After a several-year absence and a disastrous second season, Celebrity Big Brother is back for another go-around – and will likely bring us just as much drama as the main game. The celebrity game is different from the main Big Brother in some key ways. For one thing, it’s a lot shorter – playing out in only a month with a smaller cast and several evictions per week. For another, it’s usually run on a lower budget (Don’t look for Zingbot to be running around this Big Brother House), although that could change. And unlike the main game, every one of these contestants will be on the jury and return to vote for the winner.

But one thing never really changes about Celebrity Big Brother – they use the word “celebrity” pretty loosely.

This season’s cast of eleven celebrities is an odd one. The six guys are mostly has-beens and tabloid fodder, but most people should remember them from somewhere. The five women, on the other hand, are all mostly famous for being famous and have no real name recognition unless you watched some specific reality shows. It’s an odd mix and makes me wonder if the show is trying to break the streak of women dominating the past two seasons of Celebrity Big Brother.

But we’ve now got eleven new contestants vying for the 250K grand prize. In this article, your intrepid Big Brother superfans Steve and Ray will break down the cast and make our preliminary winner predictions.

Celebrity Big Brother 3 Cast:

Carson Kressley, 52, Reality TV Personality and Fashion Designer

Carson has been in the reality TV game for two decades, first becoming famous as one of the original hosts of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Openly gay, he’s a big personality and should be fun to have around – but is also one of the smartest people in the house and knows how to manipulate drama for his own benefit. The biggest danger is if he gets pegged as a big threat too often, but otherwise he’s one of the biggest threats in the game.

Chris Kattan, 51, Actor and Comedian

Ray: Wake up, guys, new Tom Green just dropped! Expectations for Chris to provide entertainment will be high, as the offbeat Saturday Night Live veteran is the only comedian in the cast. He’s got a big personality, but also a troubled personal life, and I could easily see him being one of the biggest candidates to melt down in the house. My guess is he’ll be seen as a weak player and slip fairly deep into the game in social game if he can hold it together.

Steve: He will be an early favorite for me. I will forever treasure the Saturday Night Live skit with Chris ferociously eating an apple with bits flying everywhere….as Mr. Peepers, a sort of monkey boy. I agree with Ray here; he will likely meltdown or offer some manic moments. Should be a great addition to the show.

Chris Kirkpatrick, 50, Singer

Ray: A founding member of N’Sync, Chris Kirkpatrick has made a fairly successful second career as a voice actor. He’s appeared on some game shows before, but has never played competitive reality TV before and doesn’t seem like a particularly cutthroat guy. My guess is he’ll try to play the game by being everyone’s buddy, only for them to realize this makes him a threat and send the closest thing the game has to an alpha bro packing.

Steve: Chris will be an excellent contestant. He is used to working with a team and is also used to being second banana, so his ego will be in check. He will have a strong social game and go far. Look for him to compete for the title on this one.

Cynthia Bailey, 54, Model and Reality TV Personality

As the oldest woman in the cast, the first of several “Real Housewives” on the show will have her work cut out for her. Older Black women have done fairly well on the show, as last season’s winner Tamar Braxton proved, but looking at the rest of the cast it seems like it might be hard for her to find an alliance. Her best chance is to avoid getting into drama early and work with some people who need an extra vote.

Lamar Odom, 42, Former NBA Player

Sports stars have a VERY mixed record in Celebrity Big Brother, with figures like Lolo Jones and Metta World Peace turning out to be complete trainwrecks. While Odom was an impressive player in his NBA career, since then he’s been a bit of a mess. His much-publicized marriage to Khloe Kardashian, his overdose and subsequent coma, and his frequent tabloid appearances make me think his stay will be short and messy.

Miesha Tate, 35, UFC Mixed Martial Artist

Ray: Miesha is one of the outliers in this season, being a fairly successful athlete with little to no reality TV history. She’s one of the most athletic contestants in the cast, but not too many challenges in Celebrity Big Brother are physical compared to the main game. That will put her at a disadvantage, making her seem like a threat without the ability to win her way out of targets. She’ll need a better social media game than Chuck Liddell or Natalie Eva Marie had.

Steve: I’m a big fan of “Cupcake” and hope she can do very well. She was certainly one of the pioneers of women in MMA and had an excellent dramatic beef with Ronda Rousey so she is no stranger to drama. She returned to MMA after a long lay off and has been fairly successful. She certainly has the will to keep it together and compete for this title. As for Ray’s comparisons, unlike them, she is very likable and will likely have a good social game.

Mirai Nagasu, 26, Figure Skater

Much like Miesha, Mirai is not a reality TV staple – only appearing as a contestant on an athletes’ season of Dancing With the Stars. She’s likely to be very fit, but as the youngest member of the cast, she’s likely to be underestimated. Neither of the past winners were powerhouses in the game, and likability and an unassuming nature can get you far. Mirai may be the unlikely candidate to do the best among the women.

Shanna Moakler, 46, Model, Actress, and TV Host

Moakler is one of the most typical contestants on this season of Celebrity Big Brother – a “star” known more for her colorful personality and her tabloid appearances than anything. Well known for her messy relationship with Blink-182 star Travis Barker and a pageant mainstay, she’s likely been cast for drama and I’m sure she’ll deliver it. While she could last a while by not being seen as a threat, I have a hard time seeing her make any big moves in the game.

Teddi Mellencamp, 40, TV Personality

Ray: The daughter of iconic folk singer John Mellencamp, Teddi has made a name for herself as a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, as well as a popular diet and lifestyle coach. While she’s run into some controversy about how she sells her products and methods on her podcast, that might work in her favor here. This is a woman who sells things for a living, and the unassuming-looking wife and mother could easily talk her way into a powerhouse alliance.

Steve: As a Hoosier, I’m a huge fan of John Mellencamp and remember his concert at Indiana University back in the day very fondly. Hoping his daughter has a little measure of Hoosier Hospitality that will endear her to her castmates.

Todd Bridges, 56, Actor

Ray: It wouldn’t be Celebrity Big Brother without at least one washed-up sitcom star, would it? Bridges is the oldest contestant in the cast, and while he’s cleaned up his life from his tabloid days and troubled past, he still has a bit of a reputation as a trainwreck. I think he’ll struggle to get people to take him seriously, but that could keep him in the game for a while as they go after bigger targets.

Steve: I was a huge fan of Mr. Bridges when I was a kid, and I will be pulling for him. He was a child actor who was dealt a bad hand and was truly driven to bad behavior. He was molested by an adult on the set, I believe the producer. If there ever was a tragic child actor case, it would be him. Sending some good vibes his way; he deserves it.

Toddrick Hall, 36, Singer, Danger, and TV Personality

A reality TV mainstay who was recently the runner-up on The Masked Singer, Toddrick has come a long way since he debuted on American Idol and was quickly eliminated. The charismatic gay icon will likely be looking to use this show to raise his profile further, but he’s one of the most well-rounded contestants in the game. If he can avoid being an immediate target due to his success, he’ll do very well. But as one of the only current stars on the show, he may not be as determined to go all-out as others.

Ray’s Picks: Carson Kressley and Mirai Nagasu

Steve’s Picks: Meisha Tate and Chris Kirkpatrick