Big Brother always tries to shake things up in their season premieres, but some connect with fans more than others, as evidenced by their IMDb rankings. Every season premiere has a similar structure where they tease what lies ahead in the months but also have some sort of exciting event, like a competition or an early eviction. These first episodes are so important because they introduce the cast as well as new and exciting twists for that season.
With these episodes being the viewer's first taste of the season, such as Big Brother season 24, the premieres are arguably just as important as their season finales, which have their own IMDb rankings, since they need to hook the audience to keep watching. Most of the highest-rated premieres are from when the show was still in its original era, as there are only a few that aired in recent years that were well-received. Big Brother hit the nail on the head with most of their season's debuts, as they seemed to always introduce great twists that were loved, which is indicated in the reviews for these season premieres.
10 Big Brother 2 - 7.5
Big Brother 2 premiered on July 5, 2001. The premiere currently has a 7.5 on IMDb with 51 total reviews. Since the first season's of Big Brother had a different format, Big Brother 2 was like watching a brand-new show.
This premiere was most likely highly rated as it showed the first-ever HOH competition since they were absent from Big Brother 1. Since the veto was not introduced yet, the HOH had a lot more power, so this challenge carried a bit more weight to it back then. This season also introduced Big Brother legends like Dr. Will Kirby and Mike Boogie, and it had the birth of the famous Chill Town alliance.
9 Big Brother 11 - 7.6
Big Brother 11 premiered on July 9, 2009. This season has a 7.6 on IMDb with 37 reviews. This was the first season since Big Brother 7 to feature a returning player, which could explain the high ratings.
Big Brother 11 had an entertaining, likable cast, but they did not just choose one player to return randomly, as they incorporated it into an entertaining HOH competition. The stakes of who returned to the Big Brother house lasted for most of the episode until the jocks won the challenge, bringing Jessie back into the house. Also, the structure of playing in large teams was never seen before, so sorting everyone into their group was new and interesting, so it brought some high reviews.
8 Big Brother 18 - 7.8
Big Brother 18 premiered on June 22, 2016. This season has an impressive 7.8 review on IMDb with 49 total reviews. The premiere for this season was arguably its best episode, as the Big Brother 18 cast wasn't the best.
Big Brother host Julie Chen did a great job of teasing the viewers as she hinted there would be returning houseguests. The four returning houseguests were the most they had since Big Brother 14. It is fun and intriguing to see former players have another shot at winning the game, plus the addition of Paulie Calafiore and Tiffany Rousso, who were siblings of former houseguests, definitely increased the positive reviews.
7 Big Brother 5 - 7.9
Big Brother 5 premiered on July 6, 2004. This season opened with a 7.9 on IMDb with a total of 44 reviews. The high reviews on this season's premiere can be pinned on the introduction of the season's twist.
Outside of the good houseguests on Big Brother who sadly never made the final, like Nakomis Dedmon, the season's theme, "Do Not Assume," was the big draw. This sparked lots of intrigue to keep watching the rest of the season. Julie also hinted at the possibility of a pair of twins playing the game as one with the reveal that multiple houseguests have a twin. There was also a teaser in the opening monologue that said, "you never know who you're living with for the summer," which also sparked some mystery, as well as positive reviews.
6 Big Brother 16 - 7.9
Big Brother 16 premiered on June 25, 2014. The season's debut has a 7.9 on IMDb with a total of 54 reviews. This season marked a new chapter in the show's history, and the premiere was the first example of it.
Aside from introducing the legendary player Derrick Levasseur, the Big Brother 16 premiere had one big goal: to rebrand the show. After the controversy-heavy Big Brother 15, the show needed a rebranding to try and wash away the prior season. Big Brother 16 did not feel as gritty or raw as the prior seasons since this was the first one that was shot with HD cameras. There was also a new editing style, which made the show less intense and more laid back. The new look and feel of the show contributed to the higher ratings, but the old raw and gritty style of Big Brother is missed dearly.
5 Big Brother 12 - 8.0
Big Brother 12 premiered on July 8, 2010. This season's premiere has an 8.0 rating with 37 reviews. A new twist that was introduced in the first episode had a hand in the higher reviews but also was a culprit of one of the biggest Big Brother flameouts.
Julie introduced a new twist called the Saboteur. This new twist was a breath of fresh air and added a sense of mystery to the show that has not been there since Big Brother 5. The Saboteur's first sabotage took place in the premiere episode, which made it more entertaining than past premieres. The season's stellar cast was also introduced, which is one of the best in the history of Big Brother due to its vibrant personalities and everyone's strong chemistry.
4 Big Brother 10 - 8.0
Big Brother 10 premiered on July 13, 2008. This season's debut also has an 8.0 rating, but it has more reviews than Big Brother 12, with 39. This season introduced a new twist that only lasted for the first episode.
Big Brother 10's cast was also very strong, so getting to know them in the first episode was very entertaining. The high reviews were encouraged due to the new twist, as the houseguests had to choose their first HOH right away. Before the houseguests entered and said a word to each other, they had to vote on an HOH based solely on appearance. This was a fun and unexpected twist, and so far, it's the only time this has been done on the show.
3 Big Brother 14 - 8.0
Big Brother 14 premiered on July 12, 2012. This season's premiere also had an 8.0 but has more reviews than Big Brother 12 & 10 with 41. This is another instance where one big twist drove the positive reviews.
The first episode was shocking as Julie revealed four former Big Brother players will re-enter the house, not as houseguests, but as coaches, which is one reason Big Brother 14 is so beloved to this day. The speculation of who will re-enter and the payoff of seeing Big Brother legends enter the house again was more than enough for the reviews to be overwhelmingly positive. The cruel eviction of Jodi Rollins was heartbreaking but also entertaining enough to keep the season's debut over an 8.0.
2 Big Brother 8 - 8.4
Big Brother 8 premiered on July 5, 2007. This season's premiere is the second to achieve higher than an 8.0 with 86 reviews. Again, the twist introduced in this episode propelled the reviews to be very positive.
The season's theme of having a few houseguests' old rivals from the real world enter the house was innovative and entertaining. Big Brother was just coming off of the must-watch Big Brother All-Stars, so it needed an extra amount of drama to live up to expectations. The reactions when the three extra houseguests walked in were priceless and were some of the best in Big Brother history. This well-received twist was more than enough to hook viewers to keep watching the rest of the season.
1 Big Brother 4 - 8.6
Big Brother 4 premiered on July 8, 2003. This season's premiere has the highest rating on IMDb out of all the Big Brother premieres, with an 8.6 rating and 60 reviews. Big Brother 8's twist was inspired by Big Brother 4's.
The theme, the X-Factor twist, was one of Big Brother's most creative twists. This saw five of the eight contestants' exes come into the house and compete against them. This was a big revelation in the series since it had only been on the air for a few years at this point, so nothing like this had been done before. It was interesting to see how Big Brother took a big risk that worked out this season, and it showed in their positive reviews.