Records were set in Big Brother 26, and it was full of characters. Fans unsurprisingly consider multiple houseguests as icons of the show. Tucker Des Lauriers won America’s Favorite Player after outing his own showmance. Makensy Manbeck won OTEV in one round, which has never been done before. Angela Murray had the most vetos used on her. Winner Chelsie Baham won with not a single vote to evict her, a unanimous jury vote, and a record number of Head of Household wins.
We would still argue there is another icon in the mix. Cam Sullivan-Brown placed third and had a unique road to the finale. He also left the CBS show with the catchphrase, ‘Shout out all my dawgs at the crib,’ which Julie Chen Moonves loved. The former football player had a low-key game, which helped cement his icon status.
How Cam Stood Out on ‘Big Brother 26′
It was easy for Cam to be lost in the mix at the beginning of the season with all the big personalities. This turned out to be a good thing. Cedric Hodges took the more active role in The Pentagon by winning competitions and taking out their competitors. This made him a target in the house. T’Kor Clottey and Kimo Apaka flipped the vote on Cedric, who was supposed to be a pawn, and he was evicted. There was some expectation that Cam would fill that role. He laid low and used his social game to stay protected instead.
This got him in hot water at times with his allies. The one time he was really in danger was when Makensy and Chelsie seriously considered keeping Rubina Bernabe over him because of his terrible performance in competitions in the final four. Of course, they loved their long-time ally so much that it was more of a frustration than a real threat. Cam addressed how his game is different from other former Black male houseguests because it didn’t rely on competitions.
“Shout Out All My Dawgs at the Crib”
“I knew that would be my perception going into the house, and I wanted to use that to my advantage,” he told Black Bi Reality. “I did not want to lose as many competitions as I did. But when I started to lose, I definitely flipped it into a positive.” He said he used the perception that he would be good at competitions to get into multiple alliances. Then he flipped his social game to not threaten other houseguests. Lastly, Cam wasn’t the most exciting player to watch. But he was consistently a positive element to the season.
He always made sure to shout out his dogs at the crib after he voted. His mindset was more serious in the end that he forgot to say it and Moonves called this out. Cam also stands out for being a kind person during conflict, which was rare in season 26. The live feeds also showed a playful Cam with his musical performances and acting skills. Cam is the lowkey icon of the season, who balances out with the overt ones. All episodes of Big Brother are available to stream on Paramount+.