{"id":2482154,"date":"2026-06-30T16:51:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2482154"},"modified":"2026-06-30T16:51:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T16:51:01","slug":"big-brother-unlocked-announces-hosting-shakeup-and-new-game-twist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/big-brother-unlocked-announces-hosting-shakeup-and-new-game-twist\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBig Brother: Unlocked\u201d announces hosting shakeup and new game twist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Three is the magic number, as <em>Big Brother: Unlocked<\/em> is adding a third host into the mix for 2026.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The companion talk show is also launching a fan vote that will impact the game.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Should we get tickets and be in the live studio audience? Kind of considering it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Expect the unexpected. With the season 28 premiere of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/big-brother\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Big Brother;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Big Brother&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Big Brother<\/em><\/a> just over a week away on July 9, the CBS reality competition show has announced a change to its hosting lineup for companion series <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/will-big-brother-unlocked-return-2026-producers-share-thoughts-exclusive-11837945\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Big Brother: Unlocked;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Big Brother&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Big Brother: Unlocked<\/em><\/a><em>. <\/em>And a new twist that will have a \u201cmajor impact on the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Former winners <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/big-brother-taylor-hale-wants-to-host-jury-roundtable-exclusive-8720264\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Taylor Hale;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Taylor Hale&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Taylor Hale<\/a> and\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/the-traitors-derrick-levasseur-responds-dirty-scumbag-liar-interview-8787856\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Derrick Levasseur;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Derrick Levasseur&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Derrick Levasseur<\/a> will once again be hosting the talk show, but they will be welcoming a third personality to the mix in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/jerry-oconnell\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Jerry O\u2019Connell;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Jerry O\u2019Connell&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Jerry O\u2019Connell<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This will be far from O\u2019Connell\u2019s first brush with the summer guilty pleasure. An avowed superfan of the franchise, O\u2019Connell stepped in as <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/julie-chen-missing-big-brother-live-eviction-jerry-oconnell-filling-in-8711646\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Big Brother\u2019s first-ever substitute host;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Big Brother\u2019s first-ever substitute host&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Big Brother<\/em>\u2019s first-ever substitute host<\/a> on Sept. 12, 2024 when <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/person\/julie-chen\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Julie Chen Moonves;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Julie Chen Moonves&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Julie Chen Moonves<\/a> came down with a case of Covid.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Jerry O&#8217;Connell filling in for Julie Chen Moonves as host on &#8216;Big Brother&#8217; season 26<br \/>Credit: Sonja Flemming\/CBS<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Now he will be joining his fellow panelists Taylor and Derrick on a regular basis to break down the show and share their insight and perspective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201c<em>Big Brother<\/em> is my summer and rolls into my fall too,\u201d O\u2019Connell said in a statement released by the network announcing the move. \u201cI\u2019m already watching on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, so the fact that CBS is now\u00a0<em>paying\u00a0<\/em>me to do it is kind of amazing. It\u2019s an absolute honor to sit next to Derrick \u2014 \u2018Champ,\u2019 as I call him \u2014 and Taylor, who is my all-time favorite <em>Big Brother<\/em> winner (<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/tv\/big-brother-jag-bains-winner-interview-finale-speech\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:sorry, Jag;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;sorry, Jag&quot;}\" class=\"link \">sorry, Jag<\/a>). This is what we call in showbiz a dream gig. I\u2019ll do my best to be the voice of the fans, but as Julie says, expect the unexpected. And most importantly, remember to love one another. I\u2019m soooo excited to join the <em>Big Brother <\/em>fam!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">That\u2019s not the only change to <em>Unlocked<\/em>. Not only will there be a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/big-brother-season-28-premiere-date-revealed-11973514\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:live studio audience;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;live studio audience&quot;}\" class=\"link \">live studio audience<\/a> for the companion show\u2019s second season, but the network also announced, \u201cThe premiere episode launches a new interactive fan vote that will have a major impact on the game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">What that vote will be and how it will impact the game remains to be seen, but it sounds like an extension of the America\u2019s Choice voting that has taken place throughout the series\u2019 run, in which viewers vote on certain twists and advantages.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Perhaps those votes will now be held more often and first announced on <em>Unlocked<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Lance Bass, Levasseur, and Hale on 'Big Brother: Unlocked'Credit: cbs\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/0zhjoaNDzMPQr2jsM0ilHg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/entertainment_weekly_785\/1fb29324987366d621b648f8be997e16\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Lance Bass, Levasseur, and Hale on &#8216;Big Brother: Unlocked&#8217;<br \/>Credit: cbs<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Big Brother: Unlocked<\/em> made news when Hale <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/james-gunn-talks-casting-big-brother-players-in-dcu-11819996\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:helped book Superman director;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;helped book Superman director&quot;}\" class=\"link \">helped book <em>Superman<\/em> director<\/a> (and <em>Big Brother<\/em> superfan) James Gunn as a guest in its first season. Now we will see if O\u2019Connell \u2014\u00a0who has starred in everything from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/stand-by-me\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Stand By Me;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Stand By Me&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Stand By Me<\/em><\/a> to <em>Sliders,<\/em> and has other CBS reality TV experience as host of <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/tv\/the-real-love-boat-cast-and-crew\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Real Love Boat;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Real Love Boat&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Real Love Boat<\/em><\/a> \u2014\u00a0opens up his celebrity rolodex to bring in more famous faces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our <\/em><\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He certainly handled himself well on his one-night-only guest-hosting stint on the mothership show. \u201cI knew I had to be true to Julie Chen Moonves and true to the show,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/big-brother-jerry-oconnell-dming-wife-rebecca-romijn-8711982\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:he told Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;he told Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">he told <em>Entertainment Weekly<\/em><\/a> the morning after his surprise experience. \u201cI didn&#8217;t want to go out there and ruin anybody&#8217;s Thursday night, especially\u00a0<em>Big Brother<\/em>\u00a0fandom, who are quite vocal and not afraid to let their opinions be known.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Their opinions will surely be made known about this latest move as well.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/big-brother-unlocked-announces-hosting-shakeup-new-game-twist-12009744\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Three is the magic number, as Big Brother: Unlocked is adding a third host into the mix for 2026. The companion talk show is also launching a fan vote that will impact the game. Should we get tickets and be in the live studio audience? Kind of considering it. Expect the unexpected. With [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2482155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[382769,339842,315793,345846,466916,339843,405821],"class_list":["post-2482154","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-cbs-reality","tag-derrick-levasseur","tag-jerry-oconnell","tag-julie-chen-moonves","tag-live-studio-audience","tag-taylor-hale","tag-unlocked"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Big-Brother-Unlocked-announces-hosting-shakeup-and-new-game-twist.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2482154","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2482154"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2482154\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2482156,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2482154\/revisions\/2482156"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2482155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2482154"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2482154"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2482154"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}