Julie Chen Moonves Says ‘All Bets Are Off’ With AI-Themed ‘Big Brother’ Season 26
Preview
Big Brother Season 26 will bring the long-lived reality series into the 21st Century in a very big way with its artificial intelligence theme, and host Julie Chen Moonves is teasing that it could have positive or negative consequences for the contestants.
“Season 26 is incredible because we have taken AI, artificial intelligence, and made it this year’s theme,” Moonves told TV Insider. “We’re calling it ‘BB AI.’ So what does that mean? It means all bets are off.”
“AI can be good. AI can be evil. So I’m pretty sure you’re gonna see the spectrum of that this season,” Moonves continued of the theme’s implications for the season.
Big Brother returns with a special two-night premiere on CBS on July 17 and 18, and while the new house decor does look quite different than what we’ve seen in the past (thanks to the machines’ sometimes wacky room designs), some things will not change.
“I think the secret sauce of Big Brother is that there is a live component that no other reality show has. If you sign up, you can watch the houseguests 24/7,” Moonves explained. “Whether you’re at work or summer camp or at home, wherever you are, you can just click click click or look on your phone and see the houseguests on four different cameras, whether they’re cooking or laughing or canoodling… no other reality show is like that. And we can’t fake it because of that reason. The live eviction shows are live. It’s not like, ‘Oh, let’s do that over.’ The competitions to see who becomes Head of Household are live. This is true reality.”
In the end, though, what continues to draw fans in season after season, including for Big Brother 26, Moonves said, is the “relationships.”
“Whether you see oil and water or a bromance or a showmance, it’s about the relationships, and that keeps people coming back,” she said.
Big Brother, Season 26 Premiere, Wednesday, July 17 and Thursday, July 18, 9/8c, CBS & Paramount+
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