Following Amy Bingham’s unanimous eviction on Big Brother Day 23, the remaining 15 houseguests competed for the next Head of Household title. With Jimmy Heagerty ineligible to play after holding the HOH role the previous week, a new leader emerged to influence nominations and shift alliances.Lauren won the HOH competition, gaining the authority to make strategic decisions during a week where existing loyalties began to shift and previously hidden dynamics started to surface. By the end of episode 8, which aired July 27, 2025, she revealed her three nominees for eviction: Keanu, Kelley, and Will.Episode 8 overview of Big Brother season 27Lauren wins HOH in eyewitness-themed challengeThe Big Brother HOH competition, Twin Witness News, required players to answer true or false questions based on confusing interview footage featuring twins Liz and Julia Nolan. Several houseguests were eliminated quickly: Vince, Katherine, Kelley, Will, Keanu, and Ashley after the first question, followed by Ava after the second. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAfter the third, Morgan, Rylie, Zach, Adrian, and Rachel were out. The competition came down to Mickey and Lauren, and Lauren secured the win after Mickey missed a question.Lauren, who had previously aligned with the house’s majority votes, now had the opportunity to shape her own decisions. However, concerns arose from several contestants that Katherine, one of Lauren’s close allies, might influence her nominations.As a result, multiple houseguests approached Lauren early to discuss strategy, including Vince, who hoped to be the first to shape her thinking. He advised her not to let Katherine guide her decisions.Early nomination discussions and Big Brother houseguest reactionsLauren considered targeting Keanu and Kelley, both of whom had activated secret powers in previous weeks. Her decision was influenced by conversations with Vince, Jimmy, and Mickey. View this post on Instagram Instagram PostJimmy, who had been criticized by Amy in her exit comments, quickly approached Lauren to ensure he was not in danger. He then reported their conversation to Mickey, who had been considering the use of her power that allows her to overthrow an HOH’s nominations.Keanu later spoke with Lauren and proposed that she take a different approach than previous HOHs by targeting more prominent competitors. However, Lauren did not respond to his suggestion and avoided direct eye contact, appearing to dismiss his pitch.Ashley also spoke with Lauren but struggled to change her thinking. Mickey then entered and encouraged Lauren to maintain consistency with the prior week’s nominations.Kelley also approached Lauren and recommended that she nominate both herself and Keanu again. Kelley had removed herself from the block in both previous weeks and expressed confidence in her ability to do so again.Though Lauren hoped that Adrian would volunteer as a pawn, he declined. Eventually, she shifted toward nominating Will, who had not previously been nominated and had voted in the majority last week.Final nominations and reactionsAt the Big Brother nomination ceremony, Lauren selected Keanu, Kelley, and Will. She stated that she believed this was the best decision for the week ahead. Her nominations closely aligned with those from earlier in the season, suggesting she may have been persuaded by the dominant voting bloc in the house.Will expressed disagreement with the decision, arguing that other contestants with stronger resumes should be considered instead.Kelley accepted the nomination and indicated that she anticipated removing herself from the block again. With the veto competition approaching, all three nominees now face the possibility of removal or eviction, while the house continues adjusting to Lauren’s leadership.Catch Big Brother season 27 on CBS and Paramount+.