If you’re a long-time fan of the U.S. version of the reality series Big Brother, or even if you have just watched the most recent season, you will likely have heard the word “pawn” thrown around quite often, both on the show and on reactions by viewers on social media.
“Pawn” is a common term in English, derived from the game of chess. In chess, a pawn is a piece of little worth that is used in order to make a move that is overall more meaningful than the individual piece, and significantly changes the dynamic of the game. Through this sort of gameplay, a pawn piece can be promoted to a higher rank, if it successfully gets to the opponent’s side.
Outside of chess, the term “pawn” is used colloquially as a word for something used for collateral or personal gain, often done in terms of manipulation or deceit. Something can also be “pawned” to a pawnbroker — for example, selling a watch in a pawn shop, which will give the customer money, and the pawnbroker will go on to sell it for their own personal gain.
On Big Brother, the term is used a little differently. A pawn is typically used during elimination, in order to prevent an undesired eviction by the housemates. On the show, the housemates or the Head of Household (HoH) will put a housemate up for eviction that is, in their view, a well-behaved or likable housemate that audiences or other houseguests will be unlikely to evict. This will typically be against a much less likable candidate for eviction, meaning they will reach their desired outcome.
Often, a pawn still gets eliminated, and the plan does not always work, which is where the phase “pawns go home” comes from. The move is not guaranteed success, but like the chess term, it is a calculated risk that can be rewarded handsomely if done correctly.
Sometimes, similarly to a card game, a Big Brother contestant may bluff about the pawn not being a pawn, but sometimes they are honest about their intention of the pawn as a placeholder. Often, people do not like when houseguests are used as pawns and will vote them out intentionally because of their pawn status. Season 16 contestant Victoria Rafaeli holds the pawn record, with 10 nominations.
The latest 25th season of Big Brother saw Cameron Hardin used as a pawn for two weeks in a row, which only worsened tensions within the house.