With a tagline like “expect the unexpected”, it’s no surprise that Big Brother has featured a number of twists throughout the two decades it has been running in the United States. Some of these twists have come in the form of powers, aiming to give players an advantage in the game. Some powers have affected evictions, nominations, veto ceremonies, and more.
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Some fans are excited by these advantages, enjoying their ability to shake up the game. Others are frustrated by their impact, feeling that it takes too much power away from the players. The ideal power would be a nice middle ground, something that can have an impact on the game without giving a player too big of an advantage. Unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. Here are the 5 most overpowered advantages ever and the 5 that were absolutely useless.
Useless: Chaos Power
Many of the powers released in season 21 of Big Brother has fans mocking their uselessness. This one, in particular, had many calling it “the lamest of them all.” This power gave the holder (in this case, Jack Matthews) the chance to cause a redraw of veto players. There is almost no circumstance when this power would yield helpful results.
Only 3 players are pulled to play by random draw. Activating this power is a total gamble. There is no way to know if the redraw will results in more favorite results, less favorable results, or the same exact results. This gives the player holding the chaos power no real control, making it a pretty useless power.
Overpowered: Diamond Power of Veto
The Diamond Power of Veto was first introduced in season 4 of Big Brother and has been used in several seasons since. This veto gives the veto holder the chance to remove a player from the block and pick the replacement nominee themselves.
This has a huge advantage as it could potentially send one of the closest allies of the HOH out during their reign. Many times, the HOH doesn’t know this veto is in play until it’s too late, ruining their plans for the week. Anytime an HOH loses some of their power, the advantage given is pretty large.
Useless: Never-Not Pass
While have-nots used to be a big focus of the show, with players competing to stay away from this punishment, in recent years it hasn’t been that big of a deal. Still, in season 18, Natalie was awarded a Never-Not Pass. This was a reinvention of the “Slop Pass” that had been given in previous seasons.
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While not ever having to be a have-not certainly makes a player’s time in the house more enjoyable, very rarely does being a have-not have a huge impact on the game. Ultimately, this advantage has little to no impact on the game.
Overpowered: BB Bribe
The BB Bribe is a twist in which houseguests are awarded money which can be used in the Big Brother house to persuade other players. These kinds of deals are typically forbidden in the Big Brother house, but that all changes with this power.
In Big Brother, you can never be sure that the deals you make are secure. For this reason, having the power to guarantee a player’s vote or nomination is a huge advantage. Sorry Mike Boogie, but you can’t bounce this check!
Useless: Pick A Veto
This power gives players the opportunity to select which type of veto is being played for. This power was rewarded during Big Brother: Over The Top as one of America’s Care Packages. The power holder could choose between the Diamond Power of Veto, Double Power Veto, or the Boomerang Veto.
While this power has the potential to make a change in the game, it’s pretty useless if none of your allies are playing in the veto competition. And there is nothing worse than being forced to pick an advantage for your rivals under the guise of a reward for yourself.
Overpowered: Identify Theft
This power was granted as a part of the BB App Store twist in season 20. This power allowed the holder to secretly hijack the nominations ceremony, putting two players up on the block for eviction. With this power, the HOH will only get to nominate a contestant for eviction if someone comes off of the block during the veto ceremony. Anytime a contestant is able to make moves in secret, they have a huge advantage.
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Though this power had the potential to make a huge impact, fans never got to see it in action because Bayleigh, the houseguest who possessed the power, confided in the wrong person.
Useless: Panic Power
Another failed power from season 21, the panic power allows the holder to upgrade a Golden Power of Veto to a Diamond Power of Veto.
While the Diamond Power of Veto is great, the panic power also doesn’t help the holder unless they are in a position where they or one of their closet allies hold the veto and the HOH is against them. This power was so useless that Christie decided to just let it expire.
Overpowered: Coup d’Etat
This power allows a houseguest to remove both players from the block post veto ceremony and nominate two players in their place. This means that the two players nominated after this power is activated are the two guaranteed to be facing eviction.
This power means players can be nominated without having the chance to save themselves by a single person. It also essentially nullifies the Head of Household’s week, removing their power while still forcing them to get blood on their hands.
Useless: Nightmare Power
Yet another failed power from Big Brother 21, this power forces the head of the household to re-choose their nominations in the middle of the night. While the two players originally on the block are safe from going up during that ceremony, they can still be nominated again if the veto ceremony is used.
With the power to name nominees still in the HOHs hands and the opportunity to go up after the veto still in play, it’s unclear why anyone would ever want to use this power.
Overpowered: Pendant Of Protection
This power is one of the most criticized of all times. A take on the “eternal immunity” twist offered in some foreign seasons of Big Brother (which are structured very differently), this power protected the chosen player for 3 weeks.
This power was offered to a houseguest in Big Brother 19 via “America’s Vote.” Of course, this leads to Paul, the only returning houseguest, being given this protection. Having safety for 1/4th of the game is an advantage too large for any player.
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