Julie Chen Moonves Builds Her Ideal 'Big Brother' Player

Last season of Big Brother was massive in many ways. Across a whopping 100 days, we saw never-before-seen twists, huge house flips, and record-breaking runs. But, when Parade asked host Julie Chen Moonves about what lessons the Big Brother 26 houseguests should take from the previous season into their own when they enter the house next week, the veteran host had a surprising answer.

"If you're entering the house this season for Big Brother 26 and you're a house guest, I would say don't get married to anything from previous seasons," she says. "Because we're onto you. We see you season after season sitting around, speculating, 'You know what that means? You know what they did in Season 13.' Forget it. Expect the unexpected. Don't cram because it's not going to work. We come up with new things all the time. We're always listening. So don't study any past seasons. It's all new."

Indeed, the 26th season of the veteran reality series has been advertised to feature an all-new group of houseguests filling their summer with a game of competitions, cuddling, and cutting throats. And, though Chen Moonves has encouraged players not to dote too much on the past, we had her do just that by having her put together her "dream" houseguests by combining traits of previous legends.

"I would say the ideal Big Brother player would be part Janelle [Pierzina] , part Will Kirby ," she tells Parade . "Will Kirby was a brilliant liar because he was charming. Janelle was a competition beast. Part Xavier Prather , because he knew how to keep his mouth quiet. And, except for one brief moment, he knew how to stay calm. But when you insult someone's family member...oh my gosh. But he stayed cool. And I need someone with a lot of humor. I like Howie [Gordon] from the season with Janelle, who went on to become a weatherman. He made me laugh."

Related: Everything to Know About Big Brother 26

Another "new" comes with the theme. Though, for Big Brother 26 , it's an idea that's all too familiar to modern-day discourse: Artificial Intelligence. "One of the big hot topics, controversial, some people love it, some people hate it, is artificial intelligence," Chen Moonves says in a separate interview for CBS. "But BB has their own way of doing things. Big Brother does things Big Brother style. So this year, it's 'BB AI.' I call it artificial intelligence, Big Brother style."

The show has yet to elaborate on the AI theme. Though it's already been revealed that this season's house sports decor is generated by "prompts," it's unknown how much "BB AI" will ultimately influence the games of these new houseguests. But, regardless of what they do inside the house's walls, Chen Moonves has nothing but love for everyone who elects to play Big Brother .

"I love hosting the show because it's gotten to the point where I feel like all these houseguests are my children," she says. "My tagline is 'love one another.' And I know fans love to love on some people and hate on others. I like to put on my Jesus glasses and say, 'Look, God created us all, and we all have a good side and a bad side, and it depends [on] who triggers what side to come out.' So I love to look at all these people and even those who suddenly America has turned out and hate them. Give them a chance at redemption. Give them a chance to see themselves the way America saw them, and give them a chance to explain and change."

"I also like to challenge myself, because I like to see if I can keep that love the whole season," she continues. "Because, look, I'm human too, right? I know they call me the 'Chenbot,' but I'm human too. There are times I'm like, 'I can't believe that person did that! Wait, Julie, put on your Jesus glasses. Give that person a chance to explain.'"

Related: Big Brother 26 Reveals AI-Themed Season and House

Though CBS has announced that the Big Brother 26 cast will sport a group of all-new houseguests, that doesn't stop the passionate fandom from speculating as to whether familiar faces will appear outside the house during next week's premiere. Last season broke the reality TV mold when Survivor legend and The Traitors winner Cirie Fields appeared at the end of Episode 1 as the surprise 17th houseguest. And Chen Moonves has a list of former castaways that she would love to follow in Cirie's footsteps.

"I'm old school," she says. "Part of me is like, 'Can the first winner of Survivor , Richard Hatch , take it in here? The first showmance, Rob and Amber [Mariano] . Can Rob and Amber do it together and be in this house? I'd love to see any of those three people, or Susan Hawk ."

Of course, as is the cast with any Big Brother preseason, there's been rampant speculation about whether any returning players would appear this summer. After all, veterans have played in some capacity every four seasons since Big Brother 14 , which would line up nicely with Season 26. And, if that were the case, the host has one particular former houseguest in mind for a return.

"I felt like a proud mama when I saw Jess and Cody win Amazing Race ," Chen Moonves recounts the Big Brother showmance winning Season 30 of the CBS travel reality series. "Jessie Graf and Cody Nickson met and fell in love in this Big Brother house. And, in my opinion, her love for him cost her the game. She was so good at this game. She knew it; she watched it as an eight-year-old with her father growing up. But he had a big target on his back. Even though he was America's favorite houseguest that season, not everyone in the house loved him. So I felt like she was also carrying her love for him and him on her back, and that ended up costing her the game.

"So, for that reason, I would love to see Jessica Graf --now known as Jessica Nickson, because she's married to Cody, they have four kids. I would love to see what she could do in this house just by herself. She's already got her man and her kids. Now it's time to play the game."

Check out the videos above and below for more from Julie Chen Moonves, including her interview with CBS and her exclusive answers to Parade . Big Brother 26 kicks off with a special two-night premiere on Wednesday, July 17, and Thursday, July 18, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Next, check out our interview with Big Brother 25 winner Jag Bains .