The tech-themed 20th season of “Big Brother” starts Wednesday evening with a two-hour episode at 8 p.m. on CBS that includes three challenges that will yield a game-changing power and two unprecedented punishments.
A new twist to the game, the “BB App Store” will be unveiled Sunday with viewers having the chance to get the houseguests trending, resulting in power apps or punishments that could crash their game.
The season’s “Big Brother” house on the CBS Studio Center lot in Studio City is inspired by Silicon Valley, building on the themes of interactivity and collaboration, according to CBS.
The house’s living room is dominated by a 22-foot rock-climbing wall, the series’ first. The circular couch is on a large rotating platform for the first time, opening up a space for the houseguests to reach the climbing wall.
The downstairs bedrooms feature the first sliding walls to be incorporated into the “Big Brother” house. The five separate panels can open up to make a more communal space, and the placement of the beds and reflective walls create an optical illusion.
The kitchen features an island on casters that allow the countertop and the stools to move from side to side. A 4-foot tall fiberglass gummy bear keeps watch over the kitchen.
The highlight of the Kaleidoscope Lounge is the floor-to-ceiling pin art wall, featuring 14,276 separate plastic pegs.
The common bathroom features four sinks, bright green walls, emoji pillows and a collection of mirrors covered with interchangeable IRL filters inspired by multi-messaging media apps.
The bridge upstairs has been transformed into a gaming lounge with a foosball table, a tabletop video-game-inspired cocktail table, an illuminated abstract chessboard, and moving gamer chairs that bring an arcade feel to the space.
The extra-large aquarium has a prominent position and is stocked with neon tropical hybrid fish swimming among sunken custom 3D printed miniature themed arcade games.
The Head of Household Suite has a trendy warehouse feel with dark wood, exposed cinderblock, and walls covered with LED panels that constantly change color.
In a change from past seasons, the “Head of Household” can spy on the other players and be able to speak with them through a video intercom system placed in select rooms around the house.
The backyard features a mural of California poppies, the state flower. The yard will continue to have a pool and spa along with a new pool table.
“Big Brother” follows a group of 16 people separated from the outside world, living together in a house outfitted with 94 high-definition cameras and 113 microphones, recording their every move 24 hours a day.
One houseguest is voted out each week. The last remaining houseguest will receive the $500,000 grand prize.
“Big Brother” will air at 8 p.m. Sundays and 9 p.m. Wednesdays, with the weekly eviction show at 9 p.m. Thursday beginning July 5, the 18th anniversary of the series premiere.
In addition to the episodes broadcast on CBS, “Big Brother” live feeds can be seen on CBS All Access, the network’s subscription streaming service, beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.
The sixth season of “Big Brother After Dark,” an unfiltered late-night feed from inside the “Big Brother” house, begins at 1 a.m. Thursday on cable’s Pop network, airing seven nights a week for 13 consecutive weeks.
Other “Big Brother” content includes a weekly companion series streamed Fridays on “Big Brother’s” Facebook Watch show page, “Off The Block with Ross and Marissa,” hosted by “Celebrity Big Brother” winner Marissa Jaret Winokur and runner-up Ross Mathews.
The CBS Messenger Bot, available via Facebook Messenger, Twitter, Kik and Skype, will feature exclusive “Big Brother” content, interactive features and games including impact votes, updates on the status of the game and highlights from the broadcast episodes and live feeds.