The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena Competition Should Be Permanent (Janelle Pierzina Thinks So Too)

Big Brother 26 introduced the BB A.I. Arena competition, and, as Big Brother legend Janelle Pierzina has suggested, it should become a permanent fixture in the game. During Big Brother 26, the Head of Household (HOH) nominates three houseguests for eviction rather than the usual two. If one of the nominees is saved with the Power of Veto, then the HOH names a replacement nominee, so that there are still three nominees on the chopping block on eviction night. However, not all of the nominees receive votes during the evictions, as one has a last-minute chance to save themselves in the BB A.I. Arena.

The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena competition occurs right before the live vote and eviction. So far, the BB A.I. Arena competitions have consisted of timed puzzles, and the competitions play out in real time during the live eviction episodes. The winner of the competition immediately comes off of the chopping block and is safe. The other two contestants return to the house, and one of them is voted out. The Big Brother 26 BB A.I. Arena should be a permanent part of the game.

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What Did Big Brother Legend Janelle Pierzina Say About The BB A.I. Arena?

Janelle Loves The New Competition

Big Brother legend Janelle Pierzina loves the BB A.I. Arena. She’s played Big Brother four times, so she has a lot of experience with the game. She got her start on Big Brother 6, in which she placed 3rd. She returned the following year for Big Brother 7, the first all-stars season, and again placed 3rd. Janelle also won the first-ever fan-voted America’s Favorite Houseguest prize that season.

Janelle then came back for Big Brother 14 as a coach, and placed 12th after a twist in which the coaches entered the game. Janelle’s most recent appearance was on Big Brother 22, the second all-stars season, during which she became an immediate target and placed 14th. Janelle loves Big Brother and shares her thoughts about every season on X.

In an X post, Janelle expressed why she thinks that the BB A.I. Arena should be a permanent fixture on Big Brother. She wrote, “What if they kept the AI comp every season? It adds an element of unpredictability that we have been missing for so many seasons! Plus- much more potential for blindsides. Thoughts?”

“What if they kept the AI comp every season? It adds an element of unpredictability that we have been missing for so many seasons! Plus- much more potential for blindsides. Thoughts?”

In the comments section of Janelle’s post, X user @alyssanator_ wrote, “I agree! I think it should be a staple but only for the prejury portion. Once jury hits I think players should be allowed to backdoor their targets.” Janelle wrote, “Yes agreed!” Janelle and her fan make great points about the BB A.I. Arena.

The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena Competition Has Made Eviction Night Unpredictable

Blindsides Are More Likely In Big Brother 26

In past Big Brother seasons, live feed viewers pretty much knew after the Power of Veto Ceremony on Mondays who’d most likely be going home between the two nominees. Of course, things could’ve changed before the Thursday night live eviction episode, but, because the two nominees were decided, the houseguests knew exactly who they were.

However, throughout Big Brother 26, viewers have been on the edges of their seats because the final two nominees aren’t decided until right before the live eviction episode. This also makes the game much more challenging for the houseguests. While they can plan out different scenarios throughout the week, the final decisions have to be made that night. Plus, the nominees have to keep campaigning until the BB A.I. Arena because they don’t know if they’ll be safe until minutes before the live eviction. This unpredictability has made Big Brother 26 so much more fun to watch.

The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena Competition Prevents Players From Voting With The House

The Houseguests Must Make Last-Minute Decisions

The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena competition has also made blindsides more possible. This happened when the house flipped on Cedric Hodges and later Tucker Des Lauriers. Janelle is right that it’s annoying to watch the players vote with the house in order to stick with the majority. The BB A.I. Arena makes this less likely because everything is officially decided at the last minute, even if the houseguests have certain scenarios planned out in their heads.

It’s always boring when the eviction is a foregone conclusion after the Power of Veto ceremony on Mondays. However, now the houseguests must have multiple plans depending on which two houseguests end up on the chopping block at the end of the week. This forces them to make more of their own decisions, rather than just playing it safe and voting with the majority. It’s a refreshing change from the past few seasons of Big Brother, especially in the early weeks of the game.

The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena Competition Prevents The Backdooring Of Houseguests

Nominees Always Have Another Chance To Save Themselves

One of the most-used Big Brother moves to get big threats out of the house is to backdoor them. Backdooring means that the HOH doesn’t initially nominate their target. Instead, they keep them off the block, hoping that they don’t get picked by random draw to play the Power of Veto. Even if they do, if they don’t win, the veto is used to save one of the nominees from the chopping block. Then, the HOH nominates their target, without giving them the chance to fight for themselves.

The BB A.I. Arena makes backdooring impossible because the replacement nominee will always have the chance to save themselves. This makes the game more challenging for the HOH, and more fair for the contestants. It’s always hard to watch a player get evicted without having any chance to fight for themselves if they aren’t picked to play for the Power of Veto. Backdooring used to be frowned upon as a cowardly way to evict someone, but, in more recent Big Brother seasons, it’s become the strategy of choice. Now the BB A.I. Arena has made it a thing of the past.

Although the BB A.I. Arena is an awesome addition to the game, Janelle and her fan are correct that it should end once the jury begins. At that point, the game will have fewer houseguests, so, with three nominees, there’s more of a chance that the HOH could end up having to nominate one of their own alliance members. Also, at that point in the game, the HOH should be able to backdoor a difficult target.

The Big Brother 26 A.I. Arena competition has changed Big Brother for the better. It’s made some of the things that have made the game predictable and boring impossible. Blindsides abound as backdooring has become a thing of the past. The BB A.I. Arena competition makes the live episodes much more challenging for the houseguests, but so much more thrilling for viewers to watch. The BB A.I. Arena should be a permanent part of Big Brother in future seasons. It’s the definition of Big Brother’s motto, “expect the unexpected.”

Sources: Janelle Pierzina/X, @alyssanator_/X, Big Brother/Instagram