The game is cast with intelligent, reasonable, generally-human contestants whom the public can stand to watch --

-- and I've gone too far.

More realistically:

1. Racial/religious/sexual preference divisions.
2. HoH may hold the title for as many weeks in a row as they can win: no more sitting the following competition out.
3. Restoration of public vote. (Not necessarily for the whole season, but it could terrify the hamsters late in the game).
4. Secret backdooring forbidden. The HoH must nominate two people and one backup. If anyone but the backup has and uses the Veto, the backup goes on the block. The backup, if using the Veto to save someone, is not protected and goes on the block as the replacement.
5. Mutiny: as with Pirate Master, should all contestants vote to do so, the HoH gets evicted.
6. No-payback HoH: you can't play for the title the week after your reign, but you can't be nominated or backdoored either.
7. Rivalry: the hamsters are paired up, but as enemies: each person must get the other out in order to win a prize. Once two people get rid of their rivals, they are assigned each other as new rivals.