New CBS Celebrity Big Brother Is Officially Happening This Winter,New Details Revealed
Alright, so all of you who watched the huge Big Brother 19 live Double Eviction show last night know that host Julie Chen made a major announcement at the end. She revealed that this winter CBS is finally doing their own version of Celebrity Big Brother! In light of that, we sought out all the information we could from some other news outlets.
It turns out that the folks over at The Hollywood Reporter were able to get a phone interview with Julie Chen and the executive producers of the show Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan. They definitely revealed a little more information that we can expect to see take place with this new Celebrity edition of Big Brother.
It looks like we’ll see it actually air in 2018. So, it won’t be happening in December or something like that. We’ll probably see it premiere in January or February. It’s going to be a condensed version of the show since it’s really hard to get busy celebrities to commit to staying a full three months in a house with no interaction with the outside world.
They’re still in the process of casting the celebrity version. So, we won’t know who the cast is until a later date. To start off their phone interview, Julie, Allison and Rich gave a brief rundown on what the show is about before getting into what this celebrity version will entail.
Julie told them,” Big Brother is not scripted. It’s real. You get hooked whether you like the people or you love to hate the people. It’s a real-life soap opera. You get to know who they are and you want to see their outcome. The other shows in the summer don’t have that. We air three nights a week and we could easily air seven nights a week because there is so much content and story happening. “
(I definitely agree that they could air more times a week because they do edit out a lot of things that happen on the live feeds due to time constraints. There were so many fight details and complete fights that were never included in the edit this season.)
Anyways, they finally got around to talking about the new Celebrity Big Brother version. They asked Julie, “You were one of the first people to find out about the celebrity edition. What was your conversation with Les like about bringing this version to air?”
Julie replied with, “My husband came home and said, “Well, it’s official.” We had toyed with it dating back to season two. Paris Hilton agreed to do it and Roseanne Barr also said she was going to and then she backed out. It didn’t come together and I’m glad it didn’t so early on into the series.”
Next, they asked her, “Why are you now dipping into the celebrity genre, which is something other networks have done previously?” Julie responded with, “If you know one thing about my husband, it has to make economic sense. They crunched the numbers and said, “Based on the following that we have, we could do it and make it work and make it profitable but certain things have to happen.
It’s a condensed version. Because if you’re going to get celebrities. You find me a celebrity who can give you 90 days of their time. There’s no such thing. It’s hard enough to book them to come on “The Talk” for a 15-minute interview. I get the economics of it.”
Meehan chimed in to say, “With success for 19 seasons and always being a strong performer, which in today’s market is really rare. It’s a fun new way to expand the brand and the Big Brother universe.”
Next, they asked them if the Celebrity edition might possibly start airing every winter after this. It turns out that it might if it makes them money. Julie said, “If the model works and it has a big following and makes the money, we’re no fools. Let’s recreate the magic again. I don’t know if it will be an every winter thing or if it will have an affect on the summer. But I know one thing, my husband and his team explore all options.”
Next, Julie was asked if she was worried that this new Celebrity edition might cause an oversaturation of the Big Brother series. She revealed that she is slightly worried about that and used last year’s “Big Brother: Over The Top” series as an example. She said that it’s harder to have success in the winter than in the summer.
She stated, “I am a little bit. I felt like Big Brother: Over the Top might have fallen a little in that category. Part of our success is that we’re only on once a year and it’s only during the summer where the competition isn’t as stiff. It’s easier to be a winner in the summer than it is in the fall and winter. I’m hopeful but I’m going to reserve judgment.”
Meehan explained that the celebrity edition will include the HOH, Veto and live evictions. He stated, “We’re going to keep what makes the show work including the HoH and Veto competitions and the live evictions. The challenge will be turning it into an event that feels special for the winter.”
Grodner chimed in to say, “It’s important that it still feels like Big Brother, but it doesn’t infringe on what we all know about the summer. It will have its own spin. And it needs to feel like an event series that we do each year.”
Julie said the concept will be the same and that the magic is in the casting. They’re hoping to get some household names to do it. She stated, “The magic is always in the casting. It’s the same thing whether you’re a celebrity or not a celebrity. Houseguest Cody Nickson this year is an example of someone who was on the cusp that certain people were fighting for to cast and other people wanted someone else. It’s going to be the same game. The concept is going to be the same. Hopefully, it will be household names.”
They were asked how high they were aiming in regards to the level of celebrities they will try to cast. Julie said they’re definitely being realistic about it and referenced how ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” casts their show. She stated, “We’re being realistic. It’s not going to be all Oscar winners. But maybe we’ll have someone who won an Oscar decades ago. Whoever casts Dancing With the Stars does an amazing job.
They don’t always get all household names, but some people kind of reinvent themselves and suddenly I see that person all over the tabloids. Sometimes these types of shows, like in the U.K. version. Some of the washed-up names that went into it got a new lease on life. And the big names that went in, it was a little bit too up close and personal. Those people did themselves in with letting the public see who they really are.”
Meehan chimed in to say that they’re definitely looking for celebrities that will be fun. They’re currently creating a big list of possibilities. He stated, “We’re just starting discussions and we’re looking for people who are going to be fun. Maybe there are some celebrity fans of the show that we’ll mix in there. We’re going to create a big list and go out and see who we can get.”
Grodner told them, “It will be an eclectic group with diverse personalities and we’re looking forward to seeing who will be interested.”
The Hollywood Reporter also asked them if they think this will be a challenging season to cast. Grodner chimed in first and said everything about it will be challenging. She said, “There’s no privacy and that’s going to be a hurdle in getting a celebrity onboard.”
Julie Chen explained, “Most celebrities and people don’t know that they have an ugly side. I’ve always said Big Brother is like holding up a mirror one inch away from your face and really examining who you are.”
They were also asked if they are considering bringing any former houseguests back referencing Frankie Grande since he appeared in the U.K. celebrity version of Big Brother. Grodner replied to that question by telling them, “We’re now just diving into it so can’t give any answers on that. It’s all still being worked out on what it’s going to look like.”
They also talked about next summer’s season 20 for a little bit. Meehan said they haven’t started doing any work on it yet. Grodner told them it’s going to be a huge milestone for the show. So, they will try to do something special with it and they might include some new things. She stated, “Season 20 is a huge milestone for this show so obviously that’s special. I’m sure there will be some new things about it.”
They were asked if they plan on giving the house a new look for the celebrity version. Grodner told them that they will definitely give the house a new look for it. Meehan said, “There will definitely be some things different about the house because we’re doing it as more of an event instead of a three month series. There will be some tweaks and changes to the rooms and the outside that will be necessary.”
Grodner said, “It’s a winter edition so we need to think about weather. The outside will reflect that.” Lastly, they were asked what are some of their dream Celebrity Big Brother castmembers. Grodner mentioned that she thought Bobby Monynihan who was featured on this past Wednesday night’s episode would be awesome. She stated, “Wednesday night’s show you saw Bobby Moynihan who is an amazing fan who really knows everything and couldn’t have been more excited to participate. That would be awesome.”
Julie Chen chimed in and mentioned, “Tonya Harding. Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg. That’s a love affair waiting to happen. Sean Spicer and Melissa McCarthy, which will never happen. Andy Cohen is a superfan, hilarious and speaks his mind. He’s not afraid to stand up for himself or a friend and he’s fiercely loyal. And who is the one who acts crazy every now and then? Is it Shia LaBeouf? I don’t know if I want him.”
Alright guys. That was it for all the Celebrity Big Brother intel that they would give out right now. It certainly sounds like it could be real interesting. When more information is revealed about it, we’ll definitely let you guys know. Hopefully, some more information should get revealed in the upcoming weeks and months. Stay tuned. Also, be sure to follow us on our Big Brother Facebook page for more Big Brother news by Clicking Here.
