CBS The cast of 'Big Brother 12'
One “Big Brother” fan-favorite contestant is getting real about all-stars. Season 12 houseguest Ragan Fox was “shocked” by some of the casting choices and reveals who he thought should have been included. He also talked candidly about how hard it was being in the house and how it jump-started a major mental health issue for him.
Here is what Fox had to say.
Fox Said ‘Big Brother’ Was a ‘Catalyst’ For His Anxiety
Fox revealed that he had a bit of a breakdown after going on “Big Brother.” He realized he had suffered from “crippling anxiety” his entire life but being on the show exacerbated it. But in the end, he’s glad it happened because he was able to recognize his problem and seek treatment for it.
“When you suffer from mental health issues … that’s just normal for you. That’s your normal. So I never recognized it as mental health issues. It wasn’t until after I did ‘Big Brother’ … that I realized oh my gosh, I’ve been suffering from crippling anxiety my entire life,” said Fox.
He continued, “That really came to a head the second week in the game. I remember — you know sometimes you have a quiz and you’re in those little boxes? I just felt like it was closing in on me and I thought, ‘I’m gonna have to leave. I’m gonna have to leave.'”
He said that “Big Brother” was “a catalyst” for his mental health issues to come to a head.
“‘Big Brother’ acted as a catalyst that kind of sped up the process of me reaching a breaking point,” said Fox. “Luckily, my mom was in town. I had to get an emergency appointment to see a psychiatrist, it was really bad. I thought I was never gonna be normal again.”
But he has been thriving these past few years. Fox continues to teach — he is a professor of Communications at California State University, Long Beach, according to his website. He has also written several books, including one titled “Reality TV: Producing Race, Gender, and Sexuality on ‘Big Brother.'”
Fox Said He Was ‘Shocked’ When He Saw the All-Stars Cast
In a recent interview on fellow “Big Brother” player Nicole Anthony’s “Hello Friends” podcast, Fox dished the dirt about this last year’s season of the show, which was supposed to be all-stars — he didn’t really think everyone included in the cast was exactly an “all-star” and the fans agreed.
I’m still tryna understand why Big Brother thought it was a good idea to cast David, a first boot who clearly doesn’t know how to play the game, on an all star season. What’s not clicking? #BB22 #bblf pic.twitter.com/WyUIgmC0Fb
— Connor (@Connorreality) August 26, 2020
its so EMBARRASSING what big brother has become. This all star cast consists of Ian, Kaysar, and Janelle. Everyone else is certainly not an all star.
— Ashley Michallick (@ThaAshleyy) August 21, 2020
Survivor: gets a 1 hour recap of the past 20 years as well as an epic winners season for their 20th anniversary.
Big Brother: can’t even acknowledge the 20th anniversary with a potential “all star” cast filled with people who are not “all stars” w no potential start date #bb22 pic.twitter.com/8h8KBRlB7W
— Michael (@bbmichael_) July 6, 2020
“I was shocked when I saw the cast … some of the choices, I was like, ‘What is going on?!” said Fox.
He did acknowledge that it was sort of sad not to be invited back himself, but there were quite a few people he considered true all-stars that he can’t believe weren’t in the cast. As far as “Big Brother 12” goes, he thought Matt Hoffman should have been included over Enzo Palumbo, “no question about that.”
He also said, “Eric Stein not being on all-stars, to me, makes my head explode because he’s the most connected person to ‘Big Brother’ alumni and everybody going into the house would’ve thought that they were Eric’s person. That would have made for very interesting drama.”
Now that’s some interesting intel — we had no idea Stein from “Big Brother 8” was so involved with the “Big Brother” alumni network.
Fox also cited Renny Martyn as his “all-time favorite player” and someone who should have been asked. We don’t disagree, though Martyn is recently recovering from a heart attack, so she might be just a little old by now to play “Big Brother” again.
Fox also said Ronnie Talbott because he was “such a divisive character.”
Big Brother U.S. returns in summer 2021 for its 23rd season. Big Brother Canada returned for its ninth season on March 3.
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