Big Brother: All-Stars premiered with host Julie Chen unveiling the cast of 16 returning players and All-Star houseguest Cody Calafiore winning the first Head of Household competition during Wednesday night's Season 22 episode on CBS.
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Fans have been anticipating a cast announcement for months, but the identities of Big Brother's Season 22 All-Stars were not officially unveiled until Wednesday night.
The female All-Stars competing this season are Christmas Abbott, Nicole Anthony, Dani Briones, Bayleigh Dayton, Nicole Franzel, Janelle Pierzina, Da.Vonne Rogers, and Keesha Smith.
The male All-Stars who are David Alexander, Cody Calafiore, Kevin "KC" Campbell, Tyler Crispen, Memphis Garrett, Enzo Palumbo, Kaysar Ridha, and Ian Terry.
The Big Brother broadcast began with Julie teasing Big Brother: All-Stars' cast.
"We have winners, we have legends, we have some of the best players who have never won this game, and we've got a few whose games ended far too soon. But what they have in common is they are all entering the house with something to prove," Julie said.
Julie went on to reveal the first four Big Brother: All-Stars -- Nicole Franzel, who was on Big Brother 16 and won Big Brother 18; Daniele, who previously went by Daniele Donato and finished Season 8 as the runner-up and was also on Season 13; Da'Vonne from Big Brother 17 and 18; and Christmas, who placed third on Big Brother's 19th season.
Nicole said she's happily engaged to Big Brother houseguest Victor Arroyo and they currently live in Michigan together. Nicole said she doesn't understand why Big Brother fans feel Paul Abrahamian was "robbed" when she won Season 18, and she is setting out to prove she deserved that victory and maybe even another one.
Daniele married her fellow Big Brother houseguest Dominic Briones and now they have an almost two-year-old girl together. Daniele said she hasn't spent more than three hours away from her daughter so being away from her family in the BB house was going to be very hard.
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"I'm definitely known for my competition wins. I've won a total of four HoHs and five Vetos, and I still hold the record for most vetoes ever won in a single season," Daniele bragged, adding that this is her season to win and she's going to bring a great social and strategic game to the table.
RELATED LINK: 'BIG BROTHER' SHOWMANCES NOWDa'Vonne said she's no longer a poker dealer and is now teaching theater. Da'Vonne was the second person evicted on her first season, and on Season 18, she became the first member of the jury.
Da'Vonne insisted she's best remembered for being intuitive but talking too much and she'll need to work on that. Da'Vonne promised "a new Da'Vonne," who won't get hot-headed with her temper flaring.
Christmas is now a mother of a young son and she's an online entrepreneur who can do most of her work from home. Christmas called herself "a comp beast" before breaking her foot from a piggyback ride.
Christmas said she was "a fraction of herself the entire time" on her first season and she intended to dominate the house this time around.
The first four houseguests were wearing masks, and Julie explained they had been quarantined for two weeks and tested multiple times for COVID-19.
"You have all been cleared to play this game," Julie said, acknowledging she had also been tested for coronavirus. "And I've been cleared to host the show!"
Julie also revealed the first competition would begin the very second that Nicole, Daniele, Christmas and Da'Vonne stepped into the house, or the "Big Brother bubble."
Julie said only the first two finishers out of the four ladies would advance to Big Brother: All-Stars' first Head of Household competition later in the night.
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For the initial competition, the four returning players had to race into the house to the backyard where a question awaited them, search the house for the answer to that question, lock her answer into a game board, and then press a buzzer to signify completion of the task.
Only the first two people to lock in the correct answer would compete to become the first Head of Household of Big Brother: All-Stars.
The question was, "In which room are these porcelain dogs?"
Christmas was the only person who finished the challenge in under four minutes, and so she was told she'd be the only person advancing to the night's HoH competition.
The next four houseguests Julie introduced were Tyler, the runner-up of Season 20 and America's Favorite Houseguest; Ian, who won Season 14; Kevin, who placed third on Big Brother 11; and Enzo from Big Brother 12.
Tyler said he met Angela Rummans on the season and she's the love of his life. The pair have traveled the world and are currently living together in Hilton Head, SC, while running a jewelry company.
Tyler admitted he "wrote too many checks [he] couldn't cash" on his first season, suggesting he made too many promises he couldn't keep and therefore lost out on the $500,000.
Tyler set out to prove he's one of the greatest players ever.
Ian shared that he's grown up a lot from his first season and has a real job and a girlfriend. He said he won HoH four times on his first season and was extremely competitive.
Ian said he should "play dumb" and low key for a while on Big Brother because people probably know he's smart and a threat in competitions.
Kevin told the cameras he's senior creative director at an ad agency and will most definitely bring out his alter ego, a feisty brunette woman, on Big Brother this season. Kevin is married and said if he wins Big Brother, he plans to adopt a child.
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Enzo said he now has a son and daughter and lives in a house with many family members, including his mother who cooks for him.
Enzo said he started "The Brigade" on Big Brother and they dominated the whole season -- and he almost won the season -- but his mistake was going to the end with two players who were stronger than him physically.
Enzo told the cameras he'll win some competitions this time around because he's in the best shape of his life and is "a genius," a "mastermind."
Ian told Julie it would take "luck" for him to get all the way back to finale night.
The guys were then allowed to enter the house and had to search for specific pillows.
Ian completed the challenge in first place, and then Kevin placed second. The two guys would therefore get to compete in the HoH competition later that night.
The next four women to enter the house were three-time Big Brother houseguest Janelle; Bayleigh from Season 20; Nicole Anthony, who finished third on Big Brother 21; and Keesha Smith from Big Brother 10.
Janelle now has three children and a successful real estate business. She said her Big Brother legacy is most competition wins in a season and evicting Will Kirby in the first Big Brother: All-Stars. She also made it to the Final 3 twice.
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Janelle said she's going to be laser-focused on winning and would like to prove a person can compete at any age.
Bayleigh now lives in downtown Los Angeles and is married to fellow BB20 houseguest Chris "Swaggy C" Williams. She works as a model and said she loves being a dog mom.
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"I am going to run this Big Brother house!" Bayleigh bragged.
Nicole Anthony said she's still living at home with her family, who are her world, and she now works as a podcast co-host. Nicole said she's finally comfortable in her own skin and will trust her gut this year.
Keesha works at a restaurant in Malibu and has three dogs who are her children. She was voted "America's Favorite Houseguest" on her first BB season but wishes she hadn't been so trusting of people because that's what got her kicked off in the end.
Keesha said she planned to come on more strong and make more moves this time around.
"I think people will perceive me as a weak player, but the All-Stars need to understand that I'm a very smart person, and they need to watch out," Keesha said.
Once the four women moved into the house, Nicole was the only person to finish the initial competition in under four minutes, making her the only person in the group able to compete in the first HoH competition.
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Julie then unveiled the remaining four All-Stars: Kaysar from Big Brother 6 and the first Big Brother: All-Stars; Cody, the runner-up of Big Brother 16; Memphis, who finished as the runner-up on Big Brother 10; and David, who appeared on Big Brother 21.
Kaysar said viewers last saw him when he was 25-year-old and now he's 39-years-old and married with a son. Kaysar, a practicing Muslim and executive at a biotech company, noted he's "ready for chaos" and knows how to stay calm in stressful times.
Kaysar claimed he made big moves and played strategically, but in his past two seasons, he never made it to the jury house.
Cody is a real estate agent and head soccer coach who's been in a relationship for over four years. He said his legacy is being a member of "The Hitmen" alliance but his downfall was going to the end with an ally, Derrick Levasseur, someone he couldn't really beat.
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Memphis has opened multiple restaurants since his first Big Brother stint and said he'd miss his son a lot in the house. Memphis was aligned with Dan Gheesling on his Big Brother season but admitted he was playing checkers when Dan was playing chess.
"This time, I'm going to be methodical about my game and I'm going to be cutthroat. As soon as I see an alliance I think it going to be against me, I'm throwing a bomb in my alliance. I've got all the tricks in the book, and I'm going to be the last man standing," Memphis said.
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David works in sales and revealed he's been working on himself both physically and in a mental capacity to better prepare himself for Big Brother.
David -- who was taken out Night 1 due to a Big Brother twist -- planned to play a good social game and build alliances with everybody. He also claims he can read people and tell when they're lying.
David wanted to prove he can stay in the house, as long as there are no crazy twists.
Kaysar, Cody, Memphis, and David then ran through the house and began the game, and Memphis and Cody finished the initial competition in time and won the chance to compete in the HoH.
The 16 All-Stars then came together in the house, with many of the players having pre-existing relationships or knowing of each other.
The players then headed to the backyard to prepare for the season's first Head of Household competition, and only six All-Stars were able to compete: Nicole Anthony, Cody, Memphis, Kevin, Christmas, and Ian.
The competition called "Star Steppin'" required the houseguests to race across a star-studded field in attempt to get to the other side and lock-in a time.
Some stars, however, were solid -- and other stars were not.
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"Your memory is key, because if you fall, you must return to the starting platform and try again," Julie explained.
"The houseguest to cross the field in the fastest time once everyone has made their run will be the first Head of Household of BB All-Stars. If you do not lock in your time by the end of three minutes, you'll be eliminated."
And to make things more interesting, Julie said eliminated players must choose one of five envelopes on the table and not open them until given permission. The envelopes contained some good and some "not-so good" things.
The houseguests' order was determined at random, and Memphis went first and finished with a time of one minute and 12 seconds. Cody completed the HoH in 26.02 seconds, and then Christmas couldn't beat Cody's score -- and neither could Kevin, Nicole, or Ian.
Cody was therefore crowned Big Brother: All-Stars first Head of Household.
Cody then sat in the Diary Room and chatted with Julie for a bit when no one else could hear him. Cody admitted he was most surprised to see Kaysar because the show "went way back" to get him.
Cody added he was nervous to see some of the All-Stars, especially because he hadn't held conversations with many of the returning players. He therefore felt the need to win in order to keep himself safe.
"After I saw all the faces in the house, there were a lot of people I haven't had any dialogue with since I've been on the show, so I don't trust anybody and I only trust myself," Cody said.
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Although Cody might get blood on his hands, he planned to follow the house's lead on the first eviction. Cody said there's a low percentage the person who survives the block will end up as the second HoH of the season.
Cody also confessed it was going to be difficult to play Big Brother without Derrick and it's going to be "a very different game."
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Only one of the five envelopes had a cash prize inside, and the person who received the prize was Christmas, who would be going home with $5,000.
The "Have Nots" had to crawl into a hole in order to get inside their bedroom, where they'd be living for seven days, but it turned out the door to their room was locked.
Julie joked the show had to work out some technical difficulties.
Cody, as the first HoH, will nominate two houseguests for eviction in the upcoming Sunday episode and then the first twist will be revealed dubbed the "Safety Suite."
"In the Safety Suite, there is something every single houseguest will want," Julie shared.
The first Power of Veto competition will be held next Wednesday night, followed by the first live eviction on Thursday, August 13.
"Nobody wants to be the first person out, and now there is a new way to prevent that," Julie teased.
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The episode concluded with Julie teasing the All-Star houseguests that new rooms would be revealed to the players throughout the summer and each room will twist up the game "like never before," according to Julie.
The first room revealed will be the "Safety Suite" and everyone will be given a VIP pass to enter the special room.
Julie wouldn't explain the rules of the "Safety Suite" to the houseguests, but she disclosed to viewers that the room could keep two players from being evicted from the Big Brother house.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
