Big Brother Season 20: The Hive – Why We'll Root for the Lovable Losers Until the End!

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No, Beyoncé fans, that's not the Hive we're talking about.

The Hive consisting of Bayleigh and Rockstar (voted out), Faysal, Haleigh, and Scottie has to be one of Big Brother's most ineffective alliances in the history of the series.

At this rate, they have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the game or making it to the end.

The Hive

Do you want to know the best part? Hive fans know that but still unabashedly root for them anyway. You know what's even better? The Hive knows they're perpetual screwups, too. They even joked about being the "Bad News Bears."

Every week fans watch as the lovable group of losers struggles to rub two brain cells together long enough to formulate a plan.

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Each week, the Hive comes painfully close to having their finger on the pulse and figuring out the game, yet just as quickly as brilliant ideas float in, they flit away. It's incredible.

A shockingly transparent JC has infiltrated the Hive all season via a puzzling and comical bond with Fessy (they're Amazing Race bound, yes?), routinely picks their brains and runs to the other side relaying information.

The Hive 2

We needn't get into how absurd it is that he's so loyal to an alliance that doesn't even include him, but I digress.

Meanwhile, the Hive remains clueless to his brazen endeavors. Just as the Hive has seemingly welcomed their former number one enemy, Brett, into their kooky little world despite Brett unbeknownst to them working with the other side.

For some illogical reason, the Hive doesn't even know there is another side. The insane part is Level 6 4 is terrible at hiding it. Perhaps if the Hive were aware, they would stop turning on their own alliance.

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If Faysal hadn't won his first HOH recently, his best moves would have been breaking a sink and pining after Haleigh.

Rockstar, like most of her fellow Hive mates, played an emotional game. She figured out dynamics, but she dismissed them quickly.

Emotional Bayleigh's HOH status went to her head. She distrusted her alliance and tried too hard to win over the cool kids. There's also the issue with her talking too much.

Meanwhile, Hayleigh is the most formidable but made impossibly reckless moves like revealing that she was the hacker. A strategic Scottie straddles the fence so often he's hard to place and remains a threat to both alliances. It's insane!

BB20 is one of the most entertaining seasons in years. It lacks the greatness of earlier seasons, but it's an improvement.

BB20 gave us two alliances who rotate power and wildcards who play the middle. That's far better than Paul and his flunkies from the previous season.

Level 6 (now Level 4) are the strategists and are arguably one of the most loyal and consistent alliances of the series. But as disastrous as the Hive is, their achievements can't be dismissed. They win comps and have a few HOHs under their belts. They could be formidable if they strategized better.

It goes back to why the Hive is so irresistible. What the Hive lacks in strategic thinking and unwavering loyalty, they make up for in sheer likability and entertainment.

The Hive is far more fun to watch.

They're kooky, quirky, and authentic. As frustrating as they are to watch at times, there is something relatable and genuine about them. They bring personality to the series since the other alliance has decent game players but is generally flat.

Level 4, for the most part, lacked presence for most of the season. Rachel didn't become remotely interesting until her exit interview with Julie after an epic blindside gifted fandom with one of the season's best memes.

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An incredibly mean-spirited Angela was so forgettable that she spent most of the beginning of the season viewed as interchangeable with Rachel and referred to as furniture. Now Angela is the mean girl who is cruel for kicks.

Kaycee is so dull that she goes entire stretches not even being shown on episodes.

The most personality came from an explosive and moody Winston and the other half of his bromance Brett whose shtick is being equal parts obnoxious and amusing while giving humorous eviction night speeches and smug goodbye messages that could cost him the game.

Then, of course, there is the ringleader, Tyler, who is a great player but is the production golden boy who is shoved so far down our throats it's nauseating.

There are limited excitement and entertainment coming from Level 4. At best they're boring, and at worst they're off-putting.

They work well together, but how is watching Tyler carry his whole team fun? He's going to need an ice pack for his back when he inevitably wins.

Level 6 VS. Foutte

The Hive is the only thing that kept BB20 from being a repeat of last season. Level 4 is a repeat of the Friendship alliance with Tyler at the helm.

Much like Paul, it's not that Tyler is fantastic at the game (he doesn't know how to deal in those rare cases where someone isn't charmed by him or open to his mediocre but frustratingly effective manipulation), it's more so that that the others are so dumb when it comes to this game.

Tyler is good but in an inauthentic way. It's as if he was groomed for the game blatantly taking bits and pieces of previous houseguest's strategies and nothing feels like it's his own.

BB20- Tyler

He tries too hard. His plethora of DR sessions that noticeably outweigh all of the other houseguests are attempts at charming like BB houseguests of the past.

The decidedly mean and childish taunting and isolation tactics are attempts at being like Paul, and there are moments when the guy tries a little too hard to give us infamous BB memes.

Oddly enough, the wacky Hive has him beat in that regard too. They've been a meme gold mine.

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Compared to Tyler, who has it all mapped out with contingency plans, watching the Hive fumble through the game is endearing. They don't have it all figured out. They don't have any of it figured out, but it's in the moment and unpredictable.

There's a level of self-awareness to Hive members that is too good to pass up. Level 4 and semi-allies for all of their smugness shred the Hive for being morons but aren't in a position to poke fun.

Most of them haven't contributed more than a vote to their alliance. They are reliant on Tyler. They're unaware that they're handing him the game. Does that make them just as bad or worse than the Hive? They're laughing at the other side but will be sitting beside them in Jury while Tyler wins.

They're not particularly good either.

They barely win comps on their own without help and allowed Tyler to manipulate them into leaving malicious goodbye messages to Jury members. Remember two back-to-back seasons of poor jury management costing someone the grand prize? So who will get the last laugh at the end?

Tyler, of course. Level 4 as an alliance isn't good. Tyler is good.

Summing Up Big Brother

Big Brother feels like high school all over again, and while Level 4 is the cool and popular kids, the Hive is like a merry band of misfits. In the end, isn't that what speaks to us most of all? Those moments of triumph when the outcasts win?

It's that underdog quality that keeps fans rooting for human disasters like the Hive. There hasn't been a good underdog story on Big Brother for some time. There hasn't been an alliance this shockingly bad either.

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Blind kittens in traffic have better luck than the Hive. Their inability to put a plan in motion and follow through is mystifying. They have the worst screwups in Big Brother history.

Every damn day they give you a reason not to root for them. In fact, it's painful to root for them. It's exhausting.

They bring dishonor to supporters and the game regularly. Is this what it feels like to unconditionally support your children despite them being complete disappointments and failures? It must be.

Every time one thinks the Hive has reached rock bottom on making poor decisions one of them finds a trap door. It's a rollercoaster ride of seeing just how much they can shoot themselves in the foot. It's astounding.

They test the patience of their staunchest supporters. Hell, their staunchest supporters may actively support them being on the block for being utter failures. It's a complicated relationship.

Hive fans rarely bother giving excuses to justify why they still support this train wreck of an alliance. They're endearing and frustrating; they're embarrassing and amusing.

They're dumbasses, but damn if they aren't our dumbasses. For better and for worst, and it's pretty much worse, most Hive fans will root for these losers until the last member is picked off.

I know it doesn't make sense. Trust me; it doesn't make sense to us either. How can Hive fans be more loyal to them than they are to one another? Who knows?

UPDATE: Speaking of which, damn you, Faysal. Let's throw the latest feelings of "disappointed but not surprised" in the heap with the others.

They're so bad that it's indefensible. Their own fans are eagerly awaiting their demise if only to be put out of our misery.

It's so quintessentially the Hive to put their alliance member on the block instead of the other side. Why are they like this?!

This regretful Hive fan is off to eat her disappointment and ponder why she can't make things easier for herself by rooting for the winning team. I'm turning it over to you, Big Brother Fanatics.

Are you a Hive fan? Why do you think people root for them so much? Are they the worst alliance in Big Brother history? Is this season one of the best in years? Sound off below.

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.

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