Big Brother veteran Josh Martinez was reportedly taken out of the running for this summer’s all-stars season earlier this week due to a coronavirus testing faux pas.
On the heels of previous reports that two potential Big Brother players tested positive for COVID-19 during production’s rigorous pre-game testing, a new report names Martinez as one of the unlucky parties.
Insiders told TMZ that the Big Brother 19 champ was pulled from the cast due to one positive test that allegedly came back while he was sequestering for the CBS reality show in a private Los Angeles rental property since mid-July.
Production sources confirmed that Martinez was tested again several times amid the show’s strict protocols, and after that had all negative results. Like the other potential players, he had been self-isolating the entire time in anticipation of the show, but the unexpected test result made producers nervous.
Martinez was reportedly released from sequester earlier this week, a few days before the live Big Brother premiere and was replaced with an alternate player who has not been identified. The 16 cast members who did make the cut all moved into Big Brother: All-Stars house on Wednesday night.
The TMZ sources reiterated that Martinez is completely healthy and does not have COVID-19. He is also thought to be the only Big Brother all-star player who came back with a questionable test as the returning veterans continue to undergo regular testing and will throughout the summer.
In a pre-show interview, host Julie Chen Moonves alluded to the fact that more than one possible player tested positive for COVID-19 and couldn’t go into the house, according to TooFab .
In a Twitter post, which can be seen here, Martinez told fans there have been a lot of false rumors about him regarding Big Brother: All-Stars .
“There’s been a lot of speculation about me being on this season of big brother Allstars,” he wrote. ” I can say that I will not be on this season. Many rumors have been said in the past few days about me that I couldn’t address but to be clear my health is great.”
Three years after winning the Big Brother $500,000 grand prize, Martinez, who went on to compete on MTV’s The Challenge , also thanked everyone at CBS for always being “so great, supportive,” and for changing his life for the better.
While he’s not in the house, Martinez is now watching Big Brother: All-Stars as a superfan. On Twitter, he described the cast, which includes his BB19 co-star, Christmas Abbott, as “sick.”
“So happy for them and getting the blessing to play again,” he wrote.