Some Big Brother fans think that there was something off about Cory Wurtenberger’s vote during the Thursday, September 7, live eviction episode.
“I vote to evict Red [Utley],” Cory, 21, seemingly said during the episode. However, some fans pointed out that the audio didn’t seem to match up with Cory’s lip movements.
“I knew it wasn’t a damn lag, his lips said Jag [Bains] but voiceover said Red 💀,” one viewer wrote via Twitter alongside a clip of Cory’s vote. Jag, 25, was on the nomination block next to Red, 38.
A fair amount of viewers began to speculate that the reality show’s producers edited the audio to change Cory’s vote.
“Woah woahh Cory clearly said he wanted to evict Jag but they dubbed it over with him saying Red ummm what’s happening,” one Twitter user claimed. Us Weekly has reached out to CBS for comment.
Other fans, however, thought the conspiracy theories were a stretch.
“Y’all please say ‘Jag’ and ‘Red’ in the mirror 20 times. It’s the same mouth shape. It’s truly that simple. The live show did not do some tricks with only Cory’s vote. Idk how that makes sense to any of you,” one viewer wrote via Twitter.
Cory’s brother, Zach Wurtenberger, who competed on season 42 of Survivor in 2022, offered an explanation for why Cory appeared to mouth “Jag.” During a Friday, September 8, episode of the reality TV recap podcast “Rob Has a Podcast,” host Rob Cesternino said that Zach, 23, left a comment in the show’s chat room claiming that Cory grew up with a speech impediment and is therefore “bad at saying ‘Rs.’”
Even if Cory did mean to vote for Jag, it wouldn’t have changed the outcome of Thursday’s episode. Red was evicted by a vote of 8-2 with only his allies Cameron Harding and Bowie Jane voting to send Jag packing.
This is not the first time this season that Big Brother fans have expressed frustration with producers. After Luke Valentine was expelled from the game last month for using the N-word, some live feed viewers questioned why Jared Fields, who used the R-word to describe fellow houseguest America Lopez on September 1, wasn’t given the same punishment.
“The r word IS A SLUR. #BigBrother needs to remove Jared like they removed Luke!!!” one Twitter user wrote.
Another chimed in: “I get why Luke was kicked out. Why hasn’t Jared been kicked out for using a slur also? #BigBrother Yeah, I am just as mad.”
Luke, 30 — who said via his Instagram Live last month that producers made the “wrong decision” by expelling him — seemingly shaded Jared and producers on Monday, September 4. After a fan commented on one of Luke’s Instagram posts asking his opinion on Jared still being in the house, Luke replied in a since-deleted comment, “Enforcement of the code of conduct seems rather selective, doesn’t it?”
Although Jared’s use of the offensive remark has not been addressed on the show, he expressed regret for his comments during a conversation captured on the live feeds.
“I don’t think she’s the R-word. I slipped up,” he told Cory, who is in a showmance with America, 27. “Obviously, I was angry about it [and] I’m willing to admit that.”
Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
