Big Brother

CBS has heard the calls for more diversity on its hit reality shows ... and it's making a pledge to make it happen.

The network says its unscripted shows -- including the uber-popular "Survivor," "Big Brother" and "Love Island" -- will have casts at least 50 percent Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) beginning with the 2021-22 season.

In addition, CBS vows to commit at least 25 percent of its annual unscripted development budget to projects created or co-created by minorities ... and set a target of 40 percent BIPOC representation in the writers' rooms next year too.

CBS Entertainment Group President & CEO George Cheeks says ... "The reality TV genre is an area that’s especially underrepresented, and needs to be more inclusive across development, casting, production and all phases of storytelling."

Cheeks says the network's diversity pledge is just the first step in discovering new voices for content, and it goes hand-in-hand with a production partnership with the NAACP as well.

As you may know ... CBS has come under fire for racial controversies on its reality programs in recent years, especially with "Big Brother." Houseguests were slammed for making a racially-charged joke about a fellow Asian houseguest in July 2019, and there was an n-word controversy the year before.

Likewise, "Survivor" has taken heat for many years for a lack of diversity among its casts ... and alleged favoritism of white players over minority players.

Cody Calafiore came crashing down from his high after winning 'Big Brother' ... he's disappointed with how things are shaking out after spending 3 months cut off from society.

We got the "Big Brother: All-Stars" champ Thursday at LAX and our photog asked what it's like to be back in civilization after being kept in the dark.

Cody says he was optimistic things would get better when he went into the 'BB' house, but now that he's out it's clear to him things are even worse.

It's pretty interesting ... Cody says he spent a lot of downtime in the 'Big Brother' house anxiously thinking about the outside world, wondering about his loved ones, the world and our social situations.

Guess the $500,000 prize can't buy happiness in 2020.

Cody's also speaking out against some of the bullying inside the house, telling us why it's a good thing when fans scour the live feeds and hold house guests accountable.

Now that he's back in the real world, Cody says the first thing on his agenda is getting to the polls. Hey, that's one way to make things better.

'Big Brother' alum Paulie Calafiore's looking to go from the reality TV couch to the gold medal stand ... as a member of the U.S. Men's Bobsled Team.

Paulie -- best known as a houseguest on "Big Brother 18" -- got a call from Team USA coaches back in May after his good friend, Lolo Jones, recommended him for the popular winter sport ... according to sources with direct knowledge of the situation.

We're told on Paulie's first call with the coaches, they asked what he knew about bobsledding and he replied ... "I watched 'Cool Runnings' as a kid."

Maybe not the best start, but Lolo also had an unconventional path to the sport coming over as an Olympic hurdler ... so our sources say Paulie's motivated to make it happen.

We're told COVID-19 provided a training challenge for Paulie from the jump, but he whipped together a team consisting of a nutritionist, strength coach and 3 other specialists to prepare the past 5 months.

His everyday training regimen includes 2-3 hours of virtual mobility and flexibility sessions, 2-3 hours of strength training and sprinting sessions, and a strict 5,000 calorie a day diet. He's been training in both Montana where he lives, and South Carolina.

As for Paulie's progress ... our sources say he took a virtual combine to mark his time and weights in September and had incredible stats. He's currently quarantining for 2 weeks at the Lake Placid Olympic Training Center, and after that, he'll hit the bobsled push track for the next phase of training.

If all goes well, Paulie may be on his way to the next Winter Games ... scheduled for February 2022 in Beijing.

As we reported ... Paulie was one of several 'Big Brother' stars who quarantined this summer in anticipation for "Big Brother: All-Stars," but he didn't make the final cast list.

Janelle Pierzina didn't last long on this season of 'Big Brother,' but boy did she cash in -- selling a necklace she wore on the show for a small fortune, before putting that dough to good use.

The "Big Brother All-Stars" contestant wore a gold-plated "Janelle" necklace this season, and while she was the third houseguest voted out ... that necklace is now a sweet silver lining.

Janelle decided to sell it on eBay ... and it went for a whopping $18,300!!!

But, get this, Janelle -- who made the top 3 on "Big Brother 7 All-Stars" in 2006 -- decided to donate the entire proceeds to Give Kids The World Village ... an 84-acre village in Central Florida that offers weeklong vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families.

The trips come at zero cost to the families, thanks to donations like Janelle's.

'Big Brother' fans are calling for houseguest Memphis Garrett to be removed from the competition after some say they heard him drop the n-word in reference to a Black competitor.

During the after-hours of the 'BB' live feed late Wednesday night ... Memphis was having a conversation with Cody Calafiore about David Alexander, who is Black. Many viewers, who reacted on social media, believe they heard Memphis say, "Dude, David's a n****r" before getting a hand signal from Cody to stop talking.

Another camera angle shows Memphis had a look on his face, right after the remark, seeming to realize he messed up big time.

A change.org petition is circulating to get Memphis removed from the show -- and it says, "If left unchecked, we could be witnessing real life harm from a privileged white a**hole upon a black man who is ALONE in the house, after almost all the other people of color have been evicted / threatened. THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!"

This isn't the first major controversy of this 'All-Star' season of the popular CBS reality show. Just last week, Memphis -- along with houseguests Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones and Nicole Franzel -- were caught mocking fellow houseguest Ian Terry over his autism.

Of course, bullying and bigotry have been causes for controversy many times on "Big Brother" ... the show has dealt with multiple racist and misogynist issues over the years.

We reached out to CBS about Garrett ... no word back so far.

A bunch of 'Big Brother' houseguests don't like being under the same roof as Ian Terry ... simply because he's autistic.

Ian's been pretty outspoken this season about being on the autism spectrum, but now his fellow houseguests, Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones, Nicole Franzel and Memphis Garrett, were caught on the live feeds yukking it up about Ian. They openly, and cruelly, mocked his self-soothing technique -- rocking back and forth during conversations --- and said it turns them off.

Dani was caught on the live feeds saying she can't even look at Ian sometimes because his constant movement stresses her out ... and Nicole agrees.

Christmas and Memphis join in the bullying and make things worse ... Memphis describes Ian as the "red rum" of the house, a reference to "The Shining."

The group shares a big ole laugh when Memphis claims he might have nightmares of Ian standing over his bed, rocking back and forth.

Unfortunately, this kind of bullying has become par for the course on 'Big Brother' -- which has dealt with multiple racist and misogynist issues over the years.

Folks online and BB alum aren't letting these houseguests off the hook, though ... calling them out for their "Mean Girls" like mocking of Ian.

"Big Brother" fans are trying to rig the game by yelling over the show's studio wall to help certain houseguests with outside info ... and now CBS is beefing up security.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... several fans have been posting up the last several weeks a stone's throw away from the 'Big Brother' house, using bullhorns to send messages to try and help certain houseguests advance.

Our sources say the fans watch the show and scour the live feeds, so they're aware of cast members' game plans ... and the whole thing is becoming very disruptive.

We're told CBS security and LAPD were initially tasked with keeping an eye out on the fans, but things weren't getting better so CBS recently brought in a private security firm to help.

Our sources say security got into a foot pursuit with a male fan who attempted to scale a studio fence, but the guy ended up getting away after jumping into a getaway car.

BTW ... we're told the folks trying to send messages to houseguests are mostly in their 40s, with no young fans in sight.

With season 22 still in production, our sources say the LAPD is also becoming more visible in the area and keeping a close eye on the area where the fans keep gathering.

We're told there was also a drone scare and a rumor floating around social media that someone was going to hurl a banner over the fence ... but so far the fans on bullhorns are the biggest nuisance.

'BB' has been down this road before ... we're told in past seasons fans resorted to throwing tennis balls inscribed with messages over the fence and onto the studio lot in hopes of reaching contestants.

The "Big Brother" house bathroom got an extreme makeover for season 22 ... houseguests are keeping their tushies clean thanks to a couple of new bidets!!!

The toilet paper alternative was installed at the behest of houseguest Kaysar Ridha. We're told Kaysar asked production for a bidet in order to come on the show.

While it might sound like a request outta left field, we're told Kaysar uses a bidet for religious reasons as a devout Muslim.

FYI ... Islam teaches the body's condition affects the spirit's condition, so it's essential to be clean all the time -- especially before praying. This is why bidets and lotas, a round pot filled with water, are common in Muslim countries ... impeccable hygiene is a must.

On the "Big Brother" house live feed, Kaysar's already had some potty talk with fellow houseguests Kevin and Tyler, and it sounds like the bidet is a big hit!!!

No, duh!

Cassandra Waldon, the very first "Big Brother" contestant to enter the house on the U.S. version, has died.

Cassandra passed away on September 25 ... apparently from injuries related to a car accident in Rome. A source at the United Nations -- where Cassandra worked -- tells TMZ ... she was struck by a car about 2 months ago, and suffered a head injury. We're told she never regained consciousness before her death.

Julie Chen, the host of "Big Brother," remembered Cassandra as a standout houseguest from the debut season in July 2000. Julie posted on Instagram, "Thank you for bringing your intelligence, warmth and wisdom to the Big Brother house Season 1."

She is the answer to the trivia question -- who was first to walk into the 'BB' house? That's kind of a double-edged sword ... as some fan blogs also point out she was first to fall victim to the so-called "First to Enter Curse."

No one who's entered first -- on the U.S. or Canadian (non-'Celebrity') versions -- has ever won the competition. Cassandra finished 6th out of 10 houseguests.

Cassandra worked at the UN as its Director of Communications for the International Fund for Agricultural Development. She was living and working in Rome when the accident happened.

We're told her funeral will be held next weekend in her home state of Maryland. Cassandra was 56.

Corey Brooks couldn't fight his way to the top spot in the "Big Brother" house, but he's fully prepared to whoop someone's ass in the Octagon ... or he will be soon.

The former season 18 contestant -- he finished in 4th place, BTW -- hit up Santa Monica Beach for some MMA sparring. Shirtless, of course, because when you've got washboard abs like Corey's ... ya flaunt 'em! Who's gonna complain?

The MMA workout's also no gimmick. For starters, it's one of Corey's preferred workouts -- he's been doing it for years. And, even though a UFC contract's not likely in his future, these pics leave no doubt about his athleticism.

In fact, he was a pitcher at Texas A&M and he's also a baseball coach for elite young players in his hometown of Dallas.

The "Big Brother" house sounds a lot like a breeding ground for racism ... a white houseguest is in hot water after a racially charged joke about an Asian houseguest was caught on camera.

In a clip that was captured on the live feed inside the 'BB21' house this week, you hear Jack Matthews crack a joke about "rice pudding" in reference to Isabella Wang, who is Asian.

The other houseguests who heard the joke -- they are all white, BTW -- don't seem at all bothered by the clearly racist reference ... but people on social media are OUTRAGED.

In another clip captured on the live feed this week, you hear Jack talking about his "rice pudding" comment with another houseguest ... and it seems pretty clear Jack got a stern talking to from show producers. However, he says his joke was misconstrued ... he doesn't explain how.

It's another example of what people are calling rampant racism in the 'BB' house ... former houseguest Kemi Fakunle, who is black, says she was "disgusted by the behavior" in the house ... and some viewers have pointed out 3 minority houseguests got the boot on the same night.

Former "Big Brother" star Christmas Abbott struck a pretty sweet deal in her criminal mischief case -- she has a hefty bill to pay ... but won't spend any time behind bars.

Abbott -- who finished third on season 19 of 'BB' back in 2017 -- has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service for a violent altercation with her baby daddy's girlfriend last year.

As we reported ... Christmas was arrested in November for the August 2018 incident, in which she drove to a Tampa gym to confront the woman and ended up flying off the handle and ramming into her car in the parking lot.

The only reason Abbott wasn't hauled in on the spot ... she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She turned herself after she gave birth to a son in October.

Dina Lohan is taking her relationship with her online boyfriend to the next level ... because they're making plans to finally meet in person -- after 5 years of online dating!!!

Dina's love interest, 53-year-old Jesse Nadler, tells TMZ ... a face-to-face meeting is in the works, and it's going down the next time Dina is in Los Angeles!!!

Jesse says things are going great between them, now that Dina's out of the "Celebrity Big Brother" house ... and they're chatting on FaceTime almost every day.

We're told Dina's getting TV offers, so they're planning to kill 2 birds with 1 stone whenever she makes a business trip to Hollywood. Jesse's already living in Cali, and he's patiently waiting to meet his long-distance boo.

As you know … Dina and Jesse’s relationship has evolved from platonic to romantic … even though they've never met in real life.

But, that's all about to change.