With Big Brother 28 down to its Final 3, we’re getting closer to finding out which two houseguests will be sitting next to each other on finale night. So while we wait, we’re looking back at 5 Big Brother Final 2 matchups that helped define the game.
And since the live feeds have officially reached the stage where a beetle can become one of the most exciting developments of the day, yes, we’re talking about you, Dentin, we figured this was a pretty good time to look backward.
Over the years, Big Brother has given us some unforgettable Final 2 combinations. Some featured two dominant players. Others gave us completely different styles of gameplay sitting side by side. And a few produced Big Brother jury votes fans were still debating long after the confetti stopped falling.
So which Final 2s were the best? Well, that’s completely subjective. There isn’t a scientific formula for this. Your favorite season matters. The type of gameplay you value matters. Some fans love competition beasts, others prefer social players, and plenty of us appreciate the sneaky strategist who somehow convinces everyone else to do the dirty work.
You could make a completely different list and have a perfectly good argument. But these 5 Big Brother Final 2 matchups stand out to us, and, more importantly, here’s why.
Big Brother Final 2 matchup: Derrick Levasseur and Cody Calafiore
This one has become even more fascinating with time. Derrick Levasseur and Cody Calafiore formed the Hitmen and managed to reach the end together after spending much of Big Brother 16 in control of the game.
But getting there created one of the most memorable Final 3 decisions in Big Brother history. Cody won the final HOH. Sitting beside him were Derrick and Victoria Rafaeli. Cody could have evicted Derrick and taken Victoria to the Final 2. Instead, he stayed loyal to the Hitmen, evicted Victoria and took Derrick with him.
Derrick won 7-2.
For us, that’s what makes this Final 2 so memorable. It wasn’t simply about who won. It was about how they got into those two chairs. Cody had the final decision and knowingly sat beside the person who had been his closest strategic partner throughout the season.
And the story became even better years later when Cody returned for Big Brother 22 and won the game himself. Whatever you think about Cody’s BB16 decision, Derrick and Cody remain one of the most recognizable Big Brother alliances the show has produced.
Dan Gheesling and Memphis Garrett: Big Brother 10
If we’re talking about memorable Final 2s, it’s pretty difficult to leave Dan Gheesling off the list. Dan and Memphis Garrett formed the Renegades during Big Brother 10 and made it all the way to the Final 2.
Then the jury voted, and Dan swept Memphis 7-0, becoming the show’s first unanimous winner.
What makes this Final 2 stand out to us isn’t suspense over the final vote. There wasn’t much of that once those keys started turning. It’s the game Dan played to get there. He managed relationships, made aggressive moves when he needed to and reached the end sitting beside his closest ally. The Big Brother jury vote became the exclamation point.
But Dan’s story was far from finished. Four years later, he’d somehow make the Final 2 again, which brings us to another memorable finale and another of our 5 Big Brother Final 2 matchups.
Ian Terry and Dan Gheesling: Big Brother 14
This Big Brother Final 2 fascinates us for a completely different reason. Ian Terry was the young superfan, while Dan was the former winner who had already played one of the most celebrated games in Big Brother history. Somehow, they ended up sitting beside each other on finale night.
Ian won the final HOH, evicted Danielle Murphree and chose to face Dan in the Final 2. Then came the jury vote, and Ian won 6-1.
And this is where Big Brother gets interesting. You can argue all day about whose strategic game you preferred. Dan produced some extraordinary manipulation that season, including the famous funeral that helped save his game. Ian had his own résumé, survived danger, won crucial competitions and ultimately controlled the final decision.
But the jury decides who wins Big Brother, and that jury overwhelmingly chose Ian. That’s part of why we love this Final 2 for a list like this. Two completely different Big Brother stories arrived at exactly the same place.
One was a former champion trying to do the nearly impossible and win again, while the other was a superfan trying to beat one of the game’s most famous players. The superfan won.
Kaycee Clark and Tyler Crispen: Big Brother 20
This is the one you were remembering with the football player. Kaycee Clark, who had played professional women’s football, and Tyler Crispen weren’t enemies who reluctantly found themselves together at the end. They were allies, and they stayed loyal.
Kaycee had the opportunity to take JC Mounduix to the Final 2 but remained loyal to Tyler, explaining afterward that she never seriously considered breaking their agreement.
Then came one of the closest Big Brother jury votes on this list, with Kaycee beating Tyler 5-4.
And that’s why this Final 2 belongs here for us. Tyler had played an aggressive strategic game and had enormous influence over the season. Kaycee came alive competitively later in the game while maintaining relationships across the house. In her post-finale interview, she specifically credited her social game and relationships with people outside her alliance as important to her victory.
One vote separated them, and that’s the kind of Big Brother finale we love. Two close allies, two very different résumés and a jury decision that could have gone the other way with a single changed vote.
A Big Brother Final 2 that changed the game: Lisa Donahue and Danielle Reyes
For our fifth choice in these 5 Big Brother Final 2 matchups, we’re going way back, and there’s a reason. Lisa Donahue and Danielle Reyes reached the Final 2 of Big Brother 3, but the game was very different then.
Most importantly, the jury wasn’t sequestered the way it is today. The evicted houseguests were able to watch the television episodes, including Diary Room material, before casting their votes.
That mattered enormously for Danielle, whose brutally candid Diary Room sessions allowed former houseguests to see what she had been saying about them. Lisa ultimately defeated Danielle 9-1, with Jason Guy casting Danielle’s lone vote.
And the fallout from that season became part of Big Brother history. Beginning with Big Brother 4, jurors were sequestered rather than being allowed to go home and watch the edited television show before voting.
That’s why this Final 2 makes our five. It wasn’t just memorable. It helped change the game.
And yes, your Big Brother Final 2 list might be completely different
That’s the fun of doing something like this. Somebody is already yelling, WHERE’S DR. WILL?!
Fair!
You could make arguments for plenty of Final 2s we didn’t include. Dr. Will Kirby and Nicole Nilson Schaffrich from Big Brother 2 absolutely deserve consideration. So do Jun Song and Alison Irwin from Big Brother 4.
And depending on what you value most, whether it’s strategy, competition wins, social game, entertainment or simply how close the Big Brother jury vote was, your list could look nothing like ours.
We’re not claiming these are scientifically the five greatest Final 2s. They’re 5 Big Brother Final 2 matchups that stand out to us because each tells a different part of Big Brother history.
Derrick and Cody gave us loyalty and a Final 3 decision that followed Cody for years. Dan and Memphis gave us a unanimous victory and one of the show’s most celebrated winning games. Ian and Dan gave us the young superfan against the former champion. Kaycee and Tyler gave us two loyal allies separated by one jury vote. Lisa and Danielle gave us a finale whose aftermath helped change how the jury itself works.
And now Big Brother 28 is about to add another Final 2 to that history. Taylor has won Part 1 of the Final HOH. Devens has won Part 2. One of them will win Part 3 and decide whether the other finalist is Drew or each other.
Will that combination someday belong in a conversation like this? Way too early for us to say. First, we need to know who actually gets those two chairs.
Until Thursday, we’ll keep watching. And if the feeds remain this quiet, we may also need another update on Dentin the beetle.
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