Transgender Woman Among New ‘Big Brother 17’ Contestants

The Big Brother 17 premiers on June 24 on CBS, and its new houseguests will officially be revealed over the premiere, with producers promising a shake-up of the house.

This is according to a statement released by CBS, according to E! Online.

However, the Big Brother 17 show has had a controversial start following the release of the names of 14 of its contestants on Tuesday.

The Big Brother 17 contestant list included individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds. The following are some of the listed Big Brother 17 participants.

“Jace Agolli (23)
Hometown: Dunwoody, Ga.
Current City: Venice Beach, Calif.
Occupation: Personal Trainer

Becky Burgess (26)
Hometown: Denver, Colo.
Current City: Denver, Colo.
Occupation: Retail Manager

Clay Honeycutt (23)
Hometown: Dickinson, Texas
Current City: College Station, Texas
Occupation: Graduate Student (Texas A&M)

James Huling (31) (pron Hue-ling)
Hometown: Sumter, SC
Current City: Wichita Falls, Texas
Occupation: Retail Associate

Meg Maley (25)
Hometown: Collingswood, N.J.
Current City: New York, N.Y.
Occupation: Server

Austin Matelson (30)
Hometown: Woodland Hills, Calif.
Current City: Woodland Hills, Calif.
Occupation: Professional Wrestler

John McGuire (27) (will turn 28 on 6/28/15)
Hometown: Scranton, Pa.
Current City: Jefferson Township, Pa.
Occupation: Dentist”

That said, one of the more unique Big Brother 17 contestants is Audrey Middleton, a transgender woman.

A media consultant from Georgia, she was among those named on Tuesday. However, the network failed to talk about her gender, and her status only became public after a story about her was run by TMZ.

“TMZ has learned Audrey will become the first transgender on the U.S. version of the show, and she plans to use the program as a showcase… similar to what Caitlyn Jenner has been doing.

Audrey grew up in a small Georgia town as a boy, and life was far from easy. We’re told when she transitioned several years ago, her family had a hard time accepting it, but they’re now fully supportive and on board.

The 25-year-old was inspired by Caitlyn Jenner’s story, but she’s also just a big fan of ‘Big Brother.’ “

According to the site, the new discovery is bound to bring on a complicated twist to Big Brother 17, especially considering that the reality show already has had its fair share of homophobic and racist houseguests in the past.

CBS released the following statement about the Big Brother 17 contestant, according to Us Magazine.

“Audrey Middleton is a Big Brother super fan who applied online, like many other hopeful Houseguests, and was open about her transition in the application process … It is customary for Big Brother Houseguests to share personal news inside the house, and Audrey plans to discuss her story with the houseguests in her own words during the premiere episode on Wednesday, June 24.”

[Image Courtesy of CBS]