Ricardinho, one of the BBB 26 candidates, starred in the edition’s first major dropout this Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The athlete decided to press the button and abandon the fight for a spot in the house after spending over 12 hours in the White Room dynamic, which selects the members of the Pipoca team. The incident, which occurred yesterday afternoon, gains relevance because Ricardinho was one of the public’s favorites in a CNN Brasil poll, occupying second place with 14% of the votes to win the spot. Thus, his early exit completely changes the competition’s landscape.
The how this happened explains part of the outcome. Due to attitudes considered irritating by his confinement colleagues, such as opening all the water cans and disturbing the group’s sleep, Ricardinho generated friction and isolation. As a result, the athlete, who is from the Midwest region, ended up digging his own grave, in the words of the confined Matheus. With the psychological pressure of the challenge, he couldn’t take it and asked to leave. The scene was striking, with Ricardinho crying and begging the production: “Open it now! Open it right here!”. Therefore, how much this impacts is significant: eight initial candidates are now seven, competing for the same two coveted spots.
Reactions and Current Scenario of the Competition
However, the dropout did not catch everyone by surprise. His colleague Rafaella, from the Northeast region, commented that she noticed the athlete’s discomfort, stating: “I knew he wasn’t well, he was pretending he was fine”. Meanwhile, the competition remains fierce among the seven remaining contenders, who represent all regions of Brazil: Livia (North), Elisa and Matheus (South), Gabriela (Southeast), Chaiany (Midwest) and Rafaella and Leandro (Northeast). Furthermore, a video of the exact moment of the dropout, posted by a profile on X (formerly Twitter), went viral on social media, further fueling the buzz around the reality show’s beginning.
Thus, BBB 26 begins with a dramatic twist already in the selection phase. The exit of a public favorite opens space for new protagonists and changes the initial strategies within the confinement. This way, eyes now turn to the seven White Room finalists, who must withstand the remaining pressure until the definition of who, in fact, will enter Brazil’s most watched house in 2026. The edition promises, therefore, to start off on the right foot in terms of emotion and unpredictability.
