Big Brother 10

Big Brother 10 is the tenth season of the American reality television series Big Brother. The show premiered July 13, 2008 on the CBS television network, airing three times a week; Sundays at 8 p.m. (ET/PT), Tuesdays at 9 p.m. (ET/PT), and Thursdays at 8 p.m (live ET/delayed PT). Julie Chen returned as host, and Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan and Scott Einziger were the executive producers. The show was produced by Endemol USA and Allison Grodner Productions. The finale was Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

This was the second edition of the show to air in the same year. Originally, only one summer edition was due to air, but the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike prompted CBS to air an additional season, Big Brother 9, from February to April during the regular television season and Big Brother 10 for the summer of 2008.

Big Brother 10 was noted as a "back to basics" season by both CBS and the production team. As part of the back to basics format, live audiences returned for the Thursday eviction shows (something not featured since season 1), there were thirteen HouseGuests, and they were once again complete strangers (after several seasons of having some HouseGuests already know each other).

Big Brother 10 lasted just 71 days, nearly a week and a half shorter than most seasons, making this the shortest season of the American series of Big Brother.

America's Player

Viewers (from Canada and United States) have control over a player. From July 29 to August 7, Dan, after accepting the offer by America to become their designated player, was asked to complete various tasks that America specifies (via text messaging or voting on CBS.com) for a chance to win $20,000 at the end of the week. Viewers were able to vote on tasks from the end of an episode until midnight Pacific Time. Once Dan received the tasks, he made meaningful efforts to complete the tasks in any way he could.

Broadcasts and Interactivity

On April 14, 2008 CBS announced Big Brother 10 would return on July 13, 2008, with episodes airing on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. During the season finale of Big Brother: After Dark on April 27, 2008 it was confirmed that the companion show would return for Big Brother 10. House Calls: The Big Brother Talk Show will also return for Big Brother 10. CBS and AirPlay announced on July 9, 2008 the launch of the first interactive Big Brother game called "Big Brother Live TV Challenge". The game will allow fans to compete against other fans in various live Internet and text messaging challenges tied to knowledge of past episodes and predictions of future events on the show and will begin on the premiere night. CBSMobile.com will continue to provide mobile wallpapers, breaking news text alerts and other features to subscribers. Starting July 31, Big Brother 10 moved from Wednesdays to Thursdays at 8 p.m (live ET/delayed PT).

HouseGuests

Angie

Angie Swindell  (born July 2, 1979) is a recent divorcee. She became close to Brian and Steven in the house, but didn't support either of them in their evictions. This upset Keesha who nominated Angie along with Jessie in Week 3. Angie was evicted on Day 24 by a 8-0 vote. 

April

April Dowling (born March 24, 1978), from Higley, Arizona, is currently working as a financial manager at a car dealership. In September she will be a part of the Phoenix Scorch team of the Lingerie Football League. She graduated from Doane College in Crete, NE with a Bachelor's Degree in Sports and Fitness Management. She is a practicing Roman Catholic and is of Irish descent.

She and Keesha constantly bickered. April developed a romantic and sexual relationship with Ollie. She was the fourth HoH for the season and nominated Memphis and Jessie. She was nominated with Jerry by Renny in Week 6, and was evicted on Day 45 by a vote of 4-1. Ollie was the only houseguest who did not vote to evict April. She became the second jury member. 

Brian

Brian Hart (born August 21, 1980) works in the telecommunications industry but is also involved in several entrepreneurial ventures. He's from San Francisco, California. He served in the U.S. Air Force for six years as an F-16 crew chief and was honorably discharged and received an associate degree from the Community College of the Air Force. On Day 7, Brian was put on the block after Jessie used the Power of Veto and took himself off the block. He became the first HouseGuest evicted from the house on Day 9 with a 9-1 vote. Brian also hosted a food competition later in the season.

Brian was given the opportunity to join Big Brother 11 in the first head of household competition. His clique, the Brains, were the first group to be eliminated, so he did not return. 

Dan

Dan Gheesling (born September 1, 1983) is a Catholic high school teacher from Dearborn, MI. Dan teaches biology, physical education, and health at Orchard Lake St. Mary's Preparatory School and is the assistant coach of the school's football team. He was good friends with Brian before he was evicted. He was nominated with Steven by Jessie in Week 2 and survived the eviction. He was voted America's Player (for Week Four only). He took the offer. His tasks were to get Jessie nominated, hug Jessie for ten seconds, and vote for Jessie in the eviction ceremony. He succeeded in all three. Dan has also been the victim of constant attacks from Jerry. with Jerry repeatedly referring to Dan as a Judas and accusing him of "hiding behind his cross". Jerry even stated at the veto meeting that he wanted Dan on the block because he believed he is a "Judas", to which Dan simply replied, "I understand." Jerry didn't use the veto that week. In Week 6 Dan won the PoV but chose not to use it. Dan also won HoH for week 7. After turning on a deal made with Ollie, Dan nominated Michelle as a replacement when Memphis saved himself. This was followed by Ollie thrashing items in the house and directing homophobic slurs toward Dan and Memphis. Dan also won the POV during the live double eviction episode, choosing not to use it. When Jerry subsequently became HoH, Dan was nominated alongside Keesha. In Week 9, Dan won head of Household, making him the 3rd person to win HoH twice. He also won the Luxury competition in the same week and could take another HouseGuest or a Jury member with him; Dan chose to take Michelle. Afterwards, Dan won the final Head of Household, becoming the first person in season 10 to win the position three times. He chose to take Memphis to the finale. At the finale, Dan won Big Brother 10. He's the first to win by a unanimous vote. 

Jerry

Jerry MacDonald  (born March 13, 1933) worked for 38 years in a sales/marketing environment and retired as a general manager. He spent four years in the United States Marine Corps and was honorably discharged in 1954. He's been married for 54 years and takes care of his wife who was recently diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. He lives in Magnolia, Texas. At 75 years old, he is the oldest male HouseGuest in Big Brother history and the oldest HouseGuest in American Big Brother history. Jerry was voted Head of Household for Week 1. He nominated Jessie and Renny but when Jessie was taken off the block he put Brian up. He was involved in a conflict with Memphis, caused in part by Jerry calling him a womanizer. Jerry has also attacked Dan, notably referring to him as a "Judas", and in fact telling him that at a veto meeting. He has also accused Dan of "hiding behind his cross". He also said for Dan to "burn in hell." He was won the PoV two weeks in a row, Week 4 and Week 5 and both times he chose not to use it. In Week 6 he was nominated with April by Renny. In Week 7 he was nominated with Memphis by Dan. In that same week he won a phone call from home, and again was nominated with Ollie by Keesha. Then in week 8 he won HoH, being the second person this season to win HoH twice. He was evicted by Dan on day 66, becoming the seventh and final jury member. On Day 71, it was announced that Jerry had come second in the poll to find America's Favourite Juror behind Keesha. 

Jessie

Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986) is a professional bodybuilder with the World Natural Body Building Federation from Huntington Beach, California. He graduated from high school in Iowa. His goal is to be an inspirational figure to people who want to lose weight, get fit or pursue a drug-free, bodybuilding life style. When he was 19, he worked as a Train Conductor for the Union Pacific Railroad. In Week 1, Jerry nominated he and Renny; then he won the Veto and took himself off the block. He was the HoH for Week 2 and nominated Steven and Dan. He was nominated with Angie by Keesha in Week 3 and survived the eviction. He was nominated yet again with Memphis by April, and was evicted by a 4-3 vote.

Jessie also made appearances on the MTV dating shows Next and Exposed; both appearances were not successful. On Day 60, he made an appearance in the house as part of a luxury competition, dressed as a gorilla.

Jessie was given the opportunity to join the Big Brother 11 houseguests at the first head of household competition. His clique, the athletes, won the competition, so Jessie became the 13th houseguest of Big Brother 11. He was then evicted on Day 40 by a vote of 3-2 and became first member of the jury.

Keesha

Keesha Smith (born August 1, 1978) is a waitress at Hooters from Burbank, California. Keesha is a member of PETA and doesn't eat red meat. Early in the game, Keesha found herself aligned with Libra and April, despite both her and April verbally expressing their dislike of each other. The two women had a huge argument on Day 8. Keesha won her first HoH competition in Week 3 following the departure of Steven, with whom she had grown very close. She nominated those who she felt responsible for his eviction - Angie and Jessie. Keesha then won the Power of Veto but did not use it. In Week 4, Keesha aligned herself with Dan, Memphis and Renny, as well as her previous ally Libra, and was pivotal in the move to evict Jessie instead of Memphis. However, this resulted in her being nominated along with Libra by Michelle in Week 5, though Libra was evicted in a 6-0 vote. Keesha won her second HoH in Week 7 nominating Jerry and Ollie, making her the first houseguest of season 10 to hold the role twice. The next week, Keesha was nominated by Jerry, but was saved 2-0 against her best friend in the house Renny. The following week, Memphis won the PoV making Keesha the only remaining potential nominee. Despite the pair being close throughout the game, Memphis chose to evict Keesha over Jerry on Day 64 claiming that it would be easier for him to get to the finals with Jerry in the final 3. Keesha became the 6th member of the jury of seven. On Finale Night, it was revealed that the public had voted for Keesha to win $25,000 having received the most votes in a poll to find America's Favourite Juror. Keesha voted for Dan to win Big Brother 10 over Memphis. 

Libra

Libra Thompson (born August 6, 1976) is a human resources representative. She describes herself as an "Obama supporter living in Bush country." She attended Rice University and has a bachelor's degree in political science and economics. She has been married for seven years and has three children: a 4-year old girl and 4-month old twins; one twin is dark-skinned and the other is light-skinned, a medical rarity. In the house, Libra became known for her volatile temper, and her strong strategic play which saw her pivotal in the evictions of the first four houseguests. This gameplay however came back to haunt her when she was nominated with Keesha by Michelle in Week 5, and was then evicted by a 6-0 vote on day 38. Libra became the first member of the jury, and voted for Dan to win Big Brother 10. 

Memphis

Robert "Memphis" Garrett (born December 6, 1982) is a bartender (or, as he preferred, "mixologist") from Los Angeles, California. Memphis attended Florida State University and earned an associate's degree in event management. In the first food competition Memphis won a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro as a bonus. Memphis was nominated Week 4 and narrowly escaped the eviction, by Keesha getting half the house to turn on Jessie. Memphis was once again nominated on Week 7 along with Jerry by his fellow ally, Dan. In Week 7 Memphis won The Power Of Veto and used it to take himself off the block. He won POV on week 8 and chose to take off Dan. He's the second person this season to win POV on back to back weeks. He also won POV on week 9, having the only vote, he chose to evict his good friend in the house, Keesha. At the finale, in a 7-0 vote Memphis became the Runner-Up of Big Brother 10 and won the $50,000. After leaving the house, Memphis was told that Big Brother couldn't give him the car because they didn't own it and someone else held the title so the car was returned almost immediately to the owner so Memphis received an undisclosed amount of money instead. 

Michelle

Michelle Costa (born December 29, 1979) is a realtor from Cumberland, Rhode Island. She is of Portuguese descent. She graduated from Cumberland High School and studied real estate with RE/MAX. She held the PoV in Week 2 and didn't use it. She won the HoH competition for Week 5 and nominated Keesha and Libra. In week 7 she replaced Memphis on the block after he used the Power of Veto on himself. On Day 52, Michelle was evicted by a 3-1 vote and became the third member of the jury. In Week 9, Michelle was given the opportunity to go on a private beach vacation for a day with Dan, who had won the trip and chose to take her. 

Ollie

Bryan Ollie (born October 22, 1980) is a marketing sales representative from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Ollie is the son of a Pentecostal preacher. He attended Iowa State University where he was a cornerback for the football team and earned a bachelor's degree in art. Ollie also developed a romantic and sexual relationship with fellow house guest April. After being on the losing end of a deal with Dan, Ollie trashed some parts of the house and used homophobic slurs as well as threats of physical violence against the HouseGuests, specifically Dan and Memphis, even telling Memphis, "Suck my dick, you little faggot!" The outburst received negative media attention by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. On Day 52, Ollie was evicted by a unanimous vote of 3-0 after Michelle in a special live double eviction episode, becoming the fourth jury member. 

Renny

Lorenza "Renny" Martyn, (born July 29, 1954) is a hairdresser from New Orleans, Louisiana. She studied at the University of New Orleans as well as the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London, the Jingles International Hair Academy in New York City and the John Paul Mitchell Systems Institute in Costa Mesa, California. She made a bad first impression on her fellow HouseGuests who found her annoying, and she was nominated by Jerry, but ultimately survived the eviction and her popularity with most the others grew. She was the HoH for Week 6 and nominated April and Jerry. She was nominated for a second time on week 8 and subsequently evicted by a vote of 2-0 on day 59, becoming the fifth jury member. She formed close bonds with Dan and particularly Keesha, who became her closest ally in the game. However, they were nominated alongside each other when Jerry became HoH in Week 8, and Renny was evicted as a result. 

Steven

Steven Daigle (born May 24, 1973) is a geographic consultant and rodeo competitor. He has attended the Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas as well as the University of North Texas in Denton. He earned a bachelor's degree in general agriculture/marketing. Steven is openly gay. Steven is a champion bull rider in the gay rodeo circuit. In the house, Steven became close to Angie, Keesha, Dan and Brian. Steven was evicted on Day 16 by a 9-0 vote. Steven recently agreed to star in Steven Daigle XXXposed, a gay porn film directed by Chi Chi LaRue under the director's Channel 1 Releasing studio. It was released on February 20, 2010.

Weekly summary