The format of the program remained largely unchanged from previous seasons: a group of contestants, referred to as HouseGuests, are enclosed in the Big Brother House under the surveillance of cameras and microphones.

Each week, the HouseGuests take part in several compulsory challenges that determine who will win food, luxuries, and power in the House.

[5] Unlike other versions of Big Brother, the HouseGuests may discuss the nomination and eviction process openly and freely.

[3] The nominee with the greater number of votes will be evicted from the House on the live Thursday broadcast, exiting to an adjacent studio to be interviewed by Chen.

[5] HouseGuests can be removed from Big Brother for any rule violation or exhibiting disruptive behavior such as violence, or may voluntarily leave the house but they are not allowed to return to the game, such as the case of Scott Weintraub during the season.

Since its inclusion, the Golden Power of Veto has appeared in subsequent seasons, albeit with only minor changes.

They were still have entry to the Diary Room but footages of the interviews, including potential strategy or details regarding nominations, were not shown on air.

One of the original selections, Brandon Showalter, of Newport Beach, California, was kicked off of the show during the sequester period after it was revealed he had communicated with his girlfriend.

The exes were Jun and Jee, Alison and Justin, Erika and Robert, David and Michelle, and Amanda and Scott.

Jun Song and Jack Owens both made brief appearances on Big Brother: All-Stars during competitions.

On Day 1, Alison, Dana, David, Erika, Jack, Jun, Nathan, and Scott entered the Big Brother House.

Upon returning inside, they were informed of the X-Factor twist, in which five more HouseGuests would be entering the game, and would be exes of some of the eight already in the house.

The following day, Michelle, David, Robert, Dana, and Nathan were put on the peanut butter and jelly diet after losing the "Clash of the Casseroles" food competition.

Following Michelle's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Everything In Three's" Head of Household competition, in which they faced off three at a time answering questions.

On Day 20, all of the HouseGuests earned food for the week after the "Paratrooper" competition, in which they had to catch falling commando dolls in military hats.

Following David's eviction, Alison won "Around the Water Cooler", in which HouseGuests had one minute to stack as many cans as possible by dropping them into a tube.

Dana, Erika, Jee, and Robert were put on the peanut butter and jelly diet after losing the "Laying Pipe" food competition.

The following day, Jee won the Power of Veto after forcing the other HouseGuests on the peanut butter and jelly diet for the week.

Following Jack's eviction, HouseGuests competed in the "Disappearing Act" Head of Household competition, which Jun won.

Jun, as HoH, won a special trip outside of the Big Brother House to attend the 20th Annual MTV Video Music Awards.

Her disappearance (as she entered the Diary Room and never returned) played a part in the Veto competition, as the HouseGuests had to guess where Jun was.

In the second part, Jun beat Robert in the "Unexpected Relations" competition, a challenge based on events that had taken place in the house.