Get ready. Omarosa’s back.
Big Brother: Celebrity Edition locks the doors.
Omarosa Manigault is heading from the White House to the Big Brother house.
The polarizing reality star, who gained infamy as a cutthroat contestant on NBC’s The Apprentice, is part of the cast of the first U.S. iteration of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition, which starts a condensed run on CBS Wednesday (8 ET/PT) with Julie Chen returning as host. Omarosa will be joined by personalities from all corners of the entertainment world.
So who will outsmart the competition and win the cash prize? Here’s what the show’s producers could answer: Question: How will Omarosa fare in the Big Brother House?
Answer: Big Brother is, at its core, a social game: How long you survive in the house ultimately comes down to how much schmoozing and backstab- bing you’re willing to do. Omarosa’s signature wrath and knack for manipulation could be an asset or a crutch: “There is a preconception of Omarosa entering the house and what kind of competitor she is,” executive producer Allison Grodner says. “She’s going to have to overcome that to get far in this.”
Adds executive producer Rich Meehan: “Big Brother is unique because the houseguests are the ones voting each other out and have all the power in their hands. She is a superfan of the show, which could come into play, but she will have to overcome her reputation.”
Q: Are politics off the table?
A: It has been just over a month-anda-half since Omarosa’s unceremonious exit from the White House, and naturally, houseguests (and viewers) will have plenty of questions about her time in the Trump administration. The show’s producers welcome them: “Whatever she chooses to do in there is up to her, as far as what she discusses,” Grodner says. “There are no restrictions from us.” Q: How will the shorter run affect the competition?
A: Contestants are typically locked in a house together for 99 days, but the celebrity season reduces that time to just 21⁄ weeks. It’s what producers call “Big 2
Brother in hyperdrive,” so “it’s a much faster-paced show,” Grodner says. “We’re going through two eviction cycles a week, which means more competitions and more evictions per week than we’ve ever done.”
Q: What are the key alliances to look out for?
A: Fans also love to see which houseguests form alliances to help take down other contestants. With a wider range of ages this season and a group of relatively well-known competitors, “it’ll be interesting to see how that comes into play,” Meehan says. “They’re all celebrities, so they all know of each other to some degree in the outside world.”
But don’t expect any Big Brother alums to be thrown into the house to shake things up. “You might see some of your favorites here and there throughout the next three weeks from our summer (edition of ) Big Brother, but not playing the game,” Grodner says.