Age is just a number in the Big Brother house! Although the majority of contestants who descend on the house are typically in their 20s and 30s, we’ve seen several middle-aged and older houseguests compete for the six-figure grand prize. Heck, a senior citizen nearly made it to the end of the reality competition show.
In this article, we’ll go over the 10 oldest houseguests who’ve battled on CBS’s flagship series. This list will only include contestants from the US version’s 25 seasons; so, no international iterations or spin-offs were considered.
Also, each age mentioned will be how old they were when they stepped into the Big Brother game. Let’s get into it!
‘Evel’ Dick Donato, 48
The first person on the list is the youngest of the oldest, as well as the only individual to play Big Brother twice and win a season (thus far, anyway). “Evel” Dick Donato is one of the most notorious houseguests in Big Brother history with his R-rated vocabulary and full-steam-ahead gameplay.
Born June 24, 1963, Dick made his reality competition debut in Big Brother 8 when he joined the cast along with his daughter, Dani Donato. It was 2007 and he was 44 at the time.
After 81 days, he left the house $500,000 richer while Dani notched second place.
Although 44 is still an older houseguest relative to the average contestant, he wasn’t old enough then to make this list. However, he was 48 during his brief appearance on Big Brother 13. He was one of six returning veterans (Dani was there, too) cast on the season, but he removed himself from the game six days in after finding out he was HIV positive.
Glenn Garcia, 50
Glenn Garcia, the former NYPD officer who shifted his career focus onto dog grooming, became a Big Brother alum when he joined season 18’s cast in 2016. Born Dec. 2, 1965, Glenn was 18 years older than the next eldest competitor.
Unfortunately for Glenn, he was ousted on day 2. The season’s first major twist had four players fighting for their lives in the game with the loser facing instant elimination. As history has it, Glenn fell short and was the first person to be interviewed by host Julie Chen Moonves outside of the house.
Gerald ‘Gerry’ Lancaster, 51
A name that only superfans or long-time watchers will remember is Gerald Lancaster, or “Gerry.” He goes back the furthest on this list — Gerry was on season 3 in 2002! His festive birthdate is Dec. 25, 1950, making him 51 when he had the opportunity to score a reality television payday.
The teacher had a respectable run on the show by earning two Power of Vetos and ascending the Head of Household throne once. He was ultimately evicted during week 7 on day 55, however, placing seventh overall.
Cirie Fields, 53
At the time of this writing, Cirie Fields is currently competing on Big Brother 25 and is one of two houseguests to make this list. A four-time Survivor legend a champion of The Traitors, Cirie joined the cast on night 1 as a surprise 17th houseguest.
Cirie’s crossover marked the first time a CBS Survivor competitor played on Big Brother, the network’s other flagship reality competition series. Cirie was a few months younger than Cliff Hog III was when he entered the house and her birthday is on July 18, 1970, meaning she hit 53 about two weeks before the season began.
Cliff Hogg III, 53
Speaking of Cliff, he’s the sixth oldest contestant who’s graced the US-based version of the franchise. Like Cirie, the petroleum engineer was also 53 when he played Big Brother 21 in 2019. And although he finished in fourth place, his time on television would’ve wrapped a lot sooner if it wasn’t for the “Camp Comeback” twist.
The first four eliminated houseguests faced off in a duel to re-enter the game. Cliff was the last person to round out the twist as he was initially voted out on day 30. But, his eviction triggered the battle back, and he beat out the three other hopefuls to secure his return.
After his redemption, Cliff won the next Head of Household. He went on to win one Power of Veto as well, but his second chance came to a close on day 93.
Lorenza ‘Renny’ Martyn, 53
The zany Lorenza “Renny” Martyn was 53 years old when she came into the lives of Big Brother fans. Renny was one of season 10’s 13 houseguests in 2008. Born on July 29, 1954, Renny turned 54 just over two weeks into the show.
With only one major competition win — she was Head of Household in week 6 — Renny outlasted eight others en route to a fifth-place finish. She joined the jury on day 59 when “The Renegades” (season 10’s winner Dan Gheesling and runner-up Memphis Garrett) voted her out.
Kevin Schlehuber, 55
The 55-year-old season 19 star Kevin Schlehuber is one of the most unique individuals to play Big Brother. At 55 (he turned 56 in the house as his birthday is on August 7, 1961), Kevin was anything but “old” in the house.
The eccentric character was the season’s comic relief and one of three players nominated for “America’s Favorite Houseguest.”
Kevin was also the man in charge of Big Brother 18’s Paul Abrahamian joining the game on night 1 by secretly taking a $25,000 temptation. He made it further than most of the players on this list. All in all, the stay-at-home dad survived 86 days before going out in fourth place.
Jack Owens, 58
Another old school addition to this list is Jack Owens. His stint on the franchise doesn’t date back as far as Gerry’s, but Jack was a contestant on Big Brother 4 in 2003. Born Nov. 19, 1944, he’s the third oldest to play in the CBS flagship series at 58.
The former FBI agent didn’t capture a Power of Veto or Head of Household reign in the 54 days he played Big Brother, but he survived the block twice before his eventual eviction in week 7. It was a season featuring the majority of the house voting one way every week, and Jack always voted for the person who left that night.
Felicia Cannon, 63
Along with Cirie, Felicia Cannon is still inside the Big Brother house at the time of this article’s publication. Interestingly, Felicia is the only player in Big Brother US history to play the game in their ’60s. With her birth date being June 18, 1960, the real estate agent is the second oldest contestant ever.
But, the 63-year-old remains one of the feistiest in the house and it’ll be fun to see how her game shakes out. Can she become the oldest houseguest to ever win CBS’s Big Brother?
Jerry MacDonald, 75
This one likely won’t surprise Big Brother superfans since Jerry MacDonald has long been recognized as the franchise’s oldest former player. Whether it was Jerry calling Dan Gheesling “Judas” during Big Brother 10, or his surprising four competition wins (two Head of Households and two Power of Vetos), the now-90-year-old ex-marine won’t soon be forgotten.
Born March 13, 1933, Jerry played in 2008 when he was 75 years old — 12 years older than Felicia, this list’s second-place recipient. After being nominated five times through 66 days, Jerry was ultimately voted out ahead of finale night in third place.