How To Watch Big Brother Season 26 Online
| Start date: July 17, 2024 |
| New episodes: every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday |
| Channel: CBS |
| Stream: Paramount Plus (US) |
| Watch anywhere: Stream with NordVPN |
Watch Big Brother Season 26: Preview
Big Brother is back and continuing to up the stakes with a series of delicious twists. Welcoming HouseGuests into an AI-themed house, our contestants will experience all the rollercoaster highs and lows of living together under Big Brother’s all-seeing eye for a marathon duration of 90 days. Expect blossoming romances, bitter feuds, and nail-biting evictions aplenty as our guide explains how to watch Big Brother Season 26 online from anywhere now.
Our sixteen HouseGuests are now embarking on one roller-coaster summer. Making brand-new friendships, completing wild challenges, and praying to avoid eviction and so leave the competition $750,000 richer. Among those hoping to win that life-changing sum are Cedric Hodges, a 21-year-old former marine, video store clerk Joseph Rodriguez, a former undercover cop, and T'kor Clottey, a 23-year-old crochet business owner from Atlanta.
Ensuring the hit reality TV show remains “must-see” entertainment, Big Brother is keeping the series fresh with a few wild twists. This season’s house theme is “Artificial Intelligence,” with producers saying the timely topic will “bring the fun, the comedy, and the unexpected gameplay.” The Big Brother 26 house looks pretty out there – sleek and futuristic – after AI software was used to generate the unique design of each area. But rest assured, the Have-Not room remains characteristically inhospitable).
Meanwhile, in a first-of-its-kind twist, the sixteen HouseGuests will be given the choice to admit an anonymous seventeenth person to the house. We’re excited to see how that could play out. We’ve speculated that the identity of the housemate could be a former player, a backup contestant, or even the star of another reality TV show. Having someone from Survivor or The Bachelor (Joey Graziadei?) take part would be a pretty brilliant instance of reality TV synergy.
It’s going to be a wild and unpredictable season. So, catch all the action alongside host Julie Chen Moonves and read our guide, explaining how to watch Big Brother Season 26 online – starting with the show’s thrilling two-night debut!
Watch Big Brother Season 26 online in the US
Big Brother Season 26 debuted on Wednesday, July 17 at 9pm ET/PT. New episodes are broadcast weekly on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, up until the Season 26 finale on October 13.
Those with linear TV can watch live via CBS, or you can stream episodes online with a Paramount Plus subscription. The Essential plan costs $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year after a 7-day free trial. However, if you want to watch Big Brother live, you’ll want to opt for the Paramount Plus with Showtime plan. That’s $11.99 a month or $119.99 per year, which provides you with a local live stream of your CBS station and ditches ads on everything except live TV and a few shows.
Additionally, CBS' streaming service Pluto TV will offer live feeds for Big Brother Season 26 with an ad-supported platform. The downside is that ads will cut in between the action, which means an ad break could pop up during a can't-miss conversation happening in the HOH bedroom. With that said, this is a viable and economic option for anyone unfamiliar with the live feeds, and wants to give it a test run before paying any more for enhanced access.
Vacationing or working overseas and want to access your Paramount Plus subscription as normal? Use a VPN to port yourself back to the States like so:
How to watch Big Brother Season 26 from anywhere
If you're a US citizen on vacation or working overseas, you can still watch Big Brother Season 26 just as you would at home.
While Peacock blocks access from IP addresses outside of the US, there's a handy piece of software called a VPN which can change your IP address to make it look like you're accessing streaming services from any country in the world.
For example, US citizens vacationing anywhere in the world can subscribe to a VPN, join a US-based server and watch Big Brother on Peacock from anywhere in the world, just like they would back home.
How to use a VPN to unblock streaming services:
1. Choose your ideal VPN and install – our go-to recommendation for unblocking is NordVPN, costing from $3.99 a month with its 2-year plan
2. Connect to a server – for Paramount Plus, for example, you'll want to connect to a server based in the US
3. Go to the stream you wish to access - for Big Brother, head to Paramount Plus.
Watch Big Brother Season 26 in Canada
Canadians can watch Big Brother Season 26 now. Broadcasting every Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, catch every thrilling moment on Global TV, at the same time as your neighbors to the South.
If you don’t have cable or missed an episode, don’t worry. The network also carries the episodes free online on their website, although only for a limited time.
An American north of the border? Use a VPN to access the likes of Paramount Plus and Pluto TV as you would back home.
Can I watch Big Brother Season 26 in the UK?
UK fans of the long-running reality TV series won’t be able to watch Big Brother Season 26 in the UK on television or online.
However, those adopting the aforementioned VPN option with a subscription to Paramount Plus in the United States can stream the show wherever they are in the world.
Can I watch Big Brother Season 26 in Australia?
Sadly, Australians looking for a way to watch Big Brother in Australia are out of luck. The American iteration of the show isn't carried by any channels Down Under.
Everything you need to know about Big Brother Season 26
Who Are The Big Brother Season 26 Cast?
The Big Brother 26 cast reveal was made on July 16 and below are the initial sixteen HouseGuests taking part in this year’s competition:
- Angela Murray, 50, Real estate agent, Syracuse, Utah
- Brooklyn Rivera, 34, Business administrator, Dallas, Texas
- Cam Sullivan-Brown, 25, Physical therapist, Bowie, Maryland
- Cedric Hodges, 21, Former marine, Boise, Idaho
- Chelsie Baham, 27, Nonprofit director, Rancho Cucamonga, California
- Joseph Rodriguez, 30, Video store clerk, Tampa, Florida
- Kenney Kelly, 52, Former undercover cop, Boston, Massachusetts
- Kimo Apaka, 35, Mattress sales rep, Hilo, Hawaii
- Leah Peters, 26, VIP cocktail server, Miami, Florida
- Lisa Weintraub, 33, Celebrity chef, Los Angeles, California *
- Makensy Manbeck, 22, Construction project manager, Houston, Texas
- Matt Hardeman, 25, Tech sales rep, Roswell, Georgia *
- Quinn Martin, 25, Nurse recruiter, Omaha, Nebraska
- Rubina Bernabe, 35, Event bartender, Los Angeles, California
- T'kor Clottey, 23, Crochet business owner, Atlanta, Georgia
- Tucker Des Lauriers, 30, Marketing/sales executive, Brooklyn, New York
* Contestant was evicted from the Big Brother house.
Big Brother Season 26 Trailer
Who Will Host Big Brother 26?
Your dedicated “Chenbot”, Big Brother 26 host Julie Chen Moonves, is back! The long-running Big Brother host has fronted the show since its inaugural season back in the 2000, and she has no intention of stepping down anytime soon.
When is the Big Brother 26 Premiere?
Big Brother Season 26 kicked off with a two-night premiere on Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18, with episodes at 9pm ET/PT.
What’s Happened So Far In Big Brother 26?
Episode 1:
Let the (AI) games begin! In the pre-recorded first episode of a two-night season premiere, we were introduced to the first eight HouseGuests: Tucker, Angela, Kimo, Chelsie, Cam, Rubina, Joseph, and Makensy. But it wasn’t long after they’d entered the house that each of them was asked to make a decision that might have huge consequences.
The well-publicized first twist of BB involved players voting on whether or not to invite a seventeenth player into the game. That person was Ainsley. The 25-year-old was an electric-blue haired, Big Brother fangirl desperate to be allowed in. Of course, doing so could jeopardize their chances of leaving with that $750,000 prize, so they each had a lot to think about.
Unfortunately, she didn't get the 5 of the 8 "yes" votes required for her to become an official housemate. But oh, not to worry. Ainsley quickly shed her human form (!) to reveal she was a freaky blue virtual AI-type being. Turns out, Ainsley’s an acronym for “Artificial Intelligence Network Self Learning Entity”! Clever! And she’s programmed to control the game. Mwhahahaha!
Next up: competition time! The HouseGuests who’d voted “yes” battled it out to secure an “upgrade," involving spinning chairs and recalling the correct sequence of colors on the wall. Those, however, like Tucker and Hawaiian mattress salesman Kimo, who'd voted "no" – metaphorically flipping Ainsley the bird – were instructed to stick their heads in “fear” boxes to make out the jumbled words inside.
The loser would find themselves “severely downgraded.” Which could mean being exiled in the Have-Not room, or automatically finding themselves up for eviction.
Makensy won and would therefore gain a “superpower." Chelsie, alas, lost, and is facing being "severely downgraded." Exactly what this means for the Big Brother contestants, however, we don't yet know. But all should be revealed – along with the introduction of the other eight housemates – in episode two of the Season 26 premiere.
Episode 2:
Night two of the premiere kicked off in much the same way as before. Host Julie introduced us to the other eight contestants who’d be spending the summer in the Big Brother House. These were former Marine Cedric Hodges, Kenney Kelley, T’kor Clottey from Georgia, VIP cocktail waitress Leah, Brooklyn Rivera, Lisa Weintraub, Quinn Martin, and “southern gentleman” Matt Hardeman.
Again, incoming players had to decide if they wanted Ainsley to be a part of this intense house share experiment. But now viewers knew that voting “no” could put one HouseGuest at a serious disadvantage. Once more, the Big Brother door was slammed firmly in Ainsley’s face, leading to Ainsley revealing her true blue AI form. That left “yes” voters competing to receive an “upgrade” – that game saw players on a rotating set trying to insert chips into a motherboard – while the nay-sayers had to cajole three discs along a track using only their faces.
Following that excitement, all sixteen HouseGuests were finally introduced. But “Chenbot” quickly put the brakes on that and demanded everyone’s undivided attention. Suddenly, BBAI Ainsley materialized within the living room's “protobox.” She informed the gathered contestants that here is where she’d be making important announcements during the summer. Well, WE couldn’t relax knowing that mug might pop up at any moment while trying to enjoy a quiet cuppa joe!
Facing a range of apprehensive expressions, Ainsley informed HouseGuests she wouldn’t reveal who’d benefit from an “upgrade”– that would remain a secret from the other players. She was, however, happy to publically shame the two people who’d performed the “poorest.” That unfortunate duo were Chelsie and Cedric, and their fate was to become “BBAI Mascots.” That meant they’d be unable to compete to become House of Household (HOH) or Power of Veto. Nor could they vote in that week’s nominations, though they were still eligible to be nominated. As the moniker implied, they would instead be “cheering on the other players at each of these three events.”
Before concluding the episode, Julie shared with viewers the two people receiving those sought-after upgrades. But we won’t spoil that here! Tune in on Sunday when we find out what that will mean for two lucky HouseGuests.
Episode 3:
All the HouseGuests became better acquainted and the Big Brother Summer Games truly got under way. That meant emerging rivalries, alliances, and trying to save themselves from ending up on the Nominations Block.
Chief AI mischief-maker Ainsley asked for four volunteers to enter the notoriously uncomfortable Have-Not room. This season’s room looks like a scene from ‘80s movie Tron, and notoriously uncomfortable, yet Tucker, Kimo, Cam and Quinn took a bullet for the team.
Finally, viewers found out what “upgrades” Quinn and Makensey were granted after coming top in last week’s competitions. Makensey won “America’s Veto”. She had four weeks to utilize it, and by doing so, save one person from the Nomination Block whose replacement would then be decided by the public. Nebraskan nurse recruiter Quinn, meanwhile, got the kickass “Deepfake HOH” skill: allowing him to control the nominations of the current HOH, among other things.
Amidst the scheming and game-playing, there was time for HouseGuests to daydream about their potential romantic prospects, too. Chelsie admitted she found physical therapist Cam easy on the eyes, while Leah – demonstrating some body positivity – lamented the lack of “dad bods” in the house.
Ainsley announced the first HOH competition and Angela quickly proved herself a highly capable contestant. Each round of the competition “New Rules” would see the rules updated, and the last player standing became this season’s first HOH. The HOH would then make THREE nominations, rather than two, although one of them would have a chance to save themselves in Ainsley’s AI arena.
An elated Angela came out on top, winning HOH and all the perks that that brings. That didn’t bode well for players like Matt Hardeman. He was finding Angela hard to handle, and expressed that she needed to be taken out quickly. Current BBAI mascots Chelsie and Cedric pledged their allegiance to Angela, and the three of them formed an alliance. Quinn, who divulged to Angela his “Deepfake HOH” upgrade, was also brought into her confidences.
So, who were the first contestants facing eviction? Kenney was Angela's first pic after trailing her in third place in the HOH competition. Celebrity chef Lisa Weintraub was her second. And, even though we all expected Matt’s anti-Angela comments to guarantee his selection, it was actually mattress sales rep Kimo Apaka who the final spot on the Nominations Block.
It’s not over yet, though. As Ainsley explained, one of the three nominees could still save themselves from potentially getting booted out of the Big Brother house.
Episode 4:
What a difference a few days make. After winning HOH, Angela was soon convinced she’d made herself a target. She decided to put Kimo Apaka, Lisa Weintraub, and cop Kenney Kelley on the Nominations Block, a decision that shocked Kimo and celebrity Chef Lisa, but didn’t much bother Kenney.
Perhaps realising she’d met her match in Matt Hardeman, she'd spared him and expected his undying gratitude. But when the Georgia sales rep didn’t kiss ass, but implicitly threatened her instead, oh, that ate her up inside! Cue her growing belief that Matt, as she watched him on the monitors from her ivory HOH tower, was spearheading a campaign against her involving half the other HouseGuests – even after Quinn and Joseph invited Angela into an alliance.
After a sleepless night, the AM saw Angela go Full Metal Jacket. She mocked Matt for thinking he could threaten her and dubbed Quinn and Joseph’s "performance" from the previous night Emmy-worthy. Well, if she wasn’t a target before, she was now. Her paranoid rant rattled the house and it looked like she'd be canceled quicker than you could say JK Rowling, with Joseph, Cedric, and Chelsie ready to wriggle out of any promised alliance with her.
Elsewhere, another alliance had sprung. Dubbed the “throwmance," it featured three house hotties. But although one couple in this “throuple” were a little bit smitten with each other, that didn’t seem enough to stop one of them from suddenly landing on the Nominations Block.
The Power of Veto competition (a Spelling Bee) took place later, which would grant the winner the ability to save themselves, or another nominee. Lisa was granted the boon after spelling the longest word, “Transform.” So she took inspiration from Kate Winslet in Titanic and saved herself!
That meant HOH Angela would have to pick someone to replace her on the Nominations Block – and there was little doubt that Matt had since earned his spot. While Makensy could have saved him with her America’s Veto “Upgrade,” she decided to keep a hold of that power for a little longer.
Another twist notwithstanding, that means Angela has put Kenney, Matt, and Kimo up for nomination. At least one of them will go home on later tonight!
Episode 5:
So, Matt, Kenney, and Kimo were facing eviction. Lisa had saved herself after winning Power of Veto, and an increasingly disgruntled Angela was more than happy to put sworn enemy Matt on the Nominations block instead. Who could they rely on not to kick them out? As they appealed to floating voters, Kimo found out the hard way that the only foolproof means of avoiding eviction was to win exemption in AINSLEY'S AI ARENA!!! *Claxon sounds*
BBAI Ainsley explained the rules of her game “Glitch in the System” to the three nominees. Basically, 16 screens were flooded with images of the other HouseGuests, and whoever came closest to guessing which one of them featured the most, would be saved. It looked like enough to fry your brain. Presenter Julie Chen then revealed that Quinn had appeared the more than the others. Who had won themselves immunity? Oh, phew. It was Kimo!
Angela was thrilled (her choice to nominate Kimo only really seemed like collateral damage). That meant either former cop Kenney or handsome tech rep Matt was going to get the boot - and forfeit the chance to win $750,000. Both were given sixty seconds to make their case to stay, in a last ditch attempt to avoid becoming the first casualty the season. To Makensy’s horror, and Angela’s glee, Matt received 8 votes to Kenney’s 3 (and Kenney’s not even bothered about staying).
The HouseGuests said their goodbyes as Matt left the Big Brother house, reuniting with Chenbot after just one week. There's bound to be a lot of tension as the dust settles, and all kinds of new alliances forming. Some of them, perhaps, with a renewed desire to oust a rather volatile Angela from the house?
Episode 6:
Angela finally got rid of her rival Matt when he was voted out of the Big Brother house on Thursday. Consequently, her war of attrition against him has put a huge target on her own back. Without the immunity granted by HOH status, Angela will be praying to win Power of Veto this week. Both of Matt’s closest allies – the “Barbershop” alliance of Makensy and Leah – are so ready to unleash some karmic justice in the name of the Georgian tech rep.
Following Angela’s reign of terror, it was time for the second HOH competition of the season – of which she was ineligible to participate. “Animal Obsession” featured video clips posing animal-related questions to the HouseGuests, to which they had to correctly answer “true” or “false”.
Atlanta native T’Kor came close to winning the coveted position, before slipping up and handing the title of HOH to…Chelsie! She’ll receive her own private boudoir, in addition to hand-picking the three contestants to face nomination this week.
Now, with great bedroom privileges comes great responsibility! Chelsie was elated, considering both her and Cedric spent the first week as “BB Mascots” and couldn’t participate in any nominations or benefit-bestowing competitions. Physical therapist Cam bent Chelsie’s ear to suggest targeting Matt’s former allies – including Makensy – while Chelsie mulled over the efficacy of putting Angela on the nominations block.
In the meantime, a new alliance called “The Pentagon” was born, which brought together Chelsie, Cedric, Cam, and new recruits Brooklyn and Quinn. Chelsie was concerned about the “upgrade” powers still in play and what they could mean for the game. A little too trustingly, Makensy revealed that she has “America’s Veto,” which leads Chelsie to consider forcing her hand so that she uses this benefit up. Alternatively, making a strategically smarter choice, Quinn keeps his “Deepfake” upgrade a secret to avoid making himself a target.
So, who did Chelsie, this week’s HOH, decide to nominate? Both Lisa and Kenney found themselves on the nomination’s block for the second time in a row (although admittedly, Lisa won Power of Veto last week and saved herself from the final vote at the last minute, throwing Matt to the wolves instead). The third nominee was 50-year-old Angela Murray! For her sake, let’s hope she wins POV in Wednesday night’s episode. If not, she’s certainly ruffled enough feathers to make her the second person sent packing from the Big Brother house.
Episode 7:
Game playing, alliance building, Power-of-Veto plotting: there's been a lot for new HOH Chelsie to keep track of in the last few days.
Quinn has been covering his back by joining multiple alliances, although trying to distance himself from Angela without making her into an enemy. After being one of the last two people invited in to join “The Pentagon” (an alliance that also includes Chelsie, Cedric, and Cam) he pulled Brooklyn aside, warning that they were vulnerable as the last ones to be welcomed. Quinn also kept good relations going with his former "Have-Not" bunk buddies (Tucker, Kim, and Cam) and his like-minded pals “The Visionaries” (T’Kor and Kimo).
However, he was quite happy to throw Angela under the bus. If you haven’t been watching, well, she's a bit of a liability. After the 50-year-old witnessed a covert discussion between T’Kor, Cedric, Cam and Chelsie, she tracked down Quinn and warned him that they were “the group to worry about.” Igniting his worries that she could destroy those bonds he was trying to build with others, he told T’Kor that Angela had observed them and was remaining vigilant. Her comments quickly passed from person to person until Chelsie decided to pull Angela up to address any problems face-to-face. Angela was clearly hurt by what seemed like Quinn's betrayal. Yet his actions did confirm that a number of HouseGuests were very likely to vote for Angela to leave, should she fail to win the Power of Veto competition.
A random draw saw Joseph and Brooklyn take part in this week’s POV, alongside Chelsie and the three nominees. Dubbed “Code Tower” (these game names are pretty unimaginative), contestants were tasked with being the first person to construct a tower out of square and circular blocks, that was robust enough to reach the height of a laser. Brooklyn made a good effort, but Kenney started strong and kept going. He won, and, not unpredictably, removed himself from the nominations block.
Chelsie was in a quandary deciding who she'd chose to replace him. Tucker Des Lauriers, the Brooklyn marketing executive, courageously put himself up as a replacement. He was confident he'd beat Angela and Lisa in the AI Arena. And if not? Well, the tide of unpopular opinion seemed to be flowing towards Angela anyway. Tucker also petitioned Chelsie to consider Makensy as a replacement, knowing she had a “veto advantage” up her sleeve. But Chelsie didn’t want to make herself a target by doing so, and stuck to sacrificing Tucker.
Anything could happen in tonight’s live eviction. Will Tucker emerge victorious in the AI Arena? And if so, will the HouseGuests rally together to oust “alliance-destroyer” Angela from the house? Find out in tonight’s second eviction of the season.
Episode 8:
Well, we didn’t see THAT coming.
Wednesday’s episode saw Tucker take a huge gamble and put himself up for nomination, with HOH Chelsie rubber stamping his plan after Kenney won Power of Veto. Did Tucker emerge victorious from the AI Arena, or did his confidence spectacularly backfire?
There was some delightfully devious game-playing as HouseGuests cast aspersions on which two of them held the “upgrades” bestowed at the start of the season – and might therefore threaten the other contestants’ game plans. Tucker and Chelsie knew Makensy had some kind of special veto power, but only Angela knew that Quinn had acquired the “Deepfake” skill, allowing him to secretly control the nominations of the HOH.
Although Lisa vehemently denied it, Tucker fueled the rumor that she in fact did possess the second “upgrade." Angela, meanwhile – increasingly at odds with Quinn – tattled to Tucker that the 25-year-old was keeping quiet about having the second, secret advantage. And, in a case of terrible timing, that was the exact moment Quinn walked in.
Angela belittled Lisa after she heard herself being called a “loose cannon” (the truth hurts) before the two women and Tucker went head-to-head in the AI Arena. Whoever won this week’s competition would be safe from eviction for another week. Lisa had won POV once before. Could she do it again? Not this time. The first person to match puzzle pieces to a security scanner key was Tucker, whose self-belief going into the game was justified.
That meant that Angela or Lisa would be kicked out of the Big Brother house. And, in a twist very few saw coming, that person was Lisa! The celebrity chef received a gob-smacking 11 of the votes, with only Kenney opting for Angela.
Either the contestants are a bunch of masochists, or their logic goes something like this: by keeping a divisive figure like Angela around, they increase their odds of making it through to the $750,000-winning final. Lisa masked her disappointment as she said her goodbyes. But even Angela's mind was working overtime to understand why she'd been chosen to stay over Lisa, and by such a landslide.
Will they live to regret it? Catch all the post-eviction drama when we return to the Big Brother house for Sunday night’s episode.
Episode 9:
Lisa’s eviction came as something of a shock – well, for viewers, if not to the majority of HouseGuests who voted to evict her. Even if Angela's a bully – and her track record indicates that’s indeed the case – she appears less of an obstacle to the other contestants winning than the celebrity chef did.
Chelsie stepped down as Head of Household and the competition to decide the incoming HOH got underway. “Ainsley Land” tasked each HouseGuest with getting around multiple tracks of balance beams in the best time possible. Curly-haired Quinn appeared on track to become this week's house overlord, as neither Angela, Joseph, Cam or Rubina were able to beat his score of 18 points in 43 seconds. Makensy came close, but later toppled. Just when it looked like Quinn had it in the bag, however, Cedric set a new benchmark score of 27 with a time of just over 44 seconds.
That meant Cedric Hodges will wield (almost) absolute power as HOH. Mulling over his three nominations, there was no doubt that Angela would be back up there (so much for their alliance in week one). Kenney, after revealing to Cedric that he was a police officer, put himself forward as an easy second choice, admitting that he was finding it hard being away from his family anyway.
So, Angela and Kenney would be back up on the Nominations Block for their second and third times, respectively. Cedric was just conflicted as to who would complete the trio. Feeling uneasy about those "upgrades" waiting to be deployed, he considered smoking out one of the two people thought to have been granted them.
Confessing she had “America’s Veto,” Makensy suggested that a vote for her would be wasted as she could simply remove herself, although her upgrade power would be exhausted after that. The HOH also tried to convince either Leah, Joseph, and Rubina to go up as pawns, but none of them were willing to take the risk. Well, we all saw how that turned out for Lisa…
In the end, Cedric announced he was nominating Angela (of course), Kenney (again), and Tucker to face eviction. Cedric was pretty certain Tucker would be safe and wasn’t a target. Does that mean it will be strike three and you’re out for Kenney? Or maybe Angela will be waving bye-bye this time? That is, unless the cunning contestant pulls off some seriously boss moves this week.
