Following in the Footsteps of Legendary Ryan Lochte, Deaf Swimming Record Holder Matthew Klotz to Star in Controversial Reality Show With $750,000 Prize Money

Big Brother is a popular reality show in the United States with millions of viewers across the country. In 2022, the show successfully ran its 24th season, once again storming the reality TV arena with its viewership. The show has special seasons starring only celebrities. These celebrities come from all walks of life, be they actors, artists, or sportspersons. The swimming champion Ryan Lochte also appeared on Celebrity Big Brother 2 (US).

Following in the footsteps of the 12-time Olympic gold medalist, another swimming sensation is going to star in the newest season of Big Brother, that is, Season 25. The contestant is none other than Matthew Klotz, a Deaf Swimming World Record holder. If the participants win a season, they also win a prize of $750,000. It seems like the swimmer, who was born deaf, is gunning for the same.

Deaf swimming great to take the Big Brother stage

The American swimmer shared the news on his Instagram recently. With his headshot in the limelight, along with the post the caption read, “IT’S OFFICIAL! Excited to let everyone know that Matt will be competing on Big Brother season 25! Tune in this Wednesday 8/2 @ 8 p.m. ET for the premier on CBS or Paramount+”. Klotz, who was born deaf, is a Deaf Swimming World Record holder and a Deaflympics Gold Medalist.

He was on the swimming team of LSU during his collegiate career. As a senior in 2020, he finished 12th in the 100m backstroke. As a deaf person, Matthew Klotz is a linguist. He communicates by reading other’s lips and speaking himself, in a manner that one would not be able to tell the difference between the speech of a non-hearing-impaired person. After almost a year’s hiatus, the swimming champion has returned to competitive swimming this year under the tutelage of LSU head coach Rick Bishop.

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The 27-year-old swimming champion has been making waves in the sport since he was young. In the 2013 Deaflympics in Sofia, Bulgaria, he took home two gold medals. The first one was in the 100m backstroke and the second was in the 200m backstroke category. He was named the 2013 Male Athlete of the Year by the USA Deaf Sports Federation. In 2018, he set a world record in 50m backstroke deaf swimming, and re-broke his own record in 2021. Klotz is not the only big fish from the swimming world who has appeared on the controversial reality TV show.

Ryan Lochte’s reality television stint

On the second celebrity season of the show, Ryan Lochte appeared as a guest. The Big Brother show is based on a weekly elimination format and requires the participants to stay in a closed environment. The winner of the competition takes home $750,000 in prize money. During his first week, Lochte had a good start as he was named the Head of the House after the popular vote.

However, things turned downhill when he had to nominate half of the house for elimination, which led to the elimination of his ally Jonathan Bennett. As a result, Ryan Lochte found himself in the minority. The next week, the swimming star was eliminated himself. Now that Klotz is going to star in the newest season, it will be interesting to see how he fairs in the game.

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