Big Brother has become one of the most recognizable TV franchises over the last two decades. Ever since its inception in 1999, the show has been one of the best performing network series each summer, even being an essential part of that time of the year for many.
Despite retaining a dedicated core audience, the show has fluctuated in viewership from year to year. These are just TV ratings as they are the only accurate ones available, and with the rise of the internet, TV ratings have been down in recent years. This doesn’t mean fewer people are watching shows of course, just that there are other ways to do so. So while television ratings are not the perfect way to measure popularity, they are the best method currently available. Big Brother seasons have all seen varying degrees of rising and falling in their ratings.
10 Season 6 (7.24 Million)
Consisting of one of the best casts the show has ever seen, it is no surprise that season 6 ranks so high. With a divided house featuring the Friendship and Sovereign Six alliances going back and forth at each other for the entire summer, it was truly a season that had viewers coming back for every episode.
While they were ousted before earning a victory, fan favorites such as Janelle Pierzina, Howie Gordon, and Kaysar Ridha all had their legacies start this season. Their big personalities in tandem with the week-to-week volatility of the house made a highly addicting season that people had to tune into.
9 Season 8 (7.52 Million)
Season 8 pulled in just over seven and a half million viewers, a very good amount for the series. America’s fascination with “Evel” Dick Donato, one of Big Brother’s all time best villains, and his estranged daughter, Daniele Donato, as they tried to repair their damaged relationship pulled at the heartstrings of casual viewers, making them more likely to tune in.
In addition to this, the season featured plenty of drama and fun, including the America’s Player Twist, which got viewers involved in the strategic decisions of the game. It peaked at over nine million views for certain episodes, making this one of the most viewed seasons in BB history.
8 Season 7 (7.56 Million)
As the first All-Star season, naturally Big Brother 7 would be watched by many. With some of the most strategic and drama-causing contestants in show history, viewers were naturally inclined to tune in.
Despite featuring a standard-sized 14 member cast, Season 7 was actually the shortest ever season of BB at only 28 episodes. Still, people tuned in and lifted this into elite viewership territory. It did significantly better than other all-star seasons from that standpoint, as the second iteration only received approximately four million viewers on average, although TV ratings have been down across the board for all shows as of late.
7 Season 12 (7.76 Million)
Known for having one of the most dominant and entertaining alliances in Big Brother history, season 12 was a resurgent one for the franchise. It attracted the largest average audience in five seasons, and was steady in doing so, with every episode falling between 6.4-8 million viewers.
It isn’t hard to see why this season specifically did so well. It featured a strong cast of different archetypes that could appeal to anyone. The dominant brigade alliance showed off masterful strategy, the “Brenchel” showmance added drama and romance, while hysterical personalities like Ragan Fox and Britney Haynes rounded out a great cast.
6 Season 2 (7.90 Million)
While season 2 may have had lower average totals than the original season, it did not see nearly as big as a fall as the first season, only getting stronger as it went on. The finale had a substantial audience, pulling in 12.3 million viewers, up nearly five million from the premiere.
The season was revamped heavily, evolving from more of a popularity contest and social experiment to a game of wit and strategy. While the new format certainly made a difference, having Dr. Will give legendary quotes and pioneer how to play the game did add an extra layer of intrigue that season 1 simply did not have.
5 Season 13 (7.95 Million)
Season 13 was a massive success, just missing out on eight million average viewers. It would have been the first season in seven years to do so, making it quite the resurgent era. Instead, it would be the last season to pass the seven million viewer benchmark.
The show’s success was probably largely aided by the return of six favorite houseguests, with Rachel Reilly even going on to win the whole season. As one of the most popular Big Brother winners on Instagram, she certainly attracted plenty of her fans to tune in. Jeff Schroeder, the only two-time winner of America’s Favorite Player, also probably helped out.
4 Season 5 (8.30 Million)
While season 5 did see a slight drop in viewership compared to the previous two seasons, it did have a tougher battle. The Summer Olympics in Athens were happening for almost three weeks during the middle of the season. The Olympics are known to steal viewership from shows when they occur but season 5 of Big Brother still did do well for itself.
Much of the season was over nine million views an episode, but it, unfortunately, did slip more towards the lower end of the eight million. The finale was resurgent, however, rising back to over 10 million. The season did feature some unique twists, such as a pair of half-siblings who previously did not know their relationship, and a pair of twins switching in and out for much of the season.
3 Season 3 (8.70 Million)
Season 3 carried over the momentum from the revamped season 2, taking the show from a possible fad to a confirmed TV powerhouse. The addition of the power of veto, now a staple of the show, helped add intrigue and make a truly great season.
The season had multiple episodes cross over 10 million viewers, including Sheryl Crowe’s guest appearance episode. It was even able to hold its own against television behemoth American Idol, going toe to toe with them in rating battles when the two were on at the same time. Last but not least, Danielle Reyes helped quite a bit, being one of the greatest strategists the show has ever seen, while also having incredible diary room sessions.
2 Season 4 (8.80 Million)
Coming in second place and just missing nine million average viewers, season 4 of Big Brother was a massive ratings success. It had a well-rounded cast, featuring future all-stars Allison Irwin and Erika Landin, as well as winner Jun Song, who is one of the best players to appear just once.
The season started off with a bang, as the X-Factor twist brought five ex-partners of houseguests into the house to compete. One contestant, Scott Weintraub, was ejected within eight days due to not being able to handle the news of his ex competing. The momentum from that continued throughout, making a highly exciting season.
1 Season 1 (9.01 Million)
Despite its shaky public reception, the initial season of Big Brother ranks at the top in terms of average viewers. The only season to crack nine million average viewers an episode is even more impressive considering the show had 70 episodes, almost double the next closest season.
The finale was also a huge success, pulling in a whopping 11.13 million viewers, defeating even the Olympics. The season’s average viewership did gradually decrease though, with the first episode pulling in twenty-two million viewers. Dramatic rule changes were needed after this season, but it clearly did lay the foundation for a show people wanted to see with those numbers.
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