TAMPA, Fla. — Summertime obsession "Big Brother" is back with 16 new houseguests, including one from Tampa, influences from artificial intelligence and... one more surprise houseguest?
CBS announced the cast of "Big Brother" season 26, premiering in a special two-night event airing from 9-10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. Among them include a celebrity chef, a former undercover police officer, a crochet business owner and others vying for the grand prize of $750,000.
Joseph Rodriguez, 30, a video store clerk from Tampa, is one of the 16 houseguests and the only one from Florida this season, the network said. However, another Floridian may be in the mix. CBS said for the first time, the players will have the power to vote in a yet-to-be-identified 17th houseguest.
Previous Tampa Bay-area contestants include Alyssa Snider from Sarasota in "Big Brother" 24 and Alyssa Lopez, also from Sarasota, in "Big Brother" 23.
CBS teased "an unforgettable summer with jaw-dropping surprises as 'BB AI' takes over the 'Big Brother' house." For those who haven't been following the show for the past two decades, the series follows a group of people living together in a house featuring cameras and microphones to record their every move 24/7.
The houseguests vote to evict a person from the house each week and, in the end, a grand prize winner is named. Fans of the show enjoy watching live feeds and on-demand video on Paramount+ with Showtime.
Without further ado, let's meet the houseguests:
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Joseph Rodriguez
30 | Video store clerk | Tampa, Florida
Angela Murray
50 | Real estate agent | Long Beach, California
Brooklyn Rivera
34 | Business administrator | Covington, Georgia
Cam Sullivan-Brown
25 | Physical therapist | Bowie, Maryland
Cedric Hodges
21 | Former Marine | Running Springs, California
Chelsie Baham
27 | Nonprofit director | Rancho Cucamonga, California
Kenney Kelley
52 | Former undercover police officer | Boston
Kimo Apaka
35 | Mattress sales rep | Hilo, Hawaii
Leah Peters
26 | VIP cocktail server | Pittsburgh
Lisa Weintraub
33 | Celebrity chef | Los Angeles
Makensy Manbeck
22 | Construction project manager | Houston
Matt Hardeman
25 | Tech sales rep | Loganville, Georgia
Quinn Martin
25 | Nurse recruiter | Lawton, Oklahoma
Rubina Bernabe
35 | Event bartender | Los Angeles
T’kor Clottey
23 | Crochet business owner | Chicago via London
Tucker Des Lauriers
30 | Marketing and sales executive | Boston