‘This is about to be a stressful summer’: ‘Big Brother’ fans are already dreading season 26 after learning its potential theme

Fans of Big Brother have flocked to social media to share their thoughts on the potential theme of the show’s 26th season, which is set to premiere on July 17.

The fanfare arose when Julie Chen Moonves, who has hosted the show since its debut in 2000, shared a promotional image for BB26, with a few clues about what the upcoming season might entail for the incoming cast of housemates. 

“Not everything is as it seems this summer,” Chen Moonves wrote on social media, alongside an image of the Big Brother logo refashioned into what looks like a microchip. The aesthetic of the poster led to speculation that the upcoming season might incorporate a technological theme, with fans quickly connecting Chen Moonves comment to something involving The Matrix. 

This potential theme was given even more credit when Jessie Godderz, a former housemate who appeared on BB10 and BB11, wrote a comment that mentioned “AI contestants.” Godderz was one of multiple former housemates to chime in on the post, with fellow alums Hannah Chaddha, Xavier Prather, GinaMarie Zimmerman, and Joseph Abdin sharing their thoughts in the comments. 

Adding to the speculation around the theme, users clocked how the poster was made with artificial intelligence, with theories that BB26 might cast an AI housemate, or otherwise revolve around technology. Naturally, the potential theme has been somewhat divisive, with some users excited about the direction and others not quite sold. 

“Do not add an AI houseguest,” one user wrote on Instagram, with another pleading for showrunners to “not make anything about this season AI.” While the potential theme hasn’t yet been confirmed, that didn’t stop critics from suggesting alternatives, with one fan writing: “if y’all make AI themed big brother I’m gonna snap.” 

“Big Brother is everyone’s escape from reality,” another user quipped, “why are you bringing AI into this.” Others suggested that BB26 do away with themes and twists altogether, writing that “classic Big Brother is way more enjoyable to watch” and arguing that the show “get back to the basics.” For all the naysayers, there were some fans who were excited about the theme, with many writing that they “can’t wait” for the BB26 premiere and gushing about how they “love the logo.”

If confirmed, the artificial intelligence direction of BB26 will follow the Multiverse theme that carried BB25, which aired last year and saw contestants participate in comic-book-related challenges. While we might have to wait until the premiere to confirm this year’s theme, we do know that BB26 will feature an entirely new cast of fresh faces, with no former housemates or Big Brother alums appearing in the next installment.