If you are like me, you are a huge Big Brother fan. When I first heard that we were finally getting another edition of Big Brother all-stars I was pumped. Unfortunately, this season has been rather underwhelming so far. This led me to start thinking about past seasons of Big Brother and I began making top 5 all-time Big Brother lists. Over the next few weeks, I will be releasing my top 5 lists including top 5 to never win, top 5 most overrated winners, top 5 most underrated winners, top 5 seasons ever and more. This week we have the top 5 players who have never won.
I am only human and I have my own personal biases so to make this list a little easier to understand. I will give you a little insight into what I look for when I say “best players”. I am not a huge fan of the floater strategy. There are a few times I think this strategy goes beyond floating and into a strategic manipulation and control game, but overall floaters do not do it for me. Lastly, I love a good comp beast but I also respect a great puppet master/deflector. If a player is not going to be a comp beast I expect them to be the person behind the curtain controlling the game and with the ability to survive when the target is on them. Now you know how I think. Let’s take a look at my list.
Vanessa Rousso (Season 17 3rd Place)
Vanessa played a truly magnificent game and it’s a shame that we had to suffer through a final 2 of Steve vs Liz. Vanessa would have beaten either of them easily. If you’re looking for a comp beast look no further as Vanessa. She won 4 HOH’s and 3 Power of Vetos. If you’re looking for someone with a strong mental game, she checks that box off as she had her hands in pretty much every eviction of the season. Looking for a strong social game? Yeah, she had that too as she was able to form multiple alliances and avoid being the major target even though she was running the house. Her crucial “mistake” if you want to call it that was being too good and not winning the last HOH as both Liz and Steve knew they couldn’t beat her in the finals.
2. Paul Abrahamian (Season 18 Runner Up and Season 19 Runner Up)
“Friendship!” The only person ever to finish second twice both times by a single vote. Comp Beast? Check. Season 18 he had 3 HOH’s and 3 POV’s. Season 19 he had 3 HOH’s and 5 POV’s. Social game? Check. During season 18, I felt he did a good job of making friends and alliances for the long haul. Mental game? Check. Season 19 he ran that house all season and that may be what killed him at the end as he had to stab some “alliances” in the back. Love or hate captain friendship there’s no denying he was a great player and arguably deserved to win both seasons.
3. Danielle Reyes (Season 3 Runner Up and Season 7 6th Place)
People say a true star is one that makes the rules must be changed because of them. This applies to Danielle Reyes as many point to the jury not being sequestered (which began the season after hers) being the reason she lost. Danielle was in control of season 3 all year. She was ruthless. She was cunning and manipulative. If jurors didn't have the ability to go home and watch the diary rooms where they talked shit about people, she would have won. Then she came back in season 7 and made the final 6. Again, she had her hands in a lot of pots but in the end Chill Town was able to get her out. If there was no Dr. Will that season I think she makes it even further. She wasn’t a comp beast only winning 2 HOH’s and 2 POV’s across two seasons but her mental game was so strong she was able to make it far twice. Her biggest mistake (other than her diary room entries) was trusting Chill Town in All Stars.
4. Janelle Pierzina (Season 6 3rd Place, Season 7 3rd Place, Season 14 12th Place, Season 22 14th Place)
If Janelle had stopped after All-Stars she would probably be higher on this list. As it is I may be overrating her as she has had 4 chances now and hasn’t come close to winning since season 7. It’s still hard to overlook those first two season where she had back-to-back third place finishes. Season 7 she won 9 comps!!! Seriously 9! Season 6 she won 4 so it wasn’t a one hit wonder on comps. Her social game was decent. Season 6 she was even able to become amicable with the nerd herd by the end. Her mental game was very up and down. During All Stars she was manipulated by Chill Town and James most of the season before finally wising up and kicking Dr. Will to the curb. Overall she is a very strong player but unfortunately I think her time will never come.
5. Eric Stein (Season 8 5th Place)
This is one of the toughest players to get a placement on. He was chosen as America's player and ultimately that’s what cost him the game (and handed it to Evil Dick). He was far from a comp beat only winning 1 POV and 0 HOH’s. However, he made up for this by having a great social and mental game. If he hadn’t been given a terrible hand by America I fully believe he would have won which is what puts him here on this list. Maybe one day Eric will get a second chance but for now he has to settle for the 5th spot on my list.
5(t). Tyler Crispen (Season 20 Runner Up)
I know I said top 5 players but this is big brother expect the unexpected (or I just couldn’t decide). Tyler played a masterful game on season 20. He won 3 HOH’s and 3 POV’s. In addition, he had alliances with basically everyone in the house (which came back to bite him). He played nearly every person in the house and controlled much of the game. In my opinion he should have won even though I thought Kaycee played an excellent game also. Losing 5-4 to his friend Kaycee isn’t the worst thing in the world but he deserved more. He is currently playing in big brother all stars so maybe he will get his redemption.
So where did I mess up? What do you agree/disagree with? Let me know.
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