“Big Brother 26” cast and new twist revealed

Meet the 16 players competing inside the house, and learn about the twist that could add another victim.

The 16 contestants set to enter the Big Brother house for season 26 of the CBS summer reality staple have been revealed. And that may not be all of them.

A video clerk, a former undercover cop, a celebrity chef, a VIP cocktail server, and a crochet business owner are among the players who will be saying goodbye to their sanity when the show premieres July 17. But, for the first time ever, the contestants will have the opportunity to vote in a 17th houseguest — a houseguest whose identity remains a secret. Could it be another new player, or will it be a former reality star, such as last season, when the players entered the living room to see Survivor legend Cirie Fields casually sipping champagne?

The twist also brings to mind season 14 of the show, when coaches Dan Gheesling, Britney Haynes, Mike “Boogie” Malin, and Janelle Pierzina voted themselves into the game, leading to the franchise’s most famous moment ever. Then, during the season 19 premiere, Kevin Schlehuber accepted $25,000, even though it would unleash a mystery twist into the game. That mystery twist was allowing the previous season’s runner-up, Paul Abrahamian, to enter the house, although Kevin did not know that would be the result.

It seems this time the players — or at least one or some of them — will know and decide whether to allow another competitor in their midst. In the meantime, here are the first 16 contestants that will be competing in the artificial intelligence themed season under the watchful eye of the Chenbot.

Angela Murray

Age: 50
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Current City: Syracuse, Utah
Occupation: Real estate agent

Brooklyn Rivera

Age: 34
Hometown: Covington, Ga.
Current City: Dallas
Occupation: Business administrator

Cam Sullivan-Brown

Age: 25
Hometown: Bowie, Md.
Occupation: Physical therapist

Cedric Hodges

Age: 21
Hometown: Running Springs, Calif.
Current City: Boise, Idaho
Occupation: Former marine

Chelsie Baham

Age: 27
Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Occupation: Nonprofit director

Joseph Rodriguez

Age: 30
Hometown: Tampa, Fla.
Occupation: Video store clerk

Kenney Kelley

Age: 52
Hometown: Boston
Occupation: Former undercover cop

Kimo Apaka

Age: 35
Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii
Occupation: Mattress sales rep

Leah Peters

Age: 26
Hometown: Pittsburgh
Current City: Miami
Occupation: VIP cocktail server

Lisa Weintraub

Age: 33
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Celebrity chef

Makensy Manbeck

Age: 22
Hometown: Houston
Occupation: Construction project manager

Matt Hardeman

Age: 25
Hometown: Loganville, Ga.
Current City: Roswell, Ga.
Occupation: Tech sales rep

Quinn Martin

Age: 25
Hometown: Lawton, Okla.
Current City: Omaha, Neb.
Occupation: Nurse recruiter

Rubina Bernabe

Age: 35
Hometown: Los Angeles
Occupation: Event bartender

T'kor Clottey

Age: 23
Hometown: Chicago via London
Current City: Atlanta
Occupation: Crochet business owner

Tucker Des Lauriers

Age: 30
Hometown: Boston
Current City: Brooklyn
Occupation: Marketing and sales executive

The full 'Big Brother 26' cast… for now

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.