Who became the first Head of Household in Big Brother season 27?

Big Brother season 27 premiered on July 10, 2025, featuring a diverse group of contestants. The debut episode saw the contestants participate in their first Head of Household (HOH) competition, as each tried to emerge victorious and earn the perks that came along with the position. While everyone put their best foot forward, it was 34-year-old Vince Panaro who became the HOH.

In an interview with Parade magazine, published on July 8, 2025, Vince shared that he was a "big fan" of the show and that he was still in disbelief about being part of it.

"I’m trying to keep my feet on Planet Earth. I’m trying to keep my head out of the clouds, and I’m trying to take it in and just absorb all of this as much as I can, until it hits me that it’s real," he added.

While talking about his winning potential, Vince mentioned that although he was the "master of none," he was "pretty dang good at almost everything." He believed he had the "social skills" and the "physical athleticism" to compete with most of the houseguests on season 27 of Big Brother. Consequently, he considered himself a formidable opponent who did not look "like a massive threat."

Vince proved his skills in the first challenge by winning the Head of Household competition and earning the right to nominate contestants for the upcoming eviction.

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What led to Vince's victory in the Head of Household competition in Big Brother season 27?

In one of the segments of the premiere episode, the contestants realized that the Head of Household (HOH) relic had disappeared. The Mastermind, the season's main antagonist, had hidden the relic among objects that looked similar to it. Every time a houseguest picked the wrong relic, they were dropped down a trap door.

Keanu assumed he had the right piece, but he did not. Consequently, he disappeared out of frame. Kelley, Zae, Will, Morgan, and Katherine followed suit, unable to locate the real HOH relic. It was Jimmy who made the right guess and earned an advantage.

Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves informed Jimmy that he could nominate four houseguests to play season 27's first HOH competition. Despite having the power to determine the fate of others, Jimmy felt apprehensive about making a choice that could anger many.

After much deliberation, the Big Brother houseguest named himself. However, before announcing the names of the other three, he asked for his co-stars' opinions and realized that most of them did not want to participate at all. However, when Julie asked for the extra three names, Jimmy picked Adrian, Ashley, and Vince.

In the HOH challenge, the players had to balance six cores on their BB Blaster for ten seconds, which would destroy the Mastermind's lair and temporarily suspend his rule. Jimmy was determined to become the first HOH, and so, he went "guns blazing." However, Vince also sought the privilege, as he feared he would become the first eliminated contestant.

All four houseguests put their best foot forward to outperform the other. Adrian came close to winning, but accidentally dropped everything. Meanwhile, Vince balanced all six cores and remained steady for the required ten seconds. Consequently, he won and became the first HOH of Big Brother season 27.

Shortly after, Julie informed the players that Vince now had the power to nominate three houseguests for eviction, and added that the AI Arena from last year had become a permanent part of the game, only to be renamed as BB Blockbuster. Despite winning, Vince worried that "double the amount of people" would be furious with him since he had the power to nominate them.

However, the nominees were not revealed in the premiere episode of the CBS show.

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Big Brother season 27 episodes can be streamed on Paramount+.