‘Big Brother’ Producer Teases Return of ‘Legends and Favorites’

Big Brother season 20 is officially underway on CBS, and to celebrate the milestone season of the competition series, fans should expect nods to its long history.

The series premiered with a special two-hour premiere event Wednesday and continues with new episodes Thursday and Sunday, but fans should expect the surprises they’ve come to know and love from Big Brother.

“Right from the get-go, you’re going to see familiar faces from the show in the audience. We have nods to the previous seasons in the set design of our opening night competition and throughout the season, we’ll be welcoming back some of the legends and favorites to participate,” executive producer Allison Grodner told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the season premiere.

Grodner, along with executive producer Rich Meehan spilled the beans about the latest season of the show, revealing who they think will go far in the competition.

“Haleigh (Broucher) could go far. Scottie (Salton) could potentially go really far if he doesn’t get branded as the superfan,” Meehan said. “He’s smart and is more athletic than people give him credit for. There are a lot of strong alpha males and alpha females in the house, and I think for the first half of the season, they’ll be battling each other.”

The producers also dished about their decision to have an all-new cast of house guests after multiple seasons bringing classic players back.

“For the past couple of years, we’ve had people return. It’s nice to have a fresh start for BB20 and to have a brand-new cast of people and brand-new cast of potential “all stars” in the future,” Grodner said. “The vibe of this group of people reminds me of season 12. It had a lot of interesting characters and distinct personalities, but there was this sense of camaraderie among them and it still gave the drama and the comedy.”

“It’s back to basics in the fact that it’s all new houseguests, but we’re still going to have twists and turns,” Meehan said. “We’re 99 days now — it’s a long run — so to keep the show fun and the houseguests on their toes we like to have the twists along the way.”

Big Brother follows a group of people living together cut off from the outside world in a house outfitted with almost 100 HD cameras (94, to be exact) and more than 100 microphones (113), where they’re under constant, 24/7 surveillance.

House guests vote weekly to evict one another, with the last remaining contestant receiving the grand prize of $500,000. They also compete in weekly Head of Household competitions to gain control of the house and decide who will be nominated for eviction.

Big Brother will air episodes Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays on CBS.