Could these two gay men find love on Big Brother?
 
  Oh Brother! Big Brother, that is. The first ever winter edition of CBS' Big Brother begins on Tuesday February 12 with shows on Wednesdays and Sundays through the show's run. Aside from the fact that this normally summer series is running this winter, it looks to be a very unique edition. There are a whopping 16 houseguests living together--the most the show has ever had. For the first time, all the houseguests are single. And yet this season may be the shortest yet. How so?

 Well Jack Manly has learned that for these single people the theme this season  is ironically titled  "Til Death Do You Part". The twist is that all these single contestants will be paired up once they enter the house based on a "love profile" they filled out during questionnaire time.  Yep, the producers are playing matchmaker just like those tacky E-Harmony ads. The 8 new couples will not know this right away but they'll be living together, sleeping together, competing together,  and playing this game of strategy together.  If they win HoH, they're HoH together. When they nominate for eviction they nominate a couple. And when they're evicted they get evicted as a couple.
SO, unless this twist is only temporary or evolves in some way it doesn't look like this season will go beyond 7 or 8 weeks. And we assume that the couple that wins (if it gets down to it will split the money) Let the new sociology experiment begin!

                       
                                                       Jen and Ryan are already paired up---or arethey?

  We've learned there are two complications, one of them being something we'll be able to relate. Two of the contestants Jen and Ryan (according to their MySpace pages) come into the house with a pre-existing relationship. Are they still seeing each other? Or...have they been matched with someone else? And how will this play out? The other complication is gender. There are 9 men and 7 women. That's right--two of the contestants are gay men and will be paired up (at least we hope so! CBS wouldn't be THAT cruel to set a gay man up with straight guy-- would they?

  So let's take a look at the contestants and see what we can figure out. We'll only be able to figure out a few basic things from this, but let's see if we can figure out the matches.

 Adam, 29. Taurus.  He has degree in fashion design and marketing and is close to his mother. He's an "in the moment" kind of guy who likes aggressive women (nope not gay) but is not easily intimidated, especially when it comes to arguments. A self-proclaimed Casanova (i.e. egomaniac) who thinks he's stylish (he has his own clothing label), a trend setter and a good person. He lives in Florida by way of New Jersey.

 Amanda, 23.  Leo. A legal contract specialist (brains) whose mother is her best friend and pushed Amanda to get ahead. Amanda is a hard worker and became the strong one in her family after her father's death.  A good cook, a romantic (has had trouble finding a good man) and motivational friend to many. She's very active, loves football. Lives in Minnesota. 

     
                     Adam                                            Amanda                                           Alex                                              Allison
 
 Alex, 24.  Leo.  Raised by a single mom and lost the father who came into life in HS on 9/11.  Dedicated to making his dad proud.  Has degrees in business and marketing, working on more degrees, and owns a company that specializes in party planning.  Likes hockey and soccer and magazines like Maxim (Nope, not gay). A true romantic looking for the right girl. 

 Alison, 28. Leo (again!) Pharmaceutical sales. A painter with a pottery studio. Had an interest in becoming a professional gambler but now is averse to  it. A world traveler who did over 1000 hours of service for Mother Teresa orphanages. Describes herself as a confident, sexy woman who commands attention. Men like her, women don't. She's juggled more than one man at a time. Lives in Boston. 

 Chelsia, 21. Scorpio. Student who's going to study abroad in September. Party girl who "tells it like it is", is into older men. Self-described as big and sincere and competitive with big attitude. Likes motorcycles. Looking to be loved. Has everything pierced, has tattoos and watches football. From Iowa.

 Jacob, 23. Taurus. Electrician and ex-marine. Lived all over the world growing up. Still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, his childhood sweetheart.  Self-described as funny, energetic and caring. Likes watching football and soccer, has three tattoos two of which are crosses. Religious and regular church-goer. From Georgia.

     
                  Chelsia                                             Jacob                                                James                                                     Jen
 
 James, 21. Scorpio. Currently riding his bike halfway around the world with no money.  Describes himself as crazy, with lots of personalities. Comes from a broken home, but close to his mom. A "freak" in school. Has 7 tattoos, likes Fight Club. Was engaged to an older woman once. From Florida.

 Jen, 26. Libra. Bartender. Fun and crazy who has done relationship bouncing. Outspoken, loves attention, boy crazy but loyal to her current boyfriend. Was a special ed teacher (wants to go back). Describes herself as energetic, adventurous, a fighter and competitor. Double pierced ears, pierced, tongue and  4 tatts. Likes to watch football. From Columbus, Ohio.
                    
Joshuah, 25. Gemini. Advertising media buyer. Gay (YES!) who came out at 18 and played straight before that (had relationships with women. Slept with his sister's cheerleading coach and claims his family never forgave him for ruining his sis' career! Self-described as exhibitionist and bisexual. Played football in school and still watches. Doesn't care what people think of him. Hates snakes as "spawns of Satan". From Dallas, TX. 

  Matt, 23. Aries. Roofing foreman. Very close to his mom (his dad died when he was 9). Very competitive, has something to prove since losing on Fear Factor. A ladies man with a ripped bod who keeps exes around for "booty calls" (yuck!) Liar and sweet talker, handsome spontaneous and charming. Tattoo on his arm, his initials on his abs, and tatts on the back. Sports fan who reads Maxim. From Charleston, Massachusetts.

    
                Joshuah                                                    Matt                                                Natalie                                       Neil
  Natalie, 28. Scorpio. Bikini barista (!?). Military kid who lived on West Coast and Hawaii. Takes her Bible everywhere. Enters bikini contests, she's a painter (wants to open a mermaid art store). Describes her perfect partner as smart, with muscles who likes football, is adventurous and religious. Lives in Salem, Oregon.

  Neil, 29. Virgo. Gay (BINGO!) realtor. Also close to his mom, who's going through a divorce. Came from Texas to LA to pursue acting and modeling but gave it up. Enjoys outdoor sports, lifting weights. Likes to watch figure skating, snowboarding, gymnastics. Self-described as outgoing, energetic, loyal.                                                        
            
  Parker, 26. Aries. Paparazzo who works for TMZ. Raised by a single mom. Wears his heart on his sleeve. Self-described as inappropriate, unpredictable, and authentic. Claims to have the power of persuasion. Has three tattoos including one he and his Air Force buds all got. Lives in Northridge, CA.


       
                     Parker                                                Ryan                                        Sharon                                       Sheila

  Ryan, 27. Virgo. Student majoring in business & economics. Loud, opinionated competitive  troublemaker. Has a pit bull. His ideal romantic partner is pretty, intelligent, motivated and aware of what she's doing in life. (Hmm, sounds like Jen? NOT). Loves basketball. Also from Columbus, Ohio.

  Sharon, 23.  Cancer. Realtor & restaurant hostess. A military brat who is loud, spirited, feisty and dramatic, but sweet (as she sees it) Has been in a 12-year on/off relationship with a guy who followed her home in the 8th grade. Football fan too. From Kansas.
 
  Sheila, 45 (!). Aries. Former model now a stay-at-home mom to a 16-year-old boy. Studied acting. lived with Bob Guccione (yep she was in Penthouse). Has a temper and cries when angry. Describes herself as vibrant, sexy and fun. Proud of being a mom. Donated a kidney to her sister. Lives in Reseda, CA. 
                                                                                                                   
   Well now. The background info on these people reveals a lot of them were raised by single moms whom they are very close to.  Not a lot of dad figures either. Sports fans too. And a few with military backgrounds.

 We can already pair up Neil and Joshuah. We assume they weren't just matched up because of their being gay. The common thread is that they both come from Texas. Enough of a reason?  We'll see. Then there's Jen & Ryan. But that was given to us. Or was it? Were they both matched with someone else? If we didn't have the info that they were with each other we might have paired them with someone else. Could they have THOUGHT they were going to be paired up and once they got in Big Brother told them differently?

                            
                                                                            Jacob and Sharon---childhood sweethearts?
  
It could be that there might be another previous connection too. Jacob, 23, still hasn't gotten over his childhood sweetheart. Sharon, also 23, had an on/off relationship with HER childhood beau. One and the same? Or paired up because they had this similar background. Or, like Jen & Ryan paired with someone else? Jacob's religion is important to him--so is Natalie's.

 Which of these guys goes for older women? Sheila is the closest in age to straight dude Adam--but there's still a 16 year gap. Is she the agressive woman he seeks? Or is James her mate? He was once engaged to an older woman.

 Of the others we'll just have to wait and see. Like we said, we haven't had much guessing luck from previous pre-season picks. Maybe you'll have better luck.