Ever since “Big Brother” first debuted in the summer of 2000, the grand prize for the ultimate winner has been a cool half-mil. That’s why it was so shocking when host Julie Chen Moonves announced during the 90-minute Season 23 premiere that the prize money for “BB23” would jump from $500,000 to $750,000.
“We are adding a quarter of a million dollars to the grand prize,” Julie told the 16 all-new houseguests in the backyard on opening night. “That’s right — the winner of ‘Big Brother’ will receive $750,000. Soak it in.”
SEE ‘Big Brother 23’ is bringing back the team twist with captains and everything
After entering the “no risk, no reward” themed house, the new cast competed in four separate competitions in order to determine the season’s four team captains. Each captain then took turns picking their teams. The team breakdowns are as follows:
Jokers
Brandon “Frenchie” French (Captain)
Azah Awasum
Britini D’Angelo
Derek Frazier
Aces
Whitney Williams (Captain)
Brent Champagne
Derek Xiao
Hannah Chaddha
Kings
Christian Birkenberger (Captain)
Alyssa Lopez
Xavier Prather
Sarah Beth Steagall
Queens
Claire Rehfuss (Captain)
Kyland Young
Tiffany Mitchell
Travis Long
After the four teams were created, Julie filled everyone in on the life-changing dollar upgrade they’d be playing for throughout the summer. The houseguests then competed in their first Head of Household competition, a “House of Cards” inspired challenge where each team had to work together to balance their oversized cards. The Jokers prevailed, with Frenchie becoming HOH for the week.
However, Julie soon gave Frenchie the option of risking his HOH by going “double or nothing.” If he took her challenge and rolled two large dice cubes onto a platform, the Jokers would be safe for the next two weeks. If he lost her challenge, they would no longer be safe for the first week and the Queens (who came in second place) would be safe instead, with Claire taking over Frenchie’s HOH duties. Frenchie declined the offer, so nothing changed.
What do you think about the “Big Brother” grand prize money jumping from $500,000 to $750,000 for “BB23”? Sound off down in the comments section.
