More 'BBOTT' Would Not Be A Bad Thing

Big Brother fans know to always "expect the unexpected." Well, after 18 seasons on CBS, that credo still rings true today since CBS not only surprised us with a new season of Big Brother in the fall but also one whose format majorly differs from what we usually see in the summertime. So as the spinoff airs its very first season finale on Thursday night, will Big Brother: Over the Top return for Season 2 to bring us more shocking moments?

Big Brother: Over the Top is still in limbo as far as a Season 2 renewal goes. And no, I'm not talking about the fun game of limbo like the houseguests would probably play while competing to win the Golden Power of Veto or something. What I'm saying is CBS has unfortunately not yet announced the fate of Big Brother: Over the Top. So that means we're in that weird in-between period where we don't know whether the show will return for another season or not.

Since Big Brother: Over the Top has aired exclusively through CBS All Access, the network's paid subscription streaming service, traditional Nielsen ratings data isn't available for the series. It's unclear how many people watched the inaugural season of Big Brother: Over the Top since viewing numbers don't seem to be readily available. However, this spinoff of sorts does seem to have inspired a lot of buzz from diehard Big Brother fans and more mainstream news outlets alike, which means people were and continued to be intrigued by this new take on a beloved reality show throughout the season. I mean, when was the last time a Big Brother moment went viral like the time the houseguests were virtually the last people in the world to find out Donald Trump won the presidential election? More Big Brother: Over the Top could be a good way for CBS to make its digital platform more robust as well, especially since the web is increasingly where TV is at these days.

Bringing Big Brother: Over the Top back for another season certainly has even more pros for CBS. For one thing, it seems like putting on another season like this would be fairly easy, especially since the set is there, and all the network would have to do is find another batch of houseguests and convince Julie Chen to host again. I will seriously not even entertain the idea of Chen not hosting a season of Big Brother, even if it is the Over the Top version, by the way.

So who knows? Big Brother: Over the Top could become a fixture of the fall TV season just as Big Brother has become a summer staple. Chen told The Hollywood Reporter in September ahead of the Big Brother: Over the Top premiere that she doesn't think fans will get sick of the show with both versions on the air during the year. "With BBOTT, I just see it like an added supplement to what fans like about the show," she explained. "I don't think they're going to tire of it." She was just referring to this year, but if fans can handle two rounds of Big Brother now, who's to say they won't want the same amount — or even more — in the future?

Whether or not Big Brother: Over the Top returns, you can bet that there will be more Big Brother coming your way. CBS announced in August that it renewed Big Brother for Seasons 19 and 20 to air sometime in Summer 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Since the premiere of the new season of Big Brother is still several months away, details about the next installment are few and far between. So no, there isn't any information available about what this season's major twist will be, assuming that there is one, as past seasons have had. It's also unclear if Big Brother will borrow any of the changes to the game that Big Brother: Over the Top has implemented, such as viewers voting for the Have-Nots, the nominees, and the houseguest that gets evicted each week instead of the players.

However, I have a feeling that CBS will want to keep these two series fairly distinct and not incorporate any of the new rules into the classic Big Brother game if the network decides to bring Big Brother: Over the Top back. You don't mess with perfection, after all.

Images: Sonja Flemming/CBS; Giphy