Every 'Big Brother' Player Who Returned After Being Evicted
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Eviction is a death sentence in Big Brother. Your dreams of staying in the house, continuing in the hunt for the cash prize are dashed. You have to say goodbye to those who have just wronged you, only to walk out and chew over your mixed emotions to Julie Chen Moonves. But, through 25 years of the veteran reality series, we've seen various twists allow players to come "back to life" after getting evicted, coming back through the door for another shot at glory.
Here are all the Big Brother contestants who have returned after getting evicted so far.
Big Brother players who have returned after eviction
Amy Crews (season 3)
Big Brother's third season in 2002 was the first to have evicted houseguests return. Amy Crews was the third person evicted from the season, having rubbed many in the house the wrong way. However, she was given a chance alongside the other four first evicted to come back into the game. In a series of questions about how much they would give up to re-enter the game, Amy made it to the finals. Then, those left in the house chose for her to return over Eric Ouellette. Amy would go on to make it all the way to fourth place, after being nominated nearly every week upon her return.
Kaysar Ridha (season 6)
One of the most popular houseguests of all time, Kaysar Ridha made a huge impact in the beginning of Big Brother 6. He was one of the first to figure out the "secret pairs" twist, helped assemble a counteralliance to the majority in the house, and used his reign of Head of Household to take a shot at a power player on the other side. Unfortunately, said power player's partner won the next HoH, getting revenge on Kaysar immediately.
Luckily for Kaysar, it was soon revealed after his eviction that the audience would get to vote for one of the three most-recently evicted houseguests to return to the game. By an overwhelming 82%, Kaysar was voted back in. Unfortunately, that proved to be the high point of the week. In a moment etched in Big Brother history, Kaysar lasted 14 hours in the infamous "Pressure Cooker" endurance competition, only to acquiesce to Jennifer Vasquez after being promised he wouldn't go up. Ultimately, Jennifer broke her word, and Kaysar was sent out seven days after he came back.
Sharon Obermueller (season 9)
Big Brother 9 started in one of the oddest way yet, dividing its cast into pairs of "soulmates" to play the game together. Sharon Obermueller was partnered with her secret ex-boyfriend Jacob Heald. Unfortunately for Sharon, Jacob proceeded to tank their game almost immediately, spreading rumors about the very person who had the power to evict him. Of course, they did. But Sharon was given a second chance mere days later when Neil Garcia walked from the game due to personal reasons. His partner Joshuah Welch was given the choice between Sharon and Jacob to return, and chose the former. Sharon would go on to finish in fourth, nominated a then-record seven times throughout the season.
James Zinkand (season 9)
Rocking a pink mohawk and a slew of tattoos, James Zinkand stood out as one to watch from the beginning of Big Brother 9. When the game turned from pairs to individuals, James was one of the first to get hit, targeted by the other alliance as a threat. But, immediately after being evicted, the rest of the house was offered a choice. They could either bring back the most recent evictee in James, or a "mystery houseguest" who had been voted to return by the audience (who turned out to be Alex Coladonato). The majority of the house chose the devil they know, and James returned the same night in a box to boot. James would go on to last four more weeks, winning an HoH and three Vetos, and earned that season's fan favorite prize.
Related: Everything to Know About Big Brother 25
Brendon Villegas (season 13)
Like season 9, season 13 of Big Brother had the houseguests start by playing in pairs. However, they also brought in three famous duos from seasons past, including Brendon Villegas and his then-fiance Rachel Reilly. Brendon enjoyed dominance the first few weeks as part of the veteran alliance. But fellow vet Daniele Donato drew first blood when she won HoH, choosing to take him out in Week 4. However, he was immediately in the running for an audience vote to come back into the game.
One of the first four evicted would compete against the next evicted houseguest in a head-to-head competition. Famous, Lawon Exum asked to be evicted, delusionally believing he'd come back with "superpowers." Unfortunately, all he faced was a comp superpower in the form of Brendon (who easily won the audience vote as the only returnee in the mix). While Brendon was able to get a second chance in the game, it was short-lived. Daniele won the next Head of Household and, like Kaysar, backdoored Brendon and sent him out one week after re-entering.
Judd Daugherty (season 15)
Rocking a bear shirt and a country accent, Judd Daugherty immediately ingratiated himself into the Big Brother 15 house. The first half of the season, he got in good with nearly everyone in the game. However, it all came crumbling down in the first double eviction of the season. The entire house came together to backdoor him, seeing him as too big a threat for the end, leaving him speechless. Luckily for Judd, he returned two weeks later, the last standing in a competition between the first four members of the jury. Judd served a key role in the endgame, making it to fifth place and winning the fan-favorite prize.
Nicole Franzel (season 16)
While quirky Minnesota girl Nicole Franzel was a favorite outside of the house, she was left out of the "Detonators" alliance that controlled the entirety of Big Brother 16. After her HoH reign had the majority blindsiding her by protecting their own and evicting her ally, she was sent out only a week later. Like last season, the first four jury members then participated in a competition to get back in the game. Nicole succeeded, earning her way back. But it was only a matter of time before she became a victim of the Detonators again, going out two weeks later.
Victor Arroyo (season 18)
Nicole would return to Big Brother two years later, and win a season where someone else not only returned, but would eventually marry her. Victor Arroyo made Big Brother history as the only person to not return just once, but twice in one season. Victor quickly became an outsider of the house, and got evicted originally in Week 2. However, he was put into the "Battle Back," where he competed head-to-head against everyone evicted before and after him. Victor ultimately bested four fellow evictees, winning his way back into the house.
Victor's second stint in the house was much stronger than his first, winning two HoHs and a Veto and forming a tight duo with Paul Abrahamian. Unfortunately, the two got targeted in Week 8 of the season, and Victor was evicted for the second time on Day 72. Luckily, he got yet another chance to return, and beat the other jury members in a test of endurance to come right back into the game. Victor made it all the way to fifth place, where he was evicted for the third and final time. He went on to win the fan-favorite prize for the season.
Courtesy of CBS
Cody Nickson (season 19)
After an all-time terrible first Head of Household, Cody Nickson quickly became the biggest target in Big Brother 19. He was evicted the week after, but then got entered into a competition with the first four evicted houseguests to return. After defeating the other three evictees in a table maze, he then faced off against a current player voted on by the house for the chance to come back. Fittingly, he faced off against Paul, who had evicted him the first time. Cody defeated Paul and returned. Paul thought they had gotten the last laugh on Cody, evicting him as the first member of the jury a few weeks later. But Cody proved to get the ultimate victory by being one of the key swing votes to deprive Paul of their second Big Brother win.
Related: Every Big Brother Contestant Who Has Quit or Been Ejected from the Game
Scottie Salton (season 20)
Scottie Salton was the victim of what fans deem one of the worst moves in Big Brother history. Season 20 was all about the war between two sides of the house. But Faysal Shafaat was astoundingly convinced to go after one of his own, believing Scottie had been underhanded and evicting him in the process. A week later, Scottie faced off against Fessy himself, as well as the other jurors for a chance to return. Unfortunately for Scottie, though he won the competition and came back in, after losing both HoH and Veto, it wasn't long before he went right out the door again in eighth place.
Cliff Hogg (season 21)
The first big move of Big Brother 21 came with the eviction of Cliff Hogg. When the oldest houseguest of the season was nominated against Nicole Anthony, it seemed Nicole was fated to go, as she had become the house target after rumors about her stirred the majority "Gr8ful" alliance into a tizzy. However, when Christie Murphy overhead Cliff outlining his game plan to the cameras one morning, she realized he could be a much bigger threat. She helped rally her "Six Shooters" to blindside Cliff.
Fortunately for Cliff, he didn't have to go too far. That's because he was the final member of "Camp Comeback," a twist that saw the eliminated houseguests still live in the house until they could battle their way back. Minutes after getting evicted, Cliff participated in the comeback competition and won it. He went on to last until the Final Four, becoming a power player as both "Gr8ful" and the "Six Shooters" fell apart along the way.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Jag Bains (season 25)
Jag Bains technically didn't walk out the door of the Big Brother house. But in season 25, he was evicted unanimously when Cameron Hardin took aim at him as one of the biggest threats to his game. However, Jag was saved anonymously when Matt Klotz used his newly-acquired "BB Power of Invincibility" to nullify an eviction. So, despite being told he was evicted, the proceedings were then stopped when it was revealed that the elimination would be canceled, keeping Jag in the house.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Cameron Hardin (season 25)
Though Cameron Hardin was clearly unhappy with the twist used to save his target on Big Brother 25, he was able to take advantage of another one only a few weeks after. By Week 7, he had become the clear number one target in the house, only surviving through winning safety. After three straight weeks of competition wins, he finally stumbled, and he got evicted unanimously on Day 51. However, he and fellow evictee Jared Fields were given another shot to "resurrect" their game the next week. After spending seven days as a zombie, Cameron brought his chances of winning back to life by winning the "Do or Die" competition, officially returning to the game.
Next, here's everyone who has been voted in out in a Big Brother double eviction.
