The HouseGuests play the game... and each other
What are the different strategies the players use? What are the benefits of each? Help complete the ultimate Big Brother strategy list, and add other strategies that you've seen throughout the seasons.
Just Floating
How to make it work: Be friendly, and try not make to many enemies, and have a sense of humor Be quiet but not too quiet . The quieter you are the more likely you become a target. If you win veto don't give it away. Keep things how they are. Try to avoid winning HOH in order to minimize perceptions of how threatening you are. If you win HOH, put people up who the majority dislike or want out. Agree with everyone at once, even if it's contradictory. The key is forming friendships, not alliances, thus allowing you to not have to take any real sides.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Jun (BB4), Marvin (BB5), Erika (BB7), Jameka (BB8), Jessica (BB8), Michelle (BB11), Kathy (BB12), Lawon (BB13)
Showmancing
Description: Finding someone who you might want to hook up with who has common interests... ...And then string them along until they start strategically hindering your plans of winning.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Shannon/Will (BB2), Krista/Mike Boogie (BB2), Lisa/Eric (BB3), Chiara/Roddy (BB3), Allison/Nathan (BB4), Diane/Drew (BB5), Holly/Jase (BB5), Janelle/Micheal (BB6), Sarah/James (BB6), Janelle/Will (BB7), Erika/Mike Boogie (BB7), Daniele/Nick (BB8), Chelsia/James (BB9), Jen/Ryan (BB9), Matt/Natalie(BB9), April/Ollie (BB10)Jeff/Jordan (BB11), Rachel/Brendon (BB12), Hayden/Kristen (BB12), Jeff/Jordan (BB13), Brendon/Rachel (BB13), Daniele/Dominic (BB13)
Working the Alliances
Description: Utilizing the divides in the house in order to slide under everyone's noses. Playing the two (or more) sides off of one another in order to make it further in the game.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Allison (BB4), Drew (BB5), Diane (BB5), James (BB6), Erika (BB7), Will (BB7), Mike Boogie (BB7), Zach (BB8), Sheila (BB9), Dan (BB10), Memphis (BB10), Ronnie (BB11), Shelly (BB13)
Creating Chaos
How to make it work to your advantage: To make people think that you're not a threat when you really are. A rather recent strategy that consists of "blowing up" in order to remain in the background. In other words, making a target on yourself so large that nobody will bother to take you out because they figure they can remove you from play at any time.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Howie (BB6, BB7), Dick (BB8), Joshuah (BB9), Jesse (BB10, 11), Russel (BB11), Rachel (BB12, 13), Brendon (BB13)
Winning Big Brother Competitions
Key to pulling this off: Being great at answering questions about former housemates inside of a booth or being lucky enough to be involved in veto competitions that best suit your skills. Many players decided to play a more competitive game as opposed to a social game. These players usually find winning Head of Household and Power of Veto competitions more important than just scheming and strategies
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Hardy (BB2), Nicole (BB2), Jase (BB5), Drew (BB5), Nakomis (BB5), Janelle (BB6, BB7), James (BB6), Daniele (BB8), James (BB9), Dan (BB10), Rachel (BB12), Brendon (BB12, 13)
Lie, Lie, Lie
Description: Keep people guessing on what you are going to do or who you are aligned with. This usually results in you having at least two key alliance groups, if not more. Tell so many lies that they won't know what to believe.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Will (BB2,BB7), Josh (BB3), Chiara (BB3), Danielle (BB3), Allison(BB4), Jun(BB4), Karen(BB5), Diane(BB5), James (BB6,BB7), Mike Boogie (BB7), Joe (BB8), Eric (BB8), Danielle(BB8), James (BB9), Allison (BB9), Sheila (BB9), Dan (BB10), Libra (BB10), Memphis (BB10), Natalie (BB11), Ronnie (BB11), Matt (BB12), Shelly (BB13)
Secret Alliances
Description: Working with someone that no one knows who you are working with. No one knows who you are working with and secretly send people home without making a big deal about it.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Nicole and Will (BB2)
Hardy, Moncia, and Krista (BB2)
Danielle and Jason (BB3)
Allison and Justin (BB4)
Drew, Diane and Cowboy (BB3)
James, Danielle, Will, and Mike Boogie (BB7)
Dick, Danielle, Eric and Jessica (BB8)
Dan and Memphis (BB10)
Hayden, Enzo, Lane and Matt (BB12)
Backdooring
Description: When a houseguest is evicted after being nominated at the Power of Veto Ceremony.
The Head of Household will choose not to nominate their intended target at the Nomination Ceremony to keep that target houseguest from getting saved from being evicted by the Power of Veto. At the Power of Veto ceremony, The Head of Household will nominate their intended target at that time ensuring that the target has a high chance of getting evicted.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Nakomis against Jase (BB5), Jennifer against Kaysar (BB6), April against James (BB6), Janelle against Marcellus and Diane (BB7), Daniele against Jen (BB8), James against Matt (BB9), Dan against Michelle (BB10), Jeff against Russel (BB11) Jeff against Dani (BB13)
Snake In The Grass
Description: Someone who is very sneaky, and surprises everyone by making it as far as they did One that tries to do very little apparent strategizing and take action when the time is right.
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: Will (BB2, BB7), Amy (BB3), Jun (BB4), Cowboy (BB5), Drew (BB5), Chicken George (BB7), Zach (BB8), Sheila (BB9), Adam (BB9), Dan (BB10) Jordan (BB11), Porsche (BB13)
The Team Effort
Description: A useful tactic in which several houseguests ban together and attempt to weed out the rest of the competiton Usually after a week or two in the house, the houseguests opinions of each other develop and "cliques" start to form. The most defined example of this behavior is the battle that occurred between the Friendship and the Sovereign Six alliances during Big Brother 6. Team tactics can either be extremely effective or extremely destructive to an individual houseguest's gameplay
Housemates who use(d) this strategy: "Chill Town" BB2: Mike Boogie, Will, and Shannon
"The Smokers" BB2: Hardy, Nicole, Bunky, Krista, Monica, and Kent
"The Untouchables" BB2: Hardy, Krista, and Moncia
"The Hot Tub Alliance" BB3: Amy, Chiara, Josh, Gerry, Roddy, and Lisa
"The Couples Alliance" BB3: Lisa, Eric, Chiara and Roddy
"The 'Anti-Couples'" BB3: Danielle, Marcellas, Gerry, Amy, Jason, and Lisa (Lisa left the couples after Eric's eviction)
"The Elite Eight" BB4: Jack, Erika, Allison, Dana, Jun, Dave, Nathan, and Scott
"The Three Stooges" BB4: Jee, Justin and Robert
"The Angels" BB4: Allsion, Erika, and Jun
"The Four Horsemen" BB5: Cowboy, Scott, Jase, and Drew
"The Santa Monica Van Boys" BB5: Marvin, Scott, Jase, Cowboy, and Drew
"Girl Power (Plus Will)" BB5: Will, Adria, Natalie, Diane, Nakomis, Karen, and Lori
"The Twin Alliance" BB5: Diane, Drew, Adria, and Natalie
"The Sovereign Six" BB6: James, Sarah, Rachel, Howie, Kaysar, and Janelle
"The Friendship" BB6: Maggie, Eric, Ivette, Beau, April, and Jennifer
"Season 6" BB7: James, Janelle, Kaysar, and Howie
"Season 5" BB7: Diane, Nakomis, and Jase
"Chill Town (Part 2)" BB7: Will and Mike Boogie
"The Legion of Doom" BB7: Danielle, James, Will and Mike Boogie
"Mrs. Robinson Alliance" BB8: Mike, Nick, Zach, and Kail
"The Late Night Crew (Version 1)" BB8: Dick, Daniele, Amber, Dustin, Jessica, Eric, and Jameka
"The Late Night Crew (Version 2)" BB8: Dustin, Amber, Jameka, Jessica, and Eric
"The Outcasts" BB8: Jen, Dick, Zach and Daniele
"The Little Julie Chens" BB8: Jessica, Eric, Dick, and Daniele
"The Donatos" BB8: Daniele and Dick
"The 'Final Six'" BB9: Jen, Parker, Amanda, Alex, Natalie and Matt
"The Christ Alliance" BB9: Matt, Natalie, Ryan, Sheila and Adam
"Team Pink" BB9: Josh, Sharon, Chelsia and James
"The 7" BB10: Libra, April, Ollie, Keesha, Renny, Jerry and Dan
"The Outsiders" BB10: Jessie, Memphis, Michelle and Angie
"DR MLK" BB10: Dan, Renny, Memphis, Libra and Keesha
"Friends of Jessie" BB10: April, Ollie, Jerry and Michelle
"The Renegades" BB10: Dan and Memphis
"The Natural Born Killers (Version 1)" BB11: Jessie, Ronnie, Chima, Natalie, Kevin, Lydia and Russell
"The Natural Born Killers (Version 2)" BB11: Jessie, Natalie, Chima, Kevin, Lydia
"The Dumb Five" BB11: Jeff, Jordan, Casey, Laura, Michelle
"The Final Four" BB11: Jeff, Jordan, Michelle, Russell
"The Brigades" BB12: Hayden, Enzo, Lane and Matt
"Brenchel" BB12: Brendon and Rachel
"The Veterans" BB13: Jeff, Jordan, Rachel, Brendon, Evel Dick and Daniele
"The Newbies" (Version 1) BB13: Dominic, Adam, Lawon, Cassi, Shelly, Kalia, Keith and Porsche
"The Brigades" BB13: Dominic, Cassi, Lawon and Keith
"Final 6" (Version 2) BB13: Jeff, Jordan, Brendon, Rachel, Shelly and Adam
"Dani's Alliance" BB13: Dani, Kalia and Porsche
Pity Story
What is it? When a houseguest utilizes a "hardship" story to garner pity from the other housemates. For example.."I'm a single mom and I'm doing this so my children can have a great living" or "I have a sick family member and the money would make all the difference for them". As evidenced by Danielle in BB3, the sob story can go a long way! Utilizing some financial need to win the competition virtually makes all unethical decisions you make acceptable because you are doing them in the name of _______ (insert sob story here). This combined with some flying under the radar and a strong alliance will virtually guarantee Big Brother success. One must be careful when using this strategy though.....too much use of the sob story can cause an eviction!
Houseguests who have used or use this strategy Krista (BB2), Danielle (BB3), Alison (BB4), Cowboy (BB5), Diane (BB7) Eric (BB8), Amber (BB8), Sheila (BB9), Matt (BB12), Kathy (BB12)
The gay best friend
What is it? Every girl needs a gay best friend, especially if they are trapped in the BB House with catty women and showmance seeking men. Attach yourself to the Queen Bee of the house, listen to her needs, tell her she looks fierce and have your shoulder ready when she is in tears and you will go very far. Just don't forget who got you so far and break away from her too soon or she will turn on you with a vengence.
Houseguestswho have used or use this strategy Marcellas/Amy (BB3), Will/Karen (BB5), Beau/Ivette (BB6), Marcellas/Janelle(BB7), Marcellas/Erika (BB7), Joe/Jessica (BB8), Dustin/Amber (BB8), Joshuah/Sharon (BB9), Joshuah/Chelsia (BB9), Steven/Keesha (BB10), Kevin/Lydia (BB11), Ragan/Britney (BB12), Lawon/Kalia (BB13)
Quiet
What is it? When someone has little to no social interaction with anyone. This ostracizing is usually the result of poor strategy and/or social skills, but it can buy you extra weeks on rare occasion.
Houseguestswho have used or use this strategy Gerry (BB3), Chicken George (BB7), Mike (BB8), Michelle (BB11),
Blunt/Straight-forward style
What is it? Be upfront, blunt and appear honest.
Houseguestswho have used or use this strategy Will (BB2,BB7), Howie (BB6), Ivette (BB6), Dick (BB8), Jen (BB8), James (BB9), Jeff (BB11, 13), Hayden (BB12)
Playing (or being) Dumb
What is it? This is when a person tries not to appear too smart so that other house guests do not find them intimidating. They usually hang around for a while because people think they don't know anything and would make a good person to be next to in the final two. People sometimes find this person to be ditsy and annoying.
* Actually Dumb
Houseguests who have used or use this strategy Janelle (BB6, BB7), Jessica (BB8), Keesha (BB10)
Wildy Offensive
What is it?
Giving people a no-holds barred opinion, disregarding the fact that most fellow houseguests take offense to this kind of behaviour.
Houseguestswho have used or use this strategy
Jase (BB5), Scott (BB5), Ivette (BB6), Howie (BB6), Janelle (BB6), Dick (BB8), Chelsia (BB9), James (BB9), Joshuah (BB9), Jesse (BB10, 11), Jerry (BB10), Michelle (BB10), Libra (BB10), Russel (BB11)
Pawn
A pitfall is Pawns do not get to Vote and must rely on others to keep them in the game (unless they win a keyHoH occasionally).
Also note: Pawn/Backdoor strategies did not exist until they came up with the Power of Veto Comps in BB3. When someone knows they have no friends in the house and they know they will get put up, they can befriend people by volunteering to be a pawn. Few people can master this..
Houseguests who have used or use this strategy Amy (BB3), Jen (BB8), Kail (BB8), Sharon (BB9), Jerry (BB10), Jordan (BB11)
Being a loser
Why it works: Players will believe you can easily be picked off down the road because you will never be protected by the Power of Veto or Head of Household positions. When players who are good at the competitions are not protected and seem vulnerable, others will capitalize on the chance to evict them. Furthermore, they will want to keep you for the end game under the assumption that can win the final three HOH competition against you and guarantee their slot in the final two. Defined: Throwing every competition, ensuring you never come close to winning.
Succeeding at losing: Don't appear to be throwing the competitions. Lose early in the competition, but not blatantly. Make it look like a genuine mistake. Act upset. Seem incompetent.
* Some players actually were really horrible at the competitions and were not throwing them intentionally, but it still helped them make it to the end of the game.
Houseguests who have used or use this strategy Will (BB2, BB7), Karen (BB5), Zach (BB8), Adam (BB9), Dan (BB10)
Leader
What is it?
Control the alliance or even the house by becoming the leader. Typically the alpha male (or female.)
Characters who have used or use this strategy Will (BB2, 6), Danielle (BB3), Jase (BB5), Eric (BB6), Kaysar (BB6, 7), Dick (BB8), Eric (BB8), Jessie (BB10, 11), Enzo (BB12), Jeff (BB13), Dani (BB13)
Loyal Skeptic
What is it?
Become best friends with the leaders of the game, and help bring your alliance to the end
*Befriended those in position of power (Head of Household)
Characters who have used or use this strategy Marcellus (BB3), Maggie (BB6), Ivette (BB6), Mike Boogie (BB7), Memphis (BB10), Natalie (BB11), Jordan (BB13), Kalia (BB13), Porsche (BB13)
