Big Brother 8

Dick won Big Brother 8 over Daniele in a 5–2 jury vote after a season built around the enemies twist and America’s Player. The estranged father and daughter began the season with unresolved personal conflict, became its most dependable strategic pair, and ultimately reached the Final 2 together.

• Season: Big Brother 8
• Aired: July 5 – September 18, 2007
• Houseguests: 14
• Winner: Dick
• Runner-up: Daniele
• Third place: Zach
• Final jury vote: 5–2
• Major twists: Enemies/Rivals and America’s Player
• America’s Player: Eric
• Winner’s prize: $500,000
• Runner-up prize: $50,000

Who won Big Brother 8?

Dick won Big Brother 8 over Daniele by a 5–2 jury vote. Eric, Dustin, Zach, Amber and Jessica voted for Dick. Jameka and Jen voted for Daniele. Dick won $500,000 and Daniele received the $50,000 runner-up prize.

The five votes for Dick did not all come from one shared jury argument. One ballot was fundamentally different from the others: as America’s Player, Eric was instructed by viewers which finalist to support.

See the complete list of Big Brother winners and jury votes.

The Big Brother 8 cast during the 2007 season.

Who was in the Big Brother 8 cast?

Big Brother 8 had 14 houseguests. In final-placement order, the cast was:

1. Dick — Winner
2. Daniele — Runner-up
3. Zach — Third place
4. Jameka — Fourth place
5. Eric — Fifth place; America’s Player
6. Jessica — Sixth place
7. Amber — Seventh place
8. Jen — Eighth place
9. Dustin — Ninth place
10. Kail — Tenth place
11. Nick — Eleventh place
12. Mike — Twelfth place
13. Joe — Thirteenth place
14. Carol — Fourteenth place

What was the Big Brother 8 eviction order?

The BB8 eviction order became especially important late in the season, when the Fast Forward / Double Eviction removed Jessica and Eric during the same live episode.

1. Carol — evicted 10–1
2. Joe — evicted 9–1
3. Mike — evicted 7–2
4. Nick — evicted 6–2
5. Kail — evicted 4–3
6. Dustin — evicted 4–2
7. Jen — evicted 6–0, including an automatic penalty vote
8. Amber — evicted 3–1
9. Jessica — evicted 2–1 during the Fast Forward
10. Eric — evicted 2–0 during the Fast Forward
11. Jameka — evicted by Dick’s sole vote
12. Zach — evicted by Dick after the Final HOH
13. Daniele — Runner-up
14. Dick — Winner, 5–2

What was the twist in Big Brother 8?

The enemies twist

BB8 began before all 14 houseguests were together. Eleven entered the house while Dick, Jessica and Dustin watched from upstairs on the spy screen. Each of those three had a difficult pre-existing relationship with someone already downstairs: Dick and Daniele were estranged father and daughter, Jessica and Carol were former friends, and Dustin and Joe were ex-boyfriends.

Dick, Jessica and Dustin did not participate in the first HOH competition and were protected from the first eviction. The other houseguests competed in pairs in “Mushroom Madness.” Eric and Kail emerged as the winning pair, after which the hidden three selected Kail to become the first official Head of Household.

America’s Player

The more important long-term twist was America’s Player. Eric secretly received assignments chosen by viewers and could not reveal that he was carrying them out. Some assignments involved personal tasks, while others instructed him to influence nominations, campaign or cast a particular eviction vote.

What were the alliances in Big Brother 8?

Mrs. Robinson

The first major named alliance was Mrs. Robinson: Kail, Mike, Nick and Zach. Kail and Mike were the tighter center, while Nick and Zach developed relationships elsewhere. The alliance deteriorated quickly as the early votes exposed divisions inside the group.

Late Night Crew

The Late Night Crew, or LNC, became the broad majority umbrella around Dick, Daniele, Dustin, Amber, Jameka, Jessica and Eric. It was not one permanent seven-person endgame unit. Eric and Jessica became increasingly close, Dustin and Amber were tightly connected, and Dick and Daniele were becoming a dependable pair of their own.

Little Julie Chens

After Dustin’s eviction, Dick and Daniele made a Final 4 agreement with Eric and Jessica. The four called themselves the Little Julie Chens.

The alliance contained two obvious internal pairs: Dick/Daniele and Eric/Jessica. That distinction mattered when the game reached six players. Jessica was evicted first during the Fast Forward, Dick immediately won HOH, and Eric followed her out.

Who won each HOH, veto and eviction?

HOH sequence: Kail ? Jen ? Dick ? Dustin ? Daniele ? Jessica ? Daniele ? Jessica ? Zach ? Dick during the Fast Forward ? Zach. Dick then won the final three-part HOH.

Power of Veto sequence: Daniele ? Daniele ? Jen ? Jameka ? Jen ? Dick ? Daniele ? Eric ? Daniele ? Zach during the Fast Forward ? Daniele.

Daniele finished BB8 with five veto wins. Her final veto was especially important: Zach had Dick and Daniele nominated together at Final 4, but Daniele won the veto and saved Dick.

What is Big Brother 8 remembered for?

• Dick and Daniele reaching the Final 2 after entering as an estranged father and daughter.
• America’s Player putting viewer instructions directly inside the game through Eric.
• Eric’s unexplained votes affecting what other houseguests believed was happening.
• Daniele trying to backdoor Eric after becoming suspicious of the mystery voting.
• Dick using the veto on Daniele instead of himself while both were nominated.
• Dustin’s 4–2 blindside during Jessica’s HOH.
• The Little Julie Chens Final 4 agreement.
• Daniele winning five vetoes, including the Final 4 veto.
• Jen receiving an automatic penalty vote after violating her food restriction.
• The Fast Forward / Double Eviction that eliminated Jessica and Eric.
• Dick defeating Daniele 5–2 in the final jury vote.

Big Brother 8 week-by-week results

Here is the BB8 game record, including every HOH, nomination, veto decision and eviction.

How the Big Brother 8 season unfolded

America’s Player helped create the mystery around Nick

Some of Eric’s America’s Player votes did not match what his allies expected him to do. Because Eric could not reveal the twist, the house had to find another explanation.

One unexplained vote against Kail was blamed on Nick. Suspicion around Nick contributed to him becoming vulnerable during Dustin’s HOH. Jameka won “Vincent Van Veto,” saved Jen, and Dustin named Nick as the replacement nominee. Nick was evicted 6–2.

Daniele later became suspicious that Eric, not Nick, was responsible for the mystery voting. After winning HOH she nominated Jen and Kail, Jen won the veto, and Daniele replaced her with Eric. Eric survived against Kail by a 4–3 vote.

Jessica nominated Dick and Daniele — and Dustin went home

Jessica’s first HOH gave her side a direct chance to break up Dick and Daniele. She nominated the father and daughter together.

Dick then won “Shot for Shot.” Instead of saving himself, he used the veto on Daniele and remained on the block. Jessica named Dustin as the replacement nominee.

The result broke the old majority structure and opened the way for the Little Julie Chens agreement.

Dick and Daniele became a dependable game pair

The enemies twist did not instantly turn Dick and Daniele into a harmonious partnership. Their personal problems continued inside the house. What changed was their reliability as players: as BB8 progressed, each became increasingly willing to protect the other, and the rest of the house increasingly treated them as one unit.

Dick saving Daniele during Jessica’s HOH was the clearest midgame example. The mirror image came at Final 4.

Zach won HOH and nominated Dick and Daniele together. Daniele then won “Big Brother Decoder,” her fifth veto of the season. She used it on Dick. Jameka became the only possible replacement nominee, and Dick held the sole eviction vote. He evicted Jameka.

A round that began with both of them nominated ended with both reaching the Final 3.

Daniele’s five veto wins

• Week 1: Daniele won “Hide & Seek Veto” and left Kail’s nominations unchanged.
• Week 2: Daniele won “Cutthroat Christmas” and saved herself.
• Week 7: Daniele won the veto, saved Amber and put Jen on the block.
• Week 9: Daniele won “Janelle-O-Vision” and left Jessica and Jameka nominated.
• Final 4: Daniele won “Big Brother Decoder” and saved Dick.

The Big Brother 8 showmances

Two relationships became especially important to the season: Daniele and Nick, and Eric and Jessica. Both appear in OBB’s history of Big Brother showmances and flirtmances.

Nick’s relationship with Daniele became strategically important after his eviction because the mystery vote surrounding Nick helped push Daniele toward targeting Eric.

Eric and Jessica developed into both a personal and strategic pair. America’s Player complicated that relationship because Eric could sometimes be instructed to pursue a result that did not fit naturally with the pair’s plans.

Jen’s penalty vote

During Daniele’s second HOH, Daniele used the veto on Amber and named Jen as the replacement nominee. Jen then violated her food restriction by eating regular food and received an automatic penalty vote against her at the eviction.

Jen was evicted 6–0, with the announced total including the penalty vote. The penalty did not determine who left because the other eviction votes were already against her.

Her final week also included the continuing conflict between Jen and Dick, including the destruction of his cigarettes and a later confrontation involving a lit cigarette. For the season hub, the important game consequence is the food-rule penalty and her eviction.

The Fast Forward eliminated Jessica and Eric

BB8’s Fast Forward / Double Eviction reduced the game from six houseguests to four in one live episode.

Zach entered the night as HOH with Jessica and Jameka nominated. Daniele held the veto and left the nominations unchanged. Jessica was evicted 2–1.

The house immediately played another HOH competition. Dick won “Before or After” and nominated Eric and Jameka. Zach won “Niagara Balls,” did not use the veto, and Eric was evicted 2–0.

The final HOH

The Final 3 were Dick, Daniele and Zach.

• Part 1: Zach won.
• Part 2: Dick defeated Daniele.
• Part 3: Dick defeated Zach.

Dick became the final Head of Household, evicted Zach and took Daniele to the Final 2. The jury then awarded Dick the season by a 5–2 vote.

Did Big Brother 8 have an America’s Favorite award?

Big Brother 8 ran America’s Player rather than a fan-favorite prize awarded after the game. Eric was America’s Player, a season-long twist in which viewers assigned him tasks while he was still competing. OBB’s America’s Player record says he completed 21 of 28 assignments and earned $40,000.

That is a different thing from the fan-favorite prize used in other seasons. America’s Player could affect nominations, campaigning and eviction votes, and the twist continued through the finale when viewers instructed Eric which finalist to support.

Big Brother 8 live-feed archive

OBB covered Big Brother 8 in 2007, but much of that original live-feed material is not present in the current WordPress database. The season hub preserves the game record while older posts and images continue to be recovered and verified. No missing feed-post URL is linked here unless it has been confirmed.