Luis Hontiveros

Biography

The seventh season of the reality game show Pinoy Big Brother, subtitled Lucky (pronounced as Lucky 7 or Lucky Season 7) aired on ABS-CBN for 235 days from July 11, 2016, to March 5, 2017. This is the third consecutive special season to air, following All In and 737, but this season still uses the same batch format as with the previous season, with celebrities, teens, and adults being divided into three batches. However, an additional twist was added where all finalists of each batch will then return in the fourth and final batch to compete for a spot in the final. This would later serve as the foundation for the formats of Otso and Kumunity 10, though the former would not feature celebrities like 737 and Kumunity 10. This season was the first to reach the 200-day mark. It was later surpassed by Otso by 33 days, as well as by Kumunity 10, with this season trailing by only nine.

== Developments == The show announced its seventh season on March 30, 2016. On April 3, a Facebook page about Pinoy Big Brother posted a photo of the house and tells its audience to share it for a chance to be an official housemate. The Big Brother staff immediately disowned the promo as fake and reminds its social media followers to always verify their sources. The official announcement for Lucky Season 7 aired on June 29. On July 2, 2016, during the airing of It's Showtime, Big Brother announced that the season will kick off with the entry of celebrity housemates. Other celebrity housemates were announced in various programs in the succeeding days. During the transport of the celebrity housemates from the Philippines to Vietnam, three were barred from traveling by immigration officials due to problems with their visa and immigration cards; the three were able to travel the next day.

=== Auditions ===

Auditions started on May 21, 2016, and lasted until June 26, 2016. Like the previous two seasons, the auditions for regular and teen housemates were held together. Online auditions opened for overseas aspirants. The following were the audition schedules. Note that, with the exception of the auditions held overseas, the first day is designated for teen auditions while the second day is designated for regular auditions:

=== Other content === Daily updates about upcoming episodes are shown twice a day. Pinoy Big Brother: Lucky Season 7 Online airs their episodes on the official website and on their official Facebook and YouTube page on weekdays, sometimes on weekends for after-eviction specials. For three weeks, during the stay of the celebrity housemates, a special show entitled PBB: Mga Kwento ng Celebrity Housemates (then formerly known as PBB Vietnam: Mga Kwento ng Celebrity Housemates when the latter was still in Vietnam) aired. It was then renamed to PBB: Mga Kwento ng Teen Housemates upon the arrival of the teen housemates, and PBB: Mga Kwento ng Housemates ni Kuya upon the teen and regular housemates lived in one house, and then renamed as PBB: Mga Kwento ng Dream Team ni Kuya when the Dream Team housemates entered. Online Bahay ni Kuya returned for viewers to participate and win ₱100,000 at the end of its run. On February 10, 2017, the show aired its final episode from Kapamilya Gold's afternoon and was replaced by Wildflower block called Pinoy Big Brother Lucky Season 7: Mga Kwentong Dream Team ni Kuya.

== Overview == Like 737, this season is divided into batches. However a celebrity batch is added along with the teen and adult batches. The show kicked off with the celebrities. The teen housemates entered next, and the adults to follow last.

=== Episode format === For the celebrity batch, housemates have entered a week before the actual premiere, and so the broadcast for these episodes are delayed as opposed to the previous-day format that had been present since the first season. Since the show does not display a day number for each episode, it is assumed that events had happened a week from the actual air date. It is possible that the length of stay of the celebrity housemates is shorter than what is being aired. On July 30, 2016, the celebrity housemates returned to the Philippines to enter the Pinoy Big Brother House, and so the previous-day format returns. For the first three weeks of the season, the show only aired on weekdays due to the last few episodes of We Love OPM. After their stint in Vietnam, their format went back to air episodes 7 days a week.

=== Hosts === Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzalez and Robi Domingo reprised their roles as hosts. Mariel Rodriguez returned as host after her absence since Teen Clash 2010. During the season, Toni Gonzaga and Mariel Rodriguez took a maternity leave due to pregnancy. However, Gonzaga returned as a regular host when the Dream Team housemates entered the house. Maymay Entrata was the winner of this season.