Last night, CBS announced the top twenty candidates to move into the Big Brother 7: All Stars house on July 6th. Now it is up to America to vote in their favorite houseguests from seasons past. The ever popular, ever scandalous show runs all summer long and ends with one final houseguest winning $500,000.

One expected shoe-in to make it into the house (and maybe even win) is openly gay Big Brother 3 contestant, Marcellas Reynolds. Not only is Marcellas one of the most popular players ever, but he has continued to work with the show, hosting the Big Brother chat show "House Calls" on the web. AfterElton.com got an exclusive chance to chat with Reynolds as he waits to find out his own All Stars fate.

AfterElton.com: How do you think networks portray gay reality show contestants as compared to cable outlets?
Marcellas Reynolds: We are always comic relief period. If this were math, we would be broken down to our most common denominators. We're either funny or mean and bitchy or overly femme/emotional. It's not good, I'm sad to say. 

AE: Do you think American Idol and those type of shows purposefully stay away from gay contestants? What do you think of Simon Cowell?  Do you think he's homophobic?
MR: American Idol is the worst show on TV. First, the singers are at best mediocre. It fosters this erroneous belief that anyone can be a singer. That you can skip steps and bang! You are famous. I hate how they clown [up] overweight people when Randy is huge and Simon has tits and shouldn't be wearing those tight t-shirts. I hate how they treat gay contestants when Simon and Ryan are two of the most feminine men on TV. Gay contestants may not make it on the show but AI sure exploits them in the audition episodes. It's an outrage.

AE: Do you see homophobia in reality TV? How about inside the house?
MR: Homophobia is rampant everywhere, not just in TV. George Bush wants to sanction homophobia. During Big Brother 3 the House Guests weren't homophobes. I just think in that situation anything that makes you different gives the competitors reason to get rid of you. For me it was being African-American and homosexual.

AE: Do you think viewers will really vote for a gay man to win?
MR: Yes. I think that the viewer actually begins to feel they know the houseguests. If a particular houseguest has made a connection with the public, I think the public will reward them. The public loves an underdog. And usually the homosexual is that. Now the question is: can he survive that or work it to his advantage? 

AE: Do you feel special pressure as a gay black man to be a role model since there are precious few black gay role models on TV or in movies?
MR: I feel so much pressure in my life to be a good role model. It's one of the reasons during BB3 I was nominated. I was so afraid to look bad or "act" black or "gay" that I was just closed down! I wasn't myself. It was only when I opened up that the House Guests and the fans connected with me. I've felt since I was very young that if any person had a good or positive interaction with me it opens the door to them being kinder and more welcoming to other African-Americans. It's a tremendous pressure. And it's one I still carry. 

AE: Do you think there will be more than one gay man in the house this season? If so, do you think you will automatically align?
MR: There will never be more than one homosexual male in the Big Brother house. And if there were, the two wouldn't automatically align. I think it would be like that old-school slave mentality thing; there can be only one. African-Americans are sort of culturally programmed to distrust each other. It was something I encountered often as a model and I've encountered the same phenomena among homosexual males competing for jobs. And a spot on Big Brother is a job. 

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