Big Brother Canada has officially released the second (and final) batch of houseguests facing off in Season 5. Once again, four of them are newbies and four are veterans of the reality show.
The fifth season of Global’s reality series (returning on Wednesday, March 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT) is bringing back some of Canada’s favourite BBCAN vets from the past to battle new house guests from the present, pitting them against each other in a fight for future supremacy inside the Big Brother Canada “Odyssey” house.
Now a total of eight returning houseguests have a second chance to rewrite their BBCAN history, while the eight freshmen will have to use their wits to outsmart them.
READ MORE: Big Brother Canada houseguests dish on Season 4 winner
Second chance houseguests include Ika Wong from Thornhill, Ont., Dallas Cormier from Edmonton, Sindy (with an “S”) Nguyen from Toronto and Cassandra Shahinfar from Winnipeg. These returning favourites are going head-to-head with new houseguests Demetres Giannitsos, a blue-collar contractor from Edson, Alta; Karen Singbeil, a real estate broker from Victoria; Dillon Carman, a heavyweight boxing champion from Madoc, Ont. and Jackie McCurrach, a professional pizza maker from Port Coquitlam.
The first eight houseguests (announced Wednesday) are listed (below) underneath the eight announced Thursday — the gang’s all here!
Cassandra Shahinfar
Age: 23
Hometown: Winnipeg, MB
Currently living: Winnipeg, MB
Occupation: Marketing Manager
BBCAN background: A strong social game couldn’t save Cassandra from the dreaded triple eviction. After the brothers won the Power of Veto, Cassandra found herself on the block with Tim and ultimately evicted.
Second chance strategy: “I still want to ride the middle, and analyze everyone in the house. I still want to say what I need to say to get through each week, and play to each person. But I want them to think I’m this new, different, settled person. Everyone knows how I do things, so that will be my biggest challenge.”
Demetres Giannitsos
Age: 24
Hometown: Edson, Alta.
Currently living: Edson, Alta.
Occupation: Oil Field Instrument Technician
This confident, self-professed beefcake nicknamed “The Greek” loves to work out and grab attention from the ladies, but he’s looking to align with fellow alpha males early in the competition to make it to the end.
Dallas Cormier
Age: 25
Hometown: Saint John, N.B.
Currently living: Edmonton, Alta.
Occupation: Lobster Fisherman and Welder
BBCAN background: Dallas’ fatal move was not participating in fellow houseguest Tim’s nomination process, which gave each houseguest nomination points in the form of gummy koalas. As a result, Dallas received the most koalas of any houseguest, he was put on the block, and his alliance was targeted, making him the first male evicted in Season 4. Who knew gummy koalas could be so dangerous?
Second chance strategy: “You can’t have a stone-cold strategy before you see your fellow houseguests. You have to be a chameleon and adapt to your surroundings in the BBCAN house. I’m really going to try to get to know people better this time because the people I thought I knew well last time were the ones who voted me out.”
Karen Singbeil
Age: 53
Hometown: Kansas City, Mo.
Currently living: Victoria, B.C.
Occupation: Real Estate Broker
Having lived on both sides of the border, this mother of three thinks her ability to adapt will give her an edge in the BBCAN5 house, with her personal motto of “go hard, go big, or go home” keeping her going.
Ika Wong
Age: 32
Hometown: Montego Bay, Jamaica
Currently living: Thornhill, Ont.
Occupation: Financial Services Manager
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BBCAN background: This sassy and unapologetic Season 2 houseguest is responsible for one of the most talked-about moments in BBCAN history – shredding her fellow houseguests’ letters from loved ones in exchange for $5,000. But Ika shredded her chances to win along with those letters and was ultimately evicted in a near-unanimous vote.
Second chance strategy: “The last time I played, I was like, ‘I’m going to win! I’m going to slay them.’ This time, I just don’t want to go home first! I’m going to take it week by week. Last time I couldn’t shake my strategy and I think that hurt me.”
Dillon Carman
Age: 30
Hometown: Madoc, Ont.
Currently living: Madoc, Ont.
Occupation: Heavyweight Boxer
This professional boxer and current Canadian heavyweight champion is a strong and powerful competitor but a teddy bear at heart. Houseguests shouldn’t let his soft side fool them – Dillon works best under pressure and his mental strength matches his physical strength.
Sindy Nguyen
Age: 27
Hometown: Huntsville, Ont.
Currently living: Toronto, Ont.
Occupation: Beauty Queen
BBCAN background: Despite being a competition beast, Sindy’s self-assured attitude and cocky demeanour put a target on her back from Day 1. She was one of the first five evicted houseguests in Season 3, and holds the record for the most eviction votes ever received by a houseguest in a single eviction.
Second chance strategy: “I’m more aware of how to compete. Hopefully I won’t go in and make myself such a target this time. I really want to work on my social game and improve how I approach relationships in the house.”
Jackie McCurrach
Age: 22
Hometown: Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Currently living: Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Occupation: Professional Pizza Maker
Fun, outgoing, and silly, this fiery redhead is a guys’ girl that’s focusing on keeping her head in the game and improving her mental strength when she gets into the BBCAN house.
The first eight houseguests:
Andre “Dre” Gwenaelle
Age: 25
Hometown: Montreal, Que.
Currently living: Montreal, Que.
Occupation: Masters Student
Brains, beauty and a sassy attitude make this masters student a force to be reckoned with. But don’t mistake her lack of strategy for not being prepared — Dre is heading into the BBCAN house flexible enough to adapt to any situation.
Bruno Ielo
Age: 33
Hometown: Ottawa, Ont.
Currently living: Ottawa, Ont.
Occupation: Construction Worker
BBCAN background: The first houseguest to win the Power of Veto during a triple eviction, Bruno lasted eight weeks without a single eviction nomination. But the father of two was ultimately evicted in a coup d’état twist that put him on the block and led to his departure from the BBCAN house.
Second chance strategy: “I don’t have a set strategy. I need to meet everybody, see what they’re about, see the personalities, learn their strengths and weaknesses and use those against them.”
Emily Hawkin
Age: 23
Hometown: Lindsay, Ont.
Currently living: Toronto, Ont.
Occupation: Musician & Server
This “really freaking single” singer-songwriter has contemplated several strategies before going into the BBCAN5 house, but is holding out until the first HOH competition to decide on her plan of attack.
BBCAN background: The first runner-up in the inaugural season of Big Brother Canada, Gary would have taken the BBCAN crown if fellow Season 1 houseguest (and his closest ally) Topaz, hadn’t mistakenly voted for rival Jillian to win instead of him. Talk about misunderstanding the voting process!
Second chance strategy: “First and foremost, I’m going to reiterate the voting instructions when I get to the final two: ‘Houseguests, vote for the person you WANT to win!'”
Kevin Martin
Age: 24
Hometown: Calgary, Alta.
Currently living: Calgary, Alta.
Occupation: Professional Poker Player and Content Creator
BBCAN background: One of the first houseguests to be evicted as a result of a triple eviction, Kevin is also the first houseguest in BBCAN history to be evicted without receiving any eviction votes against him. Ouch.
Second chance strategy: “The first time I played I thought having good social game was just getting along with everyone, but it turned out to be a little shallow. This time I want to get to know people deeper on a personal level.”
Mark Chrysler
Age: 24
Hometown: Edmonton, Alta.
Currently living: Edmonton, Alta.
Occupation: Bartender
This fun, outgoing, fitness-lover has a two-pronged strategy when it comes to winning over the houseguests, and winning the game – dominate the physical challenges and use his charm to up his social game.
Neda Kalantar
Age: 25
Hometown: Vancouver, B.C.
Currently living: Vancouver, B.C.
Occupation: Fashion Stylist and Entrepreneur
BBCAN background: The victim of friendship gone wrong, Neda made it to the final three in Season 2 but her game was cut short by her closest friend in the BBCAN house, Jon, when he won the final HOH and evicted her in the finale.
Second chance strategy: “Last time I went in and laid low for the first few weeks. I can’t do that now. I have a reputation going in. I will cut anyone I need to cut this season and I won’t look back.”
William Laprise Desbiens
Age: 23
Currently living: Trois-Rivieres, Que.
Hometown: Trois-Rivieres, Que.
Occupation: Marketing Student & Blogger
Even though William plans to use his French accent as his secret weapon to confuse houseguests, this French-Canadian is ultimately trying to be himself and have fun in the house … but if he has to do a little backstabbing in the process he will.
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The houseguests are competing for a grand prize of $100,000, a $30,000 home furnishing makeover from The Brick, and a new 2017 Toyota 86.
Big Brother Canada premieres Wednesday, March 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and continues to air Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT, and Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global. Viewers who miss the premiere can catch up on Big Brother Canada following the broadcast the next day on GlobalTV.com and Global Go. And for even more behind the scenes action, fans can watch the live feeds on BigBrotherCanada.ca.
‘Big Brother Canada’ Season 5 begins Wednesday, March 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Global.
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