Chelsie Baham has been crowned the winner of the United States’ ‘Big Brother’ Season 26, taking home the $750,000 grand prize after spending an intense 90 days inside the house.
The season finale, which aired on Sunday, concluded with a unanimous vote of 7-0 in Chelsie’s favour, beating out Makensy Manbeck to secure the victory.
The highly competitive season, which was filled with unexpected twists and heated drama, saw Chelsie, a 27-year-old nonprofit director, outlast 16 other houseguests.
Dhe triumphed in the final two against Makensy, a 22-year-old construction project manager, after the jury, made up of evicted houseguests, cast their final votes.
The jury’s decision came after weeks of watching Chelsie navigate through alliances, betrayals, and challenges in one of the most unpredictable seasons in the show’s history.
Makensy, who secured second place, walked away with a $75,000 prize. The third finalist, 25-year-old physical therapist Cam Sullivan-Brown, fell short of making the final two but remained a strong contender throughout the competition.
The season finale also featured a viewer-voted award for “America’s Favorite Houseguest,” which was won by Tucker Des Lauriers, a 30-year-old marketing and sales executive.
Tucker received a $50,000 cash reward, much to the delight of fans who had been following his journey throughout the season.
Adding to the excitement of the finale, Season 24 winner Taylor Hale returned to host the jury roundtable, a role previously held by *Big Brother* Season 2 champion Dr. Will Kirby.
This change came as a surprise to long-time fans, as Dr. Will had led the jury debates since 2013.
Another familiar face, Derrick Levasseur, the winner of Season 16, made an appearance during a Friday lookback episode, providing insight into the final moments of the game and introducing a shocking twist related to the show’s BB AI theme.
Season 26 premiered with a two-night launch on July 17-18, bringing together 16 houseguests in a house monitored by over 90 cameras and 100 microphones.
The houseguests’ every move was captured around the clock, and each week, one was voted out until only the final three remained to battle for the grand prize.
This season featured some firsts for ‘Big Brother’, including the unprecedented moment when host Julie Chen Moonves had to miss a live eviction episode after testing positive for COVID-19.
Jerry O’Connell, co-host of ‘The Talk’, filled in for her, marking the first time in ‘Big Brother’ history that someone other than Chen Moonves hosted an eviction.
The rest of the Season 26 cast was a diverse group, including Angela Murray, a 50-year-old real estate agent; Brooklyn Rivera, a 34-year-old business administrator; Cedric Hodges, a 21-year-old former Marine; Joseph Rodriguez, a 30-year-old video store clerk; Kenney Kelley, a 52-year-old former undercover cop; Kimo Apaka, a 35-year-old mattress sales rep; Leah Peters, a 26-year-old VIP cocktail server; Lisa Weintraub, a 33-year-old celebrity chef; Matt Hardeman, a 25-year-old tech sales rep; Quinn Martin, a 25-year-old nurse recruiter; Rubina Bernabe, a 35-year-old event bartender, and T’kor Clottey, a 23-year-old crochet business owner.
Fans and critics alike have praised the season for its dynamic gameplay and unexpected turns.
Many have gone as far as to call it one of the best seasons in recent ‘Big Brother’ history, citing its surprises, including the AI-themed twists, as key to its success.
