Despite the negative critical response to the first season,[2][3] rumors began circulating in September 2000 that the series would be renewed and would give CBS more creative control over the project.

[6][7] Paul Romer, who was heavily involved in the first season, stated that the show had poor ratings as the critics "didn't get it.

[17] The show was set to air on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. Eastern Time,[18] though in August was pushed back to 9 pm.

[26] A spokesperson for CBS later stated "The subscription does two things [...] It safeguards against who's watching live feed so we can verify their age [in case there's nudity].

"[27] Despite controversy surrounding her appearance on the series,[28] it was confirmed in May that Julie Chen would return to host the second season.

[33] HouseGuests Mike and Justin had a criminal record prior to appearing on the series,[34] causing some controversy from critics.

[40] The HouseGuests from this season were noted as being more disruptive than in the previous year's show, with several arguments and romantic relationships occurring in the house.

[48] Big Brother is a game show in which a group of contestants, referred to as HouseGuests, lived in a custom built "house", constantly under video surveillance.

[55] The Head of Household for each week would have luxuries such as their own personal bedroom and free laundry service, but was responsible for nominating two HouseGuests for eviction.

[59] The HouseGuests also competed in food competitions, in which the losers were required to solely eat peanut butter and jelly for the rest of the week; this twist would later be known as "Have-Not" in future seasons.

[62] The format of the series was mainly seen as a social experiment, and required HouseGuests to interact with others who may have differing ideals, beliefs, and prejudices.

[87] This led to the formation of the Hot Box alliance, named after the heat of the bedroom they slept in, which consisted of Autumn, Bunky, Hardy, Krista, Kent, Monica, and Nicole.

[89] While making out with an intoxicated Krista, Justin jokingly swung a sweeper at her head and held a knife to her neck while they made out.

[48] The HouseGuests again competed as men against women and attempted to ride a mechanical bull for a set amount of time; the winning team would earn the ingredients to make a barbecue dinner that night.

[48] Hardy was the winner of the competition, which required the HouseGuests to answer a series of number-based questions by raising numerical paddles.

[99] On Day 22, the group competed in the "Cross Dressing" luxury competition, which led to Bunky, Kent, Nicole, and Shannon winning laundry service for the week.

[112] Though his allies hoped that Mike and Will would be nominated for eviction, Kent felt that Will was not a threat to his game and made a deal with him to keep one another safe.

[99] On Day 29, the group competed in the luxury competition, known as "Spinning Discs", which saw the HouseGuests tossing CDs at a basket floating in the pool in an attempt to get the highest score.

[76] That week's America's Choice poll allowed Hardy to receive a three-minute phone call from home.

[120] He began thinking about evicting Kent from the house, feeling that he had upset numerous HouseGuests and attempted to make too many alliances.

[99] On Day 37, it was revealed that the viewers had voted for the HouseGuests to get a pot belly pig, Ophelia, as a pet for the week.

[122] With Kent realizing that he would be evicted, and Bunky being a target for the coming week, the two began to engage in arguments with their fellow housemates.

[162][163] On Day 77, Nicole and Will competed in the final round of the Head of Household competition, which saw the two being asked seven questions about their former housemates' experiences during their time in the house.

[99] Nicole emphasized how evil Will was to an increasingly unimpressed jury that took pains to point out that she always cried about how awful it was to vote people out yet directly ended several of their games because she wanted to win (Monica followed up on an earlier interview where she'd said Nicole's claims of "love" for other players were selfish and aimed at boosting her own ego), while Will reminded the jury how charismatic he was through his final speech, though he appeared to irk some of the jurors who interpreted his charisma as arrogance and condescension.

[180] These numbers were significantly lower than the previous season's premiere, however, it was noted that ratings did increase in the second half-hour.

[194][195][196] Shannon's decision to use Hardy's toothbrush to clean the toilet later became one of the more infamous moments in the series history, and is often remembered by fans.

[200][201] Bunky later made an appearance on Big Brother 10 (2008) during a food competition that featured one representative from each past season.

"[209][210][211] Justin felt that he should not have been removed from the house for his actions, telling host Julie Chen "If there's anyone that could perceive that as an act of violence or as a threat, then you're an idiot.

"[212] Other events in the house, namely Autumn and Mike engaging in arguments over which one tried to seduce the other at one point, caused a stir amongst viewers.

[215] Shannon and Mike came under fire for numerous slanderous remarks about Hardy, including calling him a "future rapist and child molester" and plotting to spread a rumor that he was gay; they were not spoken to by production for these comments.