On the eve of the Big Brother season 24 premiere, fans were thrown for a loop when one of the 16 houseguests was suddenly replaced with a new cast member. Marvin Achi, a 28-year-old chemical engineer from Houston, Texas, was announced along with his 15 fellow houseguests by CBS on July 5. But later that night, the network revealed that Marvin would no longer be competing to win the $750,000 grand prize. Instead, he was replaced by Joseph Abdin.
“Important casting update! Marvin will no longer be one of our Houseguests on this season of Big Brother. We’re excited to welcome Joseph,” Big Brother‘s Instagram page announced alongside the official cast photo of Joseph.
So, who is Joseph Abdin? HollywoodLife has rounded up five key things to know about the latest addition to Big Brother season 24, which premieres July 6 on CBS.
Joseph is a lawyer.
Joseph currently works as a lawyer, according to his bio provided by CBS. It’s unclear which type of law he practices, but fans will surely learn more once he’s introduced on the show. Joseph actually isn’t the only law-practicing houseguest on season 24: Michael Bruner is a 28-year-old attorney from Minnesota. It’ll be interesting to see if Joseph and Michael team up or are in different alliances.
He’s from Florida.
Joseph hails from Lake Worth, Florida, which is located in Palm Beach County and is roughly 60 miles north of Miami. Joseph is one of four houseguests this season that are from Florida. The others are marketing representative Alyssa Snider, private chef Nicole Layog, and assistant football coach Joe “Pooch” Pucciarelli.
He was initially an alternate.
Joseph was an alternate for BB24 and wouldn’t be on the show if not for whatever went down with Marvin. CBS has yet to explain why Marvin didn’t end up on the cast. Fans think it has something to do with Marvin’s appearance on America’s Got Talent, which airs on NBC. Marvin auditioned for the show in episode two (which aired June 7). He stripped off his lab coat and flexed his abs and muscles, which was enough to advance to the next round.
He values loyalty in ‘Big Brother’.
It looks like Joseph is going to be a very loyal player on this season of Big Brother. In his pre-season interview with Parade, he said he’d vote with his alliance rather than flip a vote in favor of his individual game. “In Big Brother, there’s only one winner. But you don’t get to the end alone,” Joseph said. “From the beginning I would definitely work with my alliances.”
Joseph knows his habits may annoy his fellow houseguests.
Joseph was also asked in the Parade interview what his houseguests may “dislike” about him once they enter the house on July 6. “I eat a lot of food. I’m definitely gonna eat!” he explained. “To the point where they’re not gonna be able to eat as much. I’m also always working out, whether it’s yoga, meditation, or weightlifting. I don’t really sleep, so it can be annoying for other people if they want to get some rest and I’m doing something.”