What was Big Brother: Over the Top? An original interactive concept

Big Brother: Over the Top was an entirely original endeavor by CBS. It was an interactive online reality competition show, with producers hoping it could generate a large following.

Following the huge success of Big Brother 18 on CBS, the network tried something new. In conjunction with the CBS All Access application, producers put together an entirely online version of the show. Big Brother: Over the Top took advantage of the live feeds, using them to show all competitions, votes, and evictions from the game. It was a big change in the format of the show, but there were a lot of viewers who enjoyed it.

What was Big Brother: Over the Top?

Thirteen houseguests took part in the fall 2016 show. It lasted 65 days, with the winner receiving $250,000. There were 10 episodes that aired live through the online application and weekly recaps to keep people up to date on what was taking place. Outside of that, the live feeds were almost always turned on, giving viewers long behind the scenes looks.

For die-hard fans of the show, this version of the reality competition show was a great way for the program to be presented. There was something to watch on the live feeds almost every day, making it well worth the subscription fees that CBS All Access collects. The constant feed action also turned some people away from the show, because it became easy to fall behind, even with recaps available.

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Transparency of BBOTT

During the regular summer and celebrity versions of the show, viewers don’t get to see all of the competitions take place live. A lot of that, as well as the weekly Nomination Ceremony and Power of Veto Ceremony, get taped in advance of episodes. With BBOTT, though, it was possible for viewers to see everything as it was playing out. This proved to be exciting for a lot of people.

Viewers were also able to vote on a lot of things, including who they felt should win, making it extremely interactive. It gave the fans a lot of control as the season progressed, making it a totally immersive experience.

When the season started, viewers even got to vote on a returning houseguest, choosing Jason Roy over Jozea Flores in a public vote. It was a fun wrinkle, but some people had been hoping for more than just two choices, as Jason had just been on the BB17 cast and Jozea was on BB18.

At the end of its run, Morgan Willett was named the Big Brother: Over the Top winner, with Jason Roy and Kryssie Ridolfi finishing as the runner-ups. The show had a final three houseguests, rather than the final two that the summer version always uses. Morgan and Jozea have gone on to other reality shows following the show, including Ex on the Beach and The Challenge.