The cast list for the upcoming season of Celebrity Big Brother has been released, and it's absolutely bonkers. That may sound like an exaggeration, but audiences who have yet to see the wild lineup of actors, athletes, political advisors, and others that will all share a home on the reality series will certainly understand after checking out Julie Chen's shared video.
As Joey Lawrence's iconic character Joey Russo would say, "Whoa." He's one of a few actors this season to warrant that reaction, as Lawrence is joined by Mean Girls' Jonathan Bennett and Kato Kaelin. Of course, actor may not be the most obvious thing folks tie Kaelin to, as he really gained national attention as a witness in the O.J. Simpson murder trial.
That addition alone would make any lineup bonkers, but of course, Celebrity Big Brother wasn't finished there. Lindsay Lohan's mother Dina Lohan, controversial Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte, and former White House Director of Communications Anthony Scaramucci are really going to make Celebrity Big Brother must-watch television. The stories alone from that bunch will have audiences on the edge of their seat, which is probably what CBS is hoping by grabbing this colorful cast of characters.
There's something exciting to say about the entire cast, of course, as Celebrity Big Brother also welcomes Lolo Jones, Natalie Eva Marie, Kandi Burress, Tamar Braxton, Ricky Williams, and Tom Green. When Green is one of the latter mentions of the cast, viewers should know Celebrity Big Brother is going to be a thrill ride from start to finish.
The celebrities are only part of the reason to watch Celebrity Big Brother, however, as Julie Chen returns to CBS after some speculated she was done with the franchise. There was tension between Chen and CBS in the past year, as her husband Les Moonves was removed by the network amid sexual assault allegations. Chen notoriously made headlines via Big Brother last year by referring to herself by her married name as a show of support for her husband.
All this builds towards a season of Celebrity Big Brother that could take some interesting turns. One has to imagine the O.J. trial will be discussed at some point, but what about Lochtegate, working for the President, or life with Lindsay Lohan? A conversation about all of the above while Tom Green moderates in a deer carcass would be ideal, and create a season that will make it awfully hard to top should CBS do another season of the spinoff.
Celebrity Big Brother kicks off on CBS Monday, January 21, at 8 p.m. ET. For a look at what else is happening on television in 2019, be sure to visit and bookmark our handy midseason premiere guide.
