Big Brother Wiki
Advertisement
Big Brother Wiki

The Jury is a crucial element of the Big Brother game, introduced in Big Brother 2 (US). It plays a pivotal role in determining the winner of each season. Initially, all evicted houseguests voted for the winner until Big Brother 4 (US), when the Jury was reduced to the final seven evicted houseguests. This change was implemented after Big Brother 3 (US), where Danielle Reyes's Diary Room confessions influenced the jury vote, leading to the introduction of the Jury House for sequestering jury members.

The composition of the Jury typically consists of the last seven or nine evicted houseguests, excluding the Final 2. Houseguests who walk or are expelled from the game are ineligible to serve as jurors. In cases where an even-numbered jury occurs, whether intentional or not, the viewing audience receives one jury vote to avoid ties.

In spin-off seasons, variations have emerged. Big Brother: Over The Top and Big Brother: Reindeer Games featured no jury; instead, winners were determined by audience votes and competitions, respectively. Conversely, all three seasons of Celebrity Big Brother (US) returned to the original format where all evicted houseguests served as jurors but returned home instead of being sequestered.

The Canadian version of Big Brother, known as Big Brother Canada, has experimented with various jury formats since its inception. It originally started with a seven-member jury but began implementing twists and changes to the jury size and format starting with Big Brother Canada 2. Notably, Big Brother Canada 4 was planned to feature a traditional nine-member jury but had to include a public vote due to a houseguest walking from the game. Additionally, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Big Brother Canada 8 was discontinued prematurely, resulting in no jury or winner being crowned.

The Jury House[]

As of Big Brother 4, each member of the Jury lives the remainder of the game in total seclusion, arriving in an undisclosed location, usually a tropical and beautiful house. They have access to movies and games, a pool, and (depending on the location) a private beach. They are not allowed communication with the outside world so that their votes are not tainted by behind-the-scenes information, such as secret alliances or betrayals that they may not be aware of.

The Jury stays privy to house happenings in the form of a DVD brought along with the most recent evicted houseguest, showcasing competitions, and other group activities. Secret meetings, Diary Room sessions, and other happenings that do not include the entire group of remaining houseguests are not disclosed.

In Big Brother Canada 1, Big Brother 15 through Big Brother 18, and Big Brother 20, the jury members got a chance to return to the game. Big Brother Canada had a public vote, while the U.S. seasons had a competition.

Jury Fury[]

On some occasions, jury members may be allowed to re-enter the house to cause chaos, but not re-enter the game. In Big Brother 12 (US), juror Rachel Reilly returned for 24 hours when HOH Brendon Villegas opened Pandora's Box in Week 6. Brendon enjoyed a spa day in the Jury House, while Rachel tormented the remaining houseguests, notably sparking a fight with Ragan Fox.

In Big Brother 16, jurors Jocasta Odom, Hayden Voss, Zach Rance, Donny Thompson, Nicole Franzel, and Christine Brecht —who were all evicted between Weeks 6 and 10 — returned to the house in Week 12 to compete in a Luxury Competition, while the remaining five houseguests drafted between the six of them. The competition winner and the person who drafted them would each win $5,000, ultimately won by Hayden and his drafter, Victoria Rafaeli.

Voting[]

Rubina Casting Jury Vote

Rubina Bernabe casting her vote.

On the highly anticipated finale night, the power shifts to the jury members as they cast their votes to determine the season's winner. Each juror votes for who they want to win of the Final 2 contestants with a key or chip. The voting process mirrors the familiar Nomination Ceremony format. The host removes the keys one by one from the box, unveiling the jury's collective decision on the winner of the season.

Jury Roundtable[]

Jury Roundtable

The Jury Roundtable of Big Brother 26.

The jury roundtable is a segment that occurs before the final vote on finale night. This structured discussion allows jury members to debate the finalists' gameplay before casting their votes. The roundtable serves multiple purposes: it provides viewers with insight into the jury's thought process, allows jurors to share information and perspectives they may have missed while in the house, and potentially influences the final votes by encouraging jurors to consider aspects of gameplay they might have overlooked. Immediately following the roundtable's conclusion, the jury house would close for the season and all of the jurors would be sequestered separately until they reunited on finale night to speak with the Final Two and cast their votes. From seasons 2 through 10, this segment would lead into the final Q&A session between the jurors and the Final Two, but starting with season 11, the third placer was evicted live on finale night and the Q&A happened after that in real time.

While it initially operated without a host, Dr. Will Kirby, winner of season 2 and jury member during season 7, had since hosted the jury roundtable for over a decade, from seasons 15 through 25, with exceptions during the COVID-19 Pandemic (seasons 22 and 23, which again ran without a host). Dr. Will announced that he would be stepping down from his role as the jury roundtable host for Big Brother 26.[1] Shortly after, it was revealed that Taylor Hale, the winner and fan favorite of season 24, would take over as the new host.[2]

Jury Management[]

Jury management is a crucial aspect of the game, involving how players treat potential jury members throughout the season. Effective jury management can significantly impact a player's chances of winning the game. Key elements of jury management include maintaining positive relationships with other houseguests, explaining game moves and strategies to evicted players, avoiding unnecessary conflicts or personal attacks, and demonstrating respect for other players' gameplay. Players who excel at jury management often have a better chance of securing votes in the finale, even if their gameplay was not as dominant as their opponent's.

Current Jury[]

These were the Jurors of Big Brother 26 (US). They all voted for Chelsie Baham to win:

US26 Small Quinn Quinn Martin
Juror #1
9th Place (Day 59)
US26 Small T'kor T'kor Clottey
Juror #2
8th Place (Day 66)
US26 Small Leah Leah Peters
Juror #3
7th Place (Day 73)
US26 Small Angela Angela Murray
Juror #4
6th Place (Day 73)
US26 Small Kimo Kimo Apaka
Juror #5
5th Place (Day 80)
US26 Small Rubina Rubina Bernabe
Juror #6
4th Place (Day 87)
US26 Small Cam Cam Sullivan-Brown
Juror #7
3rd Place (Day 90)

Jury Configurations[]

Configurations
Finalists Jurors Votes
Counted
Occurrences Seasons
(US)
Seasons
(US Celeb)
Seasons
(Can)
Final Two 6 + Public Vote 7 3 Seasons 8, 11 N/A Season 2
Final Two 7 16 Seasons 4-7, 9-10, 12-14, 25-26 N/A Seasons 1, 6-7, 9, 12
Final Two 9 (2 cancelled) 1 Season 2 N/A
Final Two 8 + Public Tiebreaker 8* 1 N/A Season 3 N/A
Final Two 8 + Public Vote 9 2 N/A Season 4, 10
Final Two 9 14 Seasons 15-24 Seasons 1-2 Seasons 5, 11
Final Two 10 (1 cancelled) 1 N/A Season 3
Final Two 10 + Public Tiebreaker 10* 2 Season 3 N/A
Final Three Public Vote 2 Seasons 1, Over The Top N/A
Final Four Competition 1 Reindeer Games N/A
No Finale - Season Cancelled 1 N/A Season 8

Jury Vote Margins[]

Jury of Seven[]

Vote Count Occurrences Winners (US) Winners (Can)
4-3 5 Drew Daniel
Maggie Ausburn
Hayden Moss
Rachel Reilly
Jillian MacLaughlin
5-2 4 Will Kirby
Dick Donato
Jordan Lloyd
Jag Bains
N/A
6-1 8 Jun Song
Mike Malin
Adam Jasinski
Ian Terry
Jon Pardy
Paras Atashnak
Tychon Carter-Newman
Bayleigh Pelham
7-0 3 Dan Gheesling
Chelsie Baham
Dane Rupert

Jury of Nine[]

Vote Count Occurrences Winners (US) Winners (Can)
5-4 3 Nicole Franzel (18)
Josh Martinez
Kaycee Clark
N/A
6-3 3 (4) (Will Kirby)
Steve Moses
Marissa Jaret Winokur
Jackson Michie
N/A
7-2 4 Andy Herren
Derrick Levasseur
Sarah Hanlon
Nick & Phil Paquette
8-1 3 Taylor Hale Kevin Jacobs
Ty McDonald
9-0 4 Tamar Braxton
Cody Calafiore
Xavier Prather
Kevin Martin

Uncommon Sizes[]

Vote Count Occurrences Winners (US) Winners (Can)
7-1 1 Miesha Tate N/A
8-2 (1) N/A (Sarah Hanlon)
9-1 1 Lisa Donahue N/A
Public Vote 2 Eddie McGee
Morgan Willett
N/A
Competition 1 Nicole Franzel (RG) N/A
No Finale 1 N/A Big Brother Canada 8

Trivia[]

  • As of Big Brother 26 and Big Brother Canada 12, the most common jury size is seven jurors, with 16 occurrences. Including only the total number of jury votes as opposed to jury members, seven votes is still the most common, occurring 20 times.
    • Looking at Big Brother US only, nine jurors is the most common, with 10 occurrences, and 12 including celebrity seasons. Looking solely at votes, seven jury votes becomes the most common, with 14 occurrences in civilian seasons.
    • Looking at Big Brother Canada only, seven jurors is the most common, with 5 occurrences. Looking at solely votes, it's still seven votes with 6 occurrences.
  • As of Big Brother 26 and Big Brother Canada 12, the most common jury vote margin is a 6-1 vote in a Jury of Seven (with 8 occurrences), and tied between 7-2 and 9-0 in a Jury of Nine (with 4 occurrences each).
    • Looking at Big Brother US only, it's tied between 4-3, 5-2 and 6-1 in a Jury of Seven, and the aforementioned 7-2 and 9-0 tie in a Jury of Nine (with 4 occurrences each for all four).
      • If Big Brother 2's cancelled jury votes are included, then a 6-3 vote would join the tie in a Jury of Nine.
    • Looking at Big Brother Canada only, 6-1 remains most common in a Jury of Seven (with 3 occurrences), while having a tie between 7-2 and 8-1 in a Jury of Nine (with 2 occurrences each).
  • Big Brother 3 and Big Brother Canada 3 currently hold the record for the most jury members with 10, however, in the latter, the Final 3 must strip one of the Jurors of their Jury vote, dropping it down to 9.
    • Big Brother 2 would have also had 10 jurors if Justin Sebik had not been expelled.
  • In Big Brother 2, the final two were given the option to nullify two jury votes (one per finalist), making it the first and so far only time in Big Brother history that two jury votes were negated.
  • The six seasons in which the public has voted as a juror were Big Brother 3 (the public picked the winner in case of a tie), Big Brother 8 (as the public controlled Eric Stein's jury vote due to America's Player), Big Brother 11 (due to the ejection of Chima Simone, a would be jury member), Big Brother Canada 2 (where the 7th vote was given to Canada in a twist), Big Brother Canada 4 (due to Ramsey Aburaneh, a would be jury member, walking), Celebrity Big Brother 3 (the public picked a winner in case of a tie due to Chris Kattan, a would be jury member, walking) and Big Brother Canada 10 (where the 9th vote was given to Canada in a twist).
  • In Big Brother 15 (US) the format was changed back to a jury of nine because of the number of houseguests (16) that season and it has been used ever since. After the switch, Big Brother 25 reverted back to a jury of seven, which remained for future seasons.
    • It is unknown why the switch was made at that point and not sooner, as Big Brother 9 and Big Brother 14 both had 16 houseguests but still retained a jury of seven.
  • In the middle of the jury phase in Big Brother 7, the jurors had to evacuate and move to a different jury house from their first one due to a hurricane.
    • Also during this season, James Rhine, Danielle Reyes, George Allen Boswell and Will Kirby all escaped the Jury house during an outing and partied. Danielle and Will were also spotted at a karaoke bar and were rumored to be kicked off of the Jury, which was proven false, while James hinted that there were more escapes. These escapes have caused production to be much more strict with the Jury in future seasons and taking away outings.[3][4]
  • Sheryl Braxton was the first ever jury member in Big Brother history.
    • Dana Varela was the first jury member of a sequestered jury.
  • Marcellas Reynolds was the first person to serve on two different Juries, serving on the Jury in Big Brother 3 (US) and then becoming the first Juror on Big Brother 7 (US).
    • Although six players have played the game three or more times, no one has ever served as a jury member three times yet, as of Big Brother 22. However, Kaysar Ridha is the only person of those six to miss the jury stage on every attempt.
  • The first 5 seasons of Big Brother Canada all had different jury configurations.
  • Nick Maccarone and Kathryn Dunn are the first contestants to form a Showmance in Jury.
  • Lisa Donahue, Kevin Martin, Tamar Braxton, Cody Calafiore and Xavier Prather hold the record for most Jury votes received out of any finalist, with 9 each.
    • Lisa received 9 votes out of 10, while Kevin, Tamar, Cody and Xavier each received the votes of all 9 Jurors, with Kevin and Cody also winning with Perfect Games.
  • Dan Gheesling, Paul Abrahamian and Cody Calafiore are the only three houseguests to receive votes from two different Juries, due to making it to the Final 2 and getting votes to win twice. Paul is the only one to not win one of those seasons.
    • Cody received a total of 11 Jury votes over his two seasons, while Dan and Paul received a total of 8 during theirs.
  • Due to their opponents winning with unanimous votes, Memphis Garrett, Karen Singbeil, Ricky Williams, Anthony Douglas, Enzo Palumbo, Derek Frazier and Makensy Manbeck are tied for the fewest Jury votes received by a finalist, with 0.

References[]

Advertisement