Big Brother 11

Big Brother 11 was the eleventh season of the American reality television series, Big Brother which premiered July 9, 2009 with the season finale airing September 15, 2009 on the CBS television network. The show aired 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). The season lasted 73 days, an increase of two days over the previous season. Julie Chen returned as host, and Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan and Scott Einziger are the executive producers. The show is produced by Endemol USA and Allison Grodner Productions.

Broadcasts and platforms

The eleventh season of Big Brother was confirmed three days after the finale of Big Brother 10. CBS issued an official press release on September 22, 2008 confirming the pickup. The main television coverage of Big Brother was screened in three weekly highlights programs. The episodes summarize the events of the previous two to three days in the House. Along side these shows is a spin-off show, Big Brother: After Dark, which screens three hours live directly from the House. For the first time in the history of the show, Big Brother had a two-hour live season finale, which aired on September 15, an increase from the usual hour. Ratings for the eleventh season were up 5% in overall viewers by August 20, 2009.

Big Brother maintained an online platform with live subscription feeds from RealNetworks, a redesigned and relaunched website, online videos, full episodes, a fantasy game and segments on Inside Dish with Ross Mathews. For the first time Big Brother launched two Twitter accounts; one featured updates from the production staff and one featured updates from the current Head of Household. Episodes of Big Brother continued to be streamed on CBS Mobile Channel on FLOTV. Mobile users were also able to interact and influence the show through SMS text messaging and, for the first time, a simulation game based on Big Brother was also available to mobile customers.

HouseGuests

Braden

Braden Bacha (b. September 13, 1980) is a surfer from Santa Monica, California. Braden has experience as an actor and an international model, and has a fear of drowning. According to his imdb entry, Braden had a role in the movie The Brotherhood 2: Young Warlocks and an episode of Dante's Cove called "The Solstice" appearing fully frontal naked.[citation needed] Braden stirred up controversy on the show when he yelled racist slurs against Lydia and Kevin calling them beaners (although Kevin isn't Hispanic) and yelling that even if he were evicted, he would come out on top, as he is a White American.  He also called Big Brother host Julie Chen a "Ho" during Big Brother After Dark. He was the first HouseGuest evicted on Day 12, by a 6-5 vote after HoH Jessie broke the 5-5 tie.

Casey

Casey Turner (b. February 16, 1968) is a fifth grade teacher from St. Petersburg, Florida. He is married with two sons, a 19 year old and 9 month old—and is a DJ at night. He was evicted on Day 26 by a vote of 7-1.

Chima

Chima Simone Benson[1] (first name pronounced like shee-MUH) (b. July 28, 1976) is a freelance journalist from West Hollywood, California.[6] Chima is good friends with Marcellas Reynolds from Big Brother 3; he sent several e-mails to assist in getting her on the show.[7] During Week 1, she was nominated by Jessie and survived the eviction on Day 12. Chima won the HoH competition titled "Say What?" on August 6, becoming the first female HoH of Big Brother 11. She was expelled from the house on Day 42 after several rule violations, which included refusing to wear her microphone and later destroying her microphone by throwing it into the jacuzzi.[8] In the final episode, Chima's spot on the jury was replaced by America. America voted for Jordan to win Big Brother 11.  

Jeff

Jeff Schroeder (b. June 5, 1978) is an advertising salesman from Norridge, Illinois. Jeff stirred up controversy on the show when he yelled anti-gay slurs against Jessie and Russell that was seen by viewers of the show’s 24-hour internet feed.[10][11] He has a close relationship with Jordan. Jeff was announced as America's choice to be the winner of the "Coup d'État" power. He used this power in Week 5 and replaced Russell & Lydia with Jessie & Natalie. In Week 7, he won the Can Do HoH competition and nominated Kevin and Natalie for eviction. After winning his second Power of Veto of the season, he chose to use it on Kevin and backdoor Russell. Jeff was evicted on Day 61, with a 2-1 vote after HoH Kevin broke the tie. As revealed in the final episode, America voted for Jeff to win $25,000, having received the most votes in CBS's "America's Favorite Player" poll. Jeff was a part of the Jury; he voted for Jordan to win Big Brother 11. 

Jessie

Jessie Godderz (born April 23, 1986) is a American professional bodybuilder/Wrestler with the World Natural Body Building Federation from Huntington Beach, California and was a HouseGuest on Big Brother 10.

Jessie was given the opportunity to join the other 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 won Head of Household in week 1 and again in week 3. He was evicted on Day 40 in a 3-2 vote, becoming the first juror, lasting a week longer than he did in Big Brother 10. Jessie was a part of the jury; he voted for Jordan to win Big Brother 11. 

Jordan

Jordan Lloyd - (b. November 21, 1986) is a single woman from Matthews, North Carolina. She is a waitress and is described as being naive and laid back. She has a close bond with Jeff. She replaced the dethroned HoH Michele when she won the HoH competition on Day 42. She became the first HouseGuest this season to win both the HoH and the Power of Veto competitions in the same week on Day 47. On Day 66 she was put on the block after Kevin took himself off the block. She won Big Brother 11 by a vote of 5 to 2. She became the first female Big Brother winner since Maggie Ausburn in the sixth season. 

Kevin

Kevin Campbell (b. September 18, 1979) is a man from Chula Vista, California. He is a graphic designer and is characterized by his flamboyant personality and his racial composition (he is of Japanese and African-American descent). He was a member of the Jehovah's Witnesses but was excommunicated at age 21. He has been in a relationship for 9 years. He became the eighth HoH of the season by winning the competition "The S'more The Merrier". Kevin is also the first gay male American Big Brother HouseGuest to make it to the Final Three. In the final episode, Kevin was evicted by Jordan. Kevin was a part of the jury; he voted for Natalie to win Big Brother 11. 

Laura

Laura Crosby[1] (b. December 21, 1987) is a woman from Atlanta, Georgia. She is a bikini model who is described as being determined, sassy, and outgoing. She hoped to use her looks to carry in the game. She was evicted on Day 19 by a vote of 8-1, making her the second HouseGuest to be evicted after outing Ronnie's scheme to the rest of the HouseGuests. 

Lydia

Lydia Rose Tavera (b. March 8, 1985) is a single woman from Torrance, California. She is a special effects make up artist, a self-proclaimed bisexual, and is characterized by her many tattoos. She has a fondness for Jessie. She sometimes sneaks in his bed to watch him when he sleeps. Of the luxury items she brought to the house, she has stated she brought to sleep with, her baby blanket and a stuffed pink, baby unicorn named Dae Yum Yum. She was evicted on Day 47 by a vote of 3-1. Lydia was a part of the jury; she voted for Jordan to win Big Brother 11. 

Michele

Michele Noonan (b. June 16, 1982) is a married woman from Pasadena, California. She is a neuroscientist and enjoys watching the news. Allison Grodner acknowledged that she is the first nerdy woman Big Brother has had. In an episode of Big Brother: After Dark, Michele revealed that she was bisexual. In week 3, she was nominated for eviction against Jordan by HoH Jessie, but won the Power of Veto and chose to take herself off the block. In week 4, she won her second consecutive Power of Veto and ultimately decided not to use it. In week 5, Michele won the HoH Competition titled "Hit the Road" on August 13. In week 8, Michele was nominated for a second time by HoH Kevin, and won her third Power of Veto of the season in the Morph-o-Matic competition, taking herself off the block once again. In week 9, she was once again nominated for eviction by HoH Natalie, and lost the power of Veto. On day 66, despite heavy campaigning, she was evicted from the Big Brother house by Kevin. Michele was a part of the jury; she voted for Jordan to win Big Brother 11.

Natalie

Natalie Martinez (b. March 3, 1985) is a single woman of Argentinian & African-American heritage residing in Gilbert, Arizona. She is a Tae Kwon Do champion and enjoys playing poker. She is 24 years old, but told her fellow HouseGuests she was only 18. No one besides Kevin suspected her of lying - Kevin said instantly, "Girl, whenever you want to talk about your real age I'm here" and later conceded in the diary room that she was at least 25. She lied about her age in order to have the other contestants underestimate her, believing she was just a kid, and one acting younger than even her stated fictional age of 18. She's revealed her age to certain House Guests including Jessie Godderz who was in her Athletes Clique alliance. Casey Turner learned her true age after he was evicted in week three. She revealed her actual age to him in her goodbye video in a taunting manner, and she later let Chima Simone know the truth. She also had tomboyish tendencies and dressed much that way including constantly wearing college logoed sweat shirts. She was put up for eviction five times including four consecutive times from week 5 to week 7, but was not evicted. She did not do well in challenges, not winning any until the ninth week when she won Head of Household (HoH). She however lost the pivotal last HoH that was divided into three parts not winning any parts including the first one she deliberately threw so her alliance partner Kevin Campbell could win. Natalie was taken to the Final Two by Jordan Lloyd, the winner of the final HoH, over Kevin and ultimately lost the game in a 5-2 vote, becoming runner-up. Her original lie about her age and her needlessly antagonizing two jury members namely Jessie (evicted week 5) and Michele (evicted week 9), seemingly being a catalyst for five jury members voting against her and in favor of the better liked Jordan. 

Ronnie

Ronnie Talbott (b. January 15, 1979) is a married man from Belpre, Ohio. He is obsessed with video games and plays for more than six hours a day. He is also described as an extreme Big Brother fanatic who can recite the eviction order of every HouseGuest in the history of the show. He is currently a student at Ohio University majoring in education. He was evicted on the eviction show on August 6, 2009 (Day 33 in the Big Brother house) with a vote of 4-3. He's best known for dressing up as Princess Leia during one of the competitions, and saying that Michele was the worst person he had ever met and that he saw no good in her, though he later apologized for saying this in the final. Today, Ronnie is a regular contributor to RealityNewsOnline.com. 

Russell

Russell Kairouz (b. September 1, 1984) is a single man of Lebanese descent from Walnut Creek, California. He is a mixed martial arts fighter and a real estate broker and is described as being loud and brash. He strongly dislikes people who do not think before they act. He also is very confident in himself. During a round table game, he revealed that he has also lived in Sicily, Italy. In a confrontation with Ronnie, he stated that he is a Catholic. When Jeff won Power of Veto in Week 7, he replaced Kevin with Russell, which lead to physical threats towards each other. Russell was evicted on Day 54, with a 3-0 vote. Russell was a part of the jury; he voted for Natalie to win Big Brother 11.

Summary

During the first week Big Brother divided the HouseGuests into four cliques of three; Athletes, Populars, Brains, and Off-beats.The HouseGuests competed as individuals except when a HouseGuest from a clique wins Head of Household, all members of that clique were immune from eviction. Four past HouseGuests returned to support one of the cliques in the House; Michael "Cowboy" Ellis of Big Brother 5 supported the Off-beats, Jessica Hughbanks of Big Brother 8 supported the Populars, Brian Hart of Big Brother 10 supported the Brains, and Jessie Godderz also from Big Brother 10 supported the Athletes. Natalie and Russell won the first Head of Household competition, "The Wedgie", for the Athletes allowing Jessie to return to the House as a full HouseGuest and the first Head of Household.

Big Brother replaced the food competitions with Have and Have Not competitions. HouseGuests would be divided into either the "Haves" or the "Have Nots" depending on their performance in the competitions. The Head of Household and their respective clique were immune from the Have and Have Not competitions. The Brains lost the weekly Have and Have Not competition "Big Brother Rave" and became the "Have Nots" for the week, resulting in them eating only slop plus the weekly food restriction, taking cold showers and sleeping on metal beds. Chima and Lydia were initially nominated for eviction by Jessie on Day 5. Russell won the Power of Veto competition "Pop Goes the Veto!" and saved Lydia from eviction and Jessie nominated Braden as her replacement.Braden was evicted on Day 12 after Jessie broke the tie to evict him.

In the second week Ronnie won the second Head of Household competition "Most Likely To..." This resulted in the Brains becoming the In-Crowd, immune from eviction or being the Have-Nots for the week. At the Have and Have Not competition, Casey and Chima won a screening of The Ugly Truth. Casey and Chima had to choose one clique to become the Have Nots for the week and they chose Jordan and Laura from the Popular clique. At the nomination ceremony, Ronnie nominated Laura and Jeff for eviction. At the Veto Competition, Jeff won the Golden Power of Veto competition "The Big Brother Mint" and saved himself and Ronnie nominated Jordan as his replacement. Laura was evicted on Day 19 by a vote of 8-1.

In the third week, Jessie won the Head of Household competition "Buzzworthy". The Athletes became immune from nomination or being the Have-Nots for the week.[23] At the Have and Have Not competition, "Back Yard Bash", only one member from each clique participated in the competition. Kevin, Chima, and Jordan were the participants with Chima losing and the Brains becoming the Have-Nots for a second time. Also, America voted for the Have Nots to receive Cabbage and Cocktail Weenies for the week. At the Veto competition, Michele narrowly won the Power of Veto over Jessie. During the competition, Casey also won a margarita party for the house and Jessie won $2,500 for himself. Casey also "earned" a banana costume, which he had to wear for the week. At the Veto ceremony, Michele removed herself from the block. Jessie replaced her with Casey. On Day 26, Casey was evicted by a vote of 7-1. After his eviction, Julie Chen announced the end of the cliques twist, leaving every HouseGuest on their own to ensure their safety. Chen also announced an exclusive power only one HouseGuest will be granted by America's vote. She revealed only to the viewing audience this power is called the "Coup d'État", first introduced in Big Brother: All-Stars. This power allows the holder to overthrow the HoH and replace his or her nominations right before the live eviction vote. Only the HoH and the Power of Veto winner that week will be immune from the nomination. This power can only be used once and within the next two evictions.

In the fourth week, Russell won the Head of Household competition by enduring the longest on a swing like contraption, beating out Jeff in the end at approximately 12:26 a.m. EST, nearly four hours after the start of the contest. During the Head of Household competition Jordan won the power to make three houseguests Have Nots. She chose Jessie, Kevin, and Natalie. America voted to give the Have Nots squid and squash for the week. In the Veto competition, Michele ended winning it for the 2nd week in a row. However, she ultimately decided not to use the Power of Veto on either of the two nominees. Ronnie was evicted by a 4-3 vote on Day 33. Prior to his eviction, it was revealed that a record 12 million votes were cast for the Coup d'État power, in which Jeff received. He ultimately chose not to use it and may only use it at the next eviction, but if not, the power will be exhausted by the end of week five.

In the fifth week, Chima won the Head of Household competition "Say What?" and nominated Lydia and Russell for eviction. At the Have and Have Not competition, Jeff, Kevin, Lydia, and Michele became the week's Have Nots, and were given Liver and Limes by America. Kevin won the Power of Veto but decided not to use it. On Day 40, right before the eviction vote, Jeff decided to use the power of "Coup d'État" to replace Chima's nominations with his own. He nominated Jessie and Natalie for eviction. He, Chima, and his nominees were not permitted to vote. Jessie became the fifth evicted House Guest by a 3-2 vote, and the first member of the jury. At the end of the episode, Julie Chen announced the sixth eviction episode will be a special live double eviction, with the eviction held immediately at the show's start, followed by an entire week of competitions and the seventh eviction, all in one hour.

In the sixth week, every HouseGuest was eligible to become Head of Household. Michele won the HoH competition "Hit the Road" and nominated Chima and Natalie for eviction. On Day 42 after throwing her mic into the Hot Tub, not having her mic on, and bad mouthing production, Chima was removed from the house. Michele was dethroned as the HoH; as a result, another HoH competition was held on Day 42, with Jordan becoming the new HoH. She decided to nominate Natalie and Lydia.[34] Because of Chima's expulsion, the live eviction episode was not a double eviction as planned. Instead, the Power of Veto competition was played live, followed by the veto ceremony and eviction. On Day 47, at the live veto competition, Jordan won and decided not to use it. Lydia was evicted by a 3-1 vote, becoming the second juror.

In the seventh week, Jeff won the "Can Do" Head of Household competition, and Michele and Russell become the Have-Nots for the week during the competition. America voted for the Have-Nots to dine on churros and chitlins for the week. Jeff nominated Kevin and Natalie for eviction. Jeff won the PoV competition and vetoed his own nomination of Kevin; he nominated Russell as a replacement. Russell was evicted by a unanimous vote of 3-0 on Day 54, making him the third member of the jury. During the live show, Julie Chen announced the end of the Have-Nots twist to the HouseGuests. Chen also announced a new unknown twist to the audience that the new HoH will be the first to discover.

In the eighth week, Kevin won the Head of Household competition "The S'more The Merrier." Kevin nominated Jeff and Michele for eviction. Michele won the PoV competition and removed herself from the block; Kevin nominated Jordan as a replacement. Kevin found a large box in the room adjacent to the HoH room called "Pandora's Box." He put his hand inside the box for $10,000 in single U.S. dollar bills to fall onto the backyard. Doing so, his hand was locked inside and one of the other HouseGuests had to find a large key to unlock him. Jeff collected $3,181; Jordan collected $1,726; Michele collected $2,563; Natalie collected $1,904. Jeff found the key and Kevin earned the remaining $626. On Day 61, Jeff was evicted after Kevin broke the tie to evict him, making him the fourth jury member. This eviction left one remaining member from each of the four original cliques.

In the ninth week, Natalie won the Head of Household competition "Fact or Fiction." Natalie nominated Michele and Kevin for eviction. "Pandora's Box" made a second appearance, presenting Natalie with an opportunity to spend time with her boyfriend Jason, in exchange for not playing in the PoV competition. She accepted both the offer and an unexpected marriage proposal from Jason. Kevin won the Final PoV competition. He then took himself off the block, with Jordan being the replacement nominee. Kevin then chose to evict Michele on Day 66. Later that night, the Final Three took part in the first part of the final HoH competition called "Log Jam." In the competition, they held onto their key hanging above them while a 'log' below them rolled backwards and forwards. Jordan fell first, followed by Natalie resulting in Kevin winning the first part. During the live show on Day 68, Jordan beat Natalie in a second part of the HoH competition, named "Heads Will Roll." Natalie scored 5 correct balls while Jordan scored 9 balls. Jordan and Kevin will face off in the final part of the HoH competition, which will take part during the live finale, followed directly after by the live eviction and crowning of the winner of Big Brother 11. Julie also announced that due to Chima's expulsion from the game, the seventh juror and possibly the tie breaker should a tie happen, will be America itself. The viewers can vote at CBS' Big Brother site.

In the tenth and final week, Jordan and Kevin faced off for the final part of the HoH. They were asked questions about the Jury Members and what they said, Jordan won during the tiebreaker and evicted Kevin. The Jury members then asked Jordan and Natalie questions regarding their games. The first four evictees returned and told the Jury and the final two what has gone on behind the scenes. Jordan was crowned winner by a vote of 5 to 2. Jeff was voted America's Favorite HouseGuest (in a vote Julie Chen claimed "wasn't even close") and claimed a $25,000 cash prize. The season ended with all the houseguests, except for Chima, reuniting.