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'Big Brother' Season 18 Cast Revealed, First Impressions

By Mark Drum
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The wait is finally over; Big Brother is back this Wednesday! They introduced the 12 houseguests of this season's Big Brother 18 cast. Big Brother Alum, newlywed and soon to be Father, Jeff Schroeder is interviewing the incoming houseguests and it's our first glimpse into who these houseguests are. Robyn Kdass and her team have scoured the country finding a unique blend of individuals to bring to the house. You can see their videos on cbs.com/bigbrother. Here are my first impressions of the cast from their interview and bio.

BIG BROTHER, Paul Abrahamian, a 23-year-old clothing designer from Tarzana, Calif.
Paul Abrahamian of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Paul Abrahamian (23)

Occupation: Clothing Designer
Hometown & Current City: Tarzana, CA
⁃ Paul confident that he's sneaky. We'll see if his social game will carry him through. When interviewed by Jeff was asked if he'd shave his beard and he would, but not the first week. Here's hoping this Clothing Designer can be a "villain," because his goal is to cause chaos and to expose people's weaknesses to use against them.

BIG BROTHER, Victor Arroyo, a 25-year-old gym manager from Slidell, La.
Victor Arroyo of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Victor Arroyo (25)

Occupation: Gym Manager
Hometown & Current City: Slidell, LA
⁃ Victor a relatively "new" fan has watched a few seasons is quite aware that he can be seen as a physical threat. He'd rather lose and be loved then win and be hated. Victor wants to be in two alliances and only be loyal to one, but to me sounds like a "floater."

BIG BROTHER, Corey Brooks, a 25-year-old baseball coach from Dallas, TX.
Corey Brooks of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Corey Brooks (25)

Occupation: Baseball Coach
Hometown & Current City: Dallas, TX
⁃ Corey went to Texas A&M and currently lives with roommates. He was very sly in not mentioning if he knew last season's houseguest Clay Honeycutt so we'll see if that gets brought up. I expect Corey to be in a showmance or at least be in a strong male alliance that carries him in the game.

BIG BROTHER, Paulie Calafiore, a 27-year-old DJ from Howell, N.J.
Paulie Calafiore of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Paulie Calafiore (27)

Occupation: DJ
Hometown & Current City: Howell, NJ
⁃ If Paulie's last name doesn't ring a bell, then his face should look familiar to Big Brother fans. Season 16 runner up, Cody Calafiore is his brother. Will Paulie be compared to Cody or can he get out of that shadow?

BIG BROTHER, Bronte D'Acquisto, a 26-year-old student currently residing in Denver, CO.
Bronte D'Acquisto of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Bronte D'Acquisto (26)

Occupation: Student
Hometown: San Diego, CA
Current City, Denver, CO
⁃ Bronte's voice will probably cause some rumblings with fans or viewers with the show. She has a very childlike voice, so people will either love her or hate her. Bronte however could careless because she has a strong family and friend's relationship, which only matter to her. This student of math will be a threat and if the houseguests were smart they'd get rid of a "nerd," because they'll go very far.

BIG BROTHER, Bridgette Dunning, a 24-year-old traveling nurse currently residing in Ventura, Calif.
Bridgette Dunning of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Bridgette Dunning (24)

Occupation: Traveling Nurse
Hometown: Fresno, CA
Current City: Ventura, CA
⁃ Bridgette has a lot of energy when being interviewed by Jeff. She's a very positive person and wants to be liked as well as win the game. Which can happen, but I look forward to seeing the traveling nurse getting into an argument or having to get herself out of a situation she may or may not have started.

BIG BROTHER, Zakiyah Everette, a 24-year-old preschool teacher from Charlotte, N.C.
Zakiyah Everette of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Zakiyah Everette (24)

Occupation: 24
Hometown & Current City: Charlotte, NC
⁃ Zakiya's bio is very short, but her interview with Jeff had lots of personality. She's been a fan since season three, single and ready for a showmance. Would like to be like Jeff and Jordan. Hopefully she's not just a pretty face and can be a smart super fan of the show.

BIG BROTHER, Jozea Flores, a 25-year-old makeup artist currently living in Los Angeles, CA.
Jozea Flores of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Jozea Flores (25)

Occupation: Make-up Artist
Hometown: Bridgeton, NJ
Current City: Los Angeles, CA
⁃ Jozea is recently into Big Brother. Wants to be a "Spartan," who is not just a geek or an athlete in the game. His favorite past Big Brother houseguest was season 16 Frankie Grande.

BIG BROTHER, Glenn Garcia, a 50-year-old dog groomer and former police detective from the Bronx, NY.
Glenn Garcia of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Glenn Garcia (50)

Occupation: Dog groomer/former police detective
Hometown & Current City: Bronx, NY
⁃ Glenn's occupation is very unique and will not go down for a fight even if he's evicted. His favorite past houseguests are "villains," or those who may have not been well liked. He says he can blend with different personalities but knows his downfall is his mouth. I look forward to seeing this Bronx guy get into an argument.

BIG BROTHER, Michelle Meyer, a 23-year-old nutritionist from Washington Township, Mich.
Michelle Meyer of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Michelle Meyer (23)

Occupation: Nutritionist
Hometown & Current City: Washington Township, MI
⁃ Michelle is a Michigander! Let's hope she'll get far in the game. She left before getting to celebrate her sisters' 16th birthday. Michelle has a strategy for winning by winning as much as she can as well as being possibly in a showmance. I wonder if an argument will spark her to talk about how people are eating since she is a nutritionist and said, "we are what we eat." Also whether she'll be a fan of slop or not.

Related: Michigan Woman Among The 'Big Brother' 18 Cast

BIG BROTHER, Natalie Negrotti, a 26-year-old event coordinator currently residing in Franklin Park, N.J.
Natalie Negrotti of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Natalie Negrotti (26)

Occupation: Event Coordinator
Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
Current City: Franklin Park, NJ
⁃ Natalie wants an all female alliance. However will this be the year that it will actually works? She's well aware girls can be catty and mean but hopes to have a nice girl alliance. Single and willing to be in a showmance but will not sleep with anyone.

BIG BROTHER, Tiffany Rousso, a 32-year-old high school teacher currently living in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Tiffany Rousso of the CBS series BIG BROTHER, scheduled to air on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS ©2016 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tiffany Rousso (32)

Occupation: High School Teacher
Hometown: West Palm Beach, FL
Current City: Palm Beach Gardens, FL
⁃ Tiffany has a familiar last name and also looks slightly like her sister, last season's third place houseguests, Vanessa Rousso. She's well aware she needs to be less emotional. Will this math teacher and new SAT prep businesswoman be compared to her sister or be stuck in her shadow?

Predictions & Final Thoughts

Who I predict will win this game after seeing their interviews would have to be Michelle. She has a good strategy going into the game and it doesn't hurt that she's also from Michigan. Her downfall may be that she could be an easy target or a pawn. I would not be surprised if Tiffany and Paulie are considered targets early on. However I would also not be surprised if they both make it to at least jury. I predict Bridgette will get evicted because of her really positive energy or could be a pawn to get a bigger physical threat out like Victor or Corey or Paul.

This season's cast has a lot of people from the East Coast and is diverse. Robyn Kass and her team always do an excellent job searching for houseguests and in the end the producers of the show have final say of who is cast. Expect the unexpected. We can expect some twists to be announced and a summer full of Big Brother! Tune in this week for the TWO DAY Premiere of Big Brother Season 18 Wednesday, June 22 at 8pm on CBS 62 Detroit!

Mark Drum is a Farmington Hills, MI native and Big Brother fan since 2000. Mark is a graduate from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Theatre Arts.

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