After years of fan anticipation for another All-Stars season, Big Brother finally brought sixteen former houseguests back into the house for another chance to claim the half-million-dollar prize. Previous winners, runners-up, and fan favorites all returned for Big Brother 22, a season that was sure to be full of big moves, cutthroat gameplay, and exciting drama.
Unfortunately, fans were treated to a relatively boring season as one player dominated the game from Week 1, facing no resistance from the other houseguests. While it may not go down as one of the best seasons of Big Brother, the second edition of All-Stars still managed to produce some memorable moments.
Enzo, The Comedian
Enzo was the most entertaining houseguest of the season, becoming a likable presence within the house and a humorous character for the fans. He provided multiple laughs and memorable stories from his foot fetish stalker to his former job as a crayon salesman. Other moments include his ineptitude with the bidet and making Nicole Franzel pee her pants.
To his credit, Enzo used his likability and eccentric personality to win over the other houseguests and earned himself a seat in the final two, a testament to his impressive social game. Overall, Enzo was a memorable addition to the All-Stars cast, providing some truly hilarious moments.
Cody Is Crowned The Winner
Some of the more recent seasons of Big Brother have seen bitter juries deny the more dominant player the win, so it was a welcome change to see the jury of Big Brother 22 crown the more deserving player. Cody Calafiore, the runner-up of Big Brother 16, dominated the game from beginning to end, winning multiple competitions and forming alliances with almost every houseguest.
On finale night, Cody won the final HOH and chose to take Enzo with him to the final two over Nicole. It proved to be the right decision as Cody unanimously won in a 9-0 jury vote, a satisfying conclusion to an otherwise lackluster season.
Janelle And Kaysar Reunite
One of the more exciting developments to come out of the cast reveal was the return of Big Brother legends, Janelle Pierzina and Kaysar Ridha. Janelle and Kaysar both played together on Big Brother 6 and the first All-Stars season, Big Brother 7. They had a tight bond with one another, forming an unlikely friendship.
Fourteen years later, Janelle and Kaysar reunited in the Big Brother house, picking their friendship back up right where they left off. Fans were excited to see them play together once more, however, their stay in the house was cut short as their close friendship quickly made them targets. Regardless, Janelle and Kaysar brought some much needed old school energy into the house, reminding fans of the reason they fell in love with Big Brother in the first place.
Important Conversations
What the season lacked in gameplay it made up for with important conversations surrounding timely social issues. Big Brother has had controversy in past seasons for houseguests displaying racism, bullying, and homophobia, so it was great to see the show shed some light on the importance of representation and diverse experiences.
Some houseguests used their platform to discuss relevant topics with the intent that viewers would learn something from their conversations. Da’Vonne brought attention to the Black Lives Matter movement and the importance of self-worth, Kaysar spoke about his religion, Kevin discussed the struggles with his identity as a gay, bi-racial man, and Ian revealed he was on the autism spectrum.
Triple Eviction
Typically, double eviction night proves to be one of the more exciting nights of a Big Brother season, but Julie Chen surprised the houseguests and the fans, revealing that Big Brother 22 would feature the first-ever triple eviction. In one night, three houseguests were sent packing in a fast-paced two-hour episode that was full of attempted vote flips and betrayals.
Kevin, David, and Dani all fell victim to the triple eviction. During David’s eviction, Tyler and Christmas tried to get Enzo to vote out Nicole F., but failed, exposing their games to the rest of the house. Dani’s eviction also proved memorable as she was blindsided by her allies and was the first member of The Committee sent to the jury house.
Kaysar Wins Safety Suite
Fan favorites Kaysar and Janelle found themselves as early targets in Week 1. After Cody won the first Head of Household, he quickly targeted Kaysar and planned to make him one of his two nominees. However, with the inclusion of the Safety Suite competition, the houseguests were given a chance to save themselves from eviction.
Kaysar won the first Safety Suite and chose Janelle as his plus one, giving her safety for the week too. It was a triumphant moment for Kaysar and Janelle’s fans, knowing that neither one of them would be the first person evicted from the Big Brother All-Stars house.
Da’Vonne Wins The Veto – And Uses It
In her previous seasons, Da’Vonne never won a single competition. That changed in All-Stars, however, when she won her first Power of Veto competition. It was a memorable win as it gave someone outside of The Committee alliance power in the game and the ability to shake things up.
After winning the Veto, Da’Vonne was pressured by the HOH Dani to not use the Veto, but Da’Vonne’s ally, Kevin, was on the block and in danger of being sent to the jury house. In the end, Da’Vonne made a move that was best for her individual game and saved her ally, forcing Dani to nominate another houseguest. Da’Vonne’s Veto win created an exciting week inside the Big Brother house, a rarity for Big Brother 22.
Move-In Night
Big Brother 22 featured a live move-in premiere, where the cast of sixteen houseguests was revealed and they moved into the house. It was an exciting premiere that created a lot of hype for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately, that hype would soon dissipate as the season progressed and gave way to predictable gameplay.
Regardless, it was thrilling to see fan favorites like Janelle, Da’Vonne, and Tyler, former winners Nicole F. and Ian, and players fans never thought they’d see again like Keesha, Kevin, and Memphis re-enter the Big Brother house and battle for the half-million-dollar prize.
Cody Cuts Nicole F. During The Finale
During the finale, Cody was set up perfectly to be in the final two as both Enzo and Nicole F. were planning on taking him to the end. However, he had final twos with both of them, causing him to make a difficult decision when he won the final HOH. In the end, he cut Nicole, fearing her status as a former winner would be tougher competition for him.
Nicole truly believed that Cody would take her over Enzo and was blindsided by Cody’s decision, sending her out of the house in tears. She was so angry with Cody that she couldn’t even look at him the remainder of the night. Cutting Nicole at the final three was the most cutthroat move of the season, making for a thrilling and dramatic finale.
Da’Vonne Wins America’s Favorite Houseguest
To cap off the season, Da’Vonne was named America’s Favorite Houseguest, making history as the first black contestant to win the coveted title. In her previous two seasons, Da’Vonne never found herself in the top three of America’s vote, but this season she beat out many former America’s Favorite Houseguests.
Truly deserving of being crowned America’s Favorite Houseguest, Da’Vonne will always be a memorable Big Brother player and fan favorite as she was responsible for some of the best moments of the season, a more than satisfying conclusion to the predictable and lackluster All-Stars season.
