Entertainment

'Big Brother: Over The Top' Gets Fans Involved

by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Big Brother 18 might be coming to an end, but that doesn't mean you're going to have to wait a whole year for more of the series. Before you start panicking about your potentially Big Brother-less existence, here's everything you need to know about the next season of Big Brother . Earlier this summer, host Julie Chen announced that BB was moving online to CBS All Access, the network's new digital platform. Other than the fact that it exists, not much is known about the special edition of Big Brother, titled Big Brother: Over The Top. Who will compete? And how will it be different from Big Brother 18? In other words, how will Big Brother: Over the Top work?

According to a CBS press release, Big Brother: Over the Top is not going to be your average season of Big Brother, oh no. For one thing, the entire game will be played live starting on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 10 p.m. ET. Live feeds will be available 24/7, including HoH comps and Veto comps that are sometimes blacked out during regular seasons. That means that the game will be constant, with no weekly episodes to set the pace. However, certain events — safety ceremonies, Diary Room sessions, and evictions — will be scheduled throughout the week.

Safety ceremonies will take place live every Saturday and Sunday at 10 p.m. ET, with houseguests nominated for eviction on Sundays. Big Brother: Over the Top will also have weekly recap episodes Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. ET, culminating in the weekly eviction. And Live Diary Room Sessions will be held every Tuesday and Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Again, this is all happening on CBS' streaming service, CBS All Access, which you can test out free of cost for one week. After that, you have to pay for a monthly subscription.

But that's not all: perhaps the most exciting thing about Big Brother: Over the Top is that fans are going to get to vote for houseguests along the way and influence the game, whether it's by voting in evictions, nominations, or other twists. But, before the game even starts, fans can already play a hand in setting it up. CBS All Access members will get to determine whether Jozea Flores, from BB18, or Jason Roy of BB17, gets to compete in the competition. Only one of them will be allowed into the Big Brother: Over the Top house, and voting closes on Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 3 p.m., so if you have CBS All Access, start voting now for your favorite ex-houseguest.

If you've always wanted to play the BB game without leaving your couch, it looks like Big Brother: Over the Top is going to be the way to do it.

Images: Sonja Flemming/CBS; Giphy