Big Brother fans know that the game is full of different rules, surprises, and twists that appear throughout the season. Big Brother's motto is to "expect the unexpected," so it makes sense that the twists are a complete surprise to houseguests and viewers when they happen live.
While some twists literally save an individual from going home or leaving the game early, some give players a certain advantage in the game that saves them in the long run. Sometimes the game is based on luck, which is no different than some of the Big Brother twists. Some can hurt you and some can save you.
Pandora's Box
Pandora's Box is a creative Big Brother twist debuted in season 11. The item itself is a mystery box that appears in the Head of Household room. The player doesn't know what the box will contain: It may be something that benefits the HoH and is a disadvantage to the house, or it could be something bad for the HoH and good for the house. The HoH has to decide whether they want to take the risk of opening the box. During season 12, Matt Hoffman was lucky enough to receive an advantage that ended up saving him from going home. When he opened Pandora's Box, he received the Diamond Power of Veto which he was able to use to take himself off the block.
Team America
In season 16 of Big Brother, America voted for their own alliance called "Team America." The members of the alliance had to complete different tasks throughout their time in the game, and if one of them ended up winning, they would earn an extra $50,000 on top of the regular $500,000 grand prize. The winner of the season turned out to be Derrick Levasseur, who had formed many alliances and relationships in order to win. Luckily, Team America was one of the alliances that he was chosen to be a part of, which meant that he had even more players on his side to help him secure the win. Even better, it earned him the $50,000 bonus in the end.
Battle Back Competition
The Battle Back Competition is the ultimate saving grace for houseguests. Just when they think their time in the game is over and they've been evicted, this twist gives them a chance to compete to come back into the house. The Battle Back Competition took place in seasons 18 and 19, and the twist paid dividends by reintroducing ousted players in dramatic and impactful ways.
The Battle Back Competition saved Victor Arroyo during season 18 and Cody Nickson in season 19, giving them the power to come back and saving them from going home. Victor in particular was able to make the most of his second change, lasting far into his season after he returned to the house via the twist, so it really did save him from going home early.
High Rollers Twist
The High Rollers twist is a new twist in season 23. This casino-themed wrinkle gives the players a chance to secretly choose if they want to play in competitions through which they can win different prizes that will benefit their game. They can play the games only if they have enough BB Bucks, and the amount of BB Bucks they receive is based on America's votes. Luckily, Alyssa Lopez had enough BB Bucks to play the Chopping Block Roulette game. She won the game and earned herself safety for the week, saving herself from potentially going home.
America's Player
The America's Player twist may not have saved a player from the game, but it saved him from going home empty-handed, and it was interesting enough to make it one of the top Big Brother twists of all time. For season 8, Eric Stein was chosen to be America's Player, unbeknownst to his fellow houseguests. The twist was interactive, allowing Big Brother viewers to decide at various points what tasks Eric would complete throughout the season. Each task that he completed would earn him money, so although he ultimately placed fifth in the game and would have walked away with nothing under normal circumstances, he ended up taking home $40,000 by completing all of the tasks assigned to him as America's Player.
Camp Comeback Competition
The Camp Comeback twist saved Cliff Hogg from going home early on in season 21. Camp Comeback gave the first four evicted houseguests the opportunity to return to the house even after they were evicted. Cliff was the last player to enter Camp Comeback when he was evicted from the game on day 30. The actual Camp Comeback competition consisted of each evicted houseguest trying to get the most balls across a narrow, swirly board by controlling the board and the ball. Cliff got all six balls across the board, making him the winner of the competition and allowing him to re-enter the main game. Once he returned to the house, and managed to stay in the game for a long time, ultimately making it to the final four.
Dynamic Duos
During season 13, the Dynamic Duos twist gave the season's returning houseguests an advantage as they each were placed into a partnership with another former Big Brother player with whom they already had a relationship with. Meanwhile, all of the newbies in the game had to pick their partners without knowing them. Rachel Reilly entered the house with her former beloved showmance and fiance at the time, Brendon Villegas. Once he was evited, she partnered up with another Big Brother vet, Jordan Lloyd. Her allies in the game, along with her ability to win competitions, gave her an advantage. Although the twist wasn't directly correlated with her win, it definitely played a part in her navigating season 13 strategetically and coming out on top in the end.
Power Of Veto
Big Brother fans know that the Power of Veto is the most simple way to get a contestant off the block. This twist, which is now a part of every single season as its own competition, was introduced in season 3. The power inherent in this twist has saved countless players from going home and is one of the twists that contestants actuall have some control over.
If a player is put up on the block, the Power of Veto is often the only hope they have of removing themselves from the block, whether that be by winning the Power of Veto competition for themselves or convincing the Power of Veto winner to use it on them.
Twin Twist
The so-called "twin twist" was a fun Big Brother wrinkles that appeared in season 17. A pair of twins, Liz and Julia Nolan, took turns secretly switching in and out of the house, and if they could make it to week 5 without the other houseguests knowing that they were in fact two different people, then they could both enter the game and play individually. Luckily for the twins, the amusing twist didn't end up hurting their game. In fact, it actually worked out in Liz's favor, as she became the runner-up and won the second place prize in the season.
Rivals
The Rivals twist, out of all the Big Brother twists, ended up helping two people in particular. During season 8, certain houseguests were paired, unbeknownst to them ahead of time, with someone from their personal life with whom they had a rocky relationship. In some cases, the was predictably a recipe for disaster. But for estranged father and daughter Dick and Dani Donato, the twist was a roller coaster that lasted throughout the season. Their strained relationship before coming into the Big Brother house didn't stop them from becoming allies in the competition, and their connection proved strong enough to take them both to the end of the game. By staying loyal to each other, Dick and Dani became the the final two. They are the first related players to make it to a Big Brother finale together.