Turning up the heat. With contestants isolated from the outside world and filmed 24/7, the Big Brother house is a recipe for explosive behavior.
“FOMO consumed my every move. I would get 2-4 hours of sleep at night — no normal human could function off of [that],” Big Brother 24 houseguest Paloma Aguilar wrote via Instagram after her July 2022 exit from the show. “No one understands the psychological challenge of reality television unless you have firsthand EXPERIENCED it.”
Ahead of her decision to leave the house early for mental health reasons, Paloma drew backlash for her treatment of fellow houseguest Taylor Hale. The personal attacks on Taylor perpetuated by several contestants were enough to make Big Brother alums outside the house comment on the situation.
“The treatment of Taylor in #BB24 is a prime example of why The Cookout was formed,” season 23 winner Xavier Prather wrote via Twitter in July 2022, referring to the all-Black alliance he helped create. “Members of the Black community (especially Black women) and other people of color stand no chance in the Big Brother house due to perpetuation of micro-aggressions and unconscious biases which plague our society.”
Fellow Cookout member Tiffany Mitchell also expressed her disappointment after houseguests Monte Taylor and Terrance Higgins implied that Taylor would “blow up” if nominated for eviction.
“This convo with Monte and Terrance has me FUMING,” Tiffany wrote via Twitter. “Two black men gossiping and tearing down another Black woman who actually did NOTHING to them. Accusing her of being condescending because she actually has a personality.”
In week 3 of the season, Daniel Durston brought Taylor to tears after yelling at her and claiming that she’d caused Paloma’s premature exit. The drama began after Taylor tried to comfort a crying Nicole Layog, assuring her that her mental health was more important than the game. Daniel perceived the former Miss Michigan USA’s comments as a passive aggressive attempt to get Nicole out of the game.
“Don’t speak to me until the finale,” Daniel yelled at Taylor in front of several other houseguests. “The same s—t you did to Paloma, you’re doing to [Nicole]. You can f—k right off.”
The Vegas performer continued, “I will never forget what you did to Paloma. You think she didn’t spiral because of you? You didn’t add to that? And now you’re trying to do it to Nicole, the mind games.” Taylor was shocked by the outburst and cried about the interaction in the diary room.
Scroll through to see the most shocking Big Brother fights over the years: