Building on the success of this season's game-changing twists like America's Veto and Deepfake HoH upgrades, "Big Brother 26" is preparing to introduce another unexpected twist to the houseguests. During Tuesday's special recap episode, Ainsley hinted at the AI Instigator power, joining past winners Taylor Hale, Jag Bains, and Cody Calafiore. Ainsley acknowledged America's love for impacting the game and promised another game-changing decision. CBS reported an impressive 5 million votes for America's Veto last week, resulting in Quinn being placed on the block. Now, America will have two new opportunities to influence the game. Additionally, Wednesday's episode attracted an average of 3. 19 million viewers, marking it as the highest-rated episode of the season and the top show of the night among adults aged 25-54. Following Makensy's victory in the AI Arena, which led to the blindsided eviction of voluntary pawn Cedric in a 6-3 vote against Rubina, TheWrap has gathered some details about how the AI Instigator power will work. It combines elements from three previous twists: America's Player, Team America, and the Saboteur. Starting Thursday night at 9 p. m. ET/6 p. m.

PT, America will have a week to vote for a houseguest to become the AI Instigator, allowing 10 votes per day. Voting will remain open until Thursday, August 22, at noon ET/9 a. m. PT. The chosen houseguest will be revealed on Sunday, August 25, unless they're evicted before then. Their role will involve spreading misinformation about their fellow housemates using their AI Avatars, similar to Quinn's control over AI Angela this week. Following that, a second vote will determine the instigator's cash prize, ranging from $5, 000 to $20, 000, depending on how well they fulfill expectations. But before any of this, an endurance challenge will take place deep into Thursday night in the backyard to determine the next Head of Household. As always, expect the unexpected. Don't forget to catch "Big Brother" on CBS, airing Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. You can also enjoy 24/7 live feeds on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.