Big Brother Season 25 is fast approaching, and while we know a good deal about the season, there are still secrets to unlock. Namely, we have zero clue what the big twist and themes of the season are, but we recently got a clue about what they might be thanks to host Julie Chen Moonves.
The Chenbot, who frequently vague posts about the show on social media, came through in the final week of preseason and provided Big Brother followers with a picture that allegedly contains clues to the theme of Season 25. For those who missed it, take a look at the image below:
I'm not sure if this key art was intentionally meant to be used as a clue, but I wouldn't be surprised if the answer was no. I say that because this is literally just the show logo with some colorful designs around it. However, as a seasoned Big Brother fan and avid user of my Paramount+ subscription for live feeds, I'm used to pulling valid theories from minimal information. Here are my thoughts on what the theme for this landmark season is, based on this picture alone.
Superheroes
I think the most obvious image that stands out above is the comic-book style art design. The image next to it could be a gloved fist, and then the green hand is giving me some Swamp Thing vibes. We could be in for a superhero-themed season, which would be on-brand for Big Brother.
Superheroes and Big Brother have some crossover, thanks to the long-running BB Comics competition. Is it possible that Season 25 would go full tilt on an entire season dedicated to heroes, and theme all of its challenges like the Houseguests are heroes fighting villains and saving the day? It would be a bit corny, but it wouldn't be a BB theme without a touch of corniness to it.
Horror
There's something super creepy about that green hand on the far right, in a way that is unlike what we usually see in Big Brother. Just zeroing in on that one element has me hoping for a horror-themed Season 25, even if there are other options on the table. Maybe that purple spiral part could allude to some classic Hitchcock thriller, and the red gel is some sort of monstrous blob?
It could just be that I really want a horror-themed season because, honestly, the monster hand is the only strong bit of evidence here pointing to it. I'll be curious to see how that part factors into the entirety of the season, assuming we don't get a full-on horror-themed season.
Hollywood Movie Genres
There's a lot going on in each individual part of the show logo's design, so much so that it's hard to really peg down one theme unless you're thinking of something broad. While I initially thought superheroes or horror, I think widening the scope of it out to one that comfortably fits both, like Hollywood movie genres, works even better.
It would also be hard to pull off as opposed to a normal twist, especially if the theme was going to rotate from week to week. That would, presumably, create a bunch of work for the crews compared to something more consistent where set pieces could be reused and repurposed. Even so, I think it's a legitimate option to consider and one that I'd welcome with open arms as someone who, unsurprisingly given where I work, has a love of movies.
BB Comics (And Other Iconic Competitions)
Big Brother fans know that the comic book image could be a nod to BB Comics, one of the most popular competitions of the game. Using that mindset, is it possible that other iconic competitions from the game are being alluded to here? While the green hand image freaks me out, I can't deny it bears a striking resemblance to the night vision camera visuals we see during the competitions that occur in blacked-out rooms.
Beyond those two pictures, though, I'm struggling to think of what other competitions could be represented by the lava lamp-looking design and the purple spiral with transparent circles. Maybe it'll be one of those answers that's painfully obvious once I finally learn it, but for now, I'm drawing a blank on how those two pieces fit into the puzzle. If nothing else, I'm just hoping one of them isn't referencing that awful luxury comp from All-Stars 2.
Team Twist
Perhaps the images are less about the twist, and the number of images is more relevant. Big Brother had great success in Season 23 when it brought back the team twist, which divided all of the Houseguests into four separate teams. By playing as a team, the Houseguests were able to ensure widespread safety, which inadvertently protected some of the weakest players who might've had poor competition performance or a weak social game at the beginning.
I would be down to see the team twist return for Season 25, even if it had only been gone for a couple of seasons. Perhaps the point of this is that each image represents another team and the area of the house they'll be living in at the start of the game. I'd be on board with it, especially if the house is split between four radically different designs.
The Multiverse
I don't think it's any secret that the concept of a multiverse is hot in pop culture right now. Perhaps it's time for Big Brother to hop on the trend and lean into the idea that the various worlds of the reality television show are colliding into a garbled-up mess that could lead to a near-total collapse of the game as we know it.
That may sound dramatic, but let's not forget that Big Brother is celebrating 24 prior seasons of the game in Season 25. Perhaps the idea is to send the past out with a bang in a blowout situation and then reset the entire franchise Crisis On Infinite Earths-style by the end of the season. I'd totally be down for a lore reset in Big Brother and maybe the heroic exits of characters like Zingbot, OTEV, and even the bathtub rubber duck with sunglasses. It would be the perfect way to revamp the series and maybe create some new traditions as the series enters a new era in Season 26 and beyond. This theory is a little wild, but hey, expect the unexpected!
Big Brother Season 25 will premiere on CBS with a live move-in premiere on Wednesday, August 2nd, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Hopefully we'll know the full extent of the theme and twist by the end of that episode and any other surprises we may not know about.
