10 Greatest 'Big Brother' Players Ever

by Tyler Glover

10. Jordan Lloyd
Winner of Season 11
​Finished fourth in Season 13 
 
It is well-known to all reality television fans that “Big Brother” is a very cut-throat game. You make alliances, but at some point, you have to turn on your own people. There can only be ONE winner. It is a challenging game for houseguests to navigate because a winning resume must balance competition wins with a strong social game. You cannot alienate all of the houseguests and expect to win the grand prize of $750,000. (It used to be $500,000 until two seasons ago). This is because the winner of “Big Brother” is determined by a jury of the last seven to nine houseguests who were voted out of the house. Because of the cut-throat nature of the game, most winners have had “blood on their hands” and not played the cleanest of games. One of the main reasons Jordan Lloyd, winner of Season 11, simply MUST be on the list of Best Big Brother Players is that she was a nice, loyal, compassionate and sweet player. During Season 11, she only managed to win two Head of Household competitions and one Power of Veto, but she aligned herself with some strong players. Her main ally was Jeff Schroeder, with whom she is now married and has two children. Jeff was a competition beast and beloved by many like her. Their good girl and good guy charm led them to go very far on the game. Jeff made it to Top 5 before getting voted out. Jordan also was nominated four times for eviction but managed to escape eviction every time. Jordan being such a nice girl and a great player of the game led to her beating out Natalie Martinez in a 5-2 vote. Jordan’s gameplay is a shining example to all future Big Brother houseguests that it is possible to win the game with integrity. The fact that Lloyd returned for Big Brother 13 and managed to reach the Top 4, even as a previous winner, shows us all that she knows what she is doing in the game of Big Brother.  
 
9. Tiffany Mitchell
Season 23, finished in 6th place 
 
Tiffany Mitchell is one of the absolute best “Big Brother” players that did not make it to finale night and SHOULD HAVE. There is hardly anyone in “Big Brother” history who could strategize like Tiffany. Tiffany was the master organizer of the famous Cookout Alliance of Big Brother 23. Their main objective was to ensure that their season of Big Brother would have the first black winner for the show. The alliance consisted of Mitchell, Azah Awasum, Derek Frazier, Hannah Chaddha, Kyland Young, and the winner of the season Xavier Prather. The alliance got to the final six and was one of the most successful alliances in Big Brother history. Mitchell had every single one of them latch onto one person as an ally who could help steer their people away from any member of The Cookout Alliance, and it worked. Mitchell was exceptional at strategizing and had a strong social game, so the rest of the alliance members knew she would need to be the first one to go after their mission was fulfilled to ensure they all made it to the Top 6. Mitchell was only nominated for eviction once, and it was when she was evicted. As far as competitions go, she only won one Head of Household, but Tiffany showed us all that it doesn’t matter how many competitions you win when you are running the game behind the scenes. I am glad that Tiffany was voted as America’s Favorite Houseguest and got the $50,000 prize.  
 
8. Britney Haynes
Season 12, finished 4th 
Big Brother 14, finished 8th 
Big Brother: Reindeer Games, finished 5th 
 
One of the most difficult episodes I have ever watched of “Big Brother” was because of Britney Haynes. In Season 12, Britney had aligned herself with Lane Elenburg, Monet Stunson and Ragan Fox, while mostly getting into a rivalry with showmance Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly. What Britney did not know was that she ended up helping the famous Brigade alliance eliminate all of their enemies throughout the season. When she failed to win the Head of Household competition and Power of Veto competition with four of them left in the house, the Brigade alliance voted her out, with her finishing fourth place in her first season. What made it so heartbreaking is that Britney was a really great “Big Brother” player and one of the best. She won a Head of Household and three Power of Vetoes and had an incredibly strong social game. Ironically, she was extremely honest in the diary room confessionals. No one can give a diary room confessional like her. The main thing Britney Haynes is remembered for is her brutally honest commentary on the events of the house. She did not hold back and showed us all how incredibly hilarious she was. America loved Britney, and that is why she was the winner of America’s Favorite Houseguest. One of the best players that did not win ... for sure.
 
7. Taylor Hale
Winner of Big Brother Season 24 
 
Taylor Hale simply HAS to be on the list of best “Big Brother” players because she endured so much in that house. Taylor went from the black sheep of the house to the first person to win the “Big Brother” game and win America’s Favorite Houseguest. From the very first week, a misunderstanding led to houseguest Daniel believing Taylor “bullied” Paola in some way, but it led to Taylor being treated like an outcast when she truly did not mean to hurt anyone at all. Taylor had to sit on the block six times during the season. When you are on the block, you have to strategize and have a strong social game to convince people in the house that it is good for their game for you to be there. She had to do this so many times, showing just how resilient she was. Taylor managed to win a couple of Head of Households, too. Taylor was in the final two alongside a competition beast, Monte Taylor, who had won three Head of Households and two Power of Veto competitions. In the end, though, the jury awarded Taylor the win in an 8-1 vote. Taylor’s game is a testament that you can win the game even when you feel you spend the entire season with your back against the wall and trying to get out of sticky situations.
 
6. Cody Calafiore
Winner of Big Brother: All Stars 
Runner-Up of Big Brother Season 16 
 
Cody Calafiore is the poster model for what a typical “Big Brother” winner should look like. He plays such a strong social game. He is able to appeal to everyone with his good-guy persona and win people over. Cody manages to make you feel that it's great for your game for him to still be around, even though he is a competitive beast and definitely a threat. In his first season, Cody was aligned with winner Derrick Levasseur. Cody managed to win three Head of Household competitions and three Power of Veto competitions. Derrick and Cody dominated the game and had a significant impact on the entire season. Rarely did they hit a snag in their plans. Cody made an awful decision in Season 16 by honoring his final two with Derrick. If he had cut Derrick with his Final HOH win, he would have easily won over “floater” Victoria. However, he chose to be loyal and lost the grand prize. It was widely seen that Derrick was more of the mastermind than Cody. Cody got to come back in 2020 for an All-Star season and dominated the game. Even though he should have been on the block the very first week and voted out, he managed to fly under the radar. Cody would go on to win a whopping four Head of Households and four Power of Veto. When it came time to vote for the winner, the entire jury agreed unanimously that Cody deserved it. Cody truly is one of the best winners of the show ever.
 
5. Vanessa Rousso
Finished third in Big Brother Season 17 
 
Vanessa Rousso is one of the best “Big Brother” players to not win. Vanessa lost the final HOH, and the winner, Steve Moses, decided to cut her and take Liz Nolan with him to the final. It was the right decision because if Steve had chosen Vanessa, he would have lost. Vanessa had played THE best social and competitive game of the season. I was devastated when she lost and got cut. She would have been one of the best winners the show had ever seen. Vanessa was a part of The Sixth Sense alliance and was so great at manipulating other people to do what she wanted them to do. She really was running the house the entire season. Vanessa was also great at competitions: she won four Head of Household competitions and three Power of Veto competitions. Vanessa was successful at holding onto power in the house, but she pivoted and got other people who had the power to do what was needed to further her own interests in the game. She was an extremely aggressive player and one of the best.
 
 
4. Nicole Franzel
Winner of Big Brother 18 and Big Brother: Reindeer Games 
Finished 7th in Big Brother 16
Finished third in Big Brother: All Stars 
 
Nicole Franzel was someone I was rooting for to win her very first season. Unfortunately, she was seen as a threat to master manipulators Derrick and Cody in Season 16, and they ensured she was gone too early from the game. Nicole, fortunately, got to return to compete again in Big Brother 18 and ultimately won the game. Nicole won two Head of Household competitions and two Power of Veto competitions, but she had managed to align herself strongly with Corey Brooks, Paulie Calafiore and Zakiyah Everette. Nicole and her alliance were able to control the game most of the season with some slight shifts in power. Where Nicole really excelled was her social game. When Nicole beat runner-up Paul Abrahamian, it was clear that while he had also played an incredible game, she was better at jury management. She was better at making sure players didn’t feel too hurt by the moves she had to make in the game, while Paul’s moves left a bitter taste in the jury’s mouth. It was a close vote, with a 5-4 win for Franzel. Nicole was also a very emotional player and showed humanity in the Big Brother house. She sometimes would cry and be very open in the diary room confessionals, and I respected her for sharing the conflicting feelings of this game.
 
3. Dan Gheesling
Winner of Big Brother 10 
Runner-up of Big Brother 14 
 
Dan Gheesling is simply one of the best “Big Brother” players of all time. He was one of the most skilled manipulators to have ever walked through those doors. In Dan’s first season, he was a part of the Renegades Alliance and was loyal to Brian Hart, Keesha Smith, Memphis Garrett, Renny Martyn and Steven Daigle. Dan managed to win three Head of Household competitions and two Power of Veto competitions. He was one of the very first to show viewers how to have power when you didn’t have power. It did not matter if Dan was HOH or a POV winner; he was running the house. He was only nominated for eviction twice throughout the entire season, demonstrating the strength of his social game alongside his competition wins. Dan won his first Season.
 
What Dan is mostly remembered for, though, is when he appeared to be doomed to go home during Big Brother 14 when he lost the Power of Veto, he staged “Dan’s Funeral.” He cried and manipulated people into feeling sorry for him, all while he had a plan for POV winner Jen to take him off the block and, surprisingly, have the HOH name Britney Haynes as a replacement nominee. It was one of the most shocking moments in the history of “Big Brother.” Dan’s social game was not viewed as effective the second time around. He even managed to get his ally, Danielle, to take Dan off the block so he could vote out her showmance stud, Shane. Danielle’s jaw dropped, and so did all of ours. Dan is one of the absolute best.
 
2. Rachel Reilly 
Winner of Big Brother 13 
Finished 9th in Big Brother 12 
Currently in the house now  
 
Rachel Reilly is one of the fiercest competitors in Big Brother history. What makes her so incredible is that she can pull off competition wins, lay low when needed, strategize and still be herself unapologetically. Rachel is one of the most quoted “Big Brother” houseguests of all time with lines like, “Who wants to see my HOH room?,” “Floaters, you better grab a life vest,” and calling Brendon “Bookie!” Rachel’s first season she only managed to win two Head of Households before finishing in 9th place. She returned for Season 13, though, and won four Head of Household competitions and two Power of Veto competitions. She was strongly aligned with the Veterans Alliance with her now husband, Brendon, Jeff, Jordan and Porsche Briggs (the runner-up of the season). Rachel has really proven that a strong strategy when playing this game is pivoting. It is all about knowing when you need to do something and when you don’t. It is about knowing when to backdoor someone and when not to. If you remove someone perceived to be a threat too early, it can be detrimental to your game because then you become the next target of attention. Reilly famously said, “No one gets between me and my man” when talking about her husband, Brendon, and that’s what she said about the prize money, too.
 
1. Derrick Levasseur 
Winner of Big Brother 16
 
There is no one who should be No. 1 on the list of the best “Big Brother” players of all time other than the winner of Big Brother 16. Derrick played an absolutely perfect game. Derrick was never nominated for eviction; he won four Head of Household competitions and was aligned with Cody Calafiore in the Hitmen Alliance. Cody won three HOH’s and three Power of Veto competitions. With this being the case, the two of them ran the house the entire season. It was Derrick who seemed to be more strategic in the game, though. Derrick also lied about his profession. Derrick was a police officer, and he felt that it could put a target on his back, so he kept that information to himself. Derrick’s win was a unanimous 9-0 vote. Derrick truly showed us all exactly how “Big Brother” was supposed to be played.