One of the most controversial strategies on Big Brother is throwing competitions, and the Big Brother 24 cast members revealed if they would ever do it. Throwing competitions means losing on purpose, which seems like a bad idea, but it can sometimes benefit players if they are trying to stay under the radar or help their alliance members win instead. They sometimes throw Big Brother Head of Household (HOH) competitions in order to win future ones because players cannot be HOH two weeks in a row.
Big Brother 23 had many examples of this, the most successful being Xavier Prather, who won the game by throwing competitions early when he wanted to and winning later in the game when he had to. The historic all-Black alliance The Cookout, of which Xavier was a member, almost fell apart when Tiffany Mitchell refused to throw an HOH competition to Kyland Young. Although this created a rift in the alliance that led to Tiffany being the first member of The Cookout to be evicted, fans applauded her for competing to the best of her ability.
In interviews with Us Weekly, the Big Brother 24 houseguests revealed whether or not they would ever throw a competition. Almost all of the players said that they would throw competitions for various reasons. Paloma Aguilar thinks that in order to be a "superstar player," houseguests have to throw competitions at times, and she would do it to ensure her safety and to be a team player if someone else really wants it. Terrance Higgins said that he would do it if it would put him in a better position for the upcoming week, and he knew that he had guaranteed safety going into it. Nicole Layog, Jasmine Davis, and Indy Santos also said that they would do it to benefit their games. Matt "Turner" Turner said that if he saw that someone close to him was about to win the HOH and he knew he would be safe and then could play for HOH the following week, then he would throw it. Big Brother 24 houseguests Taylor Hale, Joseph Abdin, and Monte Taylor see the value in throwing games because dominating competitions can put targets on players' backs. However, Monte said that he will not throw any power competitions. Ameerah Jones said that she plans on throwing competitions in the beginning because she doesn't want to be seen as a threat upfront, but as the game goes on she will try to come in stronger.
Michael Bruner said that the only scenario in which he could see himself throwing a competition would be if he were HOH and he had two pawns on the chopping block, and the veto came down to him and his two pawns. He would let the pawn take himself or herself off of the block, and then he could backdoor someone with a little less blood on his hands. Big Brother 24 competitors Kyle Capener and Joe "Pooch" Pucciarelli both feel that it would be hard for them to throw competitions, but they would do it strategically. Brittany Hoopes said that her strategy is to try as hard as she can to do the best that she can in these competitions. If she finds that she keeps winning, she might "cool it" and start throwing things, but she will be adaptable because she might also need to win. Daniel Durston said that he will never throw a competition because it would be "absolutely ridiculous" after all they went through with the audition process and he waited ten years to play. Alyssa Snider said, "I would never throw a competition because I am here to play. However, if there's a deal to be made, I might just take it."
Although some Big Brother competitors and fans do not respect the strategy of throwing competitions, it has proven to be successful for some players in the past. It seems that the Big Brother 24 houseguests have given this form of gameplay a lot of thought, so fans should expect to see some competitions being thrown throughout the summer. Sometimes laying low in the beginning leads to great reward in the end.
Big Brother premieres July 6 at 8 p.m. EDT on CBS.