Julie Chen Moonves Teases ‘Big Brother 24’s Theme, Retro ‘BB Motel’

Big Brother is back for Season 24, and host Julie Chen Moonves is teasing all the summer fun that awaits the houseguests. Chen Moonves opened up about BB24’s theme, retro house design and twists awaiting the players this season in a new interview with Us Weekly ahead of the July 6 premiere on CBS.

“I think the big headline is [that] the first live eviction night is going to be unlike any eviction night we’ve ever had because it may not be one of the people that you think that ends up getting bounced that night,” Chen Moonves teased. “These houseguests aren’t going to learn of this new twisted twist until that night. So your head is gonna be spinning this season.”

She established that indeed, it may not be the houseguests who are first on the block to go home first. “There are so many twists and turns this season and challenges that are so much harder that you’re gonna have a hard time just figuring out how to survive in the house,” the longtime host hinted.

Chen Moonves teased that the newly-designed Big Brother house has a very “mid-century Palm Springs feel” with neon lights. “We’re calling it the ‘BB Motel,’” she added. “You can check in, but you can’t check out. You don’t really wanna check out [laughs]. You don’t wanna get evicted. You wanna stay in the BB Motel. So it has that whole feel to it this year. Retro.”

There’s also a weekly theme of the summer called the BB Fest. “Every week throughout the summer, you’re going to see different themes, like a music fest, a comedy fest, a renaissance fest,” Chen Moonves explained. “But my personal favorite – I think most people will agree – is going to be the Zing Fest.”

During Wednesday’s premiere, fans will once again get to watch a live move-in of all the houseguests, but as soon as they do move in, there’s a “unique competition” for each team. Chen Moonves only teased that the houseguests won’t be in teams, but “kinda?” adding that viewers will have a chance to vote “with a new twist that will send the houseguests scrambling” kicking off on premiere night.

“I’m just excited for the fans to see these new twists and turns and challenges,” she added of Season 24. “Like we always say, expect the unexpected, but this really is next level like we’ve never done before. It’s going to keep all of us on our toes, not just the houseguests, but us viewers.” Big Brother 24 premieres on CBS Wednesday, July 6, at 8 p.m. ET.