Big Brother 27 Checks Into ‘Hotel Mystère’ With Secrets, Twists, and a Masked Guest
CBS’s iconic reality show returns July 10 with a mystery-themed house, longer episodes, and a wildcard Houseguest still under wraps.
Los Angeles, July 8 EST: It’s check-in time at Big Brother’s most chaotic summer resort yet. The iconic CBS reality show is back for its 27th (!) season on Thursday, July 10, and this year, it’s not just slop and backdoor blindsides on the menu. The theme? “Hotel Mystère” — a moody, velvet-drenched fever dream of secrets, masked guests, and hidden agendas that sounds like Knives Out had a baby with The Circle.
CBS is playing the long game this summer, teasing a “Mystery Houseguest”, a secret accomplice, and a masked visitor who might not even be playing the same game. They’re basically turning the house into an escape room — and fans are already piecing together clues like it’s Taylor Hale’s leftovers all over again.
This season kicks off with a 90-minute premiere (Thursday, July 10, 8/7c) and stretches into longer midweek episodes too — Wednesday shows are now 90 minutes. That’s a major shift in CBS’ summer lineup, and a clear signal: the network knows the fans want more chaos, more drama, and way more time to clock alliances forming in the pantry.
Inside the Cast: Hot Mess, High Potential
The cast? Younger, scrappier, and kind of perfectly Gen Z-coded. Only two players are over 40, and the vibe overall leans messy-in-a-good-way. These aren’t casting choices meant to blend in — they’re meant to blow things up.
Let’s break it down:
- Adrian Rocha, 23, a carpenter with blue-collar bro vibes (San Antonio).
- Ava Pearl, 24, an aura painter (yes, really) turned New York girlie.
- Ashley Hollis, 25, an NYC-based attorney with “cutthroat confessionals” energy.
- Zach Cornell, 27, marketing manager who might be this season’s Kyle if he plays it wrong.
- Rylie Jeffries, 27, a professional bull rider from Oklahoma — BB’s annual wildcard slot.
- Jimmy Heagerty, 25, an AI consultant, which already feels like fanbase bait.
- Cliffton “Will” Williams, 50, a podcast host with serious older-uncle-who-actually-watches-the-show energy.
- Plus: servers, personal trainers, insurance agents, and an unemployed guy from West Hills who might either be the first boot or the accidental icon of the season.
The full 16-person lineup is deeply varied by profession and geography, but don’t expect another BB25-style cerebral cast. This year’s group looks primed for vibe shifts, messy showmances, and some good old-fashioned yelling in the Have-Not room.
And then there’s the wildcard: one more houseguest will be revealed later — a “Mystery Houseguest,” who could be a returning legend. Fan speculation is spiraling fast (Dan? Da’Vonne? Derrick? Danielle Reyes?). But CBS is tight-lipped.
The Game Outside the Game: Companion Shows & 24/7 Streams
Live feeds — a.k.a. the heartbeat of the BB fandom — hit Paramount+ and Pluto TV starting July 13, just after the eviction dust settles from premiere weekend. For casuals and Reddit sleuths alike, the feeds will be the only way to parse what’s real, what’s planted, and who’s secretly working with whom. And let’s be honest — half the fun is realizing someone’s entire game blew up over a tofu taco.
Also returning is “Big Brother: Unlocked,” a retooled talkback series airing every other Friday beginning July 25. It’s hosted by returning All-Stars (yet to be announced), and will feature evictee interviews, deep-dive recaps, and fan commentary. Think The Traitors: Postmortem meets Love Island: Aftersun — with more strategy and less sunscreen.
This Season Is Playing With Us — And That’s the Point
What makes “Hotel Mystère” hit different is how it leans into paranoia. Big Brother has always been a game of trust, lies, and late-night whispering. But now, with planted accomplices and identity twists in play, the producers are officially gaslighting the players — and the audience — in real time. It’s very 2025.
Julie Chen Moonves, who previewed the house and cast in a recent YouTube clip, teased “layers of deception” that even superfans won’t see coming. And if we know anything from past seasons, it’s that the minute BB starts talking about “layers,” we’re all getting blindsided.
But that’s what keeps this franchise kicking. Nearly three decades in, Big Brother still knows how to mess with its own format in ways that feel fresh. It’s not always clean. It’s often chaotic. But when it works, it’s appointment TV.
And with a cast this unpredictable, a game design built on secrets, and the feeds just days away from going live, Big Brother 27 might actually deliver the mystery it’s selling.
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A bi-coastal pop culture critic and former indie screenwriter, Gia covers Hollywood, streaming wars, and subculture shifts with razor wit and Gen Z intuition. If it’s going viral, she already knew about it.
