The Big Brother Coup d’État was a secret power that allowed its holder to cancel the Head of Household’s nominations moments before a live eviction and name two replacements. It could erase the HOH’s entire week after the nominations and Power of Veto ceremony were already complete.
Big Brother US introduced the power in Big Brother 7 All-Stars and brought it back for Big Brother 11. Mike Boogie won the first Coup d’État but never used it. America awarded the second one to Jeff Schroeder, who used it to remove Russell and Lydia from the block, nominate Jessie and Natalie, and send Jessie home.
The Coup d’État has appeared twice in Big Brother US. Jeff remains the only houseguest who has ever activated it.
- What it did: Replaced the HOH’s nominations immediately before the live eviction vote.
- When it could be used: After the Power of Veto ceremony, with the week’s final nominees already on the block.
- Big Brother US seasons: Big Brother 7 All-Stars in 2006 and Big Brother 11 in 2009.
- Who won it: Mike Boogie in BB7 and Jeff Schroeder in BB11.
- Who actually used it: Jeff Schroeder is the only Big Brother US houseguest to activate the power.
- The secrecy rule: The holder had to keep the power secret until it was used.
What Is the Big Brother Coup d’État?
The Coup d’État was the most destructive power ever handed to a Big Brother houseguest. It didn’t merely save one person from the block. It allowed its holder to throw out both of the HOH’s nominations and choose two replacement nominees at the last possible moment.
The power was first introduced in Big Brother 7 All-Stars. It returned three years later in Big Brother 11.
Its timing made it uniquely dangerous. The original nominations had already been made. The Power of Veto competition and ceremony were over. The houseguests believed they knew who would face the vote. The Coup d’État holder could then wipe the block clean immediately before the eviction.
How Did the Coup d’État Work?
The holder could stand during the eviction show, remove both nominees from the block and name two replacements. The house would then vote between the new nominees.
In Big Brother 11, two important restrictions applied: the reigning HOH and the Power of Veto holder were protected and could not be named as replacement nominees.
How the power was awarded changed completely between its two US appearances. Big Brother 7 made the houseguests solve a riddle to win it. Big Brother 11 gave the decision to the viewers through America’s Vote.
Who Won the Coup d’État on Big Brother 7?
Mike Boogie, also known as Mike Malin, won the first Big Brother Coup d’État during Big Brother 7 All-Stars. He earned it by solving a three-clue riddle before the other houseguests.
During week 6, Julie Chen told the houseguests that they would be competing for a mystery power capable of completely changing the game. They also learned that whoever won it would have to keep the power secret until the moment it was used.
What Competition Did Mike Boogie Win?
Mike Boogie did not win a conventional physical, endurance or quiz competition. He solved a riddle built from three unusual clues placed inside the Big Brother house.
- Clue one: A live sheep wearing a pink bow. A ewe — you.
- Clue two: A grim reaper. Reap.
- Clue three: An oversized needle and thread. Sew.
- The answer: You reap what you sow.
Each houseguest received one opportunity to say the answer aloud while alone in the Diary Room. They were not told whether their answer was correct. Nobody would learn who had won until the eviction ceremony, when the nature of the mystery power would also be revealed.
Boogie solved the riddle first and gained the right to use the Coup d’État at any of the next three evictions.
Why Didn’t Mike Boogie Use the Coup d’État?
Boogie passed on his first opportunity. He passed again at the second eviction. He then won HOH going into the third and final week in which the power was valid.
Because Boogie already controlled the nominations as HOH, he had no reason to overthrow his own week. The deadline passed and the most powerful twist in the show’s history expired in his hands without being used.
How Jeff Used the Coup d’État on Big Brother 11
Big Brother brought the Coup d’État back in 2009, but this time the houseguests did not have to solve a riddle or win a competition. America voted on who should receive the power and selected Jeff Schroeder.
Inside the house, nobody knew for certain who held the mystery power or exactly what it could do. The houseguests began calling it the Wizard Power, a nickname that continued long after the season ended.
Jeff had two eviction opportunities to use the power. He remained silent during the first, and Ronnie was evicted on day 33 by a vote of 4–3.
The following week, Chima was HOH and had nominated Russell and Lydia. Kevin held the Power of Veto but did not use it. Moments before the eviction vote, Jeff stood and activated the Coup d’État.
Jeff removed Russell and Lydia from the block and replaced them with Jessie and Natalie. Chima, as the reigning HOH, and Kevin, as the veto holder, were protected and could not be nominated. Neither Jeff nor Chima voted. Jessie was evicted on day 40 by a vote of 3–2.
Because the Coup d’État had overthrown Chima’s nominations, every houseguest was eligible to compete in the next HOH competition, including Chima herself.
The Live Show That Wasn’t Live
There is another extraordinary detail about that eviction: it was not broadcast live.
Chima had threatened to go off the rails on air if Jeff used the power to overturn her nominations. CBS taped the eviction hours early so producers could remove anything that could not be broadcast. It remains the only regular eviction episode to be pre-taped for that reason, and it happened because of the Coup d’État. The full story is on our Big Brother Live Show page.
The fallout did not end with Jessie’s eviction. Two days later, Chima refused to wear her microphone and threw it into the hot tub. She was expelled from the game.
The Coup d’État did more than flip one week. Its use helped push one houseguest out of the season and cost the show its planned double eviction.
Why Has the Coup d’État Never Returned?
Every Big Brother US season from Big Brother 12 through Big Brother 28 passed without another Coup d’État. The explanation came from the executive producer who oversaw its most famous appearance.
Weeks after the Big Brother 11 finale, executive producer Allison Grodner said she had enjoyed the power and the upheaval it created: “I loved the coup d’etat. I love that it got used.” She described the atmosphere in the studio that night as electric.
When asked whether the power would return, Grodner said it was difficult to repeat twists. She also suggested that any comparable power offered the following year would probably have to be earned by a houseguest.
That is exactly what happened, and the pattern has continued. The Coup d’État combined several enormous advantages in one power: it stripped the HOH of control, nullified the completed veto process and allowed its holder to choose both replacement nominees. In Big Brother 11, all of that authority was awarded through a public vote to someone who had not won it inside the house.
Later Big Brother powers divided that authority into smaller pieces. The Diamond Power of Veto gave its holder control over a replacement nominee. Big Brother 21’s Nightmare Power could force an HOH to replace both nominees, but it operated immediately after the nomination ceremony rather than at the eviction. Big Brother 23’s Coin of Destiny could steal an HOH reign, but before the veto. Big Brother 26’s Deepfake HOH hijacked a reign from the shadows. Big Brother 27’s HOH Interrogation could dethrone an HOH before nominations were made.
Each of those twists reproduced part of what the Coup d’État could do. None combined all of its powers, and none struck at the same moment — with the block locked and the eviction vote about to begin.
Coup d’État Powers Outside Big Brother US
The power has also appeared in other versions of Big Brother, where variations of the twist have operated under different rules.
Big Brother Canada 3 (2015): Brittnee Blair received a Coup-style power through a public vote. She used it during the eviction, removing herself and Godfrey from the block and replacing them with Bruno and Zach. Bruno was evicted.
Celebrity Big Brother Québec 6 (2026): Mona de Grenoble entered the house holding a power explicitly named the Coup d’État. Taking control of a future patronat, the Québec version of HOH, came with a permanent cost: she surrendered her right to become patron herself. Mona used the power in February and reshaped the final block into Normand and the reigning patron, King. King was evicted. Unlike the US version, the Québec power did not protect the sitting HOH.
Celebrity Big Brother US has never featured a Coup d’État.
Big Brother Coup d’État Questions
Who won the Coup d’État on Big Brother?
Mike Boogie won the first Coup d’État by solving a riddle on Big Brother 7 All-Stars. America voted to give the second one to Jeff Schroeder on Big Brother 11.
Who actually used the Coup d’État?
Jeff Schroeder is the only Big Brother US houseguest to activate the Coup d’État. Mike Boogie won it in Big Brother 7 but allowed it to expire without using it.
Who did Jeff nominate with the Coup d’État?
Jeff removed Russell and Lydia from the block and nominated Jessie and Natalie in their place. Jessie was evicted by a vote of 3–2.
Was the Coup d’État called the Wizard Power?
Yes. During Big Brother 11, the houseguests called the unknown mystery twist the Wizard Power before they knew that it was the Coup d’État.
What riddle did Mike Boogie solve?
Mike Boogie correctly combined the clues of a ewe, a grim reaper and a needle with thread to produce the phrase “You reap what you sow.”