Julie Chen Moonves Says 'Big Brother 27' Has Twists Hidden in the House That 'Haven’t Revealed Themselves Yet'

After 25 seasons as the host of Big Brother, Julie Chen Moonves is still finding new ways to surprise fans — and this summer, the surprises may be hiding in plain sight.

The longtime TV personality teased exclusively to Men's Journal that the Big Brother 27 house holds more than just cool decor. The hotel-themed design may actually be part of the game in ways viewers haven’t seen – or noticed – yet. "There are other elements of the house itself that haven’t revealed itself yet," Chen Moonves tells MJ. "We saw Rachel Reilly come out of a painting. There are other things in the house that aren't just the object that it seems to be and that will play into the game."

Fans have already shown strong reactions to this season’s mystery theme, and for good reason. According to Chen Moonves, the house’s design team poured everything into making it stand out. “Our house, our set decorator designer, the creator of the house, he is so talented and he was like, 'This is the year I want my Emmy for this house,'" she said. “The creativity and the time and the passion he poured into it. So I think we all felt it with this. And it's not just a house this year. It's a hotel."

But the surprises aren’t limited to the design as game-changing twists, including the return of the "AI Arena," which is now dubbed "BB Blockbuster," are playing a larger role this season — and could become fixtures moving forward.

"Last season, not only did it work so well that we brought it back this season, we extended how many weeks it was supposed to originally take place,” Chen Moonves says. “So that AI arena really now called BB Blockbuster really made it hard for that [unanimous voting] to happen. So I do think it's going to become a staple."

As for what’s still to come this summer, Chen Moonves kept things cryptic — but intriguing. "I would say this Mastermind, if he's going to kidnap the host, who knows what else he has up his sleeve?" she teases. "He makes Ainsley from last summer seem like child's play. So that's all I could say — that really, expect the unexpected."

Big Brother airs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET. You can also catch the 24/7 live feeds on on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.