‘Big Brother’ ends fan-fave A.I. Arena twist as Top 9 houseguests enter jury phase of competition

One of the most exciting “Big Brother” twists in years has come to an end. (Moment of silence, please.)

The B.B.A.I. Arena twist, which made its debut at the start of Season 26, forced the Head of Household to nominate three people for eviction every week instead of the normal two. Those three nominees would then have two chances to save themselves throughout the week: with the Power of Veto and at the A.I. Arena. The winner of the A.I. Arena challenge would be safe, leaving just two people still on the block for the live eviction.

The announcement to end the twist was made during the September 5 episode by artificial intelligence robot Ainsley, aka Julie Chen Moonves‘ unofficial co-host for the summer. Ainsley revealed that since the game was entering the jury phase of the competition, she would be closing down her A.I. Arena for good. As the remaining Top 9 houseguests celebrated at hearing that news, viewers at home no doubt felt a little bit disappointed. You see, the fan-fave twist resulted in some of the most surprising evictions in recent memory, but alas, all good things must come to an end.

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The first seven people evicted from the game during the A.I. Arena phase were Matt Hardeman, Lisa Weintraub, Kenney Kelley, Cedric Hodges, Brooklyn Rivera, Tucker Des Lauriers and Joseph Rodriguez. (Click the links to watch Gold Derby’s exclusive webchats with the eliminated players.)

So what’s next for the remaining Top 9 contestants? Angela Murray, Cam Sullivan-Brown, Chelsie Baham, Kimo Apaka, Leah Peters, Makensy Manbeck, Rubina Bernabe and T’kor Clottey will soon take part in the Week 8 Head of Household competition to see who will win the all-important power. Outgoing HOH Quinn Martin is not eligible to compete. The winner of the comp will then nominate two people for eviction, just like old times.

What did you think of the A.I. Arena twist, “Big Brother” fans? Are you happy the game has shifted to the jury phase? Sound off down below with all of your hot takes. “BB26” will continue to air every Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday nights on CBS until finale night, when the ultimate winner will take home the $750,000 grand prize.

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