The cast of CBS' first edition of Celebrity Big Brother is quite the motley crew, from some serious Big Brother superfans (Shannon Elizabeth, Ross Mathews, Marisa Jaret Winokur) to complete BB newbies (Brandi Glanville, Chuck Liddell, Metta World Peace) and everything in between.
But while some, like Omarosa, are entering the house with some seriously polarizing baggage, other houseguests are convinced their reputation will actually be their key to getting ahead in the game.
"I'm a lot nicer than people expect me to be so it's going to help a lot," explains former UFC champ Chuck Liddell. "But I can intimidate people too if I need to. I'm actually hoping some of these people will worry about me being mad at them after the show even though I've accepted the game... But I'm hoping they won't be sure about that."
Take a Tour of the Updated Big Brother: Celebrity Edition House
Although Mark McGrath doesn't think his reputation necessarily will give him a step up, he does think his days touring with Sugar Ray have perfectly prepared him to spend a few weeks in the ruthless Big Brother house. "I think touring with a band is going to be very beneficial to me being locked up in the Big Brother house because I have lived with maniacs and insane people in close quarters my entire life and dealt with them and been a leader of them," the singer tells TV Guide. "I don't want to say there's manipulation going on, but there's manipulation going on."
While the 49-year-old McGrath plans on relying heavily on his social game instead of the physical ("I'm probably going to be the oldest houseguest by far, and that reality just hit me as I was going into the game"), former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville knows that she has no chance when it comes to the social and strategic aspects.
"I think that I might have a little target on my back because everyone knows I'm the crazy reality personality that is always drunk and speaking my mind and telling people to eff off, so I feel like real celebrities -- the ones that think they're real celebrities -- they kind of don't respect reality TV so much," Glanville says.
But Glanville isn't the only one prepared to speak her mind during the two-and-a-half-week competition. "Listen, my nature is not to be confrontational or combative," says former E! correspondent and RuPaul's Drag Race judge Ross Mathews. "So I will play with kindness and integrity throughout. That's just how I roll."
"That being said," he adds, "if somebody steps to me, I will educate them. Some people need to be educated."
To learn more about all the houseguests' strategies going into the house, check out the video above! Celebrity Big Brother premieres Wednesday at 8/7c on CBS.
Additional reporting by Megan Vick
(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS.)
Other Links From TVGuide.com Big Brother: Celebrity EditionRoss MathewsShannon ElizabethMarissa Jaret WinokurKeshia Knight PulliamChuck LiddellMetta World PeaceOmarosa Manigault-StallworthMark McGrathAriadna GutiérrezBrandi GlanvilleJames Maslow