Twitter/CBS "Celebrity Big Brother" Season 2 starts January 21 on CBS.
Celebrity Big Brother starts its second season on Monday, January 21, and once again, a group of celebrities will live together under constant surveillance, completely stripped of their privacy and contact with the outside world. With 94 HD cameras and 113 microphones recording their every move, the celebrities will fight, scratch and claw their way to the $250,000 grand prize and the title of Celebrity Big Brother winner.
Host Julie Chen is set to return (excuse me, Julie Chen Moonves), and while the Chenbot is locked and loaded, CBS has yet to announce the 10-12 celebrities who have signed up for the show’s voluntary confinement and social backstabbing.
Here are the latest cast rumors and predictions floating around the internet ahead of the show’s second season premiere.
What Celebrities Will Be Entering the Big Brother House?
A possible cast list for the upcoming edition of Celebrity Big Brother has leaked, and while none of it has been confirmed (yet), some of the names are pretty intriguing. The alleged list was released by Twitter user @BBSecretSusan and includes:
Aubrey O’Day, Danity Kane musician
Bobby Moynihan, Saturday Night Live comedian
Caitlyn Jenner, former Olympian and reality star
Calvin Johnson, NFL player
Carson Kressley, Queer Eye Fashion expert and RuPaul’s Drag Race judge
Dina Lohan, manager of Lindsay Lohan and reality star
Jonathan Bennett, actor
Sean Spicer, former White House director of communications
Stephen Baldwin, actor
Tiffany Pollard, reality star
Tonya Harding, former Olympian
Susan is now calling this list “confirmed” on Twitter, but CBS has yet to comment or release anything official.
Aubrey O’Day issued formal warning after spitting in Celebrity Big Brother housemate’s food t.co/1hpYcK7Rc4
Aubrey O’Day is no stranger to the reality circuit. She placed fifth in a UK season of Celebrity Big Brother where she didn’t back down from arguments and may have spit in another houseguest’s sandwich (JK, she totally did). O’Day also made it to the final three in season five of The Celebrity Apprentice where she wasted zero time before stirring the pot.
That’s right! Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard is SAFE! RT if you love the fact @TiffanyPollard is still in the game! #CBB
Tiffany Pollard (aka “New York” from Flavor of Love, I Love New York) is also a former UK houseguest having finished in fourth place across the pond. The former VH1 reality star is TV gold—do yourself a favor and fall down a YouTube rabbit hole to catch up on her Big Brother shenanigans. She’s over the top, out of control, and absolutely hysterical. If she’s confirmed for the upcoming U.S. season, we’re in for a treat, fellow BB fans.
SNL‘s Bobby Moynihan is a huge fan of the show, having already been inside the house during #BB19 to bang pots and pans and host a veto competition.
If this list is indeed true, it’s surprising that Caitlyn Jenner would want to participate, though with the salary rumors that are also leaking (see below!), it could make sense financially for the retired Olympian.
Sean Spicer fills the show’s political checkbox, but reality star and former White House political aide Omarosa Manigault’s shoes will be hard to fill. (Manigault had no problem spilling tea about Trump while in the Big Brother house.) Let’s just say Spicer gets my vote for the first potential evictee.
This Season, the Cast’s Appearance Salaries are All Varied
Although it was reported that Omarosa Manigault banked $1 million dollars for her appearance last season, the rest of her castmates all earned an equal appearance fee. This year, that’s out the window.
An inside source, Twitter user REALvegas4sure, tweeted that this year, the paychecks for Season 2 houseguests vary widely.
REALvegas4sure also teased new and remodeled comps, and confirmed that the trial mock run is now underway to test everything out.
#CBBUS2 Predictions
Pollard and O’Day may have Big Brother experience, but our stateside version of the show is incredibly different from the UK’s. Since American houseguests nominate and evict each other themselves, O’Day won’t be able to spit in someone’s dinner without immediately being put on the block. As for Pollard, it’s hard to predict what her fellow houseguests will think of her, and whether or not she’ll be able to hack the competitions remains to be seen. I’d guess her to be an early boot, but hope she stays as long as humanly possible.
Kressley is another former reality show contestant. He competed on The New Celebrity Apprentice where he proved to be savvy, smart, and extremely well liked among his peers. All of these traits could propel him to victory unless a savvier player looks to eliminate a social threat. That said, Kressley is definitely one to watch.
As for the rest of them, I wouldn’t count out two former Olympians or Moynihan, for that matter. Shannon Elizabeth, last year’s superfan celeb, was a strategic pro in the game until she overplayed her hand and got herself evicted. Her instincts, however, were on point. Maybe Moynihan can replicate her strategy while playing a quieter game.
No matter what happens, I just hope no one has to self-evict to feed their baby.
Celebrity Big Brother’s second season will air January 21 on CBS. The show is scheduled for a limited run of three weeks.
READ NEXT: When Will the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ 2019 Houseguests Be Announced?