Frankie Grande joins CBB: Remembering his Big Brother USA bromance
By Will Stroude
Frankie Grande officially entered the Celebrity Big Brother house last night (July 28), confirming speculation that the brother of US pop starlet Ariana Grande would be gracing UK screens this summer.
The 33-year-old actor and television personality, who has performed in both Mamma Mia and Rock of Ages on Broadway, is sure to inject a little life into the house with his flamboyant personality. But he also brings what might possibly be an added advantage to the competition – he’s already been in the Big Brother house.
Frankie competed in the US version of the show back in 2014, where he lasted an impressive 11 weeks, eventually coming in fifth place.
His time in the house notably saw him start up a seemingly unlikely friendship with jock housemate Zach Rance, with the pair’s ‘bromantic’ behaviour proving sweetly uplifting viewing at the time.
Speaking about the pair’s relationship after the show, Zach sad believed that the they had sent out a positive message.
“The fact that I was cuddling with a gay guy, giving him a massage… you know, let’s be real – guys give other guys massages,” he said. “It’s not a big deal. I don’t care that he was gay.”
He added that he felt like a “a kind of role model” for viewers who may have found such a close friendship between a gay and straight man odd.
“We don’t know the impact it’s going to have on the world, but it’ll definitely be a positive one,” he said.
Frankie and Zach’s friendship even got the younger Grande sibling talking, with Ariana pleading with Zach during the show’s run to consider getting together with her brother.
“Zach please don’t be straight anymore. you’re cure and I approve”, the Dangerous Woman singer tweeted at the time.
Zach please don’t be straight anymore. you’re cute and I approve. – Ari pic.twitter.com/CYksI6BR8f
— Frankie James Grande (@FrankieJGrande) July 7, 2014
Frankie’s time on Big Brother USA saw him win $20,000, but despite his relatively unknown status at the time, the actor decided to spend the money on building schools in Africa.
So what can Celebrity Big Brother fans expect from the sweet-hearted star with a supersized personality? Well with over 400,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, he certainly knows a thing or two about keeping people entertained. We’ll just have to keep watching to find out just how he’ll win us over in the show.
For now though, here’s a look back at some of ‘Zankie’s best bits…
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