The X-Factor is a major twist first introduced on Big Brother 4 (US).
In Big Brother 4 (US), eight HouseGuests were introduced, only to have five houseguests' exes compete against them in the game. This resulted in the game quickly becoming messy, as Scott Weintraub, a houseguest who had his ex-girlfriend Amanda Craig move into the house, had a violent outburst, and subsequently told the House that he had a sexually transmitted disease. He was expelled from the game. The ex-couples were:
- Alison Irwin and Justin Giovinco
- Amanda Craig and Scott Weintraub
- David Lane and Michelle Maradie
- Erika Landin and Robert Roman
- Jee Choe and Jun Song
The twist would later reappear during Big Brother 8 (US), coinciding with the Rivals twist, where Joe Barber entered the house and then discovered that his ex-boyfriend, Dustin Erikstrup, was also going to be playing the game.
The twist reappeared on the following season, Big Brother 9 (US), with houseguests Sharon Obermueller and Jacob Heald who were exes. This twist coincided with the Soulmates twist, and the two were paired up together. However, their time in the game was cut short, as they were evicted by the Power Couple on Day 3.
Trivia[]
- While not intentional, it is worth noting that a pair of exes won back-to-back seasons of Big Brother Canada. Ty McDonald and Bayleigh Pelham were previously in a relationship before either of them entered the Big Brother Canada house, and both went onto win the eleventh and twelfth seasons respectively.