Big Brother 2026 winner crowned after record-breaking ITV2 season.

Big Brother 2026 winner crowned after turbulent, record-breaking ITV2 series.

The final of Big Brother 2026 aired live on ITV2, hosted by AJ Odudu and Will Best.

After eight weeks of tasks, twists, celebrity guests and divisive nominations, the public vote decided the winner.

Rochelle was crowned the winner of Big Brother UK 2026.

She takes home the £100,000 cash prize.

The final ranking was: 1st Rochelle, 2nd Twinks, 3rd Yasmin, 4th Samuel, 5th Lynx, 6th Catrin.

The finalists shared one last meal together before the results were announced.

Each housemate reflected on their experience in the diary room.

Lynx said: "This experience will live on with me forever."

Samuel thanked Big Brother "for choosing this random old nerd from Slough to go on and live his dream."

Catrin called it "the highlight of my life."

Twinks gave a witchy sign-off: "I came, I saw, I got nominated. This has been magical. And you're speaking to a witch. Remember that, Big Brother."

Rochelle struck a reflective note, saying she hoped other people her age would "try something different."

She added: "Because I'm so f*****g proud of myself."

Yasmin said she didn't want to leave: "It's been such a crazy experience, and I can't believe it's like, come to an end. I've met like the most amazing people. I wouldn't change any of them."

The season was the most complained-about in the show's modern history.

An episode broadcast on October 19 drew more than 7,000 Ofcom complaints.

The complaints centered largely on housemate Omar's treatment of fellow contestant Rhianna.

Omar was evicted before the final, finishing outside the top six.

After his eviction, Omar broke his silence to address what he called "uncomfortable" scenes with Rhianna.

Capital UK reported that Omar addressed his treatment of Rhianna in a statement.

Digital Spy also covered Omar's comments about the "uncomfortable" scenes.

A Big Brother spokesperson told Radio Times: "All housemates receive respect and inclusion training and an extensive briefing from the Big Brother senior team to prepare them for living in the house and to set out Big Brother's expectations for appropriate behaviour and language."

The spokesperson added: "Housemates are monitored 24 hours a day and any instances of inappropriate behaviour are responded to appropriately."

"Welfare and safeguarding are prioritised throughout the production, with a dedicated welfare team available to support housemates before, during and after their time in the house," the spokesperson said.

Despite the controversy, the series proved a hit for ITV.

ITV reported 12.7 million viewers across the season.

The season was themed around weekly concepts: Chaos, Double Trouble, House of Nothing, House of Revelations, House of Power, House of Time, House of Horror, and House of Mystery.

Celebrity guests entered the house to stir things up, including Jedward, Gemma Collins and Tiffany "New York" Pollard.

On the penultimate episode, housemates played a mystery house game that saw two of them get backdoored.

The public voted for their winner, and the two housemates with the fewest votes exited the game.

Omar and Frankie were the two housemates evicted and did not make it to the final night.

On finale night, hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best explained that voting for the winner would open and freeze before announcing the exiting housemate.

The vote reopened, and viewers had five more votes to add to the previous votes cast.

A recap of the top six housemates showed them having one last dinner and taking turns telling each other what they liked about each other.

The season was the 23rd of Big Brother UK overall.

It was the third season since ITV revived the show in 2023.

Big Brother originated in the Netherlands in 1999 and has been adapted in dozens of countries.

The UK version originally aired on Channel 4 from 2000 to 2010, then on Channel 5 from 2011 to 2018.

ITV acquired the rights and relaunched the show in 2023 on ITV2.

The show's format involves housemates living in a custom-built house, isolated from the outside world, with their every move recorded by cameras.

Each week, housemates nominate each other for eviction, and the public votes to save their favorites.

The last housemate remaining wins a cash prize.

This season's winner, Rochelle, is now the third winner of the ITV era.

The previous ITV winners were Jordan Sangha in 2023 and Ali Bromley in 2024.

The show's future beyond this season has not been formally announced by ITV.

Given the record viewership and the high volume of complaints, the network faces a decision about whether to renew the series.

The controversy around Omar's behavior may influence that decision.

Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has not publicly announced any formal investigation into the October 19 episode.

The 7,000 complaints figure places that episode among the most complained-about reality TV broadcasts in recent years.

For context, the most complained-about TV moment in UK history was the 2007 Celebrity Big Brother race row involving Jade Goody, which drew over 44,000 complaints.

That incident led to the show being pulled off air temporarily and triggered a major review of duty of care procedures.