Watch Big Brother Online - Full Episodes

This summer Big Brother returns for its 14th season on CBS and remains one of the most popular reality competition shows on the air. The program places over a dozen strangers in a house together, where they have no contact with the outside world but have cameras following them 24 hours a day for almost three months. The players must demonstrate social skill and strategy to last in the competition.

In order to win the final cash prize, the last remaining player avoids the weekly eviction, voted on by the houseguests and also wins a final popularity vote by the other players. During their stay, the houseguests participate in a variety of competitions for rewards such as game advantages, food perks and trips outside the house. One of the most important weekly contests is for the title of Head of Household, the weekly winner gets to nominate the other houseguests for eviction. Houseguests also compete for the Power of Veto to change the eviction nominations. These contests often lead to in-house alliances and enemies as the weeks progress.

Along with several regular episodes a week, there is a live episode to announce the evicted houseguest. Viewers can also watch Big Brother After Dark on the Showtime channel, which includes racier moments from the house activities. Big Brother fans can also sign up for live feeds on the internet and watch every moment of the houseguests' day. The houseguests have no TV, news or family contact, so the tensions and boredom can lead to dramatic arguments and other entertaining moments. The show has also spawned popular podcasts and online chat about the houseguests, which gives the show a wide social networking aspect.

The format of the show has captivated audiences all over the globe from Brazil to Israel, Britain to Indonesia. Each international franchise makes adaptations to the basic structure of the show such as celebrity or All-Star versions, competitions including pairs of players and alterations of the basic premise.. The first Big Brother began in the Netherlands in 1999, and the U.S. version premiered in the summer of 2000 hosted by Julie Chen. The show remains a popular summer series and adds twists to each season to keep the competition fresh.