Chelsie Baham joined the ranks of Big brother winners during the season 26 finale on Sunday, October 13.

Chelsie, 27, beat fellow finalists Makensy Manbeck And Cam Sullivan Brownwho came second and third respectively. The trio worked closely together for the final part of the match, but Chelsie and Cam, 25, had each other’s backs from the start.

Ahead of the final, Chelsie won the first round of the final Head of Household competition, and Makensy, 22, won part two. Chelsie and Makensy next faced off during the live third round of the final HoH competition on Sunday.

Makensy ultimately won the day and decided to take Chelsie to the final two. The two finalists then faced the seven judges: Quinn Martin, T’kor Clottey, Leah Peters, Angela Murray, Kimo Apaka, Rubina Bernabe and Kam. Chelsie won unanimously. Tucker des Lauriers was also crowned America’s Favorite Houseguest during the finale.

Chelsie often held the power as the winner of four Head of Household competitions. After her alliance The Pentagon was taken out early in the game by 30-year-old Tucker, she managed to adapt, while her allies Carlo Hodges And Brooklyn Rivera were evicted. She forged strong relationships with T’kor, 23, and Makensy, convincing Makensy to focus on Leah, 26, and Angela, 51, during her HoH week, which benefited Chelsie far more than Makensy.

Big brother 26 premiered on July 17. The big twist of the season, the BB AI Arena, forced Head of Households to nominate three players for eviction instead of two. The three nominees had to compete live on eviction night, with the winner earning safety and the two remaining nominees facing an eviction vote.

The twist, which ended after Week 7, made it more difficult for houseguests to reach an agreement in advance on who to vote out. That meant more last-minute vote swings, like when Makensy voted to deport Joseph Rodriguez instead of Kimo, 36, after hearing his speech.

“The BB AI Arena forced people to make decisions on the fly,” Big brother host Julie Chen Moonves shared exclusively in We weekly‘s Reality Stars of the Year issue. “Because they couldn’t huddle together and had that herd mentality, they were in a situation early on where they had to think as individuals. … ‘I may be on the wrong side of the vote, but I have to do what’s right for me.’”

Related: The craziest ‘Big Brother’ twists of all time: JANKIE World and more

Although Big Brother follows a basic formula year after year, fans know to expect the unexpected when it comes to production twists. While some twists have put the player’s matches in jeopardy (see Season 8’s “America’s Player” Eric Stein), other guests have used the unforeseen circumstances to their advantage. For example, Jun Song pretended to hate (…)

The twist was a treat for dedicated live feed viewers who have grown accustomed to knowing who will be voted out before live eviction episodes. The AI ​​Arena added a new element of unpredictability.

“I think it was successful,” Chen Moonves, 54, said of the twist, adding that she wouldn’t be surprised if it returns in some form in future seasons.

Another unique element of BB26 was the record number of vetoes used. The veto was used at every veto meeting until week 11. Most shockingly, Tucker used the veto against Angela in Week 3, despite being in trouble himself. He then won in the AI ​​Arena and also saved himself from eviction.

“There’s no doubt about it, this is the craziest year (of Big brother),” Chen Moonves said Us.