CBS has announced that the seventh installment of its house-arrested reality series Big Brother will be an all-star version, with viewers deciding which of the past players make it into the house.


Sort of.


Before fans get to weigh in, CBS and show producers will first whittle down contestants from the previous six seasons into a pool of 20, from which viewers will be able to select between 12 or 14 housemates to take their second shot at the game.


"This will be the most interactive Big Brother yet," exec producer Allison Grodner tells Variety. "Viewers will be getting involved more than in the past."


While producers didn't reveal in their press release Wednesday exactly how or when voting will take place--though the answers are likely online and soon--Variety reports that the process won't be entirely democratic, with producers retaining the right to up the dramatic ante by swapping out chosen players with those who aren't necessarily audience favorites.


Still, the increased audience involvement marks the first time the CBS show has allowed viewers to participate in the casting process.


While the method of how a player enters the Studio City, California, home has changed, the way they leave remains the same: The players themselves still have the honor of dismissing their fellow contestants each week. The grand prize remains $500,000.


Big Brother premiered on CBS in the summer of 2000 to decent ratings but poor reviews, prompting CBS to revamp the series from its Dutch origins. Big Brother has since become a solid summer performer for CBS.


Julie Chen will return to host the reality series' seventh installment, which will likely premiere in early July, taking over Survivor's Thursday time slot.

You beat me to it, Jimbo.

I was watching the Swedish version of Big Brother the other day, and well...I wish I lived in Sweden.

i dont know why i enjoy watching a bunch of people sitting around the house doing nothing but big brother is one of the few reality shows i watch. i hope no one from the "nerd herd" makes it back for this installment

The fact that you used the phrase "nerd herd" automatically makes you a part of said group.

Big Brother is about the only reality tv I watch.

This is awesome news. At the end of last years season I remember saying to my girlfriend that they should have an All star Big Bro. The only problem I see with this is housemembers won't really have any hidden agendas or they won't be able to pull any tricks like the last couple seasons (x-factor and pairs).

This will be interesting!

This is exciting, I can't wait.

Why do people keep watching this crap season after season?

Top twenty candidates unveiled Wednesday night!:

For the first time in BIG BROTHER history worldwide, viewers will vote on which former HouseGuests will compete in BIG BROTHER 7: ALL-STARS. On CBS Wednesday, June 21 at 8PM ET/PT, Julie Chen will unveil the top 20 candidates from seasons past. Web voting opens right here after the show at midnight ET/9PM PT. The polls close Wednesday, June 28 at 11:59PM ET/8:59PM PT

The show will then premier July 6:

All 20 candidates will be present when Julie Chen announces the ALL-STARS HouseGuests on the season premiere, Thursday, July 6 at 8PM ET/PT. BIG BROTHER 7: ALL-STARS will follow the relationships and conflicts of players who live together in a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones recording their every move 24 hours a day. One by one, the HouseGuests will vote each other out of the house. At the end of three months, the last remaining HouseGuest will receive the Grand Prize of $500,000. While living together in a confined space won't be anything new to the HouseGuests, choosing between any pre-existing relationships and building new alliances could be a challenge. As always, CBS.com will be your destination for exciting new interactive features, along with all the hottest BIG BROTHER info, including the 24/7 live video feed, Revenge of the HouseGuests blog, episode synopses, HoH Snapshots and much more.

As others have said, I don't watch many if any reality shows but this is one that I can't wait for every year. I'm glad they only do it once a year so it stays fresh.

i didn't even know this show was still around.

Seriously, why?

I say that about pretty much every reality show myself, but I just find this entertaining for some reason. Have you ever given it a chance?

everybody go vote for the man:

i'm sticking to voting for 5 people....





i don't even remember this guy...

I didn't watch the first two seasons

the man

weasel, but I like him

slut

I love this guy. The force is strong with him!

Will is huge on strategy. I just want to see James, Will, and Kaysar in the house to see how they interact because they're all good at the strategy part of things.

Will was my favorite. He straight up told people who would do anything including lie to them to win. That way when he did lie they couldn't claim he backstabbed him. It seems simple, but he just had a way of not rubbing people the wrong way when telling them that eventually he'd lie and screw them over. It was quite amazing to watch.

bump