“Big Brother” fans are waiting patiently for the season 19 cast announcement, but several alums of the CBS reality show have definite opinions on what types of players should be cast. Rumors have been rampant that the “BB19” cast will include a lineup of returning players or a mix of all-Stars and newcomers. In a roundup panel for The Hollywood Reporter, “Big Brother” veterans, including Derrick Levasseur, Michelle “Meech” Meyer, and Paul Abrahamian weighed in on the possibility of an all-stars cast and why it could be a Bad Idea for the long-running reality show.
'BB' veterans take away from the game
Meyer, who competed on season 18, said she didn’t like the fact that four “Big Brother” veterans returned to the show last summer. One of them, Nicole Franzel, actually won the season. Meyer said the returning vets told everyone else what to expect and it took away the show’s “unpredictability.”Abrahamian agreed, citing the sense of “entitlement” returning players seem to have.
Rachel Reilly, who competed on two seasons of "Big Brother” and not only won the jackpot in season 13 but also won a future husband, Brendon Villegas, revealed that she heard that “Big Brother 19” could include a viewer voting aspect in which fans vote for new people to come in to compete for a spot in the CBS summertime house.
Levasseur, who made his mark as one of the best "Big Brother” players of all time when he outplayed everyone in Season 16, told THR he would like to see the show go back to its roots with diehard superfans who really know how to play the game. Levasseur also said he would like to see the show bump the grand prize up to one million dollars instead of a paltry $500K.
All-Stars for season 20?
While most of the "Big Brother” veterans interviewed said they would like to see some new blood come in for season 19, they acknowledged that they would be interested in competing in an all-stars season if asked. Many “Big Brother” fans expect that next summer's 20th season would be the perfect time to resurrect an all-stars lineup.
Paulie Calafiore, who competed on the CBS reality show last summer, said he has had a year to reflect on the mistakes he made (he made a lot of them) and would jump at the chance to compete against “Big Brother” legends like
Janelle Pierzina, Mike “Boogie” Malin, and Dan Gheesling. Levasseur agreed but added he would only come back if he could go head to head against "Big Brother” masterminds Gheesling and Will Kirby.
Viewers have had mixed reaction to the possibility of another all-stars season, but it would not be surprising to see a mix of old and new players for “Big Brother 19.” But longtime host Julie Chen previously told Entertainment Tonight that she didn’t think another all-stars season was in the cards for the show.
Chen revealed that while “BB “ fans like to see cameos from show veterans, the first all-stars season in 2006 was one of the lowest rated “Big Brother” seasons ever. Chen said the beauty of the show comes with super fans who have never played the game before.
“Big Brother” season 19 premieres June 28 on CBS.
