Big Brother 16 Cast Scrutiny

First off, I apologize for my lengthy absence and lack of posts over the last three weeks. Big Brother is almost upon us, though (it premieres tonight, actually), and it's time to get back into the swing of things. So without further ado, here is my analysis of each contestant on the upcoming season, in no particular order (Image credit CBS).

To prepare for this, I watched each Houseguest's interview with Jeff Schroeder, and also watched some interviews with Rachel Reilly. I'll predict how well each Houseguest will be at Big Brother, from fantastic to decent to poor to terrible.

NOTE: I was a little late on posting this, so it'll go up after the first night of Big Brother, but it's all been written before seeing the episode.

Amber Borzotra
Amber lists her profession as esthetician, but she also reveals that she's a model, which is most likely the real reason that she was recruited. Yes, Amber says she applied, but I don't believe her. However, she is very calm, cool, and collected, and she seems like a genuine and honest person, which could serve her well in the House (although being too honest is also a problem). Amber isn't necessarily a player in the House this year, but she at least has a head on her shoulders, and acknowledges that a showmance would most likely ruin her game.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a nice girl that people like and will stick around for a while, but will eventually be evicted before the jury as a pawn.

Donny Thompson
Not the typical casting choice for Big Brother, is he? I'll admit that when I first saw him, I thought he'd be one of your typical Duck Dynasty-type guys and wouldn't get along well with maybe some more liberal-minded people in the House. But in his interviews, Donny is instantly likable and funny--I don't detect any malice or deceit from him at all (which could also be a bad thing on this type of show). I'm actually feeling pretty good at Donny's chances; he's also one of few true, longtime fans of Big Brother on the show. I don't expect him to be exceptionally cunning or strategic, but I really do think everyone in the House will love him and he could make it very far.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. He's going to be that one guy in the House that everyone likes and no one wants to get rid of--a friend to every clique and alliance.

Zach Rance
Wow...obviously cast to be the Dan/Ian/Matt gamer of the season, as others have already mentioned. Although I see a lot of similarities to Mike Boogie, which is unsettling. As a relatively recent Big Brother fan, I've only seen Boogie play on season 14, and he was someone that I hated but also often loved to hate. So maybe Zach will be the same way. It's completely possible that I'll end up rooting for him, and that he'll tone down the meanness and arrogance when he actually gets onto the show (like Spencer in Cagayan). I would certainly like to see some strategic gameplay this summer, so that's a plus, I suppose. I just think that Zach is overestimating himself and is going to exit the House quickly, much to his own surprise.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. He'll be trying too hard and will act similar to Garrett on this past season of Survivor. Sooner or later, people will see that he's playing hard and being arrogant, and they just will not want to keep him around.

Victoria Rafaeli
I'm not getting much from Victoria from her interviews. She seems a little vain and full of herself. Victoria says people will underestimate her because she looks naive, but I think they will accurately gauge her naivete. She plans on getting with a guy's alliance and doesn't get along well with the girls, and would rather lose the game and be loved than win and be hated (which was a great question to ask, by the way). I can see her being easily manipulated by a showmance partner and dragged along for the ride.
Gameplay Prediction: Terrible. Victoria doesn't have any idea what she's getting into and will only ever have control of the game if she's lucky enough to win a comp or two. Quite simply, she's an idiot (although of course, I could be eating my words soon).

Cody Calafiore

Cody is obviously an "ubercompetitive," attractive guy, and a professional athlete, which could be either a positive or a huge negative for him. If he can hold his ego in check, Cody will make a great player and will be loved by America (like Jeff), but I have a feeling he'll end up more along the lines of Tom and Andrew from BBCAN or Jeremy from last season. Interestingly (and positively), he says he doesn't plan on using his looks or a showmance to help himself progress through the game, so maybe he does have some brains. If he's well-liked and popular in the House, he has all the tools to go far.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. I have a feeling that I won't like him, but he'll probably be popular enough inside the House and will use his athletic ability to get himself to the jury.

Derrick Levasseur
The Rhode Island version of Tony?! Ok, look. Look. I had to talk llama 'cause...
Yeah, if you don't watch Survivor and are just a BB fan, that one will be lost on you. Anyway, Derrick does have some similarities to Tony, in that he doesn't plan on telling people that he's a cop, but I have a feeling that won't last any longer that Tony's secret did. Derrick believes that having worked undercover will help him in the game, which I agree with. Overall, he seems like a nice guy who wants to play an honest game, which is not really suitable for Big Brother. Derrick also doesn't seem like someone who's going to make a lot of waves or big moves inside the House.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. He may end up being a dud from the casting perspective--I have no idea--but I think he can stay under the radar pretty well and make it relatively far.

Brittany Martinez
Brittany obviously won't be as good as Britney, but I like her well enough. Even though she's relatively young, she was obviously cast to be the mom of the season (and has 3 kids). She reminds me a bit of Sarah from BBCAN2. I like Brittany, and she seems pretty smart, but there are a number of things not working in her favor. First of all, she's a recruit who was found in a bar two weeks before the show even started, so it might take her a while to get accustomed to the game. And apparently she cried for 48 hours straight (is that possible?) when she had to leave her kids, so that could be an issue. The jury is out on Brittany.
Gameplay Prediction: Poor. She'll be a little worse than Sarah, and a little more emotional. Who knows how strong she could be once she's inside, but the separation from her kids could make her crack just a week or two in. That seems harsh, doesn't it? Well, don't blame me--it's a guess!


Nicole Franzel
Here's someone I think I'm going to really like. She's a recent nursing graduation and a huge Big Brother super-fan and live feeder. Yay!!! From listening to her talk and interact with people in her interviews, she seemed very personable and charismatic, but a couple of the things she said made me worry. Nicole is scared of sleeping alone and ghosts, will probably "cry a lot," doesn't get along well with other girls, and is going to try to win the first HOH. But I think she can recover from these issues and I think a strong social game from Nicole will serve her well.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. This is a hard cast to predict, but I think Nicole is going to be one of the standout players of this season.


Frankie Grande
I'm sure we'll be taking about Frankie a lot this season, and I think all of the public voting will give him a huge edge, just like it did for Elissa last season. Frankie seems pretty smart, at least, and he says he plans on keeping money and his sister out of the equation. He says he's a super-fan, but that remains to be seen. Frankie seems very personable and I think he could get along well with most people in the House, although he may be a little bit naive as well; he doesn't think it's possible for him to win and be hated.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. He'll get along well with others and forge strong alliances to make it at least to jury.

Devin Shepherd
I liked Devin immediately, but I worry he's going to be a huge target in the House...and I mean that literally, because he's massive and very muscular, and people will want to get him out immediately because of that. Like Howard last season, though, we know that being large and strong doesn't necessarily make you a challenge beast. Devin also has a daughter, so he may be able to connect well with the other parents in the House. I think that if he can survive those first critical weeks, Devin will be able to get into a strong enough position to make a deep run in the game.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. Devin's going to need to be making deals and alliances right away, and I think he's up to the challenge.


Joey Van Pelt
Joey seems like a very interesting person, although unfortunately there was not much of a cast video for her with Jeff. I probably should have watched the other one. She says she gets along well with women, and I believe her. She seems like a personable type, and that could serve her well in the House. Doesn't appear to be much of a threat either, so if she's actually here to play the game, Joey could do well.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll ingratiate herself with the women to survive.

Paola Shea
Now here's another pre-game favorite of mine. Paola is a DJ from New York City, and seems pretty awesome. She's a fan, hilarious (at least in her interview), and has a huge personality. Of course, this could easily lead to getting the boot pretty early on, and I have no idea how well she's going to do game-wise, but I'm rooting for her and I like her personality. Paola's plan is to form an all-girl alliance...that's something we've heard before. She also says she has the memory of a goldfish, so hopefully she can forget that plan before she gets into the House; as much as I'm on board with the idea, it's never really worked on Big Brother.
Gameplay Prediction: Decent. She'll appeal to some people in the House and be really funny, but her huge personality could turn others off.

Hayden Voss
Did you say Hayden Moss? Hayden is back against all newbies? No, Hayden Voss. This has got to be a joke. Come on, CBS. But actually, I really liked Hayden. Immediately I thought of Fabio from Survivor, but hey--Fabio won. Hayden seems a lot more down to earth than Fabio, though, and plans on playing a friendly game. Honestly, this may sound crazy, but I think he could do really well and get along nicely with people. He also seems like a threat in terms of competitions, but isn't as obvious as someone like Devin or Cody.
Gameplay Prediction: Fantastic. I'll probably be totally wrong, but Hayden is going to be my pre-season winner's pick!



Caleb Reynolds
A recruit cowboy from Kentucky, Caleb is "single and ready to mingle." He's super religious, and says he's "too athletic." If you haven't been following the BB news, some offensive comments that Caleb said on Instagram have already been dug up...I'm already not a fan of this guy. He could be another of the Andrew/Tom-type guys that pisses everyone off and goes from the top to the bottom in one week.
Gameplay Prediction: Terrible. He's going to make everyone mad at him and push his way along through an HOH win or two before people finally come together to vote him out.

Jocasta Odom
Typically, very religious people--like ministers--have not done well on reality shows. But Jocasta says she can "conform to different situations," and seems pretty competitive. So I'm cautiously optimistic on Jocasta. She's married, so that could give her a connection with Brittany and Devin. I'm not sure how well she'll do.
Gameplay Predictions: Decent. I think that she can get along relatively well with the other Houseguests but will probably get taken out somewhere in the middle.


Christine Brecht
Last but not least, we have Christine, who is the pre-game winner pick for many pundits. I really like Christine, and she's a Big Brother super-fan/nerd of the game. She has a plan to make alliances on both sides of the House, and is even a boardgame geek, which is awesome! I'm a big fan, but Christine also came across as a little socially awkward--at least to me--in her interviews, and I'm worried about her ability to fit in with the other Houseguests early on. You could say that Ian was the same way, but he would have been evicted if he hadn't had like 5 weeks of safety from Veto and HOH wins.
Gameplay Predictions: Fantastic. If she can make it through the first two weeks, Christine will become an undercover ninja and play her way to the end of the game.

So there you have it. Hayden Voss is my pre-game prediction to win. I would spend some time talking about the House and the twists, but you probably know more than I do at this point since it's Wednesday night. I'm going to go watch the premiere and then rescind every single thing I said about every Houseguest. Check back Thursday night for my recap of the two-day premiere, and stay tuned!