Big Brother 28 premieres with time-travel twist and mystery guest

The twenty-eighth season of the reality competition series "Big Brother" premiered on July 9, 2026, introducing a cast of fourteen new players and three veteran reality stars in a season themed around time travel. The premiere episode, which aired on CBS, featured a series of twists, including the temporary return of a former winner and the announcement of a seventeenth houseguest whose identity will be revealed on July 10.

Host Julie Chen Moonves oversaw the season's opening, which involved contestants traveling to different time periods to discover the three veteran players. The first two veterans were confirmed as Angela Murray, a fan favorite from "Big Brother 26," and Rick Devens, a notable competitor from "Survivor." The third veteran was initially presented as Rachel Reilly, the winner of "Big Brother 13," but her appearance was a stunt. In a scripted segment, Reilly was eliminated by a dinosaur during a challenge set in the Jurassic period.

Following that twist, Chen Moonves announced she would time-travel to find a replacement. While the premiere episode teased a journey to December 20, 2023, other reports indicate the destination was September 27, 2023. This specific...