Top 10 Big Brother Social Butterflies
When playing Big Brother, there are some obvious routes to take to get to the end. You can win a lot of competitions and hold power, steering the course of the game that way. Another option is to lie, manipulate, and come up with convoluted schemes to ensure your safety each week. The last way is by gaining the trust of everyone around you to the point that they don’t want to see you go. While all three of these paths to glory are valid, the first two tend to get more respect than the third.
Why is that? Playing a truly thorough social game in the Big Brother house is like spinning plates. There are so many parts in motion and they must be tended to or else they will fail miserably. It is a circus act to keep up with and only the best can do it. It may not be the flashiest way to play but unlike the other two strategies, this one is a 24/7 strategy for all 99 days. These players must always be on or they risk ruining everything they have worked for. It’s because of the complexities of such gameplay that these 10 Big Brother Social Butterflies should be given more respect!
This is part three in our three part series breaking down the types of Big Brother players. Remember, just because a player is on one list doesn’t mean they can’t be on another. However, in order to be on each list, that player must utilize the given strategy more so than most do and to a successful degree.
To see part one in the series – Top 10 Big Brother Competition Beasts – Click here!
To see part two in the series – Top 10 Big Brother Masterminds – Click here!
10. Kevin Schlehuber (Big Brother 19)
When you are the oldest person on a cast, it is easy for everyone else to gang up on you. It happens almost every season. The one person over 40 years old (and it is almost always just one person) is out within the first five rounds. Often in the first week! There are some social butterflies who are outliers and prove that you can be well on your way to receiving senior discounts AND succeed in the Big Brother house. One of the best examples is Kevin Schlehuber. Despite being the oldest person on the cast by 18 years, Kevin was able to integrate himself well. This was due in large part to his fantastic storytelling skills.
Being a storyteller can be a blessing and a curse in the Big Brother house. Sometimes storytellers come across as one-uppers, braggers, or just generally annoying. Houseguests loved Kevin’s stories, however, and enjoyed the time they spent with him. His general likability helped him last a long time in the house. He was evicted in 4th place because everyone else knew how big of a jury threat he was.
9. Karen Ganci (Big Brother 5)
One of the OG social butterflies. Karen did not receive her due on the edited CBS show until twenty minutes before her eviction. Literally. There was a long segment about Karen’s impressive social game right before she got evicted. Weird choice. Nonetheless, it really is impressive. During that segment, Karen went in depth, describing all the little choices that she was consciously making in order to sharpen her social game.
She stayed up all hours of the night, talking to the late owls of the house, then would wake up at the crack of dawn to drink coffee with the early risers. She didn’t even like coffee! But the people who were up early did so it gave her an excuse to also get up early. She did dishes, she did laundry, she found little connections with each and every fellow houseguest and bonded with them. If they liked to travel, she’d ask about their experiences. If they had kids, she would ask them about how great their kid was at soccer. It’s sometimes difficult to put into words when it seems so minor, but it’s these little choices that make the best social butterflies. Karen understood that and played it better than almost anyone. It’s a shame she barely missed out on making the final two.
8. Enzo Palumbo (Big Brother 12/Big Brother 22)
In Big Brother 12, Enzo sprouted his wings as one of the best social butterflies. He had his super tight Brigade alliance, as well as a strong alliance with Brendon. People liked Enzo but he didn’t use that to his game advantage. If anyone outside of the alliance had caught wind of The Brigade, Enzo would have been a likely target since others had firm relationships with Hayden, Lane, and Matt.
Fast forward to Big Brother 22 and you’ll find that Enzo learned from that. Enzo was in with every single person in the house early on. And I mean everyone. He had his big alliance who loved him. There were the people on the fringes of the alliance who loved him. He even had the complete outsiders love him. Every person felt confident in their relationship with Enzo and it was impressive watching him avoid being found out when he said so many of the same things to different people.
7. Shelly Moore (Big Brother 13)
Big Brother 13 threw eight newbies against six vets. Despite being outnumbered, the season was dominated by the vets. Shelly realized where the season was headed early on and latched on. Big Brother 11’s Jeff and Jordan had a lot of sway in the house and Shelly positioned herself to be one of their most loyal confidants. They put all of their trust into her and she nurtured that relationship, which helped her get in with the other vets. While she got in with the vets, she remained a part of the newbies alliance. It takes a lot of work to be on good terms with two clearly opposing alliances but Shelly pulled it off.
Due to general sexism on these shows, most people think there is no way a sweet, middle aged mom would dare cross them (see also: Kass on Survivor: Cagayan). Because of this, when she finally made her move and voted out Jeff during the double eviction, it cut deeper than most betrayals do. Her social game was almost too good that there was no easy way to do what needed to be done without getting some pushback. Nonetheless, seeing Shelly masterfully work her way in, give them enough to let their guard down, and then make her move is thrilling.
6. Tyler Crispen (Big Brother 20)
Tyler is not only one of the best modern Big Brother players and social butterflies, he is one of the best Big Brother players. Period. A true total package. The guy can win competitions, he thinks outside the box, and most importantly, he has the social capital to convince people to make moves that benefit him. Throughout Big Brother 20, it was consistently impressive how he managed to make people from both Level Six and FOUTTE happy. It was even more impressive how easy he made it look.
In a season full of good players, Tyler ran circles around them. His social game can be seen in many different ways. He was trusted time and time again despite blindsiding people. He was never nominated for eviction. No one really even attempted to get him out until well into jury, despite him being the biggest threat. And most of the cast wanting him to win while actively playing alongside him. The only knock against him is that he did make the final two and lose. His social game is incredibly impressive inside the house. But when you make people trust you that deeply, you better hope to let them down easy. Or else it may come back to bite you.
5. Jun Song (Big Brother 4)
Jun created the floating strategy. Her loyalty was decided after the HOH competition each week. Whoever was in power, that’s who Jun was playing with that week. Which of course would end come the next HOH competition when a new person gains her undying loyalty. Some people may say that Jun was only kept around because she wasn’t seen as threatening but you can’t move from alliance to alliance week after week without having a good social game. It is an incredibly impressive strategy that does not receive the credit it deserves.
4. Dan Gheesling (Big Brother 10/Big Brother 14)
Yes, Dan Gheesling is a mastermind. We got it. That’s covered. You know what though? Dan could come up with all the diabolical plans in the world but they wouldn’t work if people didn’t like him. Dan’s social game in Big Brother 10 is a blueprint on how to play a social game. He was isolated early on, as he saw his alliance members voted out one by one. Dan talked to people, showed that he was nonthreatening, and slowly but surely slid under the radar. By the time he ramped his game back up, it was too late for everyone else. Dan was going to win and there was nothing they could do to stop it.
When he came back for Big Brother 14, Dan somehow managed to convince people AGAIN that he was nonthreatening. Despite seeing in Big Brother 10 that he *definitely* is. He gained trust and then backstabbed each and every person. Unfortunately, Dan’s social game slipped during the whole “backstabbed each and every person” part. His social game was almost too good that they felt utterly betrayed by him. Despite this, Dan is still one of the best social butterflies to ever play.
3. Britney Haynes (Big Brother 12/Big Brother 14)
Ahh. Britney. What’s not to like about Britney? One of the funniest houseguests to ever play the game is naturally one of the best social butterflies. She was loved in both of her Big Brother houses. In Big Brother 12, no one was getting in the way of The Brigade but Britney was the one they kept around the longest because they just genuinely loved having her around. She made everyone laugh and was constantly lightening the mood.
In Big Brother 14, there was a certain aura around each of the returning players. Britney felt more down to earth to the newbies. And that’s because Britney is so good at relating to people and making them feel comfortable. Even Dan was threatened by her. He knew if he did not get Britney out, her social game would be his strategic game every time. She is one of the best social butterflies and even Dan can recognize that.
2. Cody Calafiore (Big Brother 16/Big Brother 22)
In Big Brother 16, Cody showed just how social he could be. That season had a weird divide between men and women where they didn’t really work together all that much. Cody is one of the few exceptions. He was able to get on the good side of Nicole and Christine, to ensure that if his all guys alliance was targeted, he wouldn’t be the one hit. This was successful all the way to the final two, where he lost to one of the all time greats in a vote of 7-2.
Most recently, Cody appeared on Big Brother: All Stars, which he ended up winning. Cody quickly went back to his old reliable game of charming people while insulating himself with a huge alliance. Cody continued to win competitions in impressive fashion, of course. Even more so than last time. Despite his competition threat status rising and being the figurehead of the dominating alliance, Cody was never really targeted. He made everyone, including outsiders, feel comfortable keeping him around. At the least, they felt like they could work with him. And sometimes, someone thinking they could work with you is even more powerful than them actually working with you.
1. Andy Herren (Big Brother 15)
If Jun created the floating strategy, Andy perfected it. While some people kept Jun out of necessity, people kept Andy because they liked him. They felt they could trust him and he had their best interest at heart. In actuality, Andy was looking out for Andy every step of the way. He never let people in on that though. When they finally realized it, they were already sitting in the jury house. More than any other player in Big Brother history, Andy had an amazing ability to gain the trust of anyone and everyone.
He had daily check-ins with each person, making sure that he could affirm with one person that they are going after another person. Then he would turn around and affirm the opposite with the person he was supposedly targeting. Andy’s game was a true house of cards and miraculously, they never came crashing down. He kept building and building and building them, always ensuring their foundation remained strong.
If there is any doubt of the importance of a good social game and how impressive Andy’s was, I implore you to check out this clip. To have so many trust you, feel comfortable with you, and be happy that you have power and they don’t, means that you are doing something right. Some fans knock his game, saying that it’s boring or that he’s a “rat” but I disagree. He is one of the best players ever and he is the best social butterfly to ever play the game.
Which one of these social butterflies would you be charmed by? Let us know! And don’t forget to check out Part One: Top 10 Big Brother Competition Beasts and Part Two: Top 10 Big Brother Masterminds!
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