MANILA, Philippines — The iconic home of “Pinoy Big Brother” is closing its doors, marking the end of a chapter for one of Philippine television’s longest-running reality shows.
ABS-CBN executives, hosts and staff gathered Tuesday, March 24, to formally bid goodbye to the original “Bahay ni Kuya,” which has served as the show’s main setting for more than two decades.
The network confirmed that the program will move to a new location, though details have yet to be announced.
Laurenti Dyogi, head of TV Production and Star Magic, said the transition had long been under consideration.
“It’s time. This is the time that we officially say goodbye to the house,” Dyogi said in an interview with “TV Patrol.”
“We’ve sustained this for 21 years. Years back I’ve been seeing the possibility of moving out of this property. But the collab happened with Channel 7, so found good reason to keep the house,” he added.
The property where the house stands has already been sold, prompting the move. ABS-CBN previously secured a lease extension to accommodate recent seasons, including the “Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0,” a joint project with GMA Network.
Dyogi said a new house is already planned for upcoming seasons.
“For the coming season, it’s good to have a new feel naman for the new housemates. We’ve decided to move it and build a new PBB house, abangan nila kung saan 'yung new PBB house,” he said.
“We still have the formal license for a couple more years, so people will definitely still have something to look forward to — where it will be, and when. That will be soon, so watch out for the open auditions for the new season,” Dyogi added.
Photos from the farewell showed emotional moments among network executives and hosts, including Bianca Gonzales, Robi Domingo and Alexa Ilacad.
Gonzales later wrote on Instagram, “GOODBYE BB HOUSE (sad emoji) To the home where hundreds of lives were changed for good, we are forever grateful.”
The final season held in the original house concluded on Feb. 28, 2026, featuring 20 housemates over 127 days — the longest run for a non-regular edition of the franchise. Caprice Cayetano and Lella Ford were named winners.
Meanwhile, during a press conference on Wednesday, the PBB Collab 2.0 Kapuso housemates were asked what they feel like since their batch is the last group to enter the original house.
“Being able to able to stay at Kuya's OG House, it's really an honor because that's where I started and I'm really happy that I was able to stay for the last time,” said Heath Jornales.
John Clifford described mixed emotions about closing the chapter.
“Maybe I'm both happy and sad. Of course, we were grateful that we were the last batch to experience Kuya's OG House. But at the same time, I'm sure a lot of people wanted to experience it also. But I'm really excited for the next batch. Of course, it's a new experience. It's really exciting,” he said.
Actor Marco Masa called the moment “bittersweet.”
He added, “But for me, I'm really blessed and all the housemates that I've met, because we were the last batch. Me personally, I never expected that I would be able to enter Kuya's house since I was already in the industry. So, I'm just very grateful that I was able to experience it. Because it's an experience that you only experience once in a blue moon. And you learn a lot inside the house. So, I'm just really thankful that I was able to experience it.”
Lee Victor shared, “What a privilege. What an honor. But yeah, it's sad. Because imagine, fast forward to the future the term housemate is a great way to talk to future generations. It's a great way to tell them what it's like to be an OG housemate in the old house of Kuya. So, it's gonna be a nostalgic feeling. And it's an experience you can't relive, honestly. That's why when we were in that house, we cherished all the moments.”
Winner Caprice Cayetano shared similar sentiments saying, “I'm happy because I became part of a very iconic house. And it's sad because we don't get to point to people the house we used to live at and say ‘you know, we used to live there before.’ So, it's sad. But we're happy and excited for the next housemates of Kuya and they’ll get to know Kuya.”
Ashley Sarmiento said the group did not initially realize they would be the final batch.
“Actually, I think we have no idea that we'll be the ones to be the massive touch. But now that we know, I feel really happy that we got the opportunity to visit Kuya's house which changed so many lives. And we're so happy that we were able to create memories inside Kuya's house. But I believe that it'll be a beautiful beginning of Kuya's house for the next touch. So, I feel really happy and thankful.”
Princess Aliyah added, “We're very honored and very grateful that out of all the people, we're the housemates that chose to close this chapter. But we're really happy that we became a part of it.”
Since its launch, “Pinoy Big Brother” has become a cultural fixture and a launching pad for many Filipino celebrities including Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Melai Cantiveros, Sam Milby, Joshua Garcia, James Reid, among many others.
