The show kicks off Wednesday, but one announced Houseguest won’t be there.
Just days before “Big Brother” Season 23’s premiere, one of the show’s contestants has just been pulled from the game.
On Monday, the show’s official Instagram account posted a video with Houseguest Christie Valdiserri, a professional dancer with alopecia who was set to compete this season. In the video, she explains she’ll no longer be on the show after testing positive for the coronavirus.
“So I don’t want to be sharing this news but I tested positive for Covid. I have no idea how I got it. I have the vaccine, and I’ve been following all the guidelines up to this point,” she explained. “I have absolutely no symptoms, I feel perfectly fine.”
“So I’m really grateful for that, but it’s really frustrating because I won’t be playing in ‘Big Brother’ this summer,” she continued. “And I just have to say that when you’re faced with adversity, I’m just telling myself it’s for a bigger reason.”
While she said she didn’t know what that “bigger reason” was yet, Valdiserri reflected on the “good and bad” comments she’s been seeing ever since the cast for the season was announced.
“I’ve had a roller coaster of emotions the past 48 hours,” she said. “I just have to say I have put myself out there and shared this vulnerability of being bald and all the comments, good and bad, are affecting everybody else that also is bald and experiences this vulnerability. So spread love and whether you’re just finding out about alopecia or you know what alopecia is, you know that we’re unstoppable and I’m gonna bounce back in one way or another.”
25-year-old artificial intelligence engineer Claire Rehfuss will be joining the show in Valdiserri’s place.
“Big Brother” Season 23 premieres Wednesday, July 7 on CBS — with new episodes Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until the finale.
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