Celebrity Big Brother 18 is the eighteenth series of the British reality television series Celebrity Big Brother, hosted by Emma Willis and narrated by Marcus Bentley. The series launched on 28 July 2016, just two days after the conclusion of Big Brother 17 on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom and TV3 in Ireland. The series ended on 26 August 2016, making it the longest summer series to date and the third-longest series of Celebrity Big Brother in its history, behind series 15 and 17, respectively. Rylan Clark-Neal continued to present the spin-off show Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side. It was the eleventh celebrity series and the seventeenth series of Big Brother overall to air on Channel 5.

On 26 August 2016, the series was won by Stephen Bear with Ricky Norwood finishing as runner-up.

Production

Eye logo The official eye logo for the series was released on 8 July 2016 when it was posted online by presenter Emma Willis. The eye is the same that was used in Big Brother 17 which was split, with black on one side and white on the other with shattered, coloured glass separating them down the middle, however the logo features a star in the middle to represent the celebrity series. On 15 July 2016 a revamped eye was revealed. The revamped eye is the same as the former eye, but now split into a gold half and a white half.

Teasers On 19 July 2016, a brief 4-second "eye flash" aired on Channel 5 with the series eye logo emblazoned on a suitcase. On 21 July 2016, countdown adverts started airing with clues to the housemates identities, with the clues being "Beach bod", "Glamour puss", "National treasure", and "Iconic model".

Broadcasting On 8 July 2016, it was confirmed that the spin-off show Bit on the Side would air an additional episode on Sunday nights on 5Star. Hour-long midnight live feed also returned for the series.

House On 28 July 2016, Good Morning Britain toured the house and uploaded a 30-second video to their YouTube channel containing pictures of the kitchen area, stairs, bedroom and an empty living area. The sofa was confirmed to be Emerald Green.

The staircase was changed to gold along with the diary room door and walls. In the bedroom the gold theme continued and the carpet was changed to cream colour. The pod was also changed to a golden front with a red and orange theme inside. The bathroom was pretty much the same however all of the LED lighting was changed to a golden colour to complement the celebrity series.

Housemates On Day 1, fifteen housemates entered the house:

Celebrity Age on entry Notability Day entered Day exited Status Stephen Bear 26 Reality TV star 1 30 Ricky Norwood 33 Actor 1 30 nowrap Renee Graziano 48 Reality TV star 1 30 Marnie Simpson 24 Reality TV star 1 30 Aubrey O'Day 32 Singer and reality TV star 1 30 Frankie Grande 33 Social Media Mogul and half-brother of Ariana Grande 1 30 Samantha Fox 50 Model and singer 1 27 Katie Waissel 30 Singer 1 27 James Whale 65 Radio broadcaster 1 23 Lewis Bloor 26 Reality TV star 1 23 Heavy D 43 Reality TV star 1 20 Chloe Khan 25 Media personality 1 16 Saira Khan 46 TV presenter 1 13 Grant Bovey 55 Media personality and ex-husband of Anthea Turner 1 9 Christopher Biggins 67 Actor and TV presenter 1 9

Aubrey O'Day Aubrey O'Day is an American singer and reality television personality. She competed in the MTV series Making the Band, on which she won a place as a member of girl group Danity Kane. She also formed the musical duo Dumblonde, and has made appearances on television shows such as All About Aubrey and The Celebrity Apprentice. She entered the house on Day 1. On Day 6, she received a formal and final warning for unacceptable behaviour. On Day 30, she left the house in fifth place.

Stephen Bear Stephen Bear, known as Bear, is a British reality television personality. He first appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 series Shipwrecked, before appearing as a cast member on the third series of MTV's Ex on the Beach. He entered the house on Day 1. On Day 7 he was given a formal and final warning for unacceptable behaviour. On Day 9, he was cursed with eternal nomination for the duration of the series by his other housemates and faced every subsequent eviction. On Day 30, he left the house as the winner.

Christopher Biggins Christopher Biggins, also known as Biggins, is an English actor and television presenter, most known for his roles in television and theatre. In 2007 he won the seventh series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. He entered the house on Day 1. He was removed from the house on Day 9 after making offensive comments. Forty-four people complained to Ofcom about comments Biggins made about bisexuals, but Ofcom ruled that although the comments could cause offence, they were likely to be within the audience's expectations, and his comments were therefore found not to be in breach of broadcasting rules.

Chloe Khan Chloe Khan, formerly known as Chloe Mafia, is a British model and media personality. She is most known for her audition during the seventh series of The X Factor, and for appearing on Snog Marry Avoid?. She later became a Playboy model. She entered the house on Day 1. She became the third housemate to be evicted on Day 16, following an eviction showdown with Marnie.

Frankie Grande Frankie Grande is an American dancer, singer, actor, and Social Media Mogul who is the half-brother of Ariana Grande. As an actor, he has appeared in Broadway musicals such as Mamma Mia! and Rock of Ages. In 2014, he competed in the sixteenth series of Big Brother USA where he finished fifth. He entered the house on Day 1. On Day 30, he left the house in sixth place.

Grant Bovey Grant Bovey is a British businessman, most notable for his former marriage to television presenter Anthea Turner. He entered the house on Day 1. He became the first housemate to be evicted.

Heavy D Colin Newell, better known as Heavy D, was a British television personality, best known for appearing as a main buyer on Storage Hunters UK. He also made appearances on the YouTube football fan channel ArsenalFanTV. He entered the house on Day 1. He became the fourth housemate to be evicted on Day 20.

James Whale James Whale was an English television and radio broadcaster. He became the host of The James Whale Show on Radio Aire in Leeds in the 1980s, which was simulcast on national television. He also hosted a night time radio show on Talksport between 1995 and 2000. He entered the house on Day 1. He became the sixth to be evicted on Day 23.

Katie Waissel Katie Waissel is an English singer-songwriter, who was a finalist on the seventh series of The X Factor and finished seventh. She entered the house on Day 1. She became the seventh housemate to be evicted on Day 27.

Lewis Bloor Lewis Bloor is an English reality television personality, best known for starring as a cast member in the ITVBe semi-reality programme The Only Way Is Essex. He entered the House on Day 1. On Day 20, he was given a formal and final warning for unacceptable behaviour. He became the fifth housemate to be evicted on Day 23.

Marnie Simpson Marnie Simpson is an English reality television personality, best known for appearing as a cast member in the MTV reality series Geordie Shore. She entered the house on Day 1. On Day 30, she left the house in fourth place.

Renee Graziano Renee Graziano is an American reality television personality and author, most notable for appearing as a cast member on the VH1 reality series Mob Wives. She is the daughter of Anthony Graziano, a former consigliere of the Bonanno crime family. She entered the house on Day 1. On Day 30, she left the house in third place.

Ricky Norwood Ricky Norwood is an English actor, most notable for playing Fatboy in the BBC soap opera EastEnders between 2010 and 2015. He entered the House on Day 1. On Day 30, he left the house as runner-up.

Saira Khan Saira Khan is an English television personality. She is best known for being the runner-up on the first series of The Apprentice, and for appearing as a regular panellist on Loose Women. She entered the house on Day 1. She was the second housemate to be evicted on Day 13.

Samantha Fox Samantha Fox is an English singer, songwriter, and former model, best known for appearing as a model on Page 3 of The Sun newspaper in the mid-1980s. She released her debut single "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" in 1986, which reached number one in several countries. She also took part in the ninth series of I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!, where she finished ninth. She entered the house on Day 1. She became the eighth housemate to be evicted on Day 27.

Summary Day 1 Entrances Biggins, Saira, Frankie, Ricky, Renee, Marnie, James, Aubrey, Bear, Katie, Lewis, Grant, Chloe, Heavy D and Samantha entered the house. Twists The housemates were thrown a silent disco whilst the public voted for which housemate they wanted to be the "Secret Boss". During the disco Biggins's music was interrupted as Big Brother told him the public had given him the role of "Secret Boss" and he would have sole responsibility of nominations. However, the other housemates were let in on the secret and were told that this was a lie. In fact they had to receive a nomination from Biggins in order to receive immunity. Later that night, Biggins nominated Saira and she was granted immunity. Day 2 Twists Biggins nominated Lewis and granted him immunity. Day 3 Twists Biggins nominated Heavy D and granted him immunity. Biggins was then told the truth about the twist and for passing, he was also granted immunity. Tasks The Housemates played Game of Phones, in which three Housemates had to stand in front of three phoneboxes whilst the others were given a fact about one of them. The housemates then had to get in the phonebox of the housemate they believe the fact is about. An incorrect answer meant they would be gunged. Day 4 Nominations The housemates nominated for the first time. Grant and James received the most nominations and faced the public vote. Day 5 Tasks Biggins hosted a talent show with Aubrey, Frankie and Renee as judges. Samantha won after receiving maximum points. Punishments As punishment for Bear, Biggins, James, Renee and Saira discussing nominations, the hot water and electrical appliances were switched off. Day 6 Tasks For the first shopping task, Housemates separated into Humans; Bear, Biggins, Heavy D, James, Katie, Marnie, Renee and Samantha, and Artificials; Aubrey, Chloe, Frankie, Grant, Lewis, Ricky and Saira. Each Human had an Artificial to do everything they asked. This was a head-to-head task between the Humans and Artificials with the winners receiving a luxury shopping budget and the losers receiving basic. For the first round the teams were asked a series of trivia questions. The first team to answer 7 questions without breaking the circuit would win the round. The Artificials were declared the winners. Punishments Aubrey was given a formal and final warning after spitting in Bear's food and drink then serving them to him during the Humans vs Artificials task. Day 7 Tasks For the second round of the Humans vs Artificials shopping task, the teams went head-to-head to see who could get the most emotion out of the other team. This round was declared a draw. Thus since the Artificials won the first round, they won the shopping task. Punishments Bear was given a formal warning for throwing a bottle across the garden, smashing a mirror and invading Heavy D's personal space. He was then kept in a room separate from the other housemates for the night. Day 8 Tasks Frankie was given a secret task, to bring a little bit of Hollywood to Borehamwood. He had to pretend to be in a horror film, an action film and a musical. He successfully completed this task. Day 9 Punishments Lewis was told by Big Brother that the way he and fellow Housemates were acting in their dare games could be seen as bullying or out-casting other Housemates.