This season, the very house you’re living in is not as it seems. Over the course of the season, rooms will appear and disappear, with each room unleashing a different twist on the house… that means all of you! - Lorde, BB12
Hidden Rooms is a twist introduced in BB12.
Details[]
Rooms with different effects would come and go during the season, bringing different twists along with them.
- Safety Suite: For the first 3 weeks of this season, the Safety Suite would be open. All 12 houseguests are given a Safety Suite Pass that would allow them entry to this room once during the 3 weeks. After each HOH competition, there will be a 24 hour period where the houseguests (excluding the HOH) could use their pass to enter the Safety Suite, where they would compete in a competition. The winner of this competition would win immunity for the week, and would also get to name a 'Plus One' to be immune alongside them.
- Comeback Chamber: This season, evicted houseguests would enter the Comeback Chamber to complete grueling tasks. If they failed to complete a task, then they would be banished from the chamber and their game would be over.
- Week 2 Check-In - Self-Portrait: Aria had to draw a self-portrait of her profile picture from the season.
- Week 3 Check-In - Running Laps: Aria and Ephemera had to run 300 laps in order by typing them out 1-by-1 on Discord.
- Week 4 Check-In - Missy's Masterpieces: Aria, Ephemera and Amy-Kate had to listen to 10 of legendary rapper Missy Elliott's best hits, and write a 70-word review for each song.
- Week 6 Check-In - Season's Shambles: Scattered had to solve a 150-piece puzzle of the PBB12 server logo.
- Week 7 Check-In - Cane Toads: Scattered, Ephemera and Anna had to watch a bizarre documentary about Cane Toads, and answer some comprehension questions about what they watched.
- Veiled Vault: For weeks 4-6, the houseguest that survived last week's eviction vote would enter the Veiled Vault, and play a game to try and earn a power to help them in the game.
- Immunity: On week 4, Jabber entered the Veiled Vault, and succeeded in earning immunity for the week, at the expense of his ability to play in that week's HOH.
- Vote Nullifier: On week 5, Scattered entered the Veiled Vault, and succeeded in earning a Vote Nullifier, which would allow him to remove someone's vote to evict at that week's eviction.
- Jury Letter: If won, the Jury Letter would grant the holder a letter to send to a jury member. This letter was valid until the start of the Final 3, and could have up to 800 characters. Ultimately, it was not won while the Veiled Vault was open, and did not see play.
- Never-Not Pass: If won, the Never-Not Pass would grant the holder permanent Have status, and they would be unable to become a Have-Not for the rest of the season. Ultimately, it was not won while the Veiled Vault was open, and did not see play.
- POV Pass: If won, the POV Pass would allow the user to automatically enter 1 of the next 3 POVs once they won it. It would remove 1 of the randomly selected competitors as a result. Ultimately, it was not won while the Veiled Vault was open, and did not see play.
- Quiet Quarters: During week 6's double eviction round, the houseguests had to vote for 1 person each (including themselves) to be involved in something mysterious. The top 2 vote getters would be the ones chosen for this twist. Ultimately, Hermes and Mars received the most votes, and it was revealed they would be sent to the Quiet Quarters. While in the Quiet Quarters for the second round of the week, they would be unable to compete in competitions, vote to evict, or be nominated by the HOH.
- Twisted Sandcastle: During week 6's double eviction round, the houseguests not selected to enter the Quiet Quarters would enter the Twisted Sandcastle. The 5 of them would play their entire game for the round here, as private communication through DMs or alliance chats would be banned while they were in the Twisted Sandcastle.
Effects on the Game[]
The rooms unleashed vastly different twists on the game as time went on, and had a variety of effects on social and strategic play. The Safety Suite forced houseguests to consider their standing with a sitting HOH, while the Vault caused some houseguests to try to make pawns out of their allies to help them gain powers. The biggest room without question, however, was the Comeback Chamber: which ultimately led to 2 houseguests (Ephemera and Anna) returning to the house at different points in the game after their initial evictions.
Player Reception[]
Though many players enjoyed the constant twists coming and going, others believed that all of it alongside the introduction of Have-Nots was too much to handle.