Big Brother 22: Josh Martinez COVID-19 Test Results May Have Been Incorrect
Big Brother: All Stars has officially begun, but even with an official group of former houseguests already playing the game, there are several others wishing they were there instead. One of those former contestants is Josh Martinez—winner of BB19—who had been heavily attached to various rumors throughout the lead-up to Big Brother's 22nd season. The 26-year-old confirmed that he was indeed removed from All Stars after testing positive for COVID-19, but he also wants fans to know that this result was actually a false positive.
Josh was expected to be one of the bigger names (and personalities) on this season of Big Brother. The revealed cast only features two former winners in BB14's Ian Terry and BB18's Nicole Franzel. But whereas Ian and Nicole relied more heavily on their strategic and/or physical abilities, Josh's game was built around his larger-than-life persona. Of course, it's that larger-than-life mentality that seems to have mired him in controversy as of late, as Josh was seen partying in Miami a few weeks prior to allegedly quarantining for Big Brother: All Stars.
Josh took to his Twitter Thursday night to clarify that he is completely healthy, and has even tested negative for COVID-19. This clarification comes after TMZ suggested that Josh's positive results while under quarantine were in fact false, as the Miami native tested negative several times afterwards. Still, that one positive result seemed to scare producers enough to remove him from the cast entirely, even with a string of negatives suggesting Josh did not have the virus.
While this situation certainly sounds unfortunate for Josh, the exact details remain murky. After all, even if Josh's results were incorrect, there is still evidence of him violating pandemic protocols by clubbing in South Florida. To best protect both the cast and crew, CBS likely made the right call in exercising caution by removing Josh from Big Brother: All Stars. It is also worth keeping in mind that Josh is particularly frustrated about not getting a chance to play this summer. Therefore, his words could have more to do with his own frustrations than with the exact nature of the situation. It is no secret that a desire to play Big Brother again can motivate former players to share background info on production.
It seems like CBS has taken several smart precautions to protect its cast and crew from COVID-19 throughout Big Brother: All Stars. While fans and players may take issue with certain decisions, now is the time to err on the side of caution. Of course, one can't help but wonder what this season could have looked like with Josh inside the house.
Source: TMZ, Josh Martinez