Big Brother: Over The Top is the first digital season of Big Brother (U.S.) and the 19th season overall.
During the ten weeks on CBS All-Access, America voted for various types of twists every week hoping to impact the game. However, because of the voting opportunities, the fan base was spread apart like never before with online campaigning rivaling the 2016 United States Presidential Election.
Although the season was widely regarded and many fans have asked for a second season, it seems highly unlikely. The season was consistently avoided in terms of mentions or references in an official form since its conclusion, even when Big Brother celebrated its 20th season (Morgan and Alex Willett were in the audience for an episode but were not shown or mentioned on screen), its actual 20th anniversary in season 22, nor its 25th anniversary special. After CBS All-Access rebranded into Paramount+ in 2021, all direct links to the season were removed from the website and its corresponding press website, but the official webpage with all the episodes and clips, alongside the official social media accounts still existed, up until late 2024, when they were removed entirely. This link will take you to an internet archive of its former official Paramount+ page.
The season was finally mentioned in an official capacity during the 25th season premiere, where a competition themed around "a multiverse where things are reversed" took place, and a headline shown in this multiverse stated that "BBOTT RENEWED FOR SECOND SEASON", seemingly confirming that in reality, the show will not be getting a second season and has effectively been cancelled.
As of August 17, 2024, the season is no longer available for official viewing, and is now classified as lost media due to the lack of legal access to its content.
Less Prize Money: Unlike the normal broadcast version, Over The Top featured a cash prize of $250,000.
No Event Blackouts 24/7: Unlike the normal broadcast version of the live feeds, the Over The Top live feeds had no blackouts during competitions, ceremonies, and evictions.
Shorter Season: Unlike previous seasons, this season lasted only 65 days, making this the second shortest season of the American version of Big Brother.
Contestant Curfews: Similar to international versions, there were mandatory curfew hours for the contestants to be awake or sleep.
Incentive for HouseGuests to Stay Awake: There were multiple things to keep the HouseGuests awake at all times to make sure that the viewers had something to watch other than sleeping.
Twists[]
Fan Vote: There were various Fan Votes to give the viewers power like never before.
Safety: For the first time, Big Brother: Over The Top did not have Nomination Ceremonies. Instead, two Safety Ceremonies took place. On Saturday, the Head of Household pressed the button of the HouseGuest(s) they wanted to be safe. After a certain number of HouseGuests were selected, the ceremony ended. Then on Sunday, the HOH pressed the rest of the buttons, leaving the two nominees unpressed.
Final Three: Due to the fact that America voted on a winner, the final vote came down to three HouseGuests rather than two.
Sister Twist: Two HouseGuests in the Big Brother house were actually sisters, in a similar fashion to season 5'sProject DNA twist. Those two were Morgan and Alex.
Fan Voting[]
Returning HouseGuest: During the Big Brother 18 finale, it was announced that either Jason Roy or Jozea Flores would enter the Big Brother: Over The Top house. Jason ended up being the contestant who returned for the season.
America's Nominee: Each week, America voted for a third nominee. However, America could not nominate the same person two weeks in a row. And if America's Nominee was vetoed off the block, there was no replacement.
America's Eviction Vote: Each week, America voted for one of the nominees to be evicted. America's vote was an additional vote in the vote tally, essentially voting in the place of the HouseGuest they put up. Even if America's Nominee was vetoed, America still got an eviction vote.
America's Care Package: Just like in Big Brother 18, each week America voted for a HouseGuest to get a Care Package that gave that HouseGuest an advantage in the game.
America's Have-Nots: During Weeks 2 through 6, America voted for the Have-Nots for the week.
America's Winner: For the first time since Big Brother 1, the winner of the season was voted upon by America rather than by a Jury composed of evicted HouseGuests.
To start off the fall, the HouseGuests competed in the "BB Bug" Head of Household competition. After being the last HouseGuest standing, Monte became the first Head of Household of the summer. After being threatened by the returning player, Monte decided to nominate Jason and Danielle for eviction. Cornbread was voted to be America's Nominee, likely because he eliminated Jason from the HOH competition. Jason went on to win the Power of Veto, securing himself a spot in the next week. When Jason used the Power of Veto on himself, Kryssie was put up as the replacement nominee. After convincing Shane that Kryssie was not as big of a threat as Cornbread was, Danielle and Shane decided to flip the vote. Despite Monte and his alliance's efforts to evict Danielle, Cornbread was evicted by a vote of 9–1–0, with Alex casting a vote against Danielle to cause paranoia.
Following Cornbread's eviction, the remaining HouseGuests competed in the "Live by the Sword" Head of Household competition, in which Alex became the new Head of Household. Later, the HouseGuests were informed of the return of America's Care Package. America gave Kryssie the first Care Package, which contained the Save-A-Friend power; she decided to save her alliance member, Jason, from being nominated by Alex and by America. Wanting to weaken the opposing side of the house and take out a big target, Alex decided to nominate the showmance for eviction, Shane and Danielle. Later, it was revealed that Monte was nominated for eviction by America. At the "Veto for Sale" Power of Veto competition, Shane won and used the veto to save himself. Kryssie was nominated as a replacement. Despite both sides of the house trying to deceive the other, the vote came out as 4–4–0—four votes against Danielle and four votes against Monte—so America's vote decided the evicted HouseGuest. By a vote of 5–4–0, Monte was the second HouseGuest evicted from the Big Brother house.
Following Monte's eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the "BB Bar Code" Head of Household competition. After competing for three rounds, Scott became the new Head of Household. Scott also received the second America's Care Package, which allowed him to choose the Veto that would be up for grabs in the Veto competition. Scott originially planned to nominated Danielle and Shane with Shane as his main target. However, following the Care Package announcement, Scott decided to nominate Kryssie and Neeley as pawns. America then nominated Danielle. By selecting the Double Veto, which allowed the top two finishers in the Veto competition to each receive a Golden Power of Veto, Scott hoped to have one of the Vetoes used so that he could backdoor Shane. At the "Fitting In" Veto competition, both Alex and Justin went on to win the Power of Veto. At the Veto meeting, Alex decided not to use her Veto, while Justin used his to save Kryssie. Scott named Shane as the replacement, completing the second part of his plan. At the eviction, the house was once again split when three HouseGuests and America voted to evict Danielle, and four voted to evict Shane. After Scott broke the 4–4 tie, Shane was the third HouseGuest evicted from the Big Brother house by a vote of 5–4–0.
Following Shane's eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the "Perfect Shot" Head of Household competition, where Kryssie became the new Head of Household. Alex won the third America's Care Package, which granted her safety for the week while also forcing her to wear a costume and obey Big Brother's commands to serve Kryssie. At the Safety Ceremony, it was revealed that Kryssie nominated Morgan and Scott for eviction with Scott as her main target. Then, Neeley was nominated as America's Nominee. After having the fastest time in the "Wall of Shame" Power of Veto competition, Morgan won the Veto. At the Veto meeting, Morgan used the Veto on herself, and Kryssie named Whitney as the replacement nominee. As the week progressed, the house remained split once again. The HouseGuests' votes fell at a 3–3 split, and America's vote became the deciding vote. At the end of the week, Neeley was the fourth HouseGuest evicted by a vote of 4–3–0.
Following Neeley's eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the "One Strike, You're Out" Head of Household competition, where Danielle became the new Head of Household for the week. Shelby won the fourth America's Care Package, the ability to cancel three votes at the next eviction. At the Safety Ceremony, Danielle nominated Shelby and Whitney for eviction. Later, America chose to nominate Scott as the third nominee. After having the fastest time in the "The Haunting of Clementine O'Grady" Power of Veto competition, Danielle won the Power of Veto, making her the first Head of Household to win the Power of Veto this season. At the Veto ceremony, Danielle decided to veto Whitney and nominated Morgan in her place. At the eviction ceremony, Shelby used her care package to cancel the votes of Jason, Justin, and Kryssie. Scott was announced as the evicted HouseGuest by a vote of 3–0–0, the first unanimous vote of the season.
Following Scott's eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the next Head of Household competition, "Big Brother: Over the Top Freshman Class", which won Shelby her first Head of Household of the season. Jason won the fifth America's Care Package, becoming Co-HoH with Shelby. After realizing they have to nominate members of their own alliances due to the Safety Ceremonies, Shelby decided to nominate Whitney, and Jason decided to nominate Danielle for eviction. Later, America chose to nominate Alex as the third nominee. In the Power of Veto competition, Jason pulled out another win. Jason chose to take down Danielle, and Morgan was nominated in her place. Because her strategic gameplay and her strong physical strength has got her a huge target on her back, at the live eviction, Alex was evicted by a vote of 4–0–0.
Following Alex's eviction, the HouseGuests began the double eviction and played in the "Big Brother Shopping Network" Head of Household competition where Danielle won her second HOH competition of the season. Prior to this, Julie announced that there would be no America's Nominee or America's Eviction Vote. Morgan then went on to win America's Care Package, which granted her the Power of Veto for the week. Since she won this power prior to the Safety Ceremony, Morgan was ineligible for nominations. Since Morgan was safe from nominations and would use the Veto on her ally, Shelby, if necessary, Danielle was ultimately forced to name two of her own alliance members as nominees for the week. As a result, Danielle nominated Justin and Whitney for eviction. Danielle and Jason considered evicting Justin due to his unpredictability, and Morgan and Shelby tried to convince them to go through with it. Needing to break a 2–2 tie, Danielle ultimately stuck with her alliance, and chose to evict Whitney by a vote of 3–2.
Following the Double Eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the "It's Time to Reflect" HOH competition. After experiencing technical difficulties, a rematch was played between Jason and Shelby. After the rematch, Shelby was crowned the Head of Household for the second time this season. Despite trying to save themselves and make a deal with Shelby and Morgan, Shelby decided to nominate Jason and Danielle for eviction, due to their deception in the prior weeks. At the America's Nominee ceremony, America chose Morgan to be the third nominee. At the Power of Veto competition, Shelby won her first PoV of the season. Shelby then chose to take her ally, Morgan, off the block, making this the first time this season that America's Nominee was saved with the Veto. At the live eviction, Kryssie and Justin decided to evict Danielle, and she was evicted by a 4-0 vote.
Following Danielle's eviction, the HouseGuests competed in the "Keep You Posted" Head of Household competition, where Morgan won her first Head of Household of the season. Justin received the final America's Care Package, which gave him a chance to win immunity for the week if he could complete a challenge. The challenge involved walking across a slackline in order to ring a bell on the other side of the line. Justin succeeded, and won immunity. At the Safety Ceremony, Morgan decided to nominate Jason and Kryssie for eviction, targeting the former. At the Veto competition, Jason won his third Power of Veto of the season. Jason used the Veto to save himself, and Morgan had no choice but to nominate her ally, Shelby, as the replacement, due to no one else being available. At the eviction, Shelby was evicted by a vote of 2–0.
Following Shelby's eviction, the four remaining HouseGuests competed in the final Head of Household competition of the season, "Uphill Battle". Jason won, guaranteeing himself a spot in the Final Three along with one other HouseGuest of his choosing. Jason chose to take Kryssie with him to the Final Three, leaving Justin and Morgan to compete against each other for the final spot. After defeating Justin in the Hit the Road competition, Morgan took the final place in the Final Three, and Justin was evicted from the Big Brother house.
The day after Justin's eviction, the Final Three HouseGuests made their pleas to America and waited to hear their decision the next night, being the finale. It was announced on finale night that Kryssie had received third place, leaving Morgan and Jason as the Final Two. In the "closest vote in Big Brother history," with the lead changing around every hour, and only a 20,000 vote difference, Morgan was crowned the winner of Big Brother: Over The Top, leaving Jason as the runner-up. This marked the second season in a row, and the second BBUS season overall, in which a woman won against a man in the Final Two.
Trivia[]
This was the first season where the HouseGuests' move-in was truly LIVE and seen by the audience. In previous seasons, while treated "live," the premiere episode had been taped days earlier, and by the time feeds turned on, the HouseGuests had been in the house for a week. The audience got to see the HouseGuests' first interactions with each other with very minimal editing.
This was the first full-length season to be entirely online.
Technically, the pilot season of Big Brother China was the first season to be entirely online, but it was only the pilot. Season One took place the next year.
This was the second season to air out of the normal summer schedule, following Big Brother 9.
This was the first season to air in the fall.
This was the third season to feature a cast with a larger number of females than males.
This was the first season since Big Brother 12 to feature thirteen HouseGuests. It was the fifth season overall to do so.
This was the second season in which the three lowest-placing HouseGuests were of the same sex, following Big Brother 15, where the three lowest placing HouseGuests were all males.
Big Brother 14 and Big Brother 18 also featured the first three evicted HouseGuests being of the same sex, but the final placements were affected by an expulsion and a return of an evicted HouseGuest, respectively.
This was the first season since Big Brother 13 in which the final nine consisted of three males and six females.
This happened in Big Brother 6 and Big Brother 15 (though the placement was affected by a jury buyback).
This was the second season in the history of the show to have females win HoH six times in a row, following Big Brother 13.
For this specific season, this occurred weeks 4 through 8 (with week 6 being a double eviction week and having two different HOHs).
This was the first season since Big Brother 13 in which females won more competitions than males.
Females had 12 competition wins, while males only had 8 in total.
This was the first season since Big Brother 13 where males won less than 5 HoHs. Females won 7 out of the 10 HoH regular competitions, while males only won 3 (4 if Jason's Co-HoH is included).
This was the first season since Big Brother 8 where males won less than 10 competitions.
This was the first season where males and females won the same amount of PoVs in total, with 5 each.
Julie Chen did not attend or participate in the live evictions this season. However, she did participate in a weekly live question and answer session with the HouseGuests, along with the eviction interviews and the finale.
Even though there were three nominees for all but the last four evictions, at least one nominee escaped the block with no votes to evict each time. The same thing occurred in Big Brother 15 and Big Brother 18.
This marks the second season of the American version of Big Brother in which a woman beat a man in the Final Two, following Big Brother 18.
The finale was aired on the same date and at the same time as the finale of Big Brother Panamá 1.
This was the first season to be aired during an election for president.
