nominations includes the Head of Household retrieving the house keys from the memory wall and placing them into the Nomination Box in the Head of Household room. The HOH places the keys of all safe houseguests into the box, while the two remaining keys are wrapped in a bag and left in the HOH room. The two houseguests without a key are nominated for eviction. However, in Seasons 16, 17 and 18, the nomination procedure is the opposite. Instead, the keys are turned and the faces of the people that are nominated are shown on the memory wall.

Trivia

  • The first ever Head of Household winner in Big Brother History was Mike "Boogie" Malin.
  • There are ten HouseGuests who tie for the most official Head of Household wins in one season with 4 wins each. Out of the ten, six of them went on to win their respective seasons. The ten are:
  • The shortest endurance Head of Household competition was "Mount HOH", the first part of the final HOH in Big Brother All Stars. It lasted 24 seconds.
  • The shortest quiz competition was "What the Bleep!?" in Big Brother 16, in which Derrick Levasseur won HOH in just 1 question.
  • The longest endurance competition was "Pressure Cooker" in Big Brother 6, which lasted for 14 hours.
  • The longest quiz competition was "Getting Loopy" in Big Brother 16, which lasted over 11 questions and ran through the live show.
  • Only seven females have won three HOHs in the history of the show.They are Nakomis Dedmon, Janelle Pierzina, Rachel Reilly, Aaryn Gries, Nicole Franzel, Vanessa Rousso and Liz Nolan.
  • Big Brother 2, Big Brother 5, Big Brother 12, and Big Brother 14 are all tied for fewest unique HOHs, with only 6 different houseguests holding the HOH title in each season.
  • Big Brother 6, Big Brother 9, and Big Brother 16 are all tied for most unique HOHs, with 10 different houseguests holding the HOH title in each season.
    • Big Brother 9 and Big Brother 16 both had twists that resulted in there being more than one HOH each week; thus, Big Brother 6 is the only season to achieve this record without having a twist resulting in more HOHs than usual.
  • Will Kirby is the only winner in the show's history to never become Head of Household (not including Eddie McGee, who played in the first season, which didn't have HoH's).
  • The shortest HOH reign, not including Fast Forward Evictions or Double Evictions, was Michele Noonan's reign of BB11, which lasted for 2 days.
  • Chima Simone, Shane Meaney, Frankie Grande, and Ashleigh Wood are the only houseguests to complete an HOH reign, but have it not count because of a twist.
  • Big Brother 6 is the first season to have Jury Statements as part 3 of the final HOH. Since then, the rest of the seasons had this for the third part of the final HOH.
Big Brother Competitions
Battle BackBOTBCoachesFoodHackerHave/Have-NotHOHHTRImmunityLuxuryPower CoupleRe-EntryRoadkillSafety SuiteTemptationVetoWhacktivityWildcard
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