Big Brother

"Evel Dick" Donato says a romp with a Vegas stripper is why he's HIV positive ... so he thinks.

Dick tells TMZ ... he had unprotected sex with the stripper -- who he says got her period during intercourse. Dick says, "When I woke up, she was gone and I looked like I had murdered someone."

Donato was diagnosed in 2011 ... from blood tests administered on "Big Brother." Donato says he left the show and broke the news to his mother and his girlfriend ... calling it the "hardest conversation I have ever had to have."

Dick says his GF -- who tested negative -- was amazing ... assuring him they would get through it. She stuck by him for the next two years, until they split in 2013. They're appearing on "Couples Therapy" to see if they can re-ignite their relationship.

One of "Evel Dick" Donato's former "Big Brother" housemates tells TMZ ... she wishes Dick would have STAYED in the BB house after learning he was HIV positive -- but Dick says he didn't have a choice.

Donato -- who won BB in 2007 and then rejoined the cast in 2011 -- left the show very early into Season 13 when he was informed by producers that blood tests showed he had HIV.

We spoke with Rachel Reilly -- who was competing in the house at the time -- who tells us she wishes Donato would have stayed in the game.

"If he had a meeting with everyone it would have been a way to give the disease a voice," Reilly said ... "It's reality TV."

She adds, "I think it's cool he is talking about it 3 years later and I hope this changes people's lives. I think it's brave of him."

We also spoke with Evel Dick on "TMZ Live" moments ago ... who told us he didn't get a choice to stay in the game -- producers told him he had to leave.

But he also says he wasn't ready to go public with the information anyway ... "This was the most shocking news I've ever been told. I needed time to digest."

Donato says it's already destroyed him in one way -- financially.

For their part, a rep for CBS tells TMZ Dick was not forced to leave the show, but rather made the decision on his own.

Ariana Grande's brother is pretty sure she's not the horrible diva everyone's accusing her of being ... just give him a little while to remember.

Frankie Grande was out at Eleven Bar & Nightclub to celebrate the "Big Brother" finale when we hit him up for the scoop on his super popular sister ... who is being called out left and right lately for her allegedly being very difficult.

You'd think Frankie would've shot down that question immediately when it was posed to him -- but watch the video. What's with the delay tactics and pregnant pauses, bro?

The family of "Big Brother 16" houseguest Victoria Rafaeli is fuming mad over a joke Frankie Grande made about 2 guys teaming up to take Victoria's virginity ... and they want apologies from him AND his sister Ariana.

During the livestream on Saturday, Grande told two male houseguests they should "double team" Victoria and "take all her virginities." He then made a bunch of extremely sexual gestures. Just watch the video.

Victoria's mother, Lizabeth, tells TMZ she definitely took Frankie's comments to be a "rape joke" and feels her daughter is now a "target for rape" because producers did nothing to stop Frankie's rant.

The biggest backstabbing villain at "Big Brother" isn't Ariana Grande's brother, Frankie -- or any of the other contestants -- it's the CBS honchos who run the voting ... according to a new lawsuit.

A guy named Edwin Lyda claims he invented the system for text message voting and says he holds the patents to that system. He claims CBS jacked his invention and uses it each week on BB.

On the show, viewers vote in various ways -- by telephone, online, with a phone app or text messaging. The votes don't determine who stays or goes ... it's for things like who should win bonus prizes or who should get special perks in the house.

Lyda says his system for text voting is a big part of the show ... he wants a court to decide how much of BB's millions he's entitled to get ... then again, he could get nothing.

Ariana Grande's brother revealed who he REALLY IS to his "Big Brother" castmates ... in the most bizarre and Grande-ose way possible.

Frankie Grande made the confession on the live feed -- that he's not only Ariana Grande's bro but also a BIG STAR in his own right and head ... and it wasn't received well.

His delivery makes him incredibly unlikeable ... but it's all part of a play to stay in the house and win $500K.

"Big Brother Israel" house guests have MUCH more to worry about than eviction -- producers have them running into a bomb shelter when the violence between Israel and Palestine gets particularly dangerous.

The show has not stopped production since fighting escalated earlier this month, and has actually installed alarms in the house that alert house guests to seek shelter. They sounded twice during the first week of use.

In one instance, contestants were seen scrambling throughout the house and into the safe area.

It's a clear relaxing of the rules that normally cut off contestants from the outside world -- but clearly a necessary change.

The sister of "Big Brother" contestant Jocasta Odom is tearing cast member Frankie Grande to shreds ... for saying Jocasta "can kill herself."

Frankie's back stab stung hard ... because Jocasta -- a pastor -- just performed a memorial service for his recently deceased grandfather.

Maranda Chelsea, Jocasta's sis, tells TMZ, "It was an ignorant statement and the little respect I had for him just went out the window." And the parting shot, "It shows the lack of maturity he has."

Miranda isn't the only one pissed off -- so are the fans ... @JrAguja1997 tweeted "I don't f**king care if your sister sings good, you're a s**tty person Frankie. Calling Jocasta to kill herself. Argh."

People die in threes ... so the urban legend goes ... but the grandma of "Big Brother" contestant Amber Borzotra is fearless -- despite the fact grandparents of two other contestants died this week.

Producers broke the news to Frankie Grande -- Ariana's bro -- about their beloved grandpa. And Friday night house guest Derrick Levasseur got similar bad news.

Nonetheless ... 64-year old Iris Beverly isn't nervous -- and same goes for her 67-year old husband. She tells us, "We don't believe in curses, when God calls my name I will go."

Beverly adds, "Them dying is a tough coincidence, but he stays healthy walking and I'm a professional piddler."

We made calls to the grandparents of some of the other contestants, but there was no answer.

For the second time in days, a "Big Brother" houseguest got shocking news from the outside world about a family member's death -- this time it was Derrick Levasseur's grandfather.

On tonight's live feed, houseguest Derrick was handed a note from producers -- like Frankie Grande on Wednesday evening -- and learned of the death in his family.

It's eerie … Derrick purposely lost the Head of Household competition on Thursday so Frankie would get a chance to see photos of his grandfather who died on Tuesday.

Derrick shared his news with Frankie in the house tonight … and said his family isn't as close. He said he wasn't planning to leave the house for the funeral on Sunday.

"Big Brother" showdown: 2 former, famous contestants squaring off over whether producers should have told Frankie Grande about his grandfather's death.

RACHEL REILLY, Winner, Season 13. Producers had an obligation to tell Frankie. Death trumps show rules.

SPENCER CLAWSON, Contestant, Season 15. Horrible move by producers. It opens Pandora's Box. What happens next ... say a contestant's son has to be put under anesthesia. Tell or don't tell?

Watch the video. They actually both make compelling points.

"Big Brother" producers broke the news to Ariana Grande's brother late Wednesday that his grandfather passed away -- and the whole 'BB' house is rallying around him.

TMZ broke the story earlier today ... Frankie Grande's grandpa died on Tuesday, but Ariana obeyed his final wish -- to let Frankie continue on 'BB" despite his illness.

But this evening producers passed a note to Frankie from his family ... which revealed the sad news.

According to bloggers watching the 'BB' live feed -- Frankie broke down in tears and shared the news with everyone else in the house. Some of the other house guests are crying too.

Frankie's grandfathers death has hit Zach. Zach is crying in the lounge alone. Zach: "This sucks!" #BB16

— BigBrotherLeak (@BigBrotherLeak) July 24, 2014

"Big Brother" is now keeping a deep secret -- something that could derail the show if revealed too soon -- and it involves the death of one of Ariana Grande's relatives.

Ariana's grandfather died Tuesday. He's also the grandpa of Ariana's brother, Frankie Grande, who's a contestant on "Big Brother."

It seems just before he died the grandfather knew Frankie might bail from the show if he found out, so one of grandpa's last wishes was to keep his death a secret from Frankie.

Ariana was chronicling her grandpa's illness ... recently posting pictures with him in the hospital. But Frankie never saw them per the rules of the show.

Ariana made her grandfather's wishes clear, tweeting, "asked grandps last week if he wanted us to pull frankie off bb & he said "no way! he's gotta play the game even tho i don't understand it"

It seems from the "Big Bro" live feeds ... Frankie is still in the dark over his grandpa's death.

7:00 PM PT -- Producers just told Frankie about the death.

"Big Brother" did so well with an alleged racist last season ... they're doing it again, but this time the family of a man who made racial and homophobic slurs has come to his defense.

Caleb Reynolds -- one of the new "Big Bro" housemates -- called Prez Obama a "Muslim monkey" and he also used a homophobic slur, but his family 86'd his entire Instagram account after a torrent of criticism.

But Reynolds' family members tell TMZ ... Caleb is being judged for something he wrote two years ago, not long after he returned home from a tour in Iraq. His brother tells us, "A racist man doesn't fight next to a black man for this country."

A friend of Caleb's ... who is black ... also posted a video on YouTube this week defending Caleb.

"Big Brother" premieres tonight. Ratings went up dramatically after Aaryn Gries went on a racist rant last season. We'll see what happens this time around.

By the way ... there's no way CBS didn't know about this ... they do background checks on all contestants for reality shows and scour social media.

"Big Brother" Season 8 winner Evel Dick Donato is convinced a car SMASHED INTO HIM Friday night in Ireland ... and his injuries look really, really bad.

Dick posted a photo on Twitter last night showing his messed up face with the caption, "Pretty sure I got hit by a car, but I have no memory of what happened... at all."

The next morning, Dick began to recall what went down and said he was biking home after drinking at a bar in Dublin -- when suddenly, he was being woken up on the side of the road by a cab driver.

Dick refused medical treatment ... but the next morning promised his followers he'd get checked out.

"Big Brother" star GinaMarie Zimmerman is certainly at home in front of the cameras, and now she wants to pose naked for them ... Playboy's cameras, to be exact.

The former pageant coordinator -- who was famously booted from her job after her racist comments on the show -- tells TMZ her new goal is to be in Playboy. Zimmerman says all her friends feel she's too old to do it, but she's determined to make it.