Warning! The following contains spoilers from the Big Brother live feeds as of Monday, July 11. Read at your own risk!
The first week of Big Brother Season 24 isn’t even over, and there’s already some major drama following the recent veto competition. Fans and even some former players watching the live feeds with their Paramount+ subscriptions are up in arms after it appears that a Houseguest is cheating and attempting to bend the rules in a way that gives them an advantage.
Paloma Aguilar was already on the wrong side of some fans for being one of the masterminds that led to the house’s current mistreatment of Taylor Hale, and now more are upset about her alleged cheating and want her to face the consequences for violating the rules. Here’s what’s going on and what could happen to Paloma if she is indeed breaking the rules.
Why Is Paloma Aguilar Being Accused Of Cheating?
Viewers caught Paloma on the live feeds on Sunday night believing she found a loophole in Big Brother. Paloma was well aware that Houseguests who play the game are not allowed to agree to split the money, but thinks she found a way around it. Paloma explained her idea to Alyssa Snider (via Big Brother Daily) and how she believed she’s outsmarted the game:
I know we can’t share the money, I know we cant split the money, but I tell you I will invest in you because I believe in you. $750,000 is not mine, it’s all of ours.
Paloma shared that idea with a few others in the house, promising to “invest” in any side projects they have if she wins the $750,000 grand prize. In Paloma’s mind, she thinks she found the perfect strategy that Big Brother can’t punish her for, but that doesn’t seem likely based on past incidents.
It’s well-documented that Big Brother considers deals between Houseguests in terms of splitting prize money a violation of the rules, and Paloma isn’t the first Houseguest to have this idea. In Season 17, Vanessa Rousso (a Houseguest who some fans would love to see return) tried to bribe competitors by claiming she’d use the prize money to buy expensive gifts for Houseguests to win favor in the house. Production eventually told Vanessa to stop doing that (via Hamsterwatch) and confirmed that her loophole indeed violated the rules.
Big Brother fans also caught James Huling making a similar bargain to split the prize money between four people in Season 18, and Romper reported the feeds were cut soon after. James didn’t suffer any consequences we know of, and the game proceeded as normal.
Based on past experiences, it doesn’t seem likely that Paloma will suffer any penalties other than maybe a stern talking-to from the Big Brother producers. Her disqualification seems unlikely, so unless the first HOH Daniel Durston has a change of heart with his renomination plans, or she does something much more severe that gets her expelled, she’ll likely escape the week without too much more beyond a slap on the wrist, and remain in the house. Big Brother viewers might just have to come to terms that Paloma’s alleged cheating, even if confirmed, probably won’t result in her eviction.
Big Brother airs new episodes on CBS on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET and on Thursdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. The game is just getting started, and there’s already a lot happening, so be sure to follow our updated list of what’s going on week to week to stay on top of all the drama.
