Paul Abrahamian Of ‘Big Brother 18’: Clothing Line, Modeling, Musicianship And Beard Make This Contestant Stand Out

When Julie Chen welcomes viewers to the Big Brother 18 premiere on Wednesday night, she won’t be looking for fashion advice — but if she’s into black t-shirts with bold sayings, she could get tips from Paul Abrahamian. The L.A. resident and new Big Brother contestant heads up Deadskull apparel. He also has a massive beard that’s almost as impressive as the eagle tattoo on his chest.

That beard might give live feeders some moments of entertainment, since its maintenance involves more than just a simple scrub. Abrahamian told The Beard Mag his grooming routine is extensive — to put it simply, he doesn’t wake up looking like that.

“On a blessed good day, which is rare, I won’t wake up with bed-beard (sleeping on it one way and it becoming terribly misshaped and requires a ton of work) and after I wash my face and wet my beard a bit, I’ll lightly brush through it to keep it collected. I like to mix beard butter and beard oil together to use in my beard because this little concoction gives you a soft yet sturdy hold.”

At the time of the Beard Mag interview, Abrahamian was a model and musician with the Salt Lake City punk band Reviver. He said he never attempts to cut his own facial hair.

“I will never touch my own beard mainly because if I don’t trust myself, I’ll hate myself forever if made a mistake.”

Viewers of Big Brother know that many conversations happen in the bathroom, where houseguests are clustered in front of the two-way mirror, brushing their teeth, curling their hair and discussing game strategy. If Abrahamian is in this season for the long haul, he’ll have plenty of opportunity to discuss game events while applying his beard butter. That is, if he doesn’t shave: he said in his pre-season interview with Jeff Schroeder he would be willing to go clean-shaven for the game.

If Abrahamian’s official Big Brother 18 bio is to be believed, he won’t be falling apart in the high-stress atmosphere of the house. He claims to work well under pressure and to have an ability to turn up the heat on others when necessary. Among the words he used to describe himself were “honest,” “spontaneous,” “energetic,” and “sneaky.”

“I’m very observant, remember things and handle high stress situations well. I’ll probably use people’s weaknesses against them. It’s very hard to get underneath my skin, but very easy for me to get underneath yours, so I think I can mentally crack any member.”

Abrahamian told Jeff Schroeder he’s a huge Big Brother fan, saying the show was often on in the background as he was growing up. Since he’s 23-years-old, the Big Brother franchise has been on in the U.S. for most of his life.

If he had the option to take anything into the house, it would be beer, his guitar, and his dogs. There are many a pooch featured on Abrahamian’s Instagram page, so it’s probably safe to assume he has more than one.

This season of Big Brother has been rife with rumors before the action has even begun. Twelve individuals were in the announced cast. A promo promised “mystery houseguests,” and old contestants are rumored to be coming back. At 99 days, this is one of the longer Big Brother seasons, so it is very unlikely the cast will stay at a mere 12 people. Earlier rumors included a flyer that sought “mock houseguests” familiar with the Big Brother game to participate in some capacity.

Big Brother 18 gets started with a two-night premiere on Wednesday, June 22, and Thursday, June 23. The action gets underway at 8 p.m. on CBS.

[Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images]