More than friendship? Big Brother’s Christmas Abbott says she has “no idea” what’s going on between her and Paul Abrahamian — but she’s willing to explore it.
“Yeah,” the 33-year-old exclusively tells Us Weekly whether she’s open to having a relationship with Abrahamian outside the house. “You’re spending 92 days with somebody and I think we had a real connection night one.”
Abbott never told the clothing designer, 24, how she felt as they competed on the CBS series, though. “We had a game to play,” she explains. “We developed a really true friendship and I think that it’s special in its own way. The Big Brother house is different from the real world so we haven’t talked, we haven’t seen each other, it’s been a whirlwind. I have no idea. There are things that were happening in life before and things that are happening in life after and who is to say. I’m coming out of the house without expectations so I have no idea.”
The Virginia native placed third on season 19, a triumph after breaking her foot early on when fellow houseguest Jason Dent landed on it during a piggyback ride. Abbott doesn’t regret returning to the show after getting surgery, even though she had to sit out during a couple of competitions.
“Not at all, not one minute. There is no way and no how in my life I would ever regret that decision. If they had deemed it impossible for me to come back that would have been the most devastating thing that has happened to me,” she tells Us. “CBS and Big Brother believed in me enough to allow me to stay and there was no way that I was going to let them down or myself or my fanbase. To show that you can still persevere when you get a really sh-tty situation. You can still do well and make positive of life. And that’s not with just a broke foot — that’s with anything. Life is going to be sh-tty sometimes and it’s going to get even sh-ttier. It’s how you decide how to deal with it. I wanted to play Big Brother and I wanted to go as far as I possibly could. And unfortunately it wasn’t final two because I do believe that I would have won.”
In the end, Abbott’s BFF in the house, Josh Martinez, took Abrahamian to final two. She didn’t win any money, but she was the last woman standing.
“No pun intended!” Abbott says, laughing. “I didn’t even think about that honestly. I’m really proud of myself. I don’t think it’s a gender thing. I wanted to show people that you can be unapologetically yourself, be true to yourself and you don’t have to come in with a different persona. And you can still play Big Brother in a positive way with integrity and still do really well and get far. So I’m hoping that America and Canada sees that. I’m proud of myself and the way that I continued to keep my head up. It was really, really hard and really painful. Not just physically but emotionally. I’m just really grateful for the love and support from everybody.”
For more, read the rest of her Q&A below:
US: Are you shocked that Josh won?
CA: No, I’m so proud of him. I’m shocked he didn’t take me to final two. I felt like I kept my composure on stage but then when everybody went on stage I just hugged my mom and sobbed for five minutes. It was a really hard night. And it’s not about the winning or losing it’s just the entire 92 days coming to an end and you’re out and you’re seeing people. And you’re like, ‘Oh my God, the world is actually going on.’ It’s so overwhelming on so many different facets.
US: Were you going to take Josh if you won?
CA: I refused to make that decision until I needed to in that moment because I really didn’t want that emotional burden. And fortunately I wasn’t given that opportunity to take on that emotional burden. I wanted to make sure that I had a clear understanding and make sure that I didn’t promise something that I couldn’t deliver. I never made that decision and I’m upset but also grateful that I didn’t have to make that decision. I’m still not going to make that decision.
US: Are you angry at all?
CA: No, I’m not angry at all. That’s not even a possibility. I advocated for Josh to make the best game decision and I was hoping that he knew — I knew that the decision for him was to take Paul. He had a better chance at winning against Josh. But I was hoping that he would stay true to his word. I was disappointed when he didn’t choose me but I also understand. There is no animosity. There’s disappointment and a little heartbreak, but the deal was that whoever won [was going to buy] tickets for all three of us to travel the world together. And so I looked at him and I said, ‘This one is on you buddy!’ [Laughs] ‘I’m sending you the itinerary next week.’
US: You voted for Paul to win. What was your deciding factor and did you know for a while you were going to vote that way?
CA: No, that was an absolute last-minute decision. I knew that if Josh didn’t pick me that he was breaking his promise to me. There were a couple of factors. One, I watched Paul play the sh-t out of that game from day one and I saw what he was doing. I wasn’t blind to it. But I was OK with it because he still protected me the entire time. He protected me from day one aggressively so I knew that he had my back. I was a pawn for him and he was a pawn for me. And so I just saw that he was working that really hard and he had a big target. With Josh he had a lot of emotional burden coming in, he had a huge transformation and we personally connected a lot. But he would also go off and do his own thing in the middle of a plan.
US: Were you surprised Paul had other final deals? Do you think he would have brought you to final two?
CA: I’m not shocked. It was smart for him. He had to. I think I was optimistic that he would choose me but also realistic that he had a better chance at winning against Josh. I felt honestly that either one of them would have a stronger chance at winning against each other. And the fact that within the last week in the house nothing was mentioned to me subtly or directly I knew what was going on. I didn’t want to force something. It wasn’t me giving up at all. My last speech was just me taking the opportunity to show my gratitude for the game and the people that I played with and to give Josh an opportunity to stick to his word.
US: Paul told me that you definitely would have won against Josh. Do you think you would have?
CA: I do. I didn’t have to ruffle too many feathers. If I argued with people it was sound logic. I didn’t make it personal, I didn’t escalate it past where it needed to be and they couldn’t come back. Josh made a lot of enemies, he pissed off a lot of people. Paul pissed off a lot of people in a different way. I believe that if either one of them would have taken me I would have won. So I’m sitting here with third place, no cash, no American Favorite and knowing that I just forfeited $50,000 and $500,000. I’m not angry about it, but my heart is a little broken.
US: Were you shocked that Cody Nickson won America’s Favorite?
CA: Yes! He was such a d-ckhead. I believe that if I sit down and have a real conversation with Cody outside the game we have a lot to talk about. But inside the game — everything that came out of his mouth was a lie. He lied to every single person in that house. He manipulated everybody in the house. He flipped the house on me. He backdoored me, he blindsided me. And then he wouldn’t even defend his position. As a game player — worst game player ever. I’m not exactly sure what America saw but I know what I experienced in the house and there is no way I would have ever given him my vote.
US: Favorite and least favorite houseguest?
CA: My favorite is Josh. He just always woke up so jubilant. His spirit is my spirit. We were like two spirit animals together. But I couldn’t be that way though because I had to be the quiet bitch in the corner moping about her foot. [Laughs] Least favorite — I have a list. I can only say one? I got along with her, but Raven [Walton], please, shut the f-ck up. Life is not about you and we know you weren’t in the Olympics. Allow people to have their moment. You don’t have to one-up everybody. She is a beautiful person as she is but unfortunately she feels the need to always one-up somebody. I would have to say that I’m disappointed.
US: Would you return for another season?
CA: Absolutely, yes. I’m hoping that I could return full throttle and give you guys the whole Christmas experience because bitch had to tame down her personality a lot when I broke my foot. If I went back I would just go in and be a nightmare.
US: What song would you choose for your exit walk out?
CA: Oh, “Crazy Bitch” by Buckcherry.
US: In one word, how would you describe your season of Big Brother?
CA: Bizarre! It was magical, bizarre and the most exhilarating summer of my life.
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