Executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan reveal the new season's theme.
Big Brother is a game of risk and reward -- and that's the theme producers are going for when season 23 kicks off on July 7. Julie Chen returns to host CBS' summer reality competition, which will feature a new crop of houseguests competing for the $500,000 grand prize in the Big Brother house that will be themed as a beach club.
"We are calling it Big Brother Beach Club or BB Beach Club," executive producer Allison Grodner revealed to ET's Kevin Frazier of the new theme. "The idea being all of us have been locked in our houses for the past year or so and everyone is rearing to get out and go on vacation. So we want the houseguests to feel like they are getting away from it all and hanging out at the beach even though they aren't."
"It is an illusion, it is the casino meets beach club vibe so think Monte Carlo meets the beach or Vegas, and it also plays into the theme as well," she teased of the new cycle, which will have the tagline, "Go big or go home." "It is going to play into the twists and turns of the season, but it is like a boutique hotel with all of your friends hanging out for the summer."
Added executive producer Rich Meehan: "It is equal parts beach club and casino that we are going to be playing on those themes all summer long."
Upping the stakes this season are the decisions the houseguests will be forced to make and the dilemmas they'll be faced with throughout the summer-long competition, which may make or break strategic alliances and friendships inside the house.
"We are really leaning into risk vs. reward this summer, so there are going to be lots of decisions that the houseguests have never had to make before and some might make them some friends inside the house and some might make them some enemies inside the house," Meehan hinted. "We are really leaning into risk vs. reward, that kind of plays into our BB Beach Club and gambling piece."
As for the live season 23 premiere, which will again be 90 minutes long and introduce viewers to the houseguests, Grodner and Meehan teased an intriguing offer that may complicate any plans the houseguests may have had going into the summer.
"The end of the premiere there is going to be an offer made by Julie that could be too good to refuse. It is double or nothing, keeping within our theme. And I will just tease it and leave it at that," Grodner hinted. "A game-changing offer right at the end of the 90-minute live premiere."
"It's something that we've never done before and that will kick off the summer," Meehan noted, adding that it's just the tip of the iceberg. "There are going to be a lot of moments this summer that are going to force the houseguests to make decisions they have never had to make before. And again, it could make some of their housemates happy, but it could really upset a few as well."
Another twist? The houseguests will start off the season playing in teams, which may not go over very well. "Premiere night the houseguests are going to be surprised to learn that they're going to be playing in teams at the start of the summer, which will change the dynamic significantly and force them to play in an expected way 'cause we haven't done that in quite a few years now," Meehan revealed.
But as is always the case with Big Brother: expect the unexpected. "Live TV, you got to love it. Anything can happen," Grodner said. "Let's hope it's not a locked door again like at the end of our All Stars premiere! We fully expect something will surprise us all."
Big Brother premieres Wednesday, July 7 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. For more, watch below.
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