It’s inevitable that in a game like Big Brother where players are stuck in a house with one another for an entire summer, a fight or two will break out. The players are cut off from the world outside and without the creature comforts from which they have become accustomed, like technology. They must also forge alliances with others and compete for a large cash prize at the end, which often means creating enemies along the way as well.
Big Brother producers are always watching, and physical violence is strictly forbidden in the game. But that doesn’t mean that some players haven’t gotten close. Even so, the most explosive fights on Big Brother didn’t always include worry of a physical altercation: some of them were passionate exchanges of words that heightened tensions in the house.
Big Brother
TV-MA
Reality TV
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
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Not available
Not available
- Release Date
- July 5, 2000
- Cast
- Julie Chen Moonves , Clayton Halsey , Nicole Franzel , George Boswell , Daniele Donato , Janelle Pierzina
- Main Genre
- Reality TV
- Seasons
- 25
- Creator
- John de Mol, Ron Diesel
- Studio
- CBS
10 Christmas, Da’Vonne and Bayleigh
Season 22 (2020)
Christmas Abbott, Da’Vonne Rogers, and Bayleigh Dayton got into one of the most heated arguments ever on the show, with Da’Vonne upset that things kept happening to make her seem as though she was prone to confrontation. Christmas put both Da’Vonne and Bayleigh on the block, and Tyler Crispin asked her to use the Veto and nominate him instead, as he wanted to go home. But Christmas didn’t do that, and the ladies were visibly angry at that.
Christmas argued that she feared the close relationship between Da’Vonne and Bayleigh and thought it important to break up their duo. But Da’Vonne and Bayleigh were understandably livid that someone else wanted to go home and yet Christmas would rather see one of them go instead. The exchange involved screaming and yelling as the women moved throughout the house. They uttered things under their breath to other people, then eventually screamed at one another, and this went on for quite some time.
9 Da’Vonne and Paulie
Season 18 (2016)
While both Da’Vonne and Paulie Calafiore never resorted to physically touching one another, their faces were so close to one another when they were arguing that fans weren’t sure if it would go further. It all started when Da’Vonne called Paulie disloyal because he didn’t use his Power of Veto to save Zakiyah Everette, with whom he was supposedly at a showmance.
Paulie didn’t like this accusation and the personal insults started flying, including Da’Vonne calling out Paulie for how he spoke about the women in the house. But Paulie took things too far when he brought Da’Vonne’s role as a mother into the argument, raising tensions to new heights. There was so much fear it would escalate further that producers stepped in, proving that Big Brother is not one of the friendlier reality competition shows. What makes this fight stand out from the others, however, is that it happened in the jury house when both had already been voted out of the game.
8 Ragan and Rachel
Season 12 (2010)
Rachel Reilly annoyed a lot of people in the house, but she was also one of the most fun players to watch. She loved to get on people’s nerves, but there was a special place for Ragan Fox, with whom she did not get along at all. The feeling was mutual, as Ragan could not stand Rachel. While in the backyard, the pair started exchanging personally hurtful jabs, repeatedly calling one another “disgusting.”
There were some low blows, including Rachel commenting that Ragan could not get a boyfriend and that his family refused to speak to him and Ragan poking fun at Rachel’s hair extensions and pimples. The fight was akin to middle school kids fighting in the schoolyard, making others laugh more than they were afraid that it would get worse.
7 Bayleigh and Tyler
Season 20 (2018)
Tyler had been coasting along in the game for some time, playing all sides of the house and being generally likable. But one player who didn’t appreciate what he was doing, or at least what she suspected he was doing, was Bayleigh. And she wasn’t afraid to express it. When she was wrongfully accused of secretly putting Tyler on the block after a competition, and the real person who made the move finally fessed up, Bayleigh demanded an apology.
It didn’t go well, however, with the volume rising to deafening levels as Bayleigh spoke her mind and Tyler tried his best to defend himself. He was puzzled that he was being targeted so harshly when he felt he hadn’t done anything to deserve it. The fight got Bayleigh so worked up that her mouth even started to bleed. She later told TV Guide that it was all passion, and she was talking so quickly that her sharp teeth bit inside of her mouth.
6 Rockstar and Brett
Season 20 (2018)
“On my daughter’s birthday!” Angela “Rockstar” Lantry continued to repeat this phrase again and again during their argument on the network reality show. She was so upset that Brett Robinson would try to frame her for something she didn’t do on the day of her daughter’s birthday of all days, which she was already feeling so sad for missing. Brett decided to stir the pot, as he often did, and suggested in his eviction speech that Rockstar had flipped on her alliance when she did no such thing.
Rockstar was the loudest and most vocal during the argument, while Brett just stood there with his hands on his hips smiling smugly. The fact that he knew exactly what he did and saw what it was doing to Rockstar and didn’t do anything to make it right just infuriated Rockstar even more.
5 GinaMarie and Candice
Season 15 (2013)
Season 15 of Big Brother was rife with accusations of racism based on conversations that were caught on the live feeds among various houseguests. One of the most controversial that season was GinaMarie Zimmerman, and while she didn’t get along with a lot of people in the house, it was her fight with Candice Stewart that stands out. GinaMarie would bully Candice repeatedly, and when Candice had enough and finally defended herself, it seemed like things were getting a little too heated.
Howie Overby stepped in to try and defuse the situation, and this seemed to work for the time being. Their argument, however, involved stepping so close to one another that many thought it might become physical. Before Candice was voted out, she made sure to use her eviction speech to call out GinaMarie for her behavior.
4 Russell and Jeff/Chima
Season 11 (2009)
This fight carried on for quite some time, starting with Russell Kairouz arguing with Jeff Schroeder and switching to Chima Simone. Russell was known to be hot-tempered, and he had a screaming match with Jeff outside one bright and sunny day. While Jeff continued running on the treadmill while exchanging words, Russell wanted it to be known that he didn’t appreciate Jeff’s betrayal of their alliance. The insults were getting so harsh that Jordan Lloyd, Jeff’s showmance partner that season and later wife, tried to defend him, only to result in Russell telling Jeff to fight his own battles. What’s most interesting is that Jeff was considered to be the “nice guy” in the house, and no one ever expected him to be involved in such a heated exchange of words.
Later, Russell had another blow-out with Chima, who felt it necessary to speak on behalf of all the women in the house. She did not appreciate the way he was speaking to and acting towards the women in the house. The two got close to one another’s faces in a heated screaming match that proves Russell was one of the most confrontational of his season. It’s a wonder he made it all the way to sixth place.
3 Jessie and Libra
Season 10 (2008)
While the fight between Jessie Godderz and Libra Thompson involved a lot of yelling and screaming at one another, which tends to happen at least once every season, it was the overall situation in which it occurred that makes it one of the most explosive. The argument happened when Jessie told April Dowling that Libra was talking about her, and Libra was not happy about him getting involved.
At the time, the houseguests on one of the best seasons of Big Brother were preparing to celebrate Keesha Smith’s birthday, but the blowout made the whole situation awkward. Everyone gathered around a cake to sing the most pitiful version of “Happy Birthday” as Keesha looked partly thankful and partly as if she was wishing she could escape to her room. Keesha was caught in the crossfire and came out the most affected from this fight, which marred her birthday experience in the house.
2 Dick and Jen
Season 8 (2007)
Arguably one of the funniest pair of players to openly despise one another, Dick Donato and Jen Johnson didn’t get along from the beginning and had numerous fights. Jen liked to push buttons, even taking a penalty for breaking the Slop rules by eating something else when she wasn’t supposed to. In one fight, Dick, who many consider to be a legend in the game, did not appreciate how Jen was speaking to Danielle Donato, his estranged daughter with whom he reunited during the season. He had words with her that escalated to Dick dumping a drink on Jen’s head.
In another fight, Jen kicked things up a notch when she stole Dick’s cigarettes and tossed them away, angering the player. After getting them back, he blew smoke in her face purposely, and she tried to grab it from his hand, which led to her getting burned. Everyone was tense as this fight took place. Not surprisingly, production made sure to separate them until things blew over.
1 Josh and Mark
Season 19 (2017)
It’s the type of moment that makes Big Brother one of the best reality competition shows of all time. Josh Martinez running around the house banging pots and pans and humming the circus tune “Entrance of the Gladiators” while purposely trying to annoy the dominant alliance in the house has become iconic. Most of his fury was centered around Cody Nickson, but when Cody’s number-one Mark Jansen stepped in, a shouting match began. Josh accused Mark of hiding behind Cody and saying he was defending the wrong people.
Mark attempted to grab the pans out of Josh’s hands, and the fight even started to get physical before the producers stepped in. It didn’t go further, and the two were told to stay on opposite sides of the house until they cooled down. Some accused Josh of bullying with this juvenile act, yet interestingly, Mark still voted for Josh to win the game over Paul Abrahamian. So, clearly, they eventually settled their feud, or he was at least able to move past his personal feelings. Nonetheless, this remains both one of the most explosive fights and one of the loudest and arguably funniest as well on Big Brother.
Big Brother can be streamed on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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