Additional surprise houseguests are also on the way.

Big Brother season 28 cast revealed, and includes RuPaul’s Drag Race star

Additional surprise houseguests are also on the way.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 7, 2026 12:41 p.m. ET

Melody Morris; Barrett Pfeiffer; LaTrice Verrett of ‘Big Brother’ season 28. Credit:

Evan Mulling/CBS (3)

- The first 14 houseguests for season 28 of *Big Brother* have been revealed.

- There are a few unique — and occasionally confusing — professions among the cast.

- There is one familiar face among the cast, but could there be more on the way?

*Big Brother* has announced its cast for season 28 of the reality competition series, which premieres July 9 on CBS. Or at least *some* of its cast. And there is already one familiar face in the group of newbies.

For the first time ever, CBS announced its houseguests — or at least 14 of them — courtesy of a YouTube “Broveal” video. Among the new players are a rocket scientist and MMA fighter, a pickleball coach, and yes, our personal favorite, a Jumbotron engineer. There is also a “corporate game show host,” which leaves us with many questions. Questions such as: How many game shows are corporate executives playing? Is it enough to actually make a living hosting them? And is this woman now coming for Julie Chen Moonves’ job?

There’s also the daughter of a 1980s pop star, as contestant Lyric Medeiros is the offspring of Glenn Medeiros, whose cover version of George Benson’s “Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You” reached No. 12 on the U.S. charts in 1987. (Hey, we said *star*, not *superstar*.) It should also be noted that there is both a Lyric and Melody in the cast, so there’s that.

Also among the new houseguests is someone already in the Paramount reality TV family, as we have our first *RuPaul’s Drag Race* crossover. Jason De Puy competed on season 15 of *Drag Race* and season 11 of *Drag Race All-Stars* under the stage name of Salina EsTitties.

But it seems like Jason/Salina may not be the only familiar face on the season 28 cast, as CBS notes that “additional surprise houseguests will be revealed on air.” (Yes, *houseguests*, as in plural.) That would follow the model of revealing previous celebreality contestants, like *Survivor* legend Cirie Fields (season 25) and *Big Brother* winner Rachel Reilly (season 27), who surprised fellow houseguests and viewers alike by showing up unannounced in season premiere episodes.

[UPDATE:* *can now exclusively report that there will be two *Survivor* stars on the upcoming BB season, and one of them is *Rick Devens*. It is also being reported by *Men’s Journal* that *Big Brother 26* star Angela Murray will be returning to the house this season. That makes at least 17 competitors.]

A press release from the network notes that the full cast will be “stepping into a summer where nothing is as it seems, where every twist rewrites the rules, and where time becomes the ultimate twist.” (Time Laser, anyone?)

But you don’t need to time travel anywhere to get you first good look at 14 of the contestants. Check out their official season 28 photos and bios below, and place your bets on who is most likely to end up in a unitard this summer.

Ashley Trail

Ashley Trail of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Ashley Trail of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 24****Hometown**: Alton, IL****Current City:** Chicago, IL****Occupation**: Bartender

Barrett Pfeiffer

Barrett Pfeiffer of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Barrett Pfeiffer of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 27****Hometown**: Benton, AR****Current City: **Austin, Texas****Occupation**: Jumbotron Engineer

Chuk Anyanwu

Chuk Anyanwu of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Chuk Anyanwu of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 27****Hometown**: Dallas, Texas****Occupation**: Supply Chain Analyst

Drew Campbell

Drew Campbell of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Drew Campbell of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 22****Hometown: **Temecula, CA****Occupation**: Surgical Dental Assistant

Haley Thogmartin

Haley Thogmartin of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Haley Thogmartin of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 29****Hometown**: Neosho, MO****Current City**: Wildwood, MO****Occupation**: Telemedicine Executive

Jason De Puy

Jason De Puy of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Jason De Puy of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 35****Hometown**: San Francisco, CA****Current City**: West Hollywood, CA****Occupation**: Drag Queen

Kamuela “Kamu” Kirk

Kamuela ‘Kamu’ Kirk of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Kamuela ‘Kamu’ Kirk of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 32****Hometown**: Phoenix, AZ****Occupation**: MMA Fighter

LaTrice Verrett

LaTrice Verrett of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

LaTrice Verrett of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 57****Hometown**: Kankakee, IL****Current City**: Maplewood, NJ****Occupation**: Boutique Salesperson

Lyric Medeiros

Lyric Medeiros of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Lyric Medeiros of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 25****Hometown**: Honolulu, HI****Occupation**: Attorney

Mallory Aurichio

Mallory Aurichio of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Mallory Aurichio of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 24****Hometown**: Township of Washington, NJ****Occupation**: Rocket Scientist

Melody Morris

Melody Morris of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Melody Morris of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 24****Hometown**: Thornton, CO****Current City**: Maricopa, AZ****Occupation**: Corporate Game Show Host

Rome Seymour

Rome Seymour of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Rome Seymour of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 28****Hometown**: Traverse City, MI****Current City**: Delray Beach, FL****Occupation**: Pickleball Coach

Taylor Brown

Taylor Brown of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Taylor Brown of ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age:** 27****Hometown: **Deerfield Beach, FL****Occupation: **Elementary School Counselor

Yash Patel on ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

Yash Patel on ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Age**: 24****Hometown**: Monroe Township, NJ****Occupation**: Financial Analyst

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