Shannon Elizabeth Among House Guests On New Celebrity Big Brother

A TV, film, and poker career that includes appearances in "American Pie," "Dancing With the Stars," and live tournament cashes over $235,000 has now come full circle as Shannon Elizabeth has been revealed as one of 11 contestants on the newest edition of "Big Brother" that features celebrity house guests.

Elizabeth will employ some bluffing and strategy skills that she learned on the poker tables while competing against a bevy of celebs that include former Cosby kid Keisha Knight Pulliam, MMA star Chuck Liddell, and lead singer of Sugar Ray, Mark McGrath.

Also occupying the "Celebrity Big Brother" house will be Real Housewife Brandi Glanville, Tony winner Marisa Jaret Winokur, NBA star Ron Artest, singer James Maslow of Big Time Rush, E!’s Ross Mathews, 2015 Miss Universe Ariadna Gutiérrez, and Omarosa, the former Trump aide and reality TV veteran of "The Apprentice" and "Fear Factor."

Big Brother has a history of including poker pros as house guests, with Vanessa Rousso and Kevin Martin among those who have starred on the show, the latter actually winning the competition on his second attempt on the Canadian version. Elizabeth may be better known as an actress than a poker player, but her resume includes a couple of noteworthy cashes.

Bright Lights of WSOP and NBC

She finished in the money 13 times from 2006-13, her best showing a 3rd place finish in the $25K NBC National Heads-Up Championship in 2007 for $125,000. Three years later Shannon finished runner-up to Phil Gordon in the $5,000 Ante Up For Africa Charity Event at the WSOP for $79,776, according to the Hendon Mob.    

WSOP Main Event participants have played against Elizabeth on more than one occasion. Although she failed to land among the cashers in poker's most prestigious event, she does have five WSOP cashes to her credit.

Celebrity Big Brother kicks off on Feb. 7 on CBS, hosted by Julie Chen, and with a three-night run during that week. Fans familiar with the show will be pleased to know that Head of Household and Power of Veto competitions will also be a staple on the celebrity version.