Meet the Cast of 'Big Brother' 2026: Who's in Season 28?
- Big Brother Season 28, themed ‘Time Trip,’ premiered 9 July 2026 on CBS and Paramount+, hosted by Julie Chen Moonves, with a $750,000 grand prize. This is the season that airs the series’ 1,000th original episode.
- There are 17 houseguests: 14 new players revealed in a 7 July ‘Broveal,’ plus three returning reality-TV veterans added on premiere night — Survivor 45 winner Dee Valladares, two-time Survivor player Rick Devens, and Big Brother 26’s Angela Murray.
- The new cast is stacked with hooks: an actual rocket scientist (Mallory), an ex-UFC fighter (Kamu), a two-time Drag Race star playing out of drag (Jason ‘Salina EsTitties’), the daughter of an ’80s pop star (Lyric), and, at 57, the oldest houseguest ever to have a real shot at the title (La La).
- Each houseguest gets a factual profile card below. Big Brother has no ‘stats,’ so the cards stick to what’s real — age, home, job, new-vs-returning and the play style the show is setting up — with no invented skill scores.
CBS’s flagship summer game is back: Big Brother Season 28 premiered on 9 July 2026, and this year the house has a gimmick baked into its name — “Time Trip.” Rooms, props and competitions throw the houseguests across the decades (past, present and a sci-fi future), complete with Y2K throwbacks and a time-machine twist at the dinner table. Underneath the neon, the format is the same as ever: 17 strangers, one house wired with cameras, weekly power grabs and evictions, and a $750,000 cheque for whoever’s left. Host Julie Chen Moonves is back, and this is the season that airs the series’ 1,000th original episode.
If you’re here to figure out who these people are and what makes each of them tick, that’s exactly what this is. Below is every houseguest, their real details, the special trait each one is bringing into the house — and a profile card for each.
A quick, honest note on those cards: Big Brother doesn’t hand out “stats.” At the start of a season there’s no truthful way to score anyone’s strategy or social game, so the cards stick to what’s actually real — age (the only genuine number), hometown, job, whether they’re a new player or a returning veteran, and the play style the show is setting them up for. No made-up ratings. This piece was checked on 11 July 2026; because the season is airing, the game itself will have moved on.
The twist: how this cast was built
CBS revealed the season a little differently this year. The 14 new houseguests were unveiled on 7 July in a YouTube livestream the show branded the “Broveal,” with Julie Chen Moonves introducing each player. Then, on the 9 July premiere, the game expanded: three returning reality-TV veterans were dropped in as full houseguests — fitting the “Time Trip” theme, they’re the cast’s built-in “past.”
Two quick clarifications, because both names get mixed into cast lists:
- Levi Banks was originally announced among the new players but withdrew days before the premiere (he says it was his own decision). His alternate, Yash Patel, took the spot — so Levi never entered.
- Mickey Lee, whose name also circulates, was a Season 27 houseguest who died in December 2025; the premiere gave her an “in loving memory” tribute. She is not part of Season 28.
That leaves 17 players: 14 newcomers and 3 vets. Here they are.
The 14 new houseguests
Mallory Aurichio — Rocket scientist (24)
Instagram: @malloryaurichio · Home: Township of Washington, NJ
Yes, a literal rocket scientist — and she knows it’s a target. Mallory’s whole opening move is to hide what she does for a living so the house doesn’t peg her as the brain to beat, then lean into being underestimated. Expect a quietly analytical game with a friendly cover story.
Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk — MMA fighter (32)
Instagram: @thejawaiian · Home: Phoenix, AZ
A Hawaiian mixed-martial-arts fighter who’s competed at the top level, Kamu is the season’s obvious physical threat — which is exactly why he’s downplaying it. His plan is to bury the UFC résumé, play the easygoing social guy, and avoid becoming the early “comp beast” everyone wants gone.
Jason De Puy (“Salina EsTitties”) — Drag queen (35)
Instagram: @estitties · Home: West Hollywood, CA
A two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race competitor (Season 15 and All Stars 11), Jason is entering out of drag and would be the show’s first drag queen houseguest. A self-described superfan, he plans to lean on the social skills that make a good “alliance queen,” befriending both the guys and the girls — while keeping the depth of his fandom under wraps.
Lyric Medeiros — Attorney (25)
Instagram: @lyricmedeiros · Home: Honolulu, HI
Lyric arrives with two headline facts: she’s the daughter of 1980s pop star Glenn Medeiros, and she was the youngest person in Hawaii to pass the bar (at 23, after finishing Notre Dame in three years). A lawyer’s persuasion skills plus genuine competition drive make her a threat on paper; she’s dedicating her run to her late grandmother.
LaTrice “La La” Verrett — Boutique salesperson (57)
Instagram: @latricevf · Home: Maplewood, NJ
The oldest houseguest and an early breakout of the Broveal, La La has been a fan since Season 2 and brings big, warm, high-energy charisma with a surprising athletic streak (“I’ll call an audible”). Her stakes are historic: a win would make her the oldest winner in Big Brother history.
Rome (Jack) Seymour — Pickleball coach (28)
Instagram: @therealjackseymour · Home: Delray Beach, FL
A confident, athletic “comp beast” type, Rome brings a built-in identity twist: he goes by the nickname “Rome” in the house and only reveals his real name, Jack, to people he actually trusts — a small, self-made loyalty test. He’s openly gunning to be a physical player with showmance potential.
Melody Morris — Corporate game-show host (24)
Instagram: @melxmorris · Home: Maricopa, AZ
A professional corporate game-show host, Melody is comfortable on a mic and reading a room — so she plans to hide it, passing herself off as a “waitress” (technically also true) and letting the house write her off as a “blonde sorority girl” before she strikes. Not looking for a showmance.
Taylor Brown — Elementary school counselor (27)
Instagram: @iamtaylorbrown · Home: Deerfield Beach, FL
A school counselor who got hooked binge-watching after a breakup, Taylor pairs a nurturing, emotionally-intelligent front — “sweet and innocent until I open my mouth” — with an actual pre-written scheme she’s named the “Big B Blowout,” a multi-part plan to steer team and captain votes her way.
Barrett Pfeiffer — Jumbotron engineer (27)
Instagram: @spicy_buckett · Home: Austin, TX
Barrett runs the giant screens at stadiums — and he’s arguably the biggest superfan in the house, claiming he’s watched the live feeds since age 8. His secret weapon is hiding just how deep that fandom goes while he plays everyone’s best friend and angles for a showmance.
Ashley Trail — Bartender (24)
Instagram: @ashleytrail3 · Home: Chicago, IL
A lifelong superfan and a bartender used to reading people across the bar, Ashley is all social game — “chitter chatter,” fast friendships and a dominant alliance — with a stated willingness to flip into a “villain era” if the house pushes her there.
Chuk Anyanwu — Supply-chain analyst (27)
Instagram: @chuk_anyanwu · Home: Dallas, TX
A first-generation immigrant with what he calls a “nerd job,” Chuk grew up with four sisters and is a former Academic Decathlete — a background he’s counting on for an easy social game. He’s quietly athletic but plans to downplay it and win the house over person by person.
Drew Campbell — Surgical dental assistant (22)
Instagram: @drew.campbell · Home: Temecula, CA
The youngest houseguest, Drew learned English alongside his mom by watching the show and graduated summa cum laude — but he plays it all down as a talkative “beach bum.” His game plan is deliberately loose: stay fluid, read the room and stay unpredictable.
Haley Thogmartin — Telemedicine executive (29)
Instagram: @hjthogmartin · Home: Wildwood, MO
A polished corporate operator, Haley’s edge is “brutal honesty” wrapped in enough charm that people don’t clock when they’re being managed. A more recent convert to the show, she plans to listen more than she talks and be everyone’s early friend.
Yash Patel — Financial analyst (24)
Instagram: @yash.p · Home: Monroe Township, NJ
Yash is the replacement pick who took Levi Banks’s spot at the last minute — and he’s the most openly cagey of the new players, keeping his strategy “top secret” and hinting at big-villain energy. He may even fudge his finance job (say “marketing”) to seem less calculating.
The 3 returning veterans
These three aren’t rookies — they’re established reality-TV players brought in on premiere night. They’re the “past” the Time Trip theme keeps teasing, and they arrived already knowing how to win.
Dee Valladares — Entrepreneur (29)
Instagram: @roamwithdee · Home: Miami, FL
The season’s mystery “17th houseguest,” revealed via a time-table set to the date she won Survivor 45. Dee is a genuine crossover star — a sharp social-strategic player who’s also done Survivor 50 and The Challenge — and she wasted no time, winning Big Brother 28’s very first Head of Household.
Rick Devens — Communications director (42)
Instagram: @rick_devens · Home: Macon, GA
A former TV news anchor and two-time Survivor player, Rick is a beloved underdog — famous for idol-hunting and improbable comeback runs on Edge of Extinction and Survivor 50. He brings a big personality and a scrappy, never-quite-dead game into a house full of Big Brother newcomers.
Angela Murray — Real estate agent (52)
Instagram: @angelamurray_utah_realtor · Home: Syracuse, UT
The one actual Big Brother veteran of the trio, Angela played Season 26 — where she won the first HOH and was nominated a record seven times — and then ran The Amazing Race 38 with her daughter. Polarizing and outspoken, she’s the wildcard older player who already knows this specific game.
Where can I watch Big Brother 28?
New episodes air on CBS (typically multiple nights a week, with a 90-minute Wednesday show) and stream on Paramount+ — the Premium tier carries the live broadcast, and any tier has next-day on-demand. The 24/7 live feeds run on Paramount+, and the companion aftershow returned for the season. The finale isn’t officially dated yet, but on the show’s usual roughly 90-day schedule it should land in late September or early October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many houseguests are on Big Brother Season 28?
17 — 14 new players revealed in the 7 July “Broveal,” plus three returning reality veterans (Dee Valladares, Rick Devens and Angela Murray) added on the 9 July premiere.
What is the Big Brother 28 theme?
“Time Trip.” The house is decorated and the competitions are built around travelling through the decades — past, present and a sci-fi future — with throwback and futuristic twists, including a time-machine mechanic at the dinner table.
Who are the returning players on Big Brother 28?
Three: Dee Valladares (Survivor 45 winner), Rick Devens (two-time Survivor) and Angela Murray (Big Brother 26). Only Angela has played Big Brother before.
Is Big Brother 28 on Netflix?
No. It airs on CBS and streams on Paramount+ (including the 24/7 live feeds), not Netflix.
Who won the first HOH on Big Brother 28?
Returning Survivor champion Dee Valladares won the season’s first Head of Household on premiere night. (The game moves fast, so power will have changed hands since — this is a premiere-week snapshot.)
The bottom line
Season 28’s real hook isn’t the “Time Trip” set dressing — it’s the mix of players. You’ve got hidden threats playing dumb (a rocket scientist, an ex-UFC fighter, a pro host), superfans who’ve studied every move, a genuinely historic run in 57-year-old La La, and three battle-tested vets dropped in to raise the ceiling. Whether that produces a great season comes down to how these traits collide once the paranoia sets in — but on paper, it’s one of the more loaded casts in years.
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