Big Brother 12 (American season)

In total, the series averaged 7.76 million viewers, higher than that of the previous two seasons and the highest since Big Brother 5 in 2004.

[1][2] Casting for the program began during the final week of Big Brother 11 with potential applicants submitting video tape submissions that were due by April 23, 2010.

[3] Open auditions began on March 27, 2010 in Los Angeles, California and continued across the nation in various cities including Chicago, Illinois; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Columbus, Ohio.

This season featured some changes to the schedule that was used in the previous edition, with episodes airing on Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday each week.

[13] The Thursday episode, which aired at 8 pm Eastern Time, featured the live eviction and subsequent Head of Household competition taking place.

The Sunday episode, which aired at 8 pm Eastern Time, featured the food competition and nomination ceremony, as well as some highlights from the previous days.

This season did see the return of the Big Brother: After Dark spin-off series, which aired on Showtime Too nightly from midnight to 3 a.m. Eastern Time.

[20] New features included a video trivia game and the "Big Brother Ultimate Fan" contest where the winner was able to attend the season finale meet the HouseGuests.

[30] Unlike other versions of Big Brother, the HouseGuests could discuss the nomination and eviction process open and freely.

The jury members were sequestered in a separate house and were not allowed to watch the show except for segments that included all of the HouseGuests.

The jury members were not shown any Diary Room interviews or any footage that included strategy or details regarding nominations.

[33] Fourteen HouseGuests had been cast for this season, but one, Paola Aviles, a 30-year-old real estate agent, voluntarily left during the sequester period and was not replaced.

[37] During that year, Rachel appeared as a contestant on the USA Network reality competition series, Snake in the Grass.

[49] Upon returning inside, the lights in the house were shut off, and when they were turned back on it was revealed that the Saboteur had locked the storage room, meaning the HouseGuests had nothing except for slop to eat for the next few days.

[50] On Day 2, Enzo, Hayden, Lane, and Matt formed "The Brigade" alliance, with the goal of being the last four HouseGuests remaining.

[54] The Brigade alliance decided to target Brendon for eviction, fearing that he may be the Saboteur as well as a strong physical threat.

[56] Despite this, the Saboteur later placed an "X" of tape on both Britney and Kathy's Memory Wall images after an argument between the two of them occurred, implying they should be nominated that week.

[63] In an attempt to cause paranoia in the house, the Saboteur later made a message stating that two HouseGuests were lifelong friends who were playing the game together; this was not true.

[89] On Day 21, Matt chose to nominate Andrew and Kathy for eviction, though he claimed he would backdoor Brendon should the Power of Veto be used.

[96] On Day 27, Andrew revealed moments before voting began that Hayden and Kristen had a romantic relationship, causing much drama in the house.

[45] For this competition, HouseGuests split into three teams and attempted to complete an obstacle course in the fastest time while inside a plastic police car.

[120] He was awarded with the Diamond Power of Veto, which he could use during a live eviction to remove one nominated HouseGuest from the block as well as name the replacement nominee.

[123] Unlike Annie, the new Saboteur would earn $20,000 for completing two weeks worth of sabotage and would not be removed from the game.

[147] During her time in the house, Rachel engaged in numerous arguments with Ragan, and later attempted to communicate with Brendon by spelling "Matt" out with pretzels, implying he should be nominated.

[162][163] When picking players for the Power of Veto competition, Hayden, Lane, and Matt were selected to compete; Ragan was the host.

[191] Lane's decision to not nominate Britney led to Enzo and Hayden being upset with him, though the Brigade still remained intact.

Lane also spoke about secretly considering taking Britney to the Final 2 with him if he could, due to his growing bond with her, and also fearing his close friend Hayden would be much more difficult to get the jury votes to defeat.

[199] Later that day, Hayden chose to nominate Britney and Lane for eviction, largely due to their growing bond and since they would probably not eliminate the other.

Following Britney's eviction, HouseGuests began competing in the "Rumble In the Big Brother Jungle" Head of Household competition.

[216][217][218][219] Color key: The season premiere of Big Brother 12, which aired on CBS on July 8, attracted 7.35 million viewers, with a 2.4 rating in adults 18-49.