All 19 winners of Big Brother, definitively ranked from worst to best

What makes a great winner of Big Brother? I think for me it’s comparable to the likes who win Love Island or even those that won The X Factor, in that often the real star doesn’t take the crown. Sometimes, they do. But so many famous, iconic housemates in Big Brother history took home the victory. The winners of Big Brother are a bizarre mix of vibes. Some blag it to the top through placid, inoffensive niceness – whereas others are regarded as straight up villainous and their victory is bewildering. With the reboot finally within reach, and as a diehard Big Brother fan for my entire life, here’s my ranked rundown of all 19 winners of Big Brother.

19. Jason Burrill

To remind myself of how this happened, I just watched Jason’s “best bits’, a phrase which here means Channel 5 scrambling to get something entertaining together but barely managing it. How Jason won Big Brother 17 is literally beyond me. Nobody on earth knows. Boring, did nothing of note, outrageously kicked out Lateysha in honour of gameplaying. We hang out heads in shame.

The Tweet embedded above managed to raise a chuckle from me, though – so that’s something.

18. Helen Wood

Surely the most controversial of all the Big Brother winners ranked here, Helen Wood is proof that just because someone is making explosive TV, it doesn’t de facto make it good TV. The way Helen argues with people is miserable. It’s not fun, reality TV carnage – there’s a real angry glumness to it. Got a fast track to the final and won likely because of that.

Came back for the Timebomb series with Nikki Grahame, Brian Belo and Aisleyne. The late great Nikki annihilated her, and if you’ve never seen this argument before then WATCH IT. Shows Helen up and is a reminder of exactly why Nikki Grahame was such a successful housemate and reality TV icon.

17. Cameron Cole

The final ever winner. Doesn’t even have a best bits on YouTube. Describes himself in his Instagram bio as “Accidental winner of Big Brother”. I’d agree.

16. Cameron Stout

Who? Big Brother 4 honestly just doesn’t exist to me.

15. Rachel Rice

A nice girl, we wish her well, but was too boring to ever have the title of winner of Big Brother – especially in such a season of chaos. An example of just coasting by and ending up winning because you’re too indifferent to have people either love or hate you.

14. Luke Anderson

What I will say about Luke A winning is that I think it’s a testament to how much things have changed politically and how much the Tories, especially off the back of Sunak’s disgraceful speech yesterday, are feeding the cultural war fire that they started about how trans people are a new phenomenon and are changing things up. Trans people have always been here. Big Brother produced two trans winners and guess what? Nobody cared! There was no mass outcry. Not a great winner but I think that the fact he did win says a lot about how we’re, right now, regressing when we should be going forward.

13. Sam Evans

Nice lad, but boring. A running theme at this point of the ranked Big Brother winners rundown.

12. Chloe Wilburn

A season of evil, this one. A lot of chaos and vicious arguments – but Chloe winning Timebomb was, in my opinion, fair enough. Not a groundbreaking housemate who did anything particularly of note, but a nice girl with a good vibe who smashed her way to the end.

11. Aaron Allard-Morgan

The first winner of the Channel 5 Big Brother era. You know what? I liked him. He was a polarising character in the house but to me I think that makes for a more exciting winner. Didn’t fence sit. Ruffled feathers. I thought he was funny, sorry!

10. Kate Lawler

Kate Lawler won Big Brother 3, and she was in good company. Jade Goody and Alison Hammond! Obviously since winning the show Kate’s become one of the most successful alumni of Big Brother – and whilst she’s not the most wild winner ever she always came across good. Can’t be too mad at it.

9. Craig Phillips

Big Scouse muscly king. First ever winner. Fancy him then, fancy him now. Very likeable. Obvs best remembered for when he exposed Nasty Nick’s “very derrrrrty plan” and created one of the most jaw dropping reality telly expose cheating scandals ever.

8. Brian Dowling

I feel like Brian Dowling being no one’s fave host of Big Brother actually harmed his legacy, which is a shame because he was a great housemate on BB2 when he won, and great on Ultimate when he won for a second time! Not my personal fave but got to respect the track record, and seems like a genuinely great guy.

7. Pete Bennett

Pete to me epitomises the peak of Big Brother. I would of course have gathered Nikki win, but I think Pete’s victory symbolises Big Brother’s innate skill of celebrating the difference in us all – a wild, quirky lad with Tourettes who could have been an outcast but wins the biggest show in the country at the time? Wowing.

6. Josie Gibson

Josie won the final ever Big Brother on Channel 4, which was a huge deal at the time. The final Davina fronted season. I liked Josie from the moment she walked in because she felt real, authentic, funny and warm. Look at her now! Smashed it. Great gal and deserves her success – even if she’s spending it on Th*s M*rning.

5. Anthony Hutton

Geordie king. Cherish him, actually. The dynamic with Craig is peak Big Brother, and need I even mention the hot tub saga… No I need not. I watch Anthony and Craig best bits all the time. Classssssic.

4. Sophie Reade

A great winner! Sophie won Big Brother 10 by being charming, lovable and up for anything. She’s just immaculate vibes. You can’t watch that best bits and not think that she deserved it. Wish her well, always. The fact she got called Dogface for like the whole season is so classic, Channel 4 were on one.

3. Nadia Almada

Honestly, groundbreaking. A trans queen! Great TV! What a win. And like I said with Luke A previously, this was 2004 and we had trans people treated like they deserved to be on TV and now Tories are pearl clutching like they just became a thing now. Evil. Also, Nadia released a pop song after the show which is of course iconic in its own right.

2. Isabelle Warburton

Look, if Isabelle was on an earlier season of Big Brother she’d have STILL won and would get the flowers she deserved for being an iconic housemate. She was funny, she was upfront, she called out shitty behaviour and she made that season what it was. I was so glad that she won and think she’s the most underrated winner by far. So many fun little moments and always held her own in arguments, and also was like, always right too. Queen.

Also always think of this tiny little moment where he and Chanelle were just doing any old shit and Isabelle accidentally served vocals:

1. Brian Belo

Honestly, wow. What a character. Just what this show is all about, in my opinion. A proper normal guy bursting with charisma, doesn’t take himself too seriously and makes everyone laugh but also stands up to people and never fence sits. Thick but in an endearing way with a big heart. Brian is god tier. What a winner.

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