‘Big Brother’ Veterans Derrick Levasseur & Paul Abrahamian Bow Out Of Controversial All-Stars Season 22

Big Brother fans can rule out two memorable players when the all-stars season debuts on August 5. Season 16 winner Derrick Levasseur and two-time runner-up Paul Abrahamian (S18, S19) have both confirmed they will not be part of the all-stars cast despite major buzz that they were locked-in cast members for the 20th anniversary season.

In a tweet, Levasseur, considered to be one of the greatest Big Brother strategists of all time, revealed that he declined a return to the CBS reality competition show for multiple reasons, but that the biggest factor was his two daughters.

“There were some other factors that were considered, but when your daughter looks you in the face and says she doesn’t want you to leave her, for me — that was game over,” he wrote.

The confirmation that he’s not a Big Brother: All-Stars player comes a few days after he tweeted that “little things” like his wife and kids, work, and health matter more to him than a reality show.

But it also comes on the heels of an alleged controversy with this summer’s casting, according to CinemaBlend. There were rumors that Big Brother 16 contestant/BB19 winner Nicole Franzel allegedly acted as a “spy” for Big Brother producers in exchange for a spot on this summer’s show. The rumor was that Nicole engaged in illicit “pre-game chats” with other confirmed all-star players and that she tattled to CBS with information that Derrick and fellow Big Brother legend Dan Gheesling were discussing strategy before entering the CBS house.

Levasseur staunchly denied the story, although he did acknowledge that he’s “not happy with Nicole right now.”

He later clarified that there is “ZERO truth” to the rumor that his Big Brother 16 castmate had anything to do with him not being on Big Brother: All-Stars.

“I did what was best for my family,” he explained.

Family matters were also behind Abrahamian’s decision to pass on the All-Stars opportunity.

In a Twitter post, the two-time runner-up explained that he did not feel it would be responsible for him to be locked away for three months during a global health pandemic.

“I will not be on BB All-Stars,” he wrote. “The experience as a whole comes with a hefty amount of emotional and mental stress. I don’t think going from one stressful quarantine to another is a good idea… I can’t and won’t abandon my family during these difficult times. Both my parents need surgery.”

The musician added that society as a whole is “changing at a fast pace,” and that he doesn’t “want to be locked away” and be unaware of what’s going on in the outside world during this unprecedented time.

The Big Brother veteran added that he wants to continue learning and growing with society, “not hide from it.”

Abrahamian first appeared on Big Brother in 2017, where he lost the $500,000 grand prize to Franzel in a 5-4 jury vote. The following summer, he was runner-up to Josh Martinez following a crushing loss by the same one-vote margin.