Big Brother type TV Show network CBS genre Reality Where to watch Close Streaming Options

Several celebrities have visited the set of Big Brother over the years but none has been quite so famous — or swoon-worthy, at least to Executive Producer Allison Grodner — as George Clooney.

On this week’s edition of But First — EW’s weekly Big Brother recap show that’s available on demand on the SiriusXM app — Grodner remembers the time when the Nespresso huckster took a tour of their very complicated operation during production.

“The peak experience of my life was giving George Clooney a tour,” she told But First. “He was on the lot cutting a movie many, many years ago. His editor at the time was a super fan of the show. He called and said, ‘Can I stop by and I want to bring a guest.’ The guest was George. I’ll admit, I went home and changed immediately.”

Though Clooney wasn’t familiar with the long-running reality show (say it ain’t so!) he enjoyed what he saw. What’s even more remarkable (or sad, depending on who you were) was how the houseguests had no idea that Danny Ocean was watching their every move. Grodner never told the HGs that Clooney, of all people, had toured the facility.

“I have to say he was one of the nicest celebrities I’ve ever met,” she recalled. “He was really fascinated. Walking around behind the scenes was something that was intriguing to him. That was a big one. That was a highlight.”

For this week’s recap show, Grodner and her partner-in-crime Rich Meehan also talk about whether fans could follow in Clooney’s footsteps and get their own, behind-the-scenes tour. (Unfortunately, you may not like what they had to say). They also chat about how the show has changed over the years, and how it’s hard to control the HGs when it comes to showing affection for host Julie Chen.

New episodes of EW’s Big Brother recap show, hosted by me and Patrick Gomez, drop every Friday on Sirius XM. They’re available anytime on demand on the app.

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