Julie Chen says she still doesn't know the full list of Big Brother 22 houseguests, claiming that a few of the potential All-Stars who were flown in had to be removed from consideration after testing positive for COVID-19. In anticipation of the new season, the rumors surrounding the BB22 cast are dominating the reality TV discourse on social media. However, CBS has chosen to keep everything a secret during this season, announcing that the official cast will only be revealed during the show's live move-in on Wednesday, August 5. Thus far, the only official information CBS has released to the fans is a tour of the BB22 house.
Despite the secrecy from CBS, fans have been hard at work analyzing all the possible Big Brother houseguests who could potentially return for this new All-Stars season. In the midst of this social media frenzy, certain fans conjured up theories that some of the potential BB22 players might have COVID-19. A week ago, the biggest suspects were Josh Martinez and Kaycee Clark. A few days later, new allegations came up about Nicole Franzel exposing Dan Gheesling and Derrick Levasseur for pre-gaming. However, certain fans have also wondered if Dan and Derrick's alleged BB22 removal had something to do with COVID-19 as well. Now, Julie Chen has updated fans on the particulars of the Big Brother casting process, and how it's been affected by the pandemic.
During an interview with CBSN LA, Julie Chen made quite a few revelations regarding what she does and doesn't know about the official Big Brother 22 All-Stars cast. First, Julie confirmed that the season will have a total of 16 players - eight women and eight men - and that they are all returning houseguests from seasons before. Then, the longtime BB host disclosed a fact that caught the fans by surprise: "We flew in a bunch of people, more than 16. And some people I thought were definitely going in the house... They tested positive for COVID-19, so they couldn't go in. And I thought, 'Well, expect the unexpected.'" The full interview has been removed from official channels, but Twitter user @regreen89 shared a clip that includes the statements made by Julie Chen. Watch the clip below:
Ultimately, Julie Chen's statement confirms that at least a few of the All-Stars who were already in sequester for Big Brother 22 had to be removed from consideration after testing positive for COVID-19. Nonetheless, Josh Martinez took to Twitter to deny the COVID-19 rumors related to him. In a tweet, Josh said he won't be on the upcoming BB22 season, but that his "health is great" otherwise. With the upcoming season of Big Brother: All-Stars premiering this Wednesday, August 5, it seems like many of the casting decisions for the show have undergone last-minute alterations.
It is safe to say that Big Brother 22 is one of the most highly-anticipated seasons of the show in recent history. As the official All-Stars houseguests are revealed, fans can also expect to get updates regarding other developments that took place during the casting process.
Source: CBSN LA, @rgreen89, Josh Martinez