Hayden won Big Brother 12 in 2010, defeating Lane by a 4–3 jury vote. Hayden won the final Head of Household, evicted Enzo and took Lane to the final two. Britney won America’s Favorite Houseguest. The 75-day season is best remembered for the Brigade alliance, the Saboteur twist, four Pandora’s Boxes, Matt’s Diamond Power of Veto and the first appearance of Zingbot.
- Season: Big Brother 12
- Year: 2010
- Premiere: July 8, 2010
- Finale: September 15, 2010
- Length: 75 days
- Houseguests: 13
- Winner: Hayden
- Runner-up: Lane
- Final vote: 4–3
- Final three: Hayden, Lane and Enzo
- America’s Favorite Houseguest: Britney
- Main twist: The Saboteur
Who Won Big Brother 12?
Hayden won Big Brother 12 by a 4–3 jury vote over Lane. He reached the final three with fellow Brigade members Lane and Enzo, won the final Head of Household and chose Lane for the final two.
The vote was as close as a Big Brother jury can get without a tie. Enzo, Ragan, Matt and Kathy voted for Hayden. Britney, Rachel and Brendon voted for Lane.
OBB’s Big Brother winners record preserves Hayden’s 4–3 result alongside every other season’s jury vote.
Who Won the Big Brother 12 Final HOH?
- Part 1: Hayden defeated Lane and Enzo.
- Part 2: Lane defeated Enzo.
- Part 3: Hayden defeated Lane.
- Final eviction: Hayden evicted Enzo and took Lane to the final two.
Hayden and Lane had already discussed taking each other if either won the final HOH. Hayden completed that plan when he won Part 3 and made the season’s last eviction decision.
Who Was on the Big Brother 12 Cast?
Thirteen houseguests entered Big Brother 12. OBB’s preseason archive had originally been expecting fourteen, but the final cast that entered the house consisted of:
- Andrew
- Annie
- Brendon
- Britney
- Enzo
- Hayden
- Kathy
- Kristen
- Lane
- Matt
- Monet
- Rachel
- Ragan
What Was the Big Brother 12 Eviction Order?
- 13th: Annie — first evicted
- 12th: Monet
- 11th: Andrew
- 10th: Kristen
- 9th: Rachel — first juror
- 8th: Kathy
- 7th: Matt
- 6th: Brendon
- 5th: Ragan
- 4th: Britney
- 3rd: Enzo
- Runner-up: Lane
- Winner: Hayden
What Was the Brigade Alliance?
The Brigade was the alliance that defined Big Brother 12. Enzo formed it during the opening days with Hayden, Lane and Matt. The group stayed hidden while its members built relationships outside the alliance, giving them information and protection without making the four-person structure obvious.
Enzo supplied the nicknames: Hayden was the Animal, Lane the Beast, Matt the Brains and Enzo the Meow Meow.
The strategy was not simply to move as four people everywhere in the house. Each member maintained relationships beyond the Brigade, so an ally outside the group could become a target before a Brigade member. OBB’s Big Brother strategy archive uses the Brigade as one of the major examples of alliance structure and voting control.
Matt eventually became expendable to his own alliance and was evicted in seventh place, but the other three Brigade members reached the final three together. Hayden and Lane then became the final two.
How Did the Big Brother 12 Saboteur Twist Work?
Big Brother 12 introduced the Big Brother Saboteur, a secret player given missions designed to disrupt the house while hiding their identity.
Annie was the original Saboteur. She could compete for HOH and the Power of Veto, but her separate assignment was to survive five weeks while completing sabotage missions for a possible $50,000 payment. She lasted only until the first eviction and left 10–0, ending the original version of the twist almost immediately.
The twist returned later in the season under different rules. America selected Ragan, who was offered $20,000 to complete two weeks as the new Saboteur. Unlike Annie’s original assignment, Ragan remained a normal player when the sabotage period ended. He completed the stint and collected the $20,000.
What Happened With Pandora’s Box on Big Brother 12?
Pandora’s Box was opened four times during Big Brother 12 — more than in any other season.
Matt — Diamond Power of Veto
Matt opened the first box during his HOH and secretly received the Diamond Power of Veto. The other consequence was the return of the Saboteur twist.
The following week Matt found himself nominated. He used the Diamond Veto on eviction night, removed himself from the block and personally named Kathy as the replacement nominee. Kathy was evicted 5–0.
Brendon — Rachel Returns for 24 Hours
Brendon opened Pandora’s Box while HOH and was removed from the house for 24 hours. Rachel, who had just been evicted, returned to the Big Brother house for the same 24-hour period.
Britney — Jessie and a Luau
Britney opened the next box and was stuck with Jessie while the rest of the house received a Hawaiian luau.
Lane — $91.17 and Three Punishments
Lane opened the fourth box after being shown a money tree holding more than $10,000. He finished with only $91.17, while the house lost its silverware and cups, had to communicate through sock puppets for twelve hours and had to dance whenever Big Brother played music.
How Did Matt Use the Diamond Power of Veto?
Matt’s Diamond Power of Veto is one of BB12’s most important game moments. Brendon had nominated Lane and Ragan. Ragan won the regular veto and removed himself, and Matt became the replacement nominee.
Just before the eviction vote, Matt revealed the Diamond Veto, saved himself and named Kathy as the new nominee. Because the Diamond Veto holder selected the replacement rather than the HOH, Brendon lost control of the final nomination. Kathy was evicted instead.
The move only bought Matt one additional week. Britney became HOH next, Matt went back on the block and was evicted 4–0 during the first half of the season’s double eviction.
What Happened in the Big Brother 12 Double Eviction?
Big Brother 12 held its double eviction on August 26. Matt was evicted first. The remaining houseguests then played an accelerated HOH, nominations, veto and second eviction during the same live show, and Brendon became the second houseguest evicted that night.
That one-night format became a regular part of the modern game. OBB tracks the full history on the Big Brother Double Eviction page.
Did Zingbot Debut on Big Brother 12?
Yes. Zingbot debuted during Big Brother 12 on August 18, 2010. The original version was called Zingbot 3000 and entered the house to insult the remaining houseguests before the Power of Veto competition.
The character became one of Big Brother’s longest-running recurring features. The full history is preserved on OBB’s Zingbot page.
What Happened With Rachel and Brendon?
Rachel and Brendon became the season’s major showmance almost immediately and were quickly treated as a pair by the rest of the house. Their competition wins kept them alive for stretches of the early game, but their visibility also made them obvious targets.
Rachel was evicted first, in ninth place. Brendon survived two more weeks before following her to the jury during the double eviction.
Who Won America’s Favorite Houseguest on Big Brother 12?
Britney won America’s Favorite Houseguest and the $25,000 prize. She finished fourth after the Brigade finally revealed itself to her near the end of the season.
The award was separate from the jury vote that decided the winner. OBB’s America’s Favorite Houseguest record tracks every recipient and how the prize has changed over time.
Why Does Big Brother 12 Matter?
Big Brother 12 matters for two very different reasons. Strategically, the Brigade became one of the clearest early examples of a large alliance hiding behind separate outside relationships rather than openly moving as one group. Three of its four members reached the final three, and two reached the final two.
Structurally, the season also left behind pieces of Big Brother that lasted beyond 2010. Zingbot debuted here. Pandora’s Box reached its busiest season. The Diamond Power of Veto was actually used to overturn an HOH’s replacement decision. And the modern one-night double eviction became a recurring part of the game from this era forward.