Big Brother News

LOS ANGELES (CBS) ― The fine folks who cast "Big Brother" pride themselves on finding some of the most interesting and attractive people on ANY reality show.

Our Diane Henry, for example, was a houseguest in two (count 'em) two seasons. She is now a web producer for CBS2 and KCAL 9. We might be biased, but Diane is a unique personality and attractive and, well, let's just say, she tells the best stories.

This season is no different. While there are already a bunch of characters we are keeping our eyes on, there are some things that this new group has that will already bond them before they even walk through the door of the "Big Brother" house.

By the by, season 11 starts Thursday (CBS 8 p.m. PST).

Here, our annual look at the cast...at a glance.

The cast by...

SEX: There are six men and six women. Until, of course, the 13th guest...the mystery houseguest is revealed. The internet is rife with rumors that it will be Sheila from last season. No official word...yet.

RACE: There are eight whites, two latins, and one and one-half blacks, and one half Asian. In fact, Kevin, who is half-black and half-Japanese, calls himself "Blackanese."

AGE: There are eight 20-somethings, three thirty-somethings and only one 40-something.

JOBS: Talk about diversity, these kids range from blue collar to serious brain drains. There are two models (one male, one bikini), one graphic designer, one real estate developer, a waitress, a professional Tae Kwan Do champion (look out!), an ad salesman, one gamer (you can make money doing that?!), a freelance journalist and a make-up artist. There is also a teacher, but Casey isn't an average teach. At night he deejays and raps. We saved the best for last. We weren't kidding about the brain-drain job: Michele is a neuroscientist, translation...she studies brains. She should be a natural in the BB house!

MARTIAL ARTISTS: Verbal fighting usually is a highlight of this summer show, but there are a couple of people in the house this summer who are as good with their hands as they are with their tongues. Coincidence? We think not. Russell is a professional MMA (mixed martial arts) fighter and Natalie is a bronze medal winner in the aforementioned Tae Kwon Do. Who would want to stand in the middle of a fight between these two!? Not us! Michele, the brainiac, might want to use Russell or Natalie as a wingman. She says she used to get beaten up "all the time" in school for being a nerd. (And yes, she was a band geek.)

BIRTH MONTHS: One houseguest was born in January, one in February, two in March, two in June and one each in November and December. Three houseguests are September babies.

NOSE PICKERS: Mercifully, only one. Casey the teacher is "worried" that the cameras will catch him. Frankly, so are WE.

PARENTS: Just the nose picker. And won't his kids be proud? Casey has one son, 19, and another 9-months. Well, at least the young one is too young to be embarrassed by dad. Half of the houseguests said one or both parents were "a rock" in their lives.

RELIGIOUS: This is one of the least religious casts in memory. Get ready for the hot tub! Kevin was a Jehovah's Witness but he was ex-communicated at 21. He said if he even stands near a Bible, "I break out in hives."

BORN IN CALIFORNIA: Governor Schwarzenegger would be pleased. Seven of the houseguests have paid California income tax at one time or another.
 
SURF'S UP!: Strangely, with all these California people running around...only one (Braden the model) says they are into surfing. Michele, the former geek, says she will miss surfing...the Internet.

PANTS ON FIRE?!: Many of the houseguests said they would consider lying to win. Consider? Have you people watched the show before. You GOTTA lie! That's the game. Actually, we are lying. Five of the houseguests told us they would have no problem being mendacious -- unless, of course, they were lying to us. One says she is "tempremental", Kevin says he is "ghetto fabulous but I can be bitchy" and Braden, the model, says "look out, cause I can be two-faced. (And that comes in handy when you are a model.)
As for hook-ups...you know, pants REALLY on fire....try as we might (and we are usually wrong predicting hook-ups anyway!) we dont see too many happening here. At least not brazenly on camera (this means YOU season 8)!!
Nine of the houseguests are happily single and three are happily married. All that happiness. And while Laura, the bikini model, vows to be in a bathing suit 24-7 and plans to use her body to get ahead...Jordan, the waitress, says there will be no sex in her bed. Or as she calls it "bugger." No sex for Jordan cause her grandpa is going to be watching the show.

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