After a summer of competitions, twists, blindsides and a puzzling “flirtmance,” Ashley Hollis was crowned the winner of Big Brother 27 in a 6-1 vote during the season’s live finale on Sunday, September 28.
Ashley, 25, punched her ticket to the final two by defeating Morgan Pope in the live third part of the final Head of Household competition. Moments later, she evicted Morgan, 33, telling her friend that she thought she had a better chance to beat Vince Panaro in the final.
In their final speeches, Ashley drew from her background as an attorney, fighting off the perception that she wasn’t a competitor by explaining how she spent the season building relationships and “turning enemies into allies.” Vince, 34, recounted his history as a superfan of the show and pinned his lies and betrayal of the jurors on how he was operating from a position of power and had no choice but to get blood on his hands.
The finale also included the reveal of the Mastermind, the masked figure who orchestrated twists throughout the summer. It was initially revealed to be season 2 winner Dr. Will Kirby, who maintained his innocence throughout. Then, a twist at the end of the episode showed that it was three bitter former houseguests, taken out by twists themselves: Big Brother 8’s Eric Stein, Big Brother 10 and 11’s Jessie Godderz and Big Brother 16’s Frankie Grande.
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Fans will remember the season for its puzzling strategy, with players routinely nominating their own allies for eviction, as well as the most controversial twist in the show’s history. That came when Big Brother legend Rachel Reilly was unceremoniously ousted from the house after she failed to complete a maze in the White Locust competition.
She became the first Big Brother contestant ever to be eliminated, rather than evicted, since the show’s current format took shape in season 2.
But what set Big Brother 27 apart from other modern seasons was that, even after Rachel’s exit, the endgame still provided plenty of excitement. The budding relationship between Vince and Morgan provided fodder for live-feeders and drew plenty of criticism both in and out of the house because of Vince’s girlfriend of seven years.
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There was also Keanu Soto, whose likable nature and uncanny ability to misread any situation made him America’s Favorite Houseguest, earning him a $50,000 prize. He was also a competition beast, staying alive for weeks on end with his back against the wall. Keanu’s ultimate downfall came from trusting Vince, 34, to choose him over Morgan, 33.
“I felt like he and I had that big brother, little brother relationship and I would never turn my back on any of my siblings,” Keanu, who has seven siblings in real life, told Us Weekly exclusively after his eviction. “So that’s why I kept feeling the need to forgive him.”
The fans seemed to have enjoyed the season, too. Paramount announced on Thursday, September 25 that Big Brother averaged 5.1 million viewers per episode across linear TV and streaming, a 23 percent increase from season 26. Live feed streaming also increased by 35 percent year-over-year.
As a result, host Julie Chen Moonves announced as she signed off for the season that Big Brother would return for a 28th season in 2026.
