“Big Brother ”host Julie Chen Moonves says some casting rumors are ‘dead wrong’

Key Points

• Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves addresses all those returning player rumors, and calls some of them poppycock.

• Okay, she doesn’t actually use the word poppycock, but Lord, we wish she had.

• Is a Lazy Susan about to play an integral role on season 28? It sounds like it!

There is a lot of chatter out there on the interwebs about who will and won’t be in the house for Big Brother season 28. Not only have names of former Big Brother players been floating on social media, but other reality TV luminaries have been attached to the upcoming installment, which premieres July 9 on CBS.

However, host Julie Chen Moonves warns not to believe everything you read. “It’s a big production and people talk and yada yada,” the host tells Entertainment Weekly. “Some of you might be right what you’re speculating. Some of the stuff online might be accurate. Some of it is dead wrong. But there’s only one way to find out if what you’re hearing is true or not, and you gotta be there [on premiere night].”

Seeing who actually ends up in the house is just one of the big reveals fans are still waiting for when it comes to season 28 and the new “Time Trip” theme, so we booted up the Chenbot to gather some intel.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Okay, Julie. You’ve been in the house, so what can you tell us about it?

JULIE CHEN MOONVES: Everything is so top secret and so last minute. I didn’t even see all the rooms yet! But I’ve been told. And the room I didn’t see, it sounds horrendous. But also amazing at the same time. And you’ll get that because I was like: “You are joking! That’s what you’re gonna do to them?” But I couldn’t see it. So it sounds not fun. [Laughs] But you know, if you wanna win three quarters of a million dollars — no pain, no gain.

But what I did see, I loved. Like the dining room table. Have you ever eaten at a dining room table and had a Lazy Susan? Let’s just say this year’s Lazy Susan is anything but lazy and has so much more to it that I can’t even describe, but it’s integral to the theme this year.

Which would be the Time Trip theme. How are those two things connected?

That means things could go backwards. They can go forward. Is that gonna be good for someone’s game? Probably. Is it gonna cripple someone’s game? Probably. I mean, you saw what happened in the hamster wheel with Rachel Reilly. She was the queen until the White Locust.

So some people are gonna love it. Some people are gonna hate it. Big Brother is so hard to win these days. There’s never been a formula, but the challenges have just leveled up because these people, they think they know the game. They practice at home with their version of the wall and this and that. So we have to keep it difficult. I wouldn’t last one day in that house.

There have been a lot of rumors swirling about some familiar faces coming back to play this season. What can you say about that?

I can say that if you love Big Brother and you’re a decent fan, it’s gonna register a big reaction. Definitely big. I think some people are gonna be very excited and happy, and I think some people are gonna be like, “Oh, boy.” [Laughs] And I will say that if you are a lover of the top reality shows out there, then I think you’re gonna be very happy. Very, very happy.

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Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly