Celebrity Big Brother is about to premiere a brand new season, and there is apparently a lot in store for viewers!
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Season 2 of Celebrity Big Brother premieres Monday night at 8PM ET/PT with 12 celebrities competing for competition's $250,000: Tamar Braxton, Kandi Burruss, Lolo Jones, Dina Lohan, Natalie Eva Marie, Jonathan Bennett, Tom Green, Kato Kaelin, Joey Lawrence, Ryan Lochte, Anthony Scaramucci, and Ricky Williams.
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The cast includes actors, athletes, musicans and pop-culture icons.
"We wanted to up the ante this year," Celebrity Big Brother producer Allison Grodner told The Hollywood Reporter. "That's what we feel like we did and we hope everyone agrees."
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"There's a good mix of people who know the game [and] some people are new to the game," added fellow producer Rich Meehan. "So we have different approaches coming into the show. We have a really nice balance this season."
And Season 2 of CBS' Celebrity Big Brother won't be without its knowledgeable, game-loving houseguests.
"There were quite a few superfans last season," Grodner said, referencing actress Shannon Elizabeth for example.
"But Tamar is definitely a superfan, which is terrific. What we have are students of the game who upon learning they were part of Big Brother really jumped in and did a lot of work."
Meehan added, "They watched a lot of seasons."
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Grodner also explained the new cast of Celebrity Big Brother did "a lot of research" before entering the house.
"We were surprised by [that] because that didn't happen with the people who weren't as familiar with it last time," Grodner told The Reporter.
"I'd say it's split in terms of the people who are real newbies and the people who are superfans and did the deep dive."
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Meehan explained that being a superfan can be a disadvantage sometimes as the houseguest plays too hard too early and gets into trouble.
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"The flaw in Shannon's game was she overplayed," Grodner said of the first Head of Household for Season 1 who got eliminated early on. "It's a blessing and a curse to know the game."
And Grodner explained Scaramucci, a former White House director of communications and financier, joined the cast for the experience.
"He and [Season 1 houseguest Omarosa Manigault] are friends and it probably did help," explained Grodner.
"We were happy with the outcome last year and the celebrities became really good ambassadors for Big Brother. Their experience and their positive experience, including Omarosa's, has helped getting these other celebrities in the house who were feeling a little hesitant."
Meehan expects Celebrity Big Brother viewers will value and appreciate what Scaramucci brings to the table.
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"He has an incredible net worth," said Meehan, "but he also has a great sense of humor, he's really funny. He responded to the fun of the show. Omarosa being on it made him watch and see what it was."
"And he's doing that in the house," Grodner added. "He's having fun, he's playing the game. There have already been some silly things that have happened and he's been the center of it."
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When asked about viewers will be able to change or impact the game for Season 2, Meehan teased big things to come.
"America will have an opportunity to definitely impact the game. It's not the same thing, but there will be an opportunity for them to impact the game," he told The Reporter.
But the voting format for the winner will apparently stay the same, as Grodner noted "the jury will return" on finale night "to place their votes for the winner."
But fans should definitely "expect the unexpected," according to the producers, saying "anything can happen."
"There are a couple of more twists and turns this season than there were on the inaugural season," Meehan teased.
Celebrity Big Brother's second-season celebrities will spend about three weeks living in the Big Brother house, with over 80 HD cameras and over 100 microphones recording their every move 24 hours a day as they compete in competitions and try to avoid getting voted out of the house.
Longtime Big Brother host Julie Chen will return as the host of the celebrity edition.
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Following the two-night premiere, CBS will air eleven additional episodes of Celebrity Big Brother on multiple nights over the next three weeks -- culminating with the show's finale broadcast on February 13.