After 83 days of intense strategic gameplay and unexpected twists, Ashley Hollis, the 25-year-old attorney from New York City, was crowned the winner of Big Brother Season 27 in a dramatic live finale on CBS.
Hollis secured the $750,000 grand prize by a decisive 6-1 jury vote against runner-up Vincenzo “Vince” Panaro, a moment that caps a remarkable season themed around a thrilling “Murder Mystery Hotel.”
The Final Showdown and Strategic Cut
The finale opened with the highly-anticipated Part 3 of the final Head of Household (HOH) competition between the two previous round winners: Ashley Hollis and the dominant late-game competitor, Morgan Pope.
Ashley ultimately triumphed in the memory-based “two-truths-and-a-lie” competition, giving her the sole power to determine the final two.
In a move that sealed her victory, Ashley made the difficult, but strategically sound, decision to evict Morgan and take Vince to the Final 2.
Her final pitch to the jury was a masterclass in social and strategic review, contrasting her own game of turning “enemies into allies” with Vince’s sometimes chaotic and alienating gameplay.
The jury clearly agreed, awarding her the title and the cash. Vince walked away with the second-place prize of $75,000.
America’s Favorite Houseguest Revealed
While the jury was debating game résumés, America cast its own vote for the $50,000 fan-favorite prize.
Keanu Soto, the 33-year-old Dungeon Master from McKinney, Texas, won the hearts of viewers to become America’s Favorite Houseguest (AFH), securing over 65% of the fan vote.
Keanu’s charismatic and relatable presence throughout the season clearly resonated with the audience, landing him the bonus cash prize.
The Mastermind’s Identity Exposed
The final mystery of the season was the identity of The Mastermind, a masked featured player who had been secretly influencing the game and unleashing twists.
In a shocking reveal, The Mastermind was unmasked to be not one, but three returning Big Brother alumni: Jessie Godderz (BB10, BB11), Frankie Grande (BB16), and Eric Stein (BB8). The trio had been working in secret to execute the season’s “Murder Mystery” twists, a secret that not a single houseguest managed to uncover.
Host Julie Chen Moonves presided over the dramatic two-hour finale, which also featured a brief return by former winner Rachel Reilly, who had entered the house as a surprise contestant early in the season.
With the conclusion of Season 27, Ashley Hollis joins a legendary list of winners, capping a strategic season that kept both houseguests and viewers guessing until the very last vote.
