The people have voted and America’s Favorite Houseguest for Big Brother 25 is Cameron Hardin.
“I am speechless, thank you so much,” Cameron, 34, said during the live season finale on Thursday, November 9, after host Julie Chen Moonves revealed the results.
In addition to the glory that comes with being the country’s most beloved houseguest, Cameron also took home a $50,000 prize.
Cameron placed ninth on Big Brother 25. He was initially evicted during the first Double Eviction of the season along with Jared Fields. However, the duo were given a chance to reenter the game as part of the “Big Brother Zombies” twist. Cameron went on to win two competitions, which gave him a second Big Brother life, while Jared, 25, was sent packing.
Once he was back in the game, Cameron formed the Fugitives alliance with Matt Klotz and Jag Bains. However, Matt, 27, and Jag, 25, were never truly loyal to him, and Cameron was evicted again two weeks after his triumphant return.
Despite being the house target for much of the season — he was nominated for eviction five times — Cameron established himself as a competition beast, winning Head of Household three times and the Power of Veto twice. He also expressed a desire to cause chaos whenever he found himself in power.
“Once you’re viewed in a certain light, everything that you do after that is just further evidence as to why people go, ‘Well, I really can’t trust that guy,’” Cameron told Us after his eviction of leaning into his slightly villainous persona. “People could all agree — ‘Cameron’s got to go. He’s a competitor, he talks, he’s smart, he’s got a lot of things going on and a lot of things cooking.’”
The America’s Favorite Houseguest award was first introduced during Big Brother 7 in 2006. Janelle Pierzina was the first recipient of the prize, which was worth $25,000 until it was increased to $50,000 for Big Brother 23 in 2021.
Last year, Taylor Hale became the first person to win both America’s Favorite Houseguest and the game itself. (She also made history as the first Black woman to win Big Brother.)
“It’s like winning Ms. Congeniality all over again,” Taylor, 28, who is a former beauty pageant titleholder, exclusively told Us in September 2022 after her double victory.
She continued: “To know that I was so well-received, that blows my mind. I never, ever, ever would have expected that at all.”
In addition to Taylor and Janelle, 43, Cameron joined the ranks of America’s Favorite Houseguests including Tiffany Mitchell, Tyler Crispen and Britney Haynes on Thursday. Elsewhere in the episode, Jag was crowned the winner of Big Brother 25.
