We’re talking only days away from the season beginning. Do you have a typical process for getting ready for the 82-day marathon that is Big Brother?Thirty days before premiere night, I go on a strict diet. I started this during the pandemic because I was eating everything. (Laughs.) So I lean up; I gear up. I get focused; I get to know these houseguests. I watch their videos and who they say they are. And then I watch and see if they present who they told us they would be in the house. I try and keep up with all the new levels of twists and gameplay that we’re going to unleash every year. And I just get excited! This is my summer vacation.On that note of twists, is there anything you can tell us about what’s coming the houseguests’ way this season?We’re starting off the season with a new twist that will send the houseguests scrambling. And the opportunity for America to vote will impact the game, beginning on premiere night. Generally, Allison and Rich–the two EPs–keep me on my toes with new twists and powers. They tell me things like, “We’re gonna let them know in real time on the live show,” and my head is spinning! (Laughs.)How early are you typically informed about a twist that’s going to happen?They tell me way in advance. They pretty much tell me at the beginning of the summer, “We know how we’re going to unveil different layers of the twist.” Though I also know that, depending on how things go, a twist may or may not happen. The only thing they spring on me is stuff they can’t control. Like, “The house is flipping and we’re live in three seconds!” (Laughs.) I love it.Let’s talk about that live element. You’ll be doing a live move-in and premiere for the third season in a row. What’s been your feeling about shifting to that to start the season?I personally love it. Because when it’s live, anything can happen. Yes, we’ve had cracks appear on the live show. And that’s the beauty of live TV. You never know what’s going to happen. I love not having any do-overs. You bring out the good, the bad, and the ugly. You throw them in the house, throw the first challenge at them, and you’re off to the races. It just gets everything started right away. There’s no lag time. And I love that it’s more exciting.It also allows for the live feeds to turn on mere hours after the houseguests move in. Which I know is something fans have loved having, being able to see all the initial connections being formed.It gets you invested right away. There’s no guesswork. You don’t have to try to imagine, “What happened between this day and that day in Week 1?” We’re all in it together.Obviously, due to the pandemic, you had to get rid of the studio audience during the live shows. Is there a chance it will be coming back for Big Brother 24?We were trying for that. But right now, where we are, we’re not launching this season with a live audience. Now 82 days is a long time. We’ll see what happens in that last month. I’m praying that the COVID numbers will dwindle and that it’ll be okay to bring back a live audience. Not to mention I did auction some seats off for my school fundraiser…(Laughs.) That may be a tough promise to keep! Generally, how does the room change for you when you have an audience versus not?We started season one with a live audience. And then, for many seasons after that, we didn’t have one, then brought it back in season 10. The energy is amazing. You start to see the second you walk onstage and before the show even starts. You really get to feel who they are rooting for and against. And you also get immediate feedback when you say something. That’s always exciting. It’s also great when the person gets evicted, and they come out to be received. It’s heartbreaking enough for them, and to be received by this live audience who is cheering you on, it’s just so uplifting. It’s nice for the houseguests and also for those staying inside the house. Because they always they look at other faces and wave when that door opens. So there’s just a level of excitement you just can’t replace. So I would like to see it happen again. I imagine at least some of the Big Brother 24 cast will have watched season 23 and got to see Frenchie come into power immediately, only to create one of the most chaotic opening weeks in the show’s history. How much do you think his legacy will be in their heads when possibly being that first HoH?(Laughs.) Oh, Frenchie. I wonder how he’s doing. But I also think if they watched Celebrity Big Brother, they’re going to see how a first HoH in Miesha can play it so differently. Frenchie made too many promises, too many deals, and had too many ideas. Whereas you saw Miesha played it close to the vest. She wouldn’t even make a guarantee to Teddi Mellencamp when they were hanging on in the challenge. She wanted to just take things slowly. Frenchie played too hard, too fast. And people should learn from that. Lose lips sink ships, and he made too many promises that he couldn’t deliver on. Because he didn’t really know these people, he’s like, “I’m gonna do this and that.” No, you have to lay back and observe, and then play your power quietly.I think the legacy of season 23 is the Cookout, which became one of the most successful alliances in the show’s history when they all made the final six. How much do you think that is looming large in the heads of these new houseguests?I think that’s something people should always be aware of. It’s Big Brother. Half of survival in the house is deception. Pretending you’re not what you say you are, or you’re not really working with people. And I think this year, people will probably try and emulate the Cookout. But if you base it on the same thing, if all people of color try to be in one group, everyone’s going to be automatically looking at you suspiciously. So I think they have to be more crafty about it if they try to make a big alliance like that. They have to ask, “What are we going to base it on?“Even outside of the Cookout, it’s been said that many modern Big Brother seasons are often dominated by a big alliance established in the first week and controls nearly the entire game. What are your thoughts on that idea, and is there anything that can be done to change that trend?I would love to see the house divided and two evenly paired big alliances. Can it happen? I don’t know. Then you have to split up the power and the muscle. Because people tend to size up the other players in physical competitions, they glom together and unite. But yeah, it never feels good when you see one powerful side of the house running things. But every summer we’ve had, we’ve seen cracks there. We’ve seen them fall apart. We’ve never seen anything like the Cookout, an alliance just run the summer. And the Cookout didn’t even feel like one big group because they were a secret group. So it didn’t feel like, “We’re the cool kids running the show.” And even with the Cookout, they didn’t see eye to eye with one another. Not all of them got along, but they stuck together for the greater good. So it’d be interesting to see what these houseguests get in their minds and how they choose to form alliances.Could you tell us anything about the house theme this season?I haven’t seen it in person. I do know that the decor is very mid-century Palm Springs. We’re calling it the “BB Motel.” It’s kind of like a roach motel; you can check in, but you can’t check out. This is one motel you don’t want to check out of, because the only way you can leave is by getting evicted, unless you’ve won. We’re going to have neon signs all over the place. We’re gonna have a tiki bar upstairs outside the HoH bedroom, on that bridge area. It feels like, if you can’t go on vacation this summer, you can watch Big Brother. Your summer vacation will be in Palm Springs in the Big Brother house.Also premiering on July 6 is The Challenge: USA, which features many Big Brother alumni competing. Is there anyone from previous seasons you would love to see compete on a show like that in the future?I mean, I’d love to see Rachel Reilly. That woman is fierce; she’s unstoppable. I’d love to see Janelle on it. I’d love to see Will Kirby. He very much has the gift of gab. He could be very charismatic. But I love seeing that a good number of members of the Cookout are on it. I feel like they’re going to represent well. Big Brother is a competition that is unlike any other. It is so grueling. There is no break for three months. You’re in it mentally, emotionally, spiritually, everything. So I think they’re going to do well. I’m rooting for them. They are my children.Next, take a look at the cast of The Challenge: USA, including the various Big Brother alumni competing.
