Perhaps just speaking for myself for a moment here, I'm a bit disappointed with the lack of diversity in this cast. One 37-year old, one 31, one 32 ... the rest in their 20s. Two of the women are married, the rest of the cast is single. Gah! Not only is there a lack of age diversity, but it's a mighty white cast as well. Of course, that doesn't mean I won't watch. However, I'd really like to see a better mix of real people on the show, not star or starlet wannabes. But it is what it is and here's a brief look at the upcoming hamsters; the link on their first names leads you to their bios on the CBS website --
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| Aaryn Gries |
Aaryn: 22, college student, single, originally from San Angelo, TX, now living in San Marco, TX. I think she might be a bit naive for this game. According to her, she's afraid of "People with evil or absent minds that hurt or deceive others." Um. What show is she competing on again? Oh, yeah.
Big Brother.
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| Amanda Zuckerman |
Amanda: 28, real estate agent, single, originally from Long Island, NY, currently living in Boynton Beach, FL. She thinks Britney is hilarious and didn't like Jen (BB8), so that's in her favor for me. She's afraid of sharks. Well, that's just common sense. BB has a lot of landsharks, though! I think she's more apt for the show than Aaryn.
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| Andy Herren |
Andy: 26, professor, single, originally from Aurora, IL, currently lives in Chicago, IL. Dang, his bio on the CBS site is extremely loquacious. He seems to have a plan for the win. But if he talks as much as he writes, he'll drive 'em all crazy. He claims to be afraid of "I am slightly afraid of heights, but it is not crippling or anything. I
am terrified of bees, though. And people who enjoy Tyler Perry movies." So we have a clown in the house.
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| Candice Stewart |
Candice: 29, pediatric speech therapist, single, originally from New Orleans, now living in Houston, TX. She really liked Ian, really dislikes Boogie. So far, I'm feelin' the vibe. In addition to drop roller coasters, bugs and rodents, she says "I guess I am more afraid of more serious life issues like health and the well-being of my family." Hmm. I believe I like this one!
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| David Girton |
David: 25, lifeguard, single, from San Diego, CA. Oh my. He has quasi-Hayden hair! He hopes his good looks will take him to the end. Sigh. He likes Jeff because he's a "cool cat" and got a great "babe." So, blog buddies ... is he going to be the hook-up king of the house? And, can you say "shallow?" Yep, I thought you could.
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| Elissa Slater |
Elissa: Rachel Reilly's sister (SIGH, knock that off, Alison Grodner!), 27, nutritionist, married, originally from Concord, NC, currently living in Kannapolis, NC. Her favorite previous hamster was Rachel (of course), least favorite, Monet. She's afraid of heights and planes. I'm afraid of her sister reappearing on the show. NEXT ...
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| GinaMarie Zimmerman |
GinaMarie: 32, pageant coordinator, single, originally from Brooklyn, NY, now living in Staten Island, NY. So far, this would be my local hamster. Let's see if I approve of her. (After all, it's all about ME!) Uh-oh, not thrilled, I say! When it came to the "afraid of" question, she said, "
I would be afraid of aliens, if they ever exist, and if I ever see one I would probably s**t my pants. Those movies scare me." That's just weird. Way too into pageants for my taste, too!
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| Helen Kim |
Helen: The OLD hamster at 37, political consultant, married, originally from Falls Church, WV, now living in Chicago, IL. She has a strategy in which she'll throw HoH, then let the stronger players get the boot first. (Yeah, that always works SO well!) She likes Jeff and calls Rachel a "drama queen." Y'think? She's afraid of blood and bugs. That's fine; she's not on
Survivor, after all. I think I just might like this one, too.
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| Howard Overby |
Howard: 31, youth counselor, single, from Hattiesburg, MS. He's a longtime watcher -- he names Jason of BB2 as a like, Lisa of BB3 as a dislike. He's afraid of "spiders and big birds." He loves loves loves board games. (Have I mentioned how much I hate the chess game being in the house?) He seems intelligent, seems to know his strategy. But I'm wondering if, since he mentions being intelligent often in his bio, he might be a bit off-putting. We'll see.
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| Jeremy McGuire |
Jeremy: 23, boat shop associate, single, from Katy, TX. He's going to miss his Mom. As a matter of fact, she's the one who told him to try out for the show -- she's the BB fan; he's never watched it. He's afraid of "poisonous animals." I guess it's good that he's never watched and doesn't know what Elissa being Rachel's sister means! Will Momma's boy have a chance?
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| Jessie Kowalski |
Jessie: Thankfully, not THAT Jessie, phew! 25, unemployed, single, originally from Beaumont, TX, now living in San Antonio, TX. Well, the stipend vs. being unemployed will make her feel like a rich woman. She has a dog she loves. She liked Danielle (not Daniele) and didn't like Evel Dick. That's kind of understandable. She's afraid of flying and overpasses. I don't know. She seems a bit perky.
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| Judd Daughtery |
Judd: 26, property appraiser, single, originally from Englewood, TN, now lives in Etowah, TN. He frog gigs. Yessirree, Bob, we gots a country boy here! He plans a very social and strategic game. He might find that his plan to find an older person to align with near impossible, though. He likes many previous hamsters, dislikes Cowboy and Ronnie. Afraid of heights and spiders. He gigs frogs, but is skeered of spiders?!? Sheesh!
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| Kaitlin Barnaby |
Kaitlin: 23, bartender, single, originally from Vadnais Heights, MN, currently residing in Minneapolis, MN. What? She's not a mixologist? She's afraid of spiders, the dark and dying alone. Um. Well, hopefully she won't have to worry about the latter for decades. She's a kid! She claims to be a "very closed-off person" and that she'll keep to herself. Yeah, right. If she's the first bimbo in bed, I'm going to call her on that!
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| McCrae Olson |
McCrae: 23, pizza delivery boy, single, from Oak Grove, MN. Huh. I wonder why his photo is the only one that's not an outright head shot? An ambitious lad, for sure, he likes "typical boy stuff." Why do I get the feeling that, if he doesn't win the show, his parents are going to have him at home until he's well into his 30s? He likes Will Kirby. That's good. He's afraid of "Mice and ventriloquist dummies." He might be okay. My personal jury is out on him.
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| Nick Uhas |
Nick: 28, an entrepreneur, single, originally from Hilliard, NY, now lives in NYC, NY. An entrepreneur, eh? Is that a synonym for "unemployed?" He does have a strategy to be in an alliance through thick and thin. That's a good plan. He claims to have no fears because of his mind control abilities, brags about his grades at Yale and touts his physical excellence in various sports. He likes Boogie. Oh my.
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| Spencer Clawson |
Spencer: 31, railroad conductor, single, from Conway, AR. Little diversity, but two red-headed dudes! He says he's polarizing -- people either really like him or they don't. He also says he's opinionated and "chill." I would think that's a bit of an oxymoron, wouldn't you? He then says people are drawn to him. He likes James (Rhine) and Enzo the best, Chima the least. I guess I'll either like him or not. I might be drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I don't know.
So, that's our summer hamsters. Do you have any early favorites?
