'Big Brother 15': Meet the Houseguests

June 03, 2024

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Aaryn Gries, 22
The youngest houseguest, the Texas student says, “You don’t have to know how you’re going to something, you just have to know you’re going to do it and the rest will fall into place."
Strategy: “I’m not going to throw any competitions and I’m going to work as hard as I can to win as many of them as I can. I don’t want to make any big moves too soon.”
Biggest strength: Her psychology background allows her “to read people well and I’ve been through a lot of life situations that have molded me into a much older person than 22.”
Favorite houseguests: Frank (season 14). “I think he’s a good person, he has a good heart and he’s the type of guy I see myself being with in the future.”
Andy Herren, 26
The Aurora, Ill., native is confident his career in public speaking — and improv comedy — boosts his chances. “I know what to say to people and how to say it to make myself sound convincing, even if I’m BS-ing everything I’m saying.”
Strategy: “If I feel there’s a person or people I can pull in, I’m really going to want to. … It’s playing covertly aggressive. No one realizes you’re doing it but you’re aggressive right away, kind of like The Brigade.”
Favorite houseguests: Danielle (season 3). “The fact that the jury could watch her diary room interviews totally screwed her over.” Dan (seasons 10, 14) “played an amazing game, duh.” Britney (seasons 12, 14) was “so likable” and “so good at reading people.” Ragan (season 12) was “a thinker.”
David Girton, 25
“My heart just dropped and I was stunned,” he says when producers plucked him from San Diego. As a lifeguard, leaving was bittersweet: “What am I going to do with my life? What I going to go back to?”
Strategy: “Lay back, let my personality flow through the house and get under people’s skin, let people know who David is. Have my competitive [side] go into every competition and win every single one because I hate losing.”
Ideal ally: “Someone who’s laidback and not bitchy, who I like having a good time with and chill. … If we’re having awkward moments then I probably won’t talk to you. I’m going to talk to you if I’m on the block or if I need your vote.”
GinaMarie Zimmerman, 32
Hailing from New York, the pageant coordinator will be a force. But, she’s not a fan of “blah” people. “You have to play it by ear at first, see what people you have,” she says, “and then strike when the iron’s hot.”
Strategy: “I tend to have a pretty strong attitude, but I’d like to see how the [houseguests] are. … Right now, I would like to keep a little bit back and not show that I’m so strong. I play sports. Of course, I’m blond and I look like a pageant girl. … Sometimes looks can be a little deceiving.”
Biggest weakness: “When I’m too nice, guys might take it as flirting and I don’t want people to think I’m trying to put on the moves.”
Jeremy McGuire, 23
The Texas native was persuaded by his mother to apply, and when he got his key, he “did a backflip.”
Strategy: “I want to use two alpha males — me being one of the guys — and two girls. I want to put a team of four together and try to run the house. … Me ‘showmancing’ one of the girls and the other alpha male ‘showmancing’ the other girl. We use those girls as pawns, but we stick together and make it to final two.”
Biggest weaknesses: “Maybe that I haven’t seen as much as other people. I’m not as familiar with some of the things. Another weakness is I love women."
Candice Stewart, 29
A New Orleans native, the pediatric speech therapist came in “at the tail-end.” “I’m a very open person. I don’t have any regrets in my life and I’m a very honest person,” she says. “That’s going to be the hardest thing for me, to pull back.”
Strategy: “My strategy is not to go in guns blazing, it’s to lay low, ‘quick to listen, slow to talk’ for a while. Until I feel everybody out, start playing a little harder midway through.”
Biggest nightmare: “I’m a germaphobe so people who are not conscious of cleanliness would get on my nerves.”
Favorite houseguests: Jordan (seasons 11, 13), Ragan (season 12), Britney (seasons 12, 14). “The ones with comedic humor, I relate to most.”
Howard Overby, 29
From Mississippi, the youth counselor won't miss much when he steps foot in the Big Brother house — "except being away from my church on Sundays."
Strategy: "I will use intelligence without showing I'm as smart as I am and I will befriend people to get to know them and use their strengths and weaknesses against them," his bio says. "No matter how or what I have to use to get what I want to make my plan work."
Helen Kim, 37
The married political consultant, living in Chicago (but Viriginia native), is a fan of Jeff "because he is down to earth and always was the least annoying," she says in her bio.
Strategy: "My strategy is to throw HOH in the beginning and have the strongest players vote each other out. However, I would try to win POV. It is always good to gain favors from people. As the strong players start to vote each other off, I would then do my best to win the HOHs."
Nick Uhas, 28
A X Games-style skater, the New Yorker’s New Year’s resolution was “Use myself to my full potential.”
Strategy: “Most successful people come in with an alliance early on: four or with a floater of five. Endurance is definitely my game over anything else and when it comes to counting fingers cut off from mafia members in a jar, that I’m not going to be super awesome at. There are too many options to lose if you make past jury so get a wolfpack going.”
Ideal ally: “People who are not like me who fill in the voids. Someone who’s a lot stronger than me who can win the physical competitions, someone who’s smarter than me and someone who’s exceedingly trustworthy — married, potentially older.”
Judd Daugherty, 26
The Tennessean's approach is simple: "I'm the type of person who don't let people run over me. If they don't respect me, I'm not going to respect them back. I'm going to stand up for myself and others if they need it. I'm definitely not going to let one person think they run the house."
Strategy: "What I'm planning on doing is finding a guy around my age I can get close with, someone who's better at physical competitions than me, and then maybe the older person in the house, work with them. People might not think we're working together so maybe a secret alliance. Maybe someone who's good at puzzles, because I'm terrible."
Biggest weakness: "I say stuff before I think about it."
Amanda Zuckerman, 28
"Big Brother is like a marathon," the Long Island native says. "If you start to fast, you're going to get out of breath and then you're going to get out of the race."
Strategy: "To really listen. People love to talk about themselves and even more, they love people listening. My No. 1 strategy is to learn and listen to everyone and see who they are and what they're about. I want to see how they do in challenges before I make any alliance."
Ideal ally: "It's most important that you can pick someone who you can really trust and you know, no matter what, can keep their mouth shut and side with you. Someone who everybody likes, is easygoing, who can win a competition."
Spencer Clawson, 31
A fan of the show, the Arkansas resident had a ritual back home. "I watched it with my neighbor, Melinda, who's 53 years old. We go out to eat on live-show night and come back to watch it. It's our thing we do. It's fun! And boom! Here I am," he says.
Strategy: "To be likable. I'm not going in lying about anything, I'm not giving some sob story about having a sick grandma that needs this surgery that costs this [much money]. I'm just going to be me: likable, funny. The only thing I'll change about myself is be neater than I normally am. I'm going to do things to avoid conflict. Try to ingratiate myself with women in the house — not in that way. The more I can be in the friend zone, it's going to help me in the game."
Jessie Kowalski, 25
Recently laid off, the Texan “put all her eggs in one basket” with Big Brother: “Align with strong players, good competitors, people who have good social game and at the end, we can fight it out in an honest battle."
Strategy: “I want to make at least one companion in the house, whether it’s a guy or a girl that’s yet to be determined; someone I can count on, talk about things with. Even if it’s just for a few weeks — someone you can bounce strategies off. Or I’d like to be a part of a four- or five-person alliance. Just having those votes, you’re more confident, comfortable in the house. Win as many competitions as I can. Try not to ruffle any feathers.”
Biggest weakness: “I am emotionally-charged person. I do wear my heart on my sleeve."
Kaitlin Barnaby, 23
If there’s one thing the Minnesota native is looking forward to, it’s the competitions. “I’m excited for the adrenaline rushes,” she says. “I think it’s going to be my favorite part.” But Kaitlin says not to underestimate her: “I’ll be conniving and manipulative behind their backs.”
Strategy: “I’m probably going to lay low for the first couple of weeks, observe people, see how they react. I’ll probably ally with the guys; I get along better with guys. I can manipulate them easier than the girls.”
Favorite houseguests: Matt (season 12). “I think he’s very intelligent, very sneaky.” Brandon (season 12). “He has a sensitive aspect which I like.”
McCrae Olson, 23
The Minnesota resident describes himself as "funny," "observant" and "calculating," likening his game play to that of past houseguest James (seasons 6, 7). "Play smart when you need to, play physical when you need to and lay low," he says in his official bio.
Elissa Slater, 27
A nutritionist from North Carolina, the married mother describes herself as "effervescent," "ambitious" and "intriguing." Her favorite past Big Brother player is Rachel (seasons 12, 13). "I am biased," it says in her official bio. "Rachel is fun, entertaining, plays the game, didn't lie very often to get ahead and she is so hilarious." (They are sisters.)
Strategy: "I'm going to try and keep to myself and not let my emotions get the best of me. I'll be more of a listener so I can feel out what's going on in the other houseguest's [sic] minds."