Big Brother: Every Version Of OTEV In Chronological Order

There are many reasons why fans are drawn to the reality show Big Brother, from the drama between the housemates to the suspense of seeing who is going to be voted off. But a big aspect of the show is certainly the fun challenges that help to select HOH and POV winners. With its 22 seasons so far, the show has come up with some very creative challenges for the housemates. But the backyard competition that everyone remembers is the OTEV challenge, introduced in season 7.

OTEV was a fresh new way to earn the Power of Veto, which saw various totems named OTEV giving the players clues. Depending on the theme of the challenge, the players would search the yard for the objects the totem described (sometimes through riddles, rhymes, and even raps). In a musical chairs-style showdown, the players raced to kneel on the available spots, with one less spot each round. There have been a total of 15 versions of the challenge so far, with each one more entertaining and bizarre.

15 Voo Doo Dolls (Season 7)

Season 7’s All-Stars season gave fans the first incarnation of OTEV, which ordered the housemates seek out the dolls of the former players described. The clues were about players from the last 6 seasons, testing the memories of the players.

Janielle ended up winning this very first OTEV challenge, saving herself from elimination that week. A memorable moment from this game was when Janelle and James’ tussle over a doll, which ended with James being eliminated and accusing Janelle of assault. It also saw Janelle cheekily responds about how she “broke a nail” while flipping him the bird.

14 Catscratch Veto (Season 8)

Season 8’s OTEV was a Cheshire cat-inspired totem, who uttered one-word clues. Players had to find the riddle that pertained to this word on the rubber rats hidden in the backyard. Eric was the winner of the POV but decided not to use it, leading to housemate Amber being sent home.

13 The Rainmaker (Season 9)

The third manifestation of OTEV came in the form of ‘The Great and Powerful Rhyming Rain God.’ In this challenge, the housemates are tasked with tracking down rocks with numbers specifying specific days in the house (such as when a certain player was eliminated or what day the mystery box appeared).

The rocks were scattered in a dry lakebed that filled up with water after each round. Ryan won POV after being thoroughly soaked and used it to save Shelia from the chopping block.

12 The Ape (Season 11)

Season 11 saw the return of the competition after having no OTEV competition in season 10. The totem for this season was a giant ape, voiced by former evicted houseguest Casey Turner, who, before being eliminated in week 3, was known for his spontaneous rapping and giant banana costume.

The houseguests were forced to listen to Casey rap riddles about certain house guests and then find the banana with the correct name on it. Casey was entertaining as the ape and even poked fun at himself. The winner of the POV was Jeff, who used it to save Kevin.

11 The Broadway Clam (Season 12)

Season 12’s OTEV was certainly memorable thanks to this giant clam and his love of show tunes. The Houseguests had to search through the mud to find CDs that were titled with a mashup of two evicted houseguests (and then sung about in the clams clues). Enzo proved he was a star, easily winning this competition, saving himself from elimination.

10 The Sweet Tooth Shark (Season 13)

The OTEV of this season was a giant shark, who craved sweets. The players had to slide down a ramp and then use his clues about the houseguests to find the name of the pie he was craving. To make it all the more harder, they had to dig through each pie to find the names. Adam won this POV and decided not to use it, leading to Kalia’s eviction.

9 The Absent-Minded Alien (Season 14)

Season 8 ‘s OTEV manifested as a stranded alien, who needed fuel from the players. This season stuck with the slide that was added the previous season, so players had to slide down a ramp to get to the cornfield below before racing to find the right corncob. Dan won the coveted veto power and used it to take Jenn off the block.

8 The Brokenhearted Beaver (Season 15)

Season 15 had the houseguests searching for a sad beaver’s lost love letters he wrote to the previously evicted players of the season. This time players had to slide down a dam and into a forest in search of the correct letter. Elissa won and was able to save herself from elimination.

7 The Angry Penguin (Season 16)

Season 16 showed everyone what happens when you mix an adorable creature like the penguin with the voice of Gilbert Gottfried. This very angry penguin needed a drink to help calm him down, so the players had to make their way down a waterslide and find the correct cocktail being described by the aggressive bird. In the final round, Zach won the POV after presenting the penguin with an Amber-ita, saving himself from elimination.

6 The Rockin’ Roll (Season 17)

Proving that big brother really liked its puns, a giant singing loaf of bread had the players search for sticks of butter, which contained the houseguests’ names that he sang about. After Meg’s tragic fall, Liz ended up being the rock queen with her surprising win.

5 The Dopest DJ (Season 18)

Season 18’s OTEV was one that fans either loved or hated, as a DJ frog that repeatedly said DDDDope, but his adorable British accent slightly made up for it. He had players find his lost tracks, in the form of records hidden throughout his Electric Daisy festival-inspired “pad.” The players slid down a waterfall and had to locate the records hidden in large square pools of differently colored paint before securing a spot on the remaining lily pads. A paint covered Michelle ended up winning the POV, which she deserved after the nasty fall she took during the game.

4 The Possessed Piglet (Season 19)

Season 19 gave the houseguests a possessed piglet who demanded “Soles” from the haunted swamp. The competition started out normal. However, similar to a scene in the Exorcist, the piglet ended up puking green slime. Now providing a fun obstacle for everyone to overcome, the players then searched for the correct number for the day the pig is describing. Mark wins thanks to stockpiling numbers, saving himself from elimination.

3 The Sneezy Skunk (Season 20)

Apparently, fans reacted well to the added effects of the OTEV from season 19 because season 20 amped it up with a skunk that sneezed snot and smelly spray all over the players as they searched for medicine bottles to help with its allergies.

Tyler was able to win thanks to Rockstar, who not only helped him with the right answer in one round but then she gave the skunk the wrong medicine in the final round. Tyler used his POV to pull Angela off the block and save her from elimination. Maybe this gesture is what led to her saying yes to his recent proposal.

2 The Paranoid Pigeon (Season 21)

Season 21 also involved an animal spraying slime on the players, but this time in the form of pooping pigeons. The houseguests were given clues about competitions that had to take place during the season so far, causing the houseguests to race around the swamp to find the correct item. Tommy happily wins and is able to save his pal Christie from elimination.

1 The Psychedelic Salamander (Season 22)

In all the 21 seasons that preceded it, no player who has won the OTEV competition has gone on to win the season, leading houseguests to insist that winning the competition is a curse. But finally, the curse has been broken by season 22 winner Cody Calafiore, who managed to be the last one left after finding all the correct tie-died t-shirts. Although, if it was not for the added 10k cash prize hidden on one of the shirts, David might have won. But he stupidly took the money and forfeited his chance at the POV. A decision he would come to regret in the following triple elimination.

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