The 16 contestants set to enter the Big Brother house for season 26 of the CBS summer reality staple have been revealed. And that may not be all of them.
A video clerk, a former undercover cop, a celebrity chef, a VIP cocktail server, and a crochet business owner are among the players who will be saying goodbye to their sanity when the show premieres July 17. But, for the first time ever, the contestants will have the opportunity to vote in a 17th houseguest — a houseguest whose identity remains a secret. Could it be another new player, or will it be a former reality star, such as last season, when the players entered the living room to see Survivor legend Cirie Fields casually sipping champagne?
The twist also brings to mind season 14 of the show, when coaches Dan Gheesling, Britney Haynes, Mike “Boogie” Malin, and Janelle Pierzina voted themselves into the game, leading to the franchise’s most famous moment ever. Then, during the season 19 premiere, Kevin Schlehuber accepted $25,000, even though it would unleash a mystery twist into the game. That mystery twist was allowing the previous season’s runner-up, Paul Abrahamian, to enter the house, although Kevin did not know that would be the result.
It seems this time the players — or at least one or some of them — will know and decide whether to allow another competitor in their midst. In the meantime, here are the first 16 contestants that will be competing in the artificial intelligence themed season under the watchful eye of the Chenbot.
01 of 17
Angela Murray
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-angela-071524-d760e7867bcf4389a2a9c9a7dbcfdcd9.jpg)
Angela Murray from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 50
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Current City: Syracuse, Utah
Occupation: Real estate agent
02 of 17
Brooklyn Rivera
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-brooklyn-071524-ecc3fd1aaba04e08ba0ffaf01919374b.jpg)
Brooklyn Rivera from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 34
Hometown: Covington, Ga.
Current City: Dallas
Occupation: Business administrator
03 of 17
Cam Sullivan-Brown
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-cam-071524-fd77a25e9ae54584ad2e3ce90dc50f5b.jpg)
Cam Sullivan-Brown from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 25
Hometown: Bowie, Md.
Occupation: Physical therapist
04 of 17
Cedric Hodges
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-Cedric-071524-23087cdeda4c4f96921d97070dddb4a1.jpg)
Cedric Hodges from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 21
Hometown: Running Springs, Calif.
Current City: Boise, Idaho
Occupation: Former marine
05 of 17
Chelsie Baham
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-chelsea-071524-02c315ff693942ca8c00686fb1119932.jpg)
Chelsie Baham from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 27
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Occupation: Nonprofit director
06 of 17
Joseph Rodriguez
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-joseph-071524-c0956e9a5c954ae8b0f29d543f8142b4.jpg)
Joseph Rodriguez from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 30
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
Occupation: Video store clerk
07 of 17
Kenney Kelley
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-kenny-071524-b45e10c2553442f2a2cd225bfaa4dd76.jpg)
Kenney Kelley from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 52
Hometown: Boston
Occupation: Former undercover cop
08 of 17
Kimo Apaka
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-kimo-071524-c730b9103c7b495ea37320884a4d3489.jpg)
Kimo Apaka from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 35
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Occupation: Mattress sales rep
09 of 17
Leah Peters
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-leah-071524-2be06ae4225e4d18a8d35ef6fe8ad8f8.jpg)
Leah Peters from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 26
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Current City: Miami
Occupation: VIP cocktail server
10 of 17
Lisa Weintraub
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-lisa-071524-7f97a3c731df4aa2aca120d989fa0df5.jpg)
Lisa Weintraub from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 33
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Celebrity chef
11 of 17
Makensy Manbeck
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-makensy-071524-ce4aa29d81174d52a8b03d1197fcf5d5.jpg)
Makensy Manbeck from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 22
Hometown: Houston
Occupation: Construction project manager
12 of 17
Matt Hardeman
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-matt-071524-05bea5276ef24061a3bcea004fcfe462.jpg)
Matt Hardeman from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 25
Hometown: Loganville, Ga.
Current City: Roswell, Ga.
Occupation: Tech sales rep
13 of 17
Quinn Martin
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-quinn-071524-f2f85c5209414a6182c31cca02f8fcfb.jpg)
Quinn Martin from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 25
Hometown: Lawton, Okla.
Current City: Omaha, Neb.
Occupation: Nurse recruiter
14 of 17
Rubina Bernabe
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-rubina-071524-0bcc767ef45c4f1bba5713e0e600e567.jpg)
Rubina Bernabe from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 35
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Event bartender
15 of 17
T'kor Clottey
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-t-kor-071524-4e309f6ca7644abf9c489e7a21b5a088.jpg)
T'Kor Clottey from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 23
Hometown: Chicago via London
Current City: Atlanta
Occupation: Crochet business owner
16 of 17
Tucker Des Lauriers
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-tucker-071524-d0503f748c9f45c48564bd51778df447.jpg)
Tucker Des Lauriers from 'Big Brother' season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
Age: 30
Hometown: Boston
Current City: Brooklyn
Occupation: Marketing and sales executive
17 of 17
The full 'Big Brother 26' cast… for now
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/big-brother-comp-071524-7705627d5b334349af177eefbd4e21a6.jpg)
Cast from the CBS Original Series BIG BROTHER, Season 26.
Sonja Flemming/CBS
