Fans of CBS reality summer staples will have to wait a bit later in the season than usual. The network recently announced their summer lineup, which includes premiere dates for the latest seasons of Big Brother and The Challenge: USA, both of which will begin in August.
Big Brother 25 is set to premiere with a 90-minute episode on Wednesday, August 2 from 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT. According to a press release from CBS, “a group of all-new houseguests [will move] into the Big Brother house. Expect the unexpected this summer with a season full of twists and turns and throwbacks to the last 24 seasons.” The mention of all-new houseguests puts to rest any speculation of returning players in honor of the show reaching a landmark 25th season. However, with mention of “throwbacks,” it would be no surprise if famous faces from seasons past make cameo appearances to commemorate the occasion.
Following the premiere, Big Brother 25 will air on Sundays from 8:00-9:00, Wednesdays from 8:00-9:00, and Thursdays from 9:00-10:00. Julie Chen Moonves will return to host for her 25th straight season.
But this will not be the only CBS reality series to air multiple instances a week. The Challenge: USA returns for a second season with a one-hour premiere on Thursday, August 10 from 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT. Like last summer’s installment, season 2 will once again bring in alumni from Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race to compete in the battleground of the hit MTV series. But, as an additional twist, they’ll now be competing against “some of The Challenge‘s biggest reality titans.”
The Challenge: USA season 2 will actually air two episodes a week for its first three weeks. It will run on Thursdays from 10:00-11:00 and Sundays from 9:00-10:00. Beginning on Thursday, August 31, the show will then scale back to one episode in the Thursday slot through the end of the season. Flagship show staple TJ Lavin will return to host.
An August premiere date marks a notable shift in Big Brother, which is typically known as CBS’ summer show. Big Brother 22 premiered on August 5, 2020, done as a maneuver to help fill in a network schedule during the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the WGA writer’s strike creating similar holes in the fall lineup, it’s a move from the network to try to keep as full up on content as possible.
It has yet to be announced how Big Brother‘s schedule will change or interact with the upcoming Survivor 45 and The Amazing Race 35, both of which have already been announced to be airing 90-minute episodes on Wednesday nights this fall. Additionally, a finale date and length of the season will be announced on a future date.
The announcement of Big Brother 25 and The Challenge: USA 2 came alongside a premiere date for other CBS reality series Secret Celebrity Renovation (Friday, July 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT), as well as game show Superfan (Wednesday, August 9 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT).
