Big Brother 22: The Best All-Star Competitors Who Didn't Make This Season's Cast
Big Brother: All Stars features an eclectic cast of former players, ranging from BB8 runner-up Dani Donato Briones to the first boot from BB21, David Alexander. But while the show's 22nd season is undoubtedly home to a unique array of former houseguests, one can't help but think about how many other All-Star competitors are out there, and how different this season would look with any one of them vying for the $500,000 grand prize.
Here are some of the best players not involved with Big Brother: All Stars.
Love her or hate her, Rachel Reilly is firmly ingrained as a legend of Big Brother. After just a ninth-place finish on Big Brother 12, Rachel returned for Big Brother 13 alongside now-husband Brendon Villegas and went on to win the season in dominant fashion. In both BB12 and BB13, Rachel proved to be a competition beast, winning a total of six HOH competitions across the two seasons. And while her first appearance on the show will forever be defined by her iconic feuds with Brittany Haynes and Ragan Fox, her social game proved impressive just one summer later, as a tight late-game alliance with Porsche Briggs helped secure her the victory.
Rachel played alongside current houseguests Dani and Enzo, and even had a brief interaction with Ian via a Pandora's Box twist on BB14. Surely, her presence on this season of Big Brother would have had a major impact on the course of the game.
Fans are still shocked that Big Brother: All Stars is under way without the involvement of Big Brother great, Paul Abrahamian. Paul made his Big Brother debut on the show's 18th season. He quickly found himself in trouble, and seemed destined for an early exit. Over the course of the season, however, Paul established himself as a formidable competitor, winning three HOH and three POV competitions. After competing again on Big Brother 19, Paul won the most competitions in BB history, winning a total of 14 across his two seasons.
Paul remains a controversial figure amongst Big Brother fans. On one hand, he finished in 2nd place on back-to-back seasons, arguably losing both seasons at the hands of a bitter jury. On the other hand, players and viewers alike considered Paul's personality abrasive and divisive. Paul is heavily connected within the current crop of houseguests, so his involvement with the season would have been a major shake-up. He is undoubtedly one of the best players in Big Brother history, but his inability to seal the deal certainly complicates that legacy.
Big Brother 17 is commonly considered one of the better seasons in recent years, and third-place finisher Vanessa Rousso is largely the reason why. As a professional poker player, Vanessa brought a complex style of gameplay into the house that quickly cemented her as one of the most brilliant strategists in the show's history. She made several alliances and pacts, and somehow managed to juggle them all without getting bit. Many houseguests have attempted to replicate her strategy, but few have succeeded.
Vanessa was ultimately responsible for a vast majority of the eliminations on Big Brother 17. Eventual winner Steve Moses therefore knew he couldn't bring his close ally to the final two, and cut her at the last minute. An emotional and intelligent player, Vanessa made for great television, and would have been an excellent addition to Big Brother: All Stars.
By now, Big Brother has seen its fair share of strategically dominant players. Plenty of players have controlled a season until the very end, but what really separates a good player from a great one is the ability to do so without emerging as an obvious threat. In this way, Derrick Levasseur just might be the greatest player of all time. Alongside Cody Calafiore - the other half of "The Hitmen" alliance - Derrick orchestrated just about every major decision in Big Brother 16. As his allies in "The Detonators" and the "Bomb Squad" fell, Derrick continued to fly under the radar. In fact, Derrick won Big Brother 16 without even getting nominated.
Of course, it seems that viewers were rather close to getting Derrick back on their television screens. The BB great has been mired in controversy as of late, facing numerous accusations as it relates to the casting for Big Brother: All Stars. Of course, no one would dare dispute Derrick's status as a legend of the game, and no amount of controversy outside of the house can take away from that fact.
Danielle's Big Brother legacy cannot be understated. Way back on Big Brother 3, Danielle put together one of the strongest alliances the show had ever seen. She brought a fierce level of competitiveness to the game, and remains one of the most dynamic personalities in the show's history. However, her scathingly sarcastic diary room confessionals were perceived as overly confident by the jury and cost her the chance to win the game. Her loss was perceived as so unfair by fans that CBS ultimately changed the jury format, introducing the jury house. This way, the jury could not watch the show and allow the edit to influence their perception of the final two.
Danielle would have made for a really exciting addition to Big Brother: All Stars. This season surprisingly represents a large number of past seasons, but a representative from a season as early as Big Brother 3 would have made for a fascinating collision of old and new. Besides, fans would have loved to see one of the best players to never win get another opportunity to do so.
Plenty of former houseguests can lay claim to the title of "Greatest Player of All Time", but you'd be hard-pressed to find a more deserving player than Dan Gheesling. He won Big Brother 10 in dominant fashion, flying under the radar despite playing on one of the most explosive seasons of all time. But it was really Dan's second-place finish on Big Brother 14 that solidified him as the best manipulator the show had ever seen. From Dan's Funeral to the blind-side of Shane, Dan made several mind-blowing moves on BB14, all of which remain among the most iconic in the show's history. He may have come just short of becoming the only two-time winner in Big Brother history, but that's hardly a blemish on his record when one considers his overall body of work.
Dan would have also been a fascinating addition to Big Brother: All Stars. He has close ties with several current houseguests, including BB10 ally Memphis Garrett and BB14 winner Ian Terry. Like Derrick, Dan has been attached to some unfortunate pre-season rumors, but he remains an absolute legend of the game, well deserving of another chance to play.
Big Brother: All Stars airs Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 8pm EST on CBS.