The high-water mark of the old era. Fourteen houseguests enter the Studio City compound, every one of them carrying a pre-show connection to someone else inside. Summer of Secrets is a casting season as much as a twist season, and the team gets it right — long-running fans tend to cite this run as the strongest old-era ensemble the show ever assembled. The alliance math gets dense fast. The confessionals stay quotable. Loud, sharp, and unembarrassed about being a game.
Slot #01 of 26 in the Big Brother Editor's Canon. The seasons on either side show what I ranked it against.