James Huling is the only houseguest to win America’s Favorite and finish third in back-to-back seasons. He played Big Brother 17 and Big Brother 18, logging 177 days inside the house across both runs. His BB17 game made him a fan favorite — the guy who hid people’s stuff, launched prank wars, and then won the power competitions when it counted. His BB18 return was quieter: one signature HOH, a smaller target, and a third-place finish after Paul won the final Head of Household and took Nicole instead. James won America’s Favorite Houseguest once, on BB17 — not twice, despite the claim that followed him into his second season.
- Seasons: Big Brother 17 (2015), Big Brother 18 (2016)
- Best finish: 3rd place (BB18)
- BB17: 7th place, 78 days, America’s Favorite Houseguest
- HOH wins: 3 (co-HOH BB17 Week 1, BB17 Week 6, BB18 Week 5)
- POV wins: 1 (BB17 Week 6)
- Total days: 177
- Jury votes: Steve (BB17), Paul (BB18)
Big Brother 17
James entered BB17 as part of a sixteen-person cast and shared the first Head of Household win. His breakout week was Week 6, when he won both HOH and the Power of Veto, nominated the showmance pair Shelli and Clay, and held the nominations steady. Clay was evicted 9–0 — one of the cleanest power weeks that season. Outside of competitions, James was the house prankster: hiding pillows, scaring people around corners, keeping the mood loose during tense weeks. That combination — the guy who can win when he needs to and keeps the house laughing when he does not — is what carried him to America’s Favorite Houseguest on finale night, beating JohnnyMac and Jason in the top three.
His game ended in the Week 10 double eviction. In the first round, Vanessa’s HOH sent Meg out 4–1. In the second, Liz won HOH and nominated James alongside JohnnyMac. Julia won the veto and left the nominations unchanged. James was evicted 4–0. He finished seventh and voted for Steve to win in the 6–3 finale.
Big Brother 18
James returned as one of four veterans entering the BB18 house alongside Nicole, Da’Vonne, and Frank. His defining move came in Week 5: he won the wall competition for HOH, then broke a deal with Frank and Bridgette by nominating both of them. Frank was evicted 9–0. After that, James pulled back — fewer competition wins, a lower profile, a game built around his showmance with Natalie and the trust he had banked.
The strategy kept him alive deep into the game, but it also shaped how the house saw him. Nicole put it bluntly on the feeds: “Sitting next to James is the equivalent to taking Victoria. What has he done?” In the end, it did not matter — Paul won the final Head of Household and took Nicole to the final two, cutting James at third place. James voted for Paul; Nicole won 5–4. America’s Favorite that night went to Victor, not James — making his BB17 win his only one.
