Big Brother 19 spotlight: Prepare for a Mark Jansen showmance

Mark Jansen is the typical muscle / meathead contestant on Big Brother 19; yet, there is a little more to him than it seems. He has an extremely touching backstory, he’s a hard worker, and he seems like a nice guy. He’s not one of those super-cocky guys who is going to come in and be really aggressive.

On a lighter note, Mark looks like he could be the brother of Ronnie from Jersey Shore without the huge laugh. Another thing we learn from the video below is that Big Jeff is terrible at charades.

Current City – Grand Island, New York. He went to school at the University of Buffalo, but then proceeded to lose a lot of weight after playing football. This led him to becoming a bodybuilder. He’s probably the most-built contestant on the show since Jessie first came on.

Age – 26.

Job – Personal trainer. After getting into bodybuilding he started working with other people who were inspired in part by his story. He then took some of what he learned and did his best to impart that into their lives. He claims that his clients are among the people he’ll miss the most in there.

Past houseguest comparison – He says Brendon Villegas is one of his favorite players, and that may not be a terrible comparison because other than standing up for Rachel, Brendon was a guy who did want to get along with other people and be liked. You can also probably say he has something in common with Victor from last season in that regard.

Strengths – He’s obviously going to be unstoppable in any sort of competition that requires heavy lifting or brute strength, and he’s also got the mind of a strategist: He plays chess, and he’s watched the game enough to understand the strategy of it.

As devastating as his life story is (he lost both of his parents before turning 18), this does probably prepare him for being empathetic and handling tough situations in the house. Mark’s not going to get fazed, and after spending years with his grandparents, he will have a maturity well beyond his years.

Weaknesses – The big issue with being a physical beast on this show is that you’re a far bigger threat on paper than you actually are. Mark having muscles will not help him at all stay on the side of a pirate ship or stay suspended in the air; it will probably hurt him. He’ll be a huge target, and his back will probably be against the wall the whole time he’s in there.

Also, the guy’s totally going to get in a showmance; it’s either that or he will be played by someone. He claims that women are going to be his weakness.

Prediction – Victor made it far into the game, but Victor also returning to the game twice. Mark’s ceiling is probably third or fourth on the jury because he’s such an obvious jury threat for every reason outlined here. He’s a nice guy who is going to be perceived as a threat.

How do you think Mark is going to fare on Big Brother 19? Share in the comments!

For some further spotlights of the houseguests this season (we’re posting several of them a day), be sure to head over to the link here! (Photo: CBS.)