Big Brother's Most Brutal Blindsides

As this year's remaining Big Brother houseguests continue the ultimate battle for power and that $750,000 check, we're revisiting some of the best and most brutal blindsides in the reality competition's 25-year history. Check out our picks below, including classic eviction-night surprises, strategy reveals, devastating losses and more.

Mike "Boogie" Malin was completely blindsided when Quack Pack member Ian Terry masterminded his demise. After feeding Britney and Shane the juicy intel that Boogie was coming after them, Ian's alliance members were easily convinced that the BB7 winner needed to go. Boogie didn't learn of Ian's handiwork until he watched his goodbye messages outside of the house, but he was proud of his mentee's devious strategy. (Plus, the reveal is a clip worth revisiting time and time again.) 

Not every blindside revolves around an eviction. In a savage casting move by producers, Nakomis Dedmon and Michael "Cowboy" Ellis pieced together that they shared the same father — whom Cowboy had never even met. Though the ethics of this play were pretty icky, the revelation shocked the fandom and created quite a stir in the house. Talk about a twist that no one saw coming.

Returnee Paul Abrahamian was overly confident in BB19. Not only did he burn bridges left and right, but he fueled and participated in tons of drama along the way to the final two. While this may not be the most traditional blindside on the list, Paul's reaction to losing the big money (two years in a row!) was priceless. He thought he had it in the bag, and he thought wrong. (Rewatch the clip here.)

In a season that mixed veteran duos with BB newbies, first-time player Shelly Moore made a smart choice to align herself with fan-favorite couple Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd. However, when numbers started dwindling, Shelly quickly realized she couldn't let the dominant vets steamroll her game. She turned on her season-long ally and was the deciding vote that sent Jeff to the jury. The blindside ignited fireworks between Jordan and Shelly, and the drama continued once Shelly joined Jeff in the jury house.

Before the days of jury sequestering, the ejected BB3 jury was aghast when they returned home and watched finalist Danielle Reyes' diary room interviews from their couches. (Roddy, in particular, didn't appreciate being called "The Devil.") They ultimately awarded the victory to Lisa Donahue in a 9-1 vote, despite Danielle's commanding presence in the house and arguably better game. The results puzzled viewers and ultimately changed the way the show handled juries moving forward. (From BB4 to present, juries are now sequestered until finale night.) Season 3's strange end was a blindside for its finalists, jury and viewers, alike, and Danielle goes down in history as one of the best Big Brother players to never win.

When Dan found himself nominated for eviction, he convinced Danielle to use the veto to save him, promising her that he'd vote out Ian instead of her showmance Shane. With the only vote to evict and all the power in his hands, Dan did the unthinkable, completely betraying Danielle and kicking her crush to the curb. "A picture is worth 1,000 words" certainly applies to this one.

When all seemed to be lost for the BB10 winner, Dan staged his own funeral, feigning the death of his game and calling out his No. 1 ally, Danielle Murphree for... something. ("In this game, you'll never earn my trust back. You know what you did. And in this game, you're dead to me.") Danielle was understandably crushed, while the rest of the house was completely shell-shocked. Of course, it was all a sham, but Dan's Hail Mary play helped him survive the week and make the final two. But not without pulling another go-for-broke ploy a few weeks later... 

After "Evel Dick" Donato won the Power of Veto and removed daughter Danielle from the block, Dustin Erikstrup, overly confident that Dick would finally be ousted, volunteered to go up as a pawn. He should've known better. As history has shown, pawns often go home, and Dustin was astounded when Julie announced a 4-2 vote in Dick's favor. Future houseguests: Never, ever volunteer to go on the block. That's BB 101. 

Every player who has ever backdoored an enemy has Nakomis Dedmon to thank. In cahoots with Marvin Latimer, Nakomis realized that by nominating two allies for eviction, she could control who played the veto competition, and therefore put a target on the block after the veto is won. This sneaky but smart move ensures that the real target has zero chance of saving him- or herself. With a couple comp wins and a bit of brains, Nakomis blindsided Jase and left her official stamp on the Big Brother game, at large. 

When the Renegades could use her no further, the devilish duo of Dan and Memphis decided to cut Keesha Smith and take Jerry MacDonald to the final three instead. Once Keesha found out about their plan, she erupted in a fit of tearful anger. "Whoever the f–k sends me out of here better not think that they're getting my vote, that's for damn sure!" she snapped. Keesha's exit at the hands of her allies remains one of the show's most devastating moments ever. 

In attempt to keep everyone in the dark about his Renegades alliance with Memphis Garrett, Dan Gheesling nominated Jerry MacDonald and Memphis for eviction. But once Memphis secured the veto, Dan stirred the pot by putting the fiery Michelle Costa on the block in Memphis' place. Her shock and anger was communicated via many blurred out expletives, and by week's end, she was sent packing with a 3-1 vote. 

In the show's first All-Stars iteration, Janelle Pierzina lost every single member of her Season 6 alliance, leading her to clutch even tighter to her season-long showmance partner, "Dr. Will" Kirby. But when she held the sole vote in the final four eviction, she opted to boot her favorite flirtmance and split up Will and Mike Boogie's Chill Town alliance for good. "I had him believing up until the moment that he was evicted that he was absolutely safe," she told TVGuide in 2006.  

It's not the best idea to align with a showmance, but poker pro Vanessa is no slouch. Having spent hours in the HOH room running scenarios and talking to the cameras, she knew exactly what she needed to do. With Austin and Steve on the block in Week 12 and a tie vote to break, she evicted her ally, breaking up a strong showmance in which she knew she was the third wheel. Austin was so sure he was staying that he didn't even bother to wear shoes on eviction night.  

Sometimes big blindsides stem from even bigger blunders. When Marcellas Reynolds and Amy Crews were on the block in the final five, Marcellas not only won the veto, but shockingly decided not to use it. He was sure Amy would be ousted, but when the vote came back tied, HOH Jason Guy cast the tiebreaking vote to send the veto winner on a one-way trip to meet Julie. Marcellas' critical error remains one of the most puzzling moves in BB history.