‘Big Brother 27’ has officially wrapped up after an 83-day season on Sunday, Sept. 28. Entering finale night, we were down to our final three: Ashley Hollis, the 25-year-old attorney from New York City, Morgan Pope, the 33-year-old gamer from Los Angeles, and Vince Panaro, the unemployed 34-year-old from West Hills, California.
Finale night was shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable endings in recent memory. Not only was it unpredictable, but it was a jaw-dropping conclusion to a chaotic season. Ashley became the winner of ‘Big Brother’ in a 6-1 vote over Vince, claiming the $750,000 grand prize.
Final HOH
10 years ago, an all-time great ‘Big Brother’ player, Vanessa Rousso, failed to win the final HOH and was ultimately evicted by the eventual winner, Steve Moses. Fast forward 10 years, and history has repeated itself. Morgan was the odds-on favorite to win the season during the last couple of weeks of the season. She dominated the competitions and controlled HOHs one by one. To crown the final HOH of the season, the Head of Household competition is divided into three parts. All three remaining players participate in part one, and the winner advances to part three. The losers of part one face each other in part two.
In part one, Morgan outlasted Vince and Ashley in a battle of endurance. In part two, Ashley bested Vince after his untimely misunderstanding of directions. Without that, Vince probably would’ve taken the win.
Part three of the final HOH was held live on Sunday. Ashley dominated Morgan in a season memorization competition, solidifying her spot in the final two and setting up her biggest move of the game.
Evicting Morgan
Into the finale night, Ashley made it known that if she had become HOH, she would evict Morgan over Vince. In the case of Ashley vs. Vince, it was viewed as more of a toss-up. If Morgan had won, she would’ve gone against Vince, voted him out, and taken Ashley to the final two. Ashley earned her way to those final two chairs and made the correct, game-defining decision. The Ashley and Morgan showdown was edge-of-your-seat viewing, and Ashley surprised everyone and took care of Morgan with ease.
Ashley’s win
If you are someone who has only watched the television show and not the live feeds, you’re probably confused about how Ashley pulled off this win. Ashley’s game being underedited is a direct result of production failing to show her social prowess. Ashley played a very good social game and just like she said in her speech, she “turned her enemies into allies.” It’s not the flashiest game, of course, and ideally, Morgan winning was the best ending to the season. However, Ashley is deserving of this win. Vince struggled to show off his game with the jury questions and was controlled for a lot of the season. Ashley’s win ends the season on a solid note.
Ashley’s season was also highlighted by her tight relationships with people like Will and, of course, ‘Big Brother’ winner Rachel Reilly. The duo of Ashley and Rachel was fun to watch all season long. They played off each other extremely well and calmed each other down when needed. Rachel’s enthusiasm and heart were on full display last night. There is a deep bond between the two of them, and it’s poetic that after Rachel was robbed with a twist, her number one ally secured the win when it mattered most. Maybe Rachel had to be sacrificed for Ashley to win? Who knows what kind of divine intervention this is, but what is true is that Ashley learned from one of the best and won when she had to.
Morgan and Vince
Arguably, the biggest story of the season was the relationship between Morgan and Vince. Vince went into the game with a girlfriend for seven years. Although that might be up in flames now, there is clearly some type of chemistry between him and Morgan. They were closely aligned throughout and did a lot to position themselves greatly in the game together.
For the jury phase of the game, Morgan executed her plan precisely by having Vince toss Lauren to the curb and getting him to make decisions that would best help her game. One of the biggest issues Vince faced was being able to separate his game from Morgan’s. Regardless of the outcome, this season is remembered as having the now infamous “cheatmance,” and it’s going to be interesting to see how they both handle public reaction and what’s next for the two of them.
Who was the ‘Big Brother’ Mastermind?
The Mastermind controlled the biggest twists of the season. At first, it seemed like ‘Big Brother 2’ legend and winner, Dr. Will Kirby, was under the mask, as was initially revealed during part two of the HOH competition. However, he claimed he was framed.
Well, he actually was framed. In a segment during which the pre-jury came out and talked about the season with the jury and Julie Chen, it was revealed once and for all who the Mastermind was. It wasn’t one person, it was three! First, Jessie Godderz was revealed, who infamously went home on a Coup d’état twist in ‘Big Brother 11.’ Next was Frankie Grande, who hosted part two of the final HOH. His reasoning for being the Mastermind was that he was evicted from his season of ‘Big Brother 16,’ after a reset week was introduced.
And finally, a throwback. Eric Stein, ripped off his mask and ushered in revenge after playing as America’s Player back in ‘Big Brother 8.’ It was surreal seeing Eric back on our screens, and it was a worthy return. Hopefully, this means he’ll be asked back for a future returnee season. This was a clever reveal of who the Masterminds were. All three of these former players got screwed by a twist, so in this fictionalized world that is ‘Big Brother,’ this makes sense. Go figure that they introduced a game-altering twist. Expect the unexpected!
Keanu wins AFP
The winner of America’s Favorite Houseguest was narrowed down to Keanu and Rachel. Rachel had massive support, especially following her elimination from the game, from the live feeders. However, Keanu’s “underdog” story was beloved by casual viewers, and with over 65% of the vote, he was crowned AFP and received the $50,000 prize. Rachel and Will rounded out the top three of the voting.
Much of the reason why Keanu won is because of how production framed their show; however, I’m not mad over it. To his credit, he made the season entertaining even if his gameplay was very…very lackluster. Rachel winning was ideal and, in many people’s minds, is the true AFP of the season. It was also a shame Rachel did not get more screen time during the finale. Show her off more! She was a major part in getting “Big Brother 27” its best ratings in a while and the watched live feed season.
Final thoughts
I was rooting for a Morgan win, but at the end of the day, Ashley winning is truly a unique ending for such a unique season. She played an underrated game and deserves credit for being overlooked. From week one, being nominated by Vince and being the house target after “showergate,” to now being crowned the winner of ‘Big Brother’ over Vince. It’s a storybook ending. A satisfying winner, a bunch of fun and entertainment moments, and a legendary return by Rachel leave ‘Big Brother 27’ in good hands.
Ethan Ainley
October 1, 2025 at 5:11 am
Great job covering the summer of BB Frank! I was so happy to see Ashley win! She was my initial winner pick, and provided entertainment with her underrated social gameplay and personality. I was rooting for a Rachel AFP win, but at least she got to see her BB bestie win the season.