Another season of “Big Brother” is right around the corner.
Soon enough, fans will have a chance to watch a bunch of adults play a strategic game of backstabbing, deception and betrayal – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There will be competitions to find the last person standing. Physical accomplishments will be on tap. Brain teasers won’t be far behind.
All of this will take place in the Big Brother House. It’s not actually a house but a giant house-like set built to resemble a house on the CBS lot in Studio City in Los Angeles, California. Don’t bother trying to go inside; they frown upon that.
What’s in the House?
Since the show’s debut, the house has largely remained the same. The typical layout almost always has the following: kitchen, living room, dining room, bedrooms and a diary room. As the number of seasons progressed, the house grew to accommodate.
Season two saw the introduction of the sought after Head of Household room with its own bathroom. Season three had the number of bedrooms grow from two to three plus the Head of Household room.
Although, it’s important to note the first few seasons’ house layout was based on the Dutch iteration that the show is spun off from.
Season six is when the house started to resemble what viewers would know today – a U-shaped space with the living area as the focal point. The house gained an extra story where the HoH’s room is situated. An additional advantage of camera access was also given to the coveted top room as well.
One of the most exciting aspects of “Big Brother’s” pre-season is the adoption of season-long themes. They change every single year – as does the design of the house.
How It’s Made
“Big Brother” production designer Scott Storey has gone on record with Reality Blurred about what goes into making the house each season.
Building the set can take three months – with designs being sketched out and fabric being pulled constantly.
“A lot of it has to remain in place just because of the technology. There’s so much engineering, cameras—all that stuff,” Storey said of the complicated design of the house. He mentioned that between season 20 of “Big Brother” and season two of spinoff “Celebrity Big Brother” that he put up a wall between two of the bedrooms before the latter aired. They also added a second diary room due to “Celebrity Big Brother’s” shortened shooting schedule.
Storey also let out a simple design secret that helps differentiate “Celebrity” from the regular show. The former has warmer tones while the latter is allowed to be “more crazy.”
He added that he usually approaches producers with three concepts they can veto. He’s given free reign over most designs.
“I can do anything I want. I can tear the walls down, and move things, and change it up,” Storey told Reality Blurred. “The producers, Rich [Meehan] and Allison [Grodner], and CBS, really let me—I sort of come up with the theme, I come up with the whole thing, and they let me run with it. There’s a nice budget, and I have a great crew that works with it.”
Below is a comprehensive list of the rooms the house has to offer.
Foyer
When players enter through the front door, they are greeted by a foyer that is effectively the center of the U-shape. The kitchen, backyard, stairs and bathroom sit on the left side of the house while the living room, other bedrooms and diary room are to the right. This is also where players will say goodbye to one another as they are voted off.
In season 17, the skybridge was introduced as the ceiling was expanded to make more room in the house.
Living Room
CBSThis is typically where big news is delivered. The castmates sit on the couch to hear about their next competitions. They also spend the voting nights there – going one by one into the Diary Room. A set of two chairs splits a set of two couches down the middle for prospective nominees. A TV is placed high up above a mantle. This is usually where “Big Brother” based news is delivered and competitions can be watched.
CBSDiary Room
A room dedicated to talk. This is where true backstabbing comes into play. The Diary Room consists of one loveseat, a camera, a light, and direct access to producers. Houseguests talk about their plans, their problems and everything in between here. Even though it’s a portal to the outside world, it’s oddly the safest space in the house.
Kitchen
CBSIt’s the exact opposite of the Diary Room. As one of the most communal spaces in the house, the Kitchen is also the least private area available. It’s got everything a typical kitchen needs in terms of cooking equipment. Plus, it’s more of a focal point than the Living Room as it is the middle space between the Backyard and Upstairs as well as the Bathroom.
Dining Room
CBSWhere houseguests gather to eat. Yes, the Kitchen has a breakfast bar. People can also eat outside. The HoH can take their meal upstairs. But the Dining Room is where relationships are forged. A giant table with as many seats as remaining houseguests is plopped right in the middle. Not only do people eat here or gather to take a load off of the game; this is also where the HoH announces who’s on the chopping block for the week.
CBSBackyard
CBSThe Backyard is the only flexible part of the entire house as it doubles as an area for large scale competitions. Sometimes it can double as a place for the remaining houseguests to live in a la season 26’s JANKIE World.
The layout for the Backyard is usually consistent with a small pool and hot tub, a billiards table, couches, weightlifting equipment and an upstairs balcony.
It’s worth noting that the aforementioned production designer, Storey, does not have a hand in the Backyard. That honor goes to another designer named Narbeh Nazarian.
Bathroom
The Bathroom is more communal than non-viewers would think. It takes on the same U-shape layout as the house albeit on a smaller scale. A giant mirror with a set of sinks sits in the middle – essentially splitting the room into two. A large, bench style couch is directly across from the mirror. This is where people hang out like a high school cafeteria.
One side has two showers and a water closet while the other has a cardio gym set up with exercise bikes plus other pieces including a cable machine.
Prior to season 23, the indoor gym space used to be referred to as the Cabana Room.
Upstairs Lounge
CBSLocated directly across from the HoH Room door, this space is often outfitted with a deep, multi-level bench space with a litany of pillows. A combination of a bumper pool table or chessboard lives here. Houseguests often speak in whispers here while hugging pillows.
CBSHoH Room
CBSThe HoH Room is a dedicated space for the week’s top player. A large sized bed sits along the entrance wall. There’s an extra large couch, a coffee table, and a dresser. The winner also has their choice of snacks plus personal pictures and letters from home. An mp3 player with pre-chosen music is also on hand.
HoH Bathroom
Often a cherry on top of an already luxurious space, the HoH Bathroom is one of the last places in the house where a person can truly be alone (aside from all of the cameras). Yes, cameras lurk here too. However, there’s a private sink, bath and shower.
Storey told Reality Blurred “There can be no places where anyone hides.”
“I have to enclose the bottom of the bed so houseguests can’t go under the bed,” he continued. “In the closet, since there’s a closet, it’s divided so you can’t stand in the closet.”
Bedrooms
CBSRanging in number from two to four, Bedrooms are usually decorated differently from one another but all in accordance with the season’s theme. Houseguests make their decisions on where to sleep on day one. Arrangements don’t change quickly but they do change throughout the season based on alliances and relationships.
Have-Nots Room
CBSOne of the more controversial elements of the modern house, the Have-Nots Room is the worst place in the house to sleep due to its intentionally uncomfortable nature. They’re designed as a sort of punishment for houseguests at the bottom of the pack. Beds are misshapen. Lights are always bright. There’s no real space to spread out. No one wants to live here.
The House at The End
In the end, when the season is over, production has to come in to dismantle everything. But he says the house always gains one big defect.
“The worst experience is when I go into the house near the end of the season,” he lamented. “You walk through the house, there’s rotting produce on the counter.”
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What’s Inside the ‘Big Brother’ House? A Complete Guide