An annual tradition, America's Favorite Houseguest is Big Brother's way of rewarding houseguests who manage to remain likable despite being in a house full of people trying to manipulate their way to the end of the game. Fans have grown to love some houseguests, hate others, and gone back and forth regarding the 17 houseguests who were willing to dedicate their summer to living in the house and trying to win half a million dollars. While the America's Favorite Houseguest prize is only $25,000, that's still enough to make the summer worthwhile, and it could get rid of a decent amount of someone's student debt (which is how a few Big Brother contestants measure the prize money). All 17 houseguests are eligible for the prize, but who will win America's Favorite Houseguest on Big Brother 17 ?
America has a few qualities it favors when voting for their Favorite Houseguest. Fans usually like someone funny, who has honest and humorous diary room sessions, and seems genuine. Last year's favorite houseguest, Donny, was a fun and relatable guy who had the kindest heart in the house, which led him to win the prize over Frankie Grande, who many people expected to win due to being Ariana Grande's brother. When America picks houseguests, they are honest about putting up people they think are honest.
Who is likely to win America's Favorite Houseguest this year? I broke it down and distributed odds to each houseguest.
Jace
Jace quickly became the biggest jerk in the Big Brother house upon his entrance, but his Twitter game after his eviction might be enough to get him a surprising amount of votes. There's no way he's winning, though.
Odds: 200/1
Da'Vonne
Da'Vonne was a fast fan favorite and probably would have a great shot at winning if she hadn't gotten evicted so quickly. Her social media game might help her get closer to the top, though.
Odds: 25/1
Jeff
Vanilla is some people's favorite ice cream flavor, so by that logic Jeff has a chance at winning. He's just not a terribly interesting houseguest.
Odds: 70/1
Audrey
Audrey was only around for a few weeks, but she made an amazing impression as a wildcard player. She would go on to have a vibrant, engaging social media presence that may help her get some votes from America.
Odds: 20/1
Jason
If Jason had made it past jury, he probably would've won this prize. Jason was fun, honest, and as a superfan, had a great perspective on the game. Even though he left the show before jury, Jason can't be counted out yet.
Odds: 15/1
Clay
Clay's entire personality in the house was "He's hot and loves Shelli." If Clay's friendship with Audrey was as active inside the house as it has been outside, he could've shown some more likable aspects of his personality. Instead, people know Clay as "the hot boy who sacrificed his game for Shelli."
Odds: 40/1
Shelli
Shelli may be the one player who has actually benefited from going to jury. While in the house, she ran the Sixth Sense alliance and helped send a lot of strong players (including fan favorites) home. Now that she's in the jury, fans have realized that even though she sent home their faves, she is an intelligent and humble player. She also has a large following of fans online, so it's not impossible that she could pull off an upset.
Odds: 10/1
Jackie
Jackie started the game very quietly, but once Jeff was evicted she really stepped up to the plate and started playing hard. She was an attentive and empathetic player, and was extremely understanding when Steve blindsided her and sent her out the door. She's not a likely winner for America's Favorite, but she is a worthy one.
Odds: 20/1
Becky
Becky was a self-described "basic b*tch," but a lot about her suggested she was anything but basic. She was the only one in the house smart and brave enough to make a move to against Vanessa, and also she got hit in the face with a train . They should make a separate prize for "Best Story Told In The House" and give it to her for the train story, then retroactively give it to Victoria's crow story. Hopefully, after she leaves jury and BB17 is over, #BeckyUpdate will live on.
Odds: 15/1
Meg
Meg was a fun presence on BB17, but her lack of game moves makes her an unlikely winner for America's Favorite Houseguest.
Odds: 20/1
James
James was sweet, funny, kind, and honest in the Big Brother house. If his personality wasn't already enough, his pranking antics entertained and delighted the audience, while his willingness to make big game moves endeared him to those who appreciate people shaking up the game.
Odds: 4/1
Julia
Julia made a reputation for herself as "the reasonable twin" once Liz started dating Austin. Julia could fall into some bad habits with her sister, but she was still a solid player and a good addition to the house. She doesn't stack up much against other houseguests, however.
Odds: 15/1
Austin
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Odds: No Way/1
Johnny Mac
Johnny Mac, the rockstar dentist, will go down as a Big Brother legend. He didn't have the best gameplay, but he did have the best intentions. He was funny, nice to those who deserved and needed kindness, and all-around adorable. He also managed to be put on the block nine times and save himself from eight of those. If they ever do another All-Stars, John is a shoe-in, and definitely the front-runner for BB17's America's Favorite Houseguest.
Odds: 2/1
Liz
Liz isn't very popular with Big Brother fans. Sending home fan favorites and being in a maligned showmance isn't a very good recipe for being voted America's Favorite.
Odds: 20/1
Steve
Steve has had the biggest transformation this whole season. He went from an awkward band geek to a confident but still awkward band geek. Steve's adorable nature and love of the game makes him a likely candidate for America's Favorite.
Odds: 5/1
Vanessa
Vanessa isn't liked by fans, but she is respected. The only reason she's not going to get many votes is because everyone is already expecting her to win the big $500,000 prize. Vanessa is aware she's not America's Favorite, but she would much rather be the winner./p>
Odds: 10/1
For more on this season of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.
Image: Robert Voets/CBS
