Following in the footsteps of this season’s HoH upgrades like America’s Veto and Deepfake, Big Brother 26 is ready to unleash another twist on the unsuspecting houseguests.
Ainsley first hinted at the power of the AI instigator in Tuesday’s special recap episode with past winners Taylor Hale, Jag Bains and Cody Calafiore, saying, “One thing I’ve learned is that America loves to influence the game. I’m letting America make another game-changing decision.”
CBS reported that 5 million votes were cast for the American veto last week, which ultimately put Quinn on the hit list – and now America will two new chances to influence the game (plus, Wednesday’s episode averaged 3.19 million viewers, setting a season record and making it the night’s No. 1 show among 25-54 year olds).
Fresh off Thursday’s live eviction, which saw Makensy win the AI Arena and volunteer pawn Cedric evicted in a 6-3 blindside against Rubina, TheWrap can provide some details on how the AI Instigator power will work. Essentially, it’s a combination of three previous twists: America’s Player, Team America, and the Saboteur.
Starting Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, America has one week to vote for a houseguest to become the AI instigator. Ten votes are allowed per day. Voting runs through Thursday, August 22 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
The chosen houseguest will be announced on Sunday, August 25—unless they get evicted next week?—and will have to “create chaos by using their AI avatars to spread misinformation about their housemates,” similar to how Quinn more or less controlled the AI Angela this week.
A second vote is then held to award the instigator a cash prize of between $5,000 and $20,000, depending on how well expectations are met.
But first, there’s a late-night endurance test in the backyard to determine the next head of the household. And as always, expect the unexpected.
Big Brother airs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays on CBS, with live feeds available 24/7 on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
