The Most Dramatic First Head of Households in 'Big Brother' History
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Winning the first Head of Household in Big Brother is oftentimes a tone setter for the game. For some, they're perfect ways to set yourself up in a position of power from the jump, with five first HoHs across 25 seasons of the veteran reality series going on to win the game proper. But for others, their time in the HoH bedroom can prove to be a disaster, wreaking havoc on the house within the first couple of weeks of the game.
Here are our picks for the messiest and most dramatic first Head of Households in Big Brother history.
Big Brother Most Dramatic First Head of Households
Mike "Boogie" Malin (season 2)
Courtesy of CBS
Big Brother 2 changed the format noticeably after the audience voting format didn't resonate with viewers the previous summer. Instead, the structure we know and love was created, namely a Head of Household being determined by competition every week and nominating two fellow houseguests for eviction. The first houseguest to ever win HoH was Mike "Boogie" Malin. Boogie showcased the power he could wield immediately, deciding to nominate Nicole Schaffrich against Sheryl Braxton. With Sheryl universally beloved by the house against the mostly disliked Nicole, he felt he had automatically sealed her fate.
But as the week progressed, the rest of the house was getting increasingly annoyed with the cockiness of Boogie and his "Chilltown" alliance. And so the first eviction vote amongst the players was a blindside, as Chilltown was stunned to see that the rest of the house has rebelled against them, kept Nicole, and evicted Sheryl instead. Boogie was evicted three weeks later in eighth place. And though he had nothing to do with this, the messiness of his HoH week certainly wasn't helped by the knife-wielding actions of Justin Sebik that led to his expulsion from the house.
Alex Coladonato and Amanda Hansen (season 9)
Courtesy of CBS
Season 9 of Big Brother, themed "Till Death Do You Part," put the houseguests in pairs of "soulmates" looking for love. The first HoH winners on the wintertime edition were Alex Coladonato and Amanda Hansen, and it wasn't long before season 9's trademark drama began. Real-life couple Jen Diturno and Ryan Quicksall revealed their secret to the entire house on Day 2, despite being part of different couples. The house was stunned by the revelation, and Alex and Amanda quickly nominated Jen and Ryan, along with their soulmates Parker Somerville and Allison Nichols, respectively. Though the target was relatively set in stone with nominations, conflict continued throughout the week.
A "love triangle" began with Alex, Amanda, and Parker. Alex became so jealous of the relationship that he openly speculated the other two were also in a pre-existing relationship, leading to an argument between him and Amanda. But Amanda was far from out of the line of fire. She had drawn considerable attention to herself for gossiping through the house, and it hit a boiling point during one of the nastiest fights in Big Brother history. Chelsia Hart and Joshuah Welch tore into Amanda for saying the former was coming after her, and things hit an all-time low when Joshuah made a comment about Amanda's father's suicide. Despite the house flocking to Amanda in sympathy after that personal remark, she and Alex were still public enemies number one. When Chelsia and her partner James Zinkand won HoH the next week, they eagerly did just as Amanda had speculated, and put them up.
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Jerry MacDonald (season 10)
Courtesy of CBS
The oldest houseguest in Big Brother history, Jerry MacDonald was made the first HoH on sight alone from first impressions from his fellow contestants. The day after winning, he got approached with an alliance from Brian Hart, who was looking to take control in the game early on. Jerry was all too keen given their shared military background, even offering a secret signal. He also had an easy choice to nominate in Jessie Godderz and Renny Martyn, who got into a conflict on the very first night. But that was where Jerry's HoH reign stopped being easy.
After Jessie won the Veto, the women began to grow suspicious of Brian, fearing he was making too many alliances. Eventually information was able to spread, and a group of eight stormed Jerry's HoH room to reveal what they had discovered. Jerry initially blanched at the idea, openly saying he didn't know if he trusted them enough to believe he wouldn't be nominated the next week. But in confessional, before the Veto meeting, he said in confessional, "If you notice, I don't have anything military on today, because I have to go back on my word." So he acquiesced to the majority, stunning Brian by nominating him. And, despite Jerry's anxiety about that octet, he did earn the loyalty of the main group, making it all the way to third place.
Willie Hantz (season 14)
Courtesy of CBS
Willie Hantz had the most notoriety out of the newbie cast of Big Brother 14, the brother of two-time Survivor finalist Russell Hantz. With people clocking his familial connection from the jump, coach Britney Haynes decided to grant him a reprieve by making him the first HoH. In the first few days, things were looking good for Willie, with an alliance brokered between Britney and Janelle Pierzina's teams. But the tankerman already started straying from his group when he made a secret deal with Frank Eudy, a promise he immediately went back on when he nominated him for eviction.
As the week went on, Willie began to grow more paranoid of the presence of the alumni coaches. It built to a point where he called a meeting between all of the newbie houseguests, declaring that they need to remain united against the vets and vote them out should they make it into the game. The initiative spilled out, alongside other actions like planning to split votes on Frank and mocking Wil Heuser behind his back, leading the entire house to turn on Willie. When it all culminated in an argument between Willie, Frank, and Boogie in the backyard, it's clear his game was as washed-up as Froot Loops in milk. Frank survived the block and won HoH, and even Willie's team was hesitant to interact with him, knowing his presence was toxic. And so, one day after handing over the HoH key, Willie hit his breaking point, physically assaulting Joe Arvin during yet another argument and getting expelled as a result.
Cody Nickson (season 19)
Courtesy of CBS
When Cody Nickson won the first HoH competition on Night 1, the Marine thought he was able to keep things regimented and focused. But instead, he was at the head of the most chaotic first week in Big Brother history. Cody initially nominated Jillian Parker and Megan Lowder for eviction, but the latter soon after withdrew from the game after a series of conflicts triggered her anxiety and PTSD. Forced to replace her, he chose Alex Ow, though he soon after had a change of heart with her and actually helped her with the Power of Veto. That's partially because Cody had his sights set on a new target: Paul Abrahamian.
The season 18 runner-up had already picked up from where he left off last summer, which Cody found threatening. He attempted to nominate Paul, only to discover that the returnee had the "Pendant of Protection" which gave him safety. Cody quickly pivoted and went for Paul's closest ally Christmas Abbott. Though it was a roundabout way to get there, Cody was confident his plan would go through and Christmas would be out the door (even if she added injury to insult when she broke her foot days later). But some of Cody's allies were unhappy that he didn't talk with them about his plan to go after Paul before the Veto meeting. And so, yet again, the first eviction vote was a blindside, with Jillian the pawn being sent home. After nominating a staggering six people over the course of his HoH reign, Cody became the immediate target of the house, and was booted the next week (though later returned and was re-evicted in eleventh place).
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Brandon "Frenchie" French (season 23)
Farmer Brandon "Frenchie" French came into season 23 as one of the biggest Big Brother superfans, and gunned hard to be the first to wield power. But Frenchie's story is a true case of "be careful what you wish for." In the hours following his win, he promised that he would nominate his move-in group, a woman, or a BIPOC houseguest, instead going after the "meatheads." However, he quickly pivoted when he perceived a "showmance" between Alyssa Lopez and Christian Birkenberger. He nominated the former next to Kyland Young, giving an odd speech about how he was going to "catch the bigger fish."
After Alyssa and Christian cleared up that they were just friends, Frenchie changed his target yet again to Derek Xiao, who he believed he overheard talking about him. When Derek X. won the Veto, though, the plan changed yet again. Things went full-circle back to the "meatheads," and Frenchie asked Derek X. to use the Veto to nominate Travis Long. By the end of the week, Frenchie had gone back on his promises to not nominate women or his move-in group, and he had formed multiple alliances with basically everyone in the house. It was a one-man tornado that left everyone in a tizzy by the time he surrendered the HoH key. And so Frenchie was evicted the very next week, deemed way too chaotic and untrustworthy to be a reliable ally, bringing the cast's time in "Frenchie's Fun House" to an abrupt end.
Daniel Durston (season 24)
Photo: Sonja Flemming/CBS
Like Frenchie, Daniel was a seasoned fan of the show who won Head of Household on premiere night. And as such, he immediately went for Michael Bruner, using him holding the door open on the first night to avoid the "first in curse" as a smoking gun that he was a fellow superfan and therefore dangerous. When Michael won the Veto, though, his target had to change. At the same time, Paloma Aguilar had turned her sights onto Taylor Hale, feeling she was not a "girl's girl," a "lying bitch," and was showing off with her actions.
Paloma and several others were able to get in the ear of Daniel, convincing him to put up Taylor. And the pitch was not only successful, but enough to rile up the Vegas performer to begin a season-long grudge against the eventual winner. In his nomination speech, he even told her to apologize for the things she said, reducing the former Miss Michigan to tears. But the emotions were only just getting started in the house, as Paloma began to spiral with increasing anxiety and decreasing sleep. She ended up withdrawing from the game, canceling the eviction and saving Taylor from a sure elimination. Despite coming in with excitement, Daniel left the first week with no big alliance, a few enemies, and one of his closest allies out of the game. After four more weeks of being on the outs, he was eventually evicted in twelfth place.
Next, here's a list of all the Big Brother houseguests who have been ejected or quit the game.
