Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11

The eleventh season of the reality show, Pinoy Big Brother, subtitled Gen 11 (short for Generation 11), aired on Kapamilya Channel and A2Z for 99 days from July 20 to October 26, 2024.

This was the seventh consecutive season in which both civilian adults and teenagers participated in a season, using a similar format of both ' and ' seasons to house them together as a single batch. This is also the first season in the entire series to feature all-female finalists, and the third season to be dominated by teen housemates, following the ' and Connect seasons. This season is tied with Connect as the shortest special season produced by the series to date. Furthermore, after airing the final week of Connect, this is the first full season aired on TV5.

Fyang Smith emerged as the winner of the season against runner-up Rain Celmar, while Kolette Madelo and Kai Montinola finished in third and fourth place, respectively. Smith became the latest late-entrant housemate in a special season to win the season, following Daniel Matsunaga of All In, and Liofer Pinatacan of Connect. She was also the third and latest teen housemate to win in a special season and the seventh teen overall to win in the series, following Maymay Entrata of Lucky 7 and Jimboy Martin of '.

Development

A new season of Pinoy Big Brother was confirmed on December 13, 2023, during the ABS-CBN Christmas Special that presented the network's program line-up for 2024. The season, the first to air in two years, is subtitled Gen 11, emphasizing the season's focus on housemates from Generation Z. ABS-CBN Television Production Head Unit and Head Director Laurenti Dyogi initially confirmed that the season would premiere in June. However, the season's premiere date moved to July 20.

Auditions

On April 6, Dyogi announced that Star Hunt will oversee the casting process for the upcoming season along with auditions for Star Magic and aspiring Star Hunt Academy trainees, beginning with on-ground auditions in Metro Manila, and then in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the following weeks. Auditions were also held abroad ahead of the season's announcement.

Auditions for Gen 11 officially began on April 27 and marked the return of physical auditions after it was halted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines during the past two seasons. Like in previous seasons, the auditions for adult and teen housemates (ages 16–32) were held simultaneously. Online auditions began on May 29, and ended on June 16, 2024. A total of 35,906 auditioned for this season, with 20,157 coming from on-site auditions via Star Hunt and 15,749 coming through online auditions. Among them, 67 were selected for the final casting.

False casting calls

In April 2024, netizens reported unauthorized audition calls that falsely claimed to be open casting calls for ABS-CBN shows such as Pinoy Big Brother, FPJ's Batang Quiapo, and Senior Highs sequel, High Street, that were widely circulated on social media. In response, ABS-CBN issued an advisory on April 16, 2024, to debunk the misleading casting calls and advise the public to be vigilant against scammers falsely representing themselves as part of the show's production.

Bianca Gonzalez, Robi Domingo, Kim Chiu, Melai Cantiveros, and Enchong Dee, collectively known as Pamilya ni Kuya (), reprised their roles as the main hosts of the season. This is the first full season without Toni Gonzaga as the main host since the inception of the Philippine franchise in 2005. On June 20, 2024, former ' celebrity housemate Alexa Ilacad was named one of the presenters for the season and its digital companion shows.

• Partnership with Maya: Maya has partnered with Pinoy Big Brother to serve as the season's official finance and voting partner, with the following twists inserted into the season:
• Save or Spend Weekly Task: In the event that the housemates win their weekly task beginning in Week 2, they will be able to manage their weekly budget, which will be deposited through Maya. If they succeed in their weekly task, they will receive ₱15,000. Housemates have two options: they can spend a portion of their weekly budget for the week or save it and watch it grow with an interest rate of up to 15% (potentially growing to ₱200,000).
• Vote to Save-Evict: This season, voting will be done entirely through the Maya app, as opposed to the two platforms (Kumu and text voting) that were used in the previous seasons, namely ' and '. To vote, viewers must first create a Maya account, verify their account, and have enough funds to vote. Viewers can cast 10, 50, or 110 votes (one peso = one vote for 10 and 50 votes, or ₱100 for 110 votes) to save or evict a housemate of their choice from eviction. Viewers have only 15 chances to vote each day, which will be reset at midnight. This method was eventually discontinued after the seventh eviction round due to widespread and violent use of the vote-to-evict against several housemates, and it was replaced solely by the vote-to-save beginning with the eighth nomination round.
• Unlimited Voting: Carried over from the , unlimited voting was re-introduced as a twist during the open voting held on Day 86 to determine the Big 4 up to the Big Night again to determine the season's winner. Unlike the usual 15-votes-per-user-per-day limit in previous eviction rounds, viewers could now vote as many times as they wished during the open voting period and the finale.
• Two-in-one housemates: This season featured two sets of two-in-one housemates. This is the third season to feature more than one two-in-one housemates compete after the and '.
• On Day 1, Dingdong Bahan and Patrick Ramirez, who are a couple, were introduced as two-in-one housemates. As part of a challenge, Big Brother only allowed one of them to enter the house on launch night. During their first week together, they were assigned different tasks and told to keep their relationship a secret until later. They accomplished this and were able to keep their status as a two-in-one housemate.
• On Day 34, Joli Alferez and Gwen Montano, who had previously been considered separate housemates and entered the house on Days 24 and 33, were turned into a two-in-one housemate by Big Brother due to their "situationship" in the outside world. Both completed separate tasks to become official housemates, eventually becoming the next set of two-in-one housemates competing.
• Eleven "official housemate" slots: On Day 1, Big Brother revealed to the housemates that they were only referred to as "houseguests," but in reality, they are all housemates. Big Brother then revealed eleven "official housemate" positions for the "houseguests" to fill throughout the week. Three voting rounds were held to determine the "housemates," and those who were not chosen were at risk of being included on the list of nominees for the first eviction. This challenge put the housemates' integrity with one another, as well as their commitment and willingness to stay in the house, to the test.
• Intruders: More housemates entered the house in the coming weeks, beginning on Day 16.
• Two In, Two Out: On the second and third evictions, two housemates were evicted at the same time, while two new housemates entered and took their places after the eviction.
• Big Brother's Gameroom and the new eviction process: Instead of the usual announcements in the living area, this season's eviction callout will be a head-to-head, with two nominated housemates entering Big Brother's Gameroom and Bianca announcing the results. In the event that there are even-numbered or more than three nominees, the first safe will be named in the living area before the two nominees are determined, after which they will proceed to the Gameroom, where one will be saved and will return to the house and the other will be evicted. Still, each week, the nominees will be announced in the living area.
• Teens vs. Adults: On Week 8, the teens and adults were divided into separate groups. While the nominees remained undisclosed to the housemates, the public was informed on Day 53, with voting continuing as usual. The housemates received clues in the living area, leading them to a box containing a list of nominees sealed in an envelope. Both groups faced challenges designed to test their camaraderie, and members were not allowed to communicate with one another until further notice.
• LigTask Challenge: Initial nominees compete in a challenge for a chance to save themselves from being up for eviction.
• House Challengers: Evicted housemates returned to the house as "house challengers" to create conflict and chaos, serving as a test for the remaining housemates while also helping the public decide who deserves a spot in the Big Four. The house challengers included Therese Villamor, former two-in-one housemates Dingdong Bahan and Patrick Ramirez, Jas Dudley-Scales, and Jarren Garcia, who was evicted on Day 71 after receiving the fewest public votes during the 9th eviction night. Big Brother then offered Jarren the challenge of becoming a house challenger, which he immediately accepted.
• House Challenges: The housemates and house challengers faced a series of challenges that may or may not have an impact on who stays and who leaves the house, and those housemates who faced the challenges risked losing their housemate status to them.
• Rank-Based Nominations: In Week 12, the six remaining housemates ranked themselves from the most deserving to the least deserving to be the season's Big Winner, with the most deserving receiving one point and the least deserving receiving six points. This twist was last used in the season.
• The Big Payanig (The Big Shake-up): On Day 78, Big Brother revealed three major twists that will take place inside the house to put the remaining housemates to the test as the finale approaches.
• The Big Lie: A mental twist which tests the housemates by bridging the lines between reality and deceit, putting their understanding of truth into question.
• The Big Love: A emotional twist that examines the housemates' feelings and pushes their hearts to their boundaries.
• The Big Task: The ultimate twist to help viewers select the one who deserves the title of Big Winner.
• Madam, Big Brother's AI Assistant: On Day 94, Big Brother introduced "Madam," an artificial intelligence assistant whose official role was to "assist Big Brother with his daily tasks." However, Madam's true purpose was to sabotage the housemates by revealing their true personalities. This was part of the "Big Task" twist within the broader "Big Payanig" twist.

Leading up to the series premiere, five people were introduced daily from July 15 to 19, 2024, on Star Hunt: The Audition Show. Fourteen housemates entered the house on launch night (July 20), including two-in-one housemates Dingdong Bahan and Patrick Ramirez. Five additional housemates moved in over the next few weeks: Jan Silva and Fyang Smith on Day 16 (August 4); Joli Alferez and JP Cabrera on Day 24 (August 12), and Gwen Montano on Day 33 (August 21). Montano and Alferez were later merged as a single housemate on Day 34 (August 22), becoming the next two-in-one housemates after Bahan and Ramirez.

• Day 9: Jocelyn Tampon, Kolette's biological mother, entered the house to see her daughter, who had not seen her since she was four months old.
• Day 34: Flora Mae Montinola, Kai's foster mother, came inside to see her foster child and to allay Kai's longing worries about her biological parents. Kai's foster mother found her "biological parents" in Cebu, and Big Brother consented for them to both take a DNA test to find out.
• Day 36: Alyssa Valdez, former celebrity housemate and volleyball player, appeared virtually and left a video message for the housemates to motivate them for their Team to Beat weekly task.
• Days 38–40: Melai Cantiveros, the show's host and former housemate and winner, entered the house to serve as the casting director for the BisTag ang Pinoy: The Musical weekly task. Melai assigned tasks to the housemates as a warm-up prior to being appointed cast director. Her entry into the house also served as a promotion for her talk show, Kuan on One.
• Day 43: Vimi Rivera and Gela Atayde, dance coaches, entered the house to train the housemates in dance for their BisTag ang Pinoy: The Musical weekly task.
• Days 47–48: Flora Mae Montinola, Kai's foster mother, returned to the house to learn the results of Kai's DNA test that identified her biological parents, which were positive. She later joined Kai's biological mother, Jean, for dinner.
• Day 48: Jean Bas, Kai's biological mother, entered the house to meet her for the first time. She, Flora Mae, and Kai ate dinner in the living area.
• Day 49: Mel Cabrera, JP's mother, appeared virtually to leave a message for JP as a challenge in their Oh Hey! Si Nonchalant weekly task.
• Days 49–50: Jhoann Garcia, Jarren's mother, entered the house to see Jarren as a challenge in their Oh Hey! Si Nonchalant weekly task.
• Day 50: Joshua Garcia, former ' housemate and actor, entered the house to promote his film, Un/Happy for You. Joshua and the housemates took part in some acting challenges based on lines from the film.
• Day 58: Ninth evictee Dylan Yturralde, appeared virtually to deliver a video message to the teen housemates a day after his eviction.
• Day 61: Myrna Smith, Fyang's mother, and Marilyn Dudley-Scales, Jas's mother, entered the house to guide and observe Fyang and Jas as they officially reconciled after their controversial and heated Rap Battle challenge. They also gave letters to both of them and secretly watched their conversation from the task room.
• Day 82: Several houseguests entered the house to visit the remaining housemates and reveal the outcomes of their Big Lie challenges.
• Mel Cabrera, JP's mother, came to see JP and announce the result of his Big Lie challenge.
• Raul Celmar, Rain's father, also visited to see Rain and announce the result of her Big Lie challenge.
• Days 86–91: Several houseguests entered the house to visit the remaining housemates and reveal the outcomes of their Big Love challenges: Kennett Montinola (Kai's foster father), Flora Mae Montinola (Kai's foster mother), Nanette Oca (Kolette's adopted mother), Hayden Smith (Fyang’s brother), Lander Ibarra (JM's brother), Jenn Celmar (Rain's mother), Estrella Ibarra (JM's mother), and Ronald Madelo (Kolette's father).

On Day 94 (October 21), Big Brother officially introduced the "Big Task," the third and final twist in the larger "Big Payanig" twist, which aims to help the public determine the housemate most deserving of the title "Big Winner." For this season, Big Brother employed an artificial intelligence assistant named "Madam," whose role was to "assist Big Brother in his daily tasks." However, Madam's true function was to reveal the remaining housemates' true personalities.

1. When the housemates failed to win their first weekly task, the eleven individuals who were declared as "official housemates" were tasked in selecting who among the four "houseguests" will they automatically nominate for eviction—they chose Dylan.
2. This is a double eviction, as two nominees were evicted.
3. Fyang and Jan were exempt from nominations this week because they were new entrants. Both entered the house on Day 16, which was the date of the second nomination night.
4. Fyang and Jan were still exempt from nominations this week, but they can now nominate.
5. Joli and JP were exempt from nominations this week because they were new entrants. Both entered the house on Day 24, a day after the third nomination night. They were included in the punishment tasks on Day 30, but are ineligible for nomination because they only entered the house six days before.
6. On Day 30, the housemates were punished for consistently breaking the rules during their time inside the house. Violations included not wearing a lapel, whispering, sleeping at random times during the day, swearing, breaking things, using sign language, asking about the outside world, and discussing nominations. As punishment, they were assigned a variety of punishment tasks, with the first seven "rule-breaker" housemates receiving "automatic nominations".
7. On Day 31, the final list of nominees for the week was officially announced based on the number of violations they had committed: Fyang and Rain with 16 each, Kai and Kolette with 14 each, Dingdong and Patrick with 13 violations, and Dylan with 11 violations. The remaining unnominated housemates who were not on the list had fewer than 11 violations: JM had 10, Binsoy had 9, Jarren had 6, Jan had 5, Jas had 4, Joli had 2, and JP had 1. Only one of the six nominees will be evicted at the end of the week.
8. Gwen was exempt from nominations this week because he was a new entrant. He entered the house on Day 33, a day after the fourth nomination night. This was later voided when he was merged with Joli as a two-in-one housemate.
9. On Day 34, Big Brother merged Gwen and Joli into a two-in-one housemate due to their situation in the outside world. If Joli is included in the list of nominees in the fifth nomination round, Gwen will be included as well, despite the fact that they were merged as a two-in-one housemate despite entering the house only four days before the fifth nomination night, and the two entered on separate days.
10. The nominees for the seventh nomination round were kept secret from the housemates but were announced to the viewers on Day 53, with voting proceeding as usual. The housemates were given clues about the nominees through a red box placed in the living area, containing three envelopes with the nominees' information. Only one of the nominees would be evicted on Day 57, the seventh eviction night.
11. Due to the widespread and violent use of the vote-to-evict against several housemates, only the vote-to-save will be used beginning with the eighth nomination round.
12. The "Two Towers" weekly task determined the nominees for the eighth nomination round. The team that assembled the highest stack of paper cups without using their hands or arms received immunity for this round, while the losing team faced eviction.
13. The adult housemates, Binsoy, Jas, JM, and Kolette, faced their first Ligtask challenge, which required them to transfer two balls from Point A to Point B in the quickest time possible using a pipe. Binsoy was announced as the fastest finisher of the challenge, clocking in at 3 minutes and 18 seconds, leaving Jas, JM, and Kolette as nominees for this round, with only one of them being evicted at the end of the week.
14. The pairs from the weekly task "K.K.K: Kakampi, Kasama, Kaibigan" competed in their second Ligtask challenge in which they had to flip a bottle and be the first to cross their checkers on the finish line; the winner was saved from eviction, while the loser was automatically nominated. Fyang, Jarren, Kai, and Kolette were the first to finish the game in their respective rounds, excluding Binsoy, JM, JP, and Rain from eviction, with one of them evicted at the end of the week on Day 78. Jarren was evicted on Day 71, the ninth eviction night. If he had been saved from eviction, his immunity would have taken effect during this nomination round.
15. For the eleventh round of nominations, housemates ranked each other, including themselves, to determine the nominees. The three housemates with the highest points were safe from eviction, while the bottom three were nominated. For the full detail of the result in this nominations, see Rank-based nomination result.
16. For the twelfth and final nomination round, no regular nominations took place. Instead, an open voting process for the Big 4 was conducted, with unlimited voting replacing the previous 15-votes-per-day limit. One of the final five housemates, who received the lowest percentage of votes to become a finalist, was evicted on October 19 (Day 92).
17. Voting was temporarily closed at 9:00 PM on the twelfth eviction night to carry over the votes to the Big Night. This means that the votes accumulated from the start of unlimited voting on October 13 (Day 86) until the re-opening of the voting lines after the twelfth eviction night will be combined as these votes will determine the season's winner.
18. For the final, the public voted for the housemate they wanted to win Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11. Unlimited voting was still implemented for this round. Since the votes from the open voting on October 13 (Day 86) were included, the percentage tally will reflect the total votes accumulated by both finalists across the two voting periods, unless a separate percentage tally for the second voting round is released.

The season finale, dubbed The Final Stage at The Big Night was simultaneously held on October 26, 2024 at ABS-CBN Studio 10 and Dolphy Theatre in Quezon City. It included performances from past Big Winners James Reid from , Maymay Entrata from , and Anji Salvacion from , finalist Bailey May, and former housemates Joshua Garcia from , Jameson Blake from batch, and Seth Fedelin from Batch 1. During their performance, hosts Melai Cantiveros, Enchong Dee, and Alexa Ilacad joined them, along with the evicted housemates from this season.

In conclusion to the Big Night, a special episode dubbed Aba, Ayos! Ang Pagtatapos: The Reunion Special () featured the reunion of the former housemates (with the exception of Noimie, who was abroad at the time of the season's finale) and the finalists on October 27, 2024.

A spin-off reality series titled Pinoy Big Brother: Gen 11 Big 4 Ever has been commissioned following the immense success of the season. It aired on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, TV5, iWantTFC and TFC from December 9, 2024 to January 24, 2025. It featured the housemates from this season, with a greater focus on the show's finalists. Hosted by Robi Domingo and Bianca Gonzalez, the series delved into discussions with the housemates, showcase their lives after the show, and present never-before-seen footage that was not aired during the season. This marks the second reality spin-off in the franchise since Melason in Love from the ' season in 2010. The spin-off ran for 35 episodes, and was replaced by How to Spot a Red Flag in its timeslot.