“I still stand by the decision,” Drew, 22, exclusively told Us of how he feels about remaining loyal to Devens, 42, following the season 28 finale on Thursday, October 1. “Because if I evicted Devens, I would have been the biggest target in the house.”

Last week, Drew won the final Power of Veto of the season and made the sole vote to evict Survivor winner Dee Valladares over Devens. (Taylor Brown, who was the runner-up, was safe as Head of Household.)

Drew ultimately sided with Devens as they had a close bond and made promises — that were eventually broken — about going to the final two together. He explained that he couldn’t “see a world” where Dee “would have taken” him to the end and felt he had a better chance with Devens.

Rick Devens Details How Losing ‘Survivor’ Helped Him Win ‘Big Brother’

“I would have had to win out, and I would have had to win that [last HoH competition],” he said.

Drew also thought maybe Taylor would have taken him to the end if she won the final HoH and made a flashy move by evicting Devens.

“I felt like I had a better chance with Taylor still in the house with Devens because if Taylor won, I think her big move would have been to get rid of Devens because she needed a move,” he said. “I stand by my decision absolutely. It’s a bummer the way it turned out, but I don’t regret it.”

While Drew was loyal to Devens all season long, it was the former news anchor who struck first. Devens won the final HoH and evicted Drew after hearing a compelling argument from Taylor. While Drew was heartbroken over Devens’ decision, he understood his reasoning.

Big Brother’s Taylor Reacts to Jury’s Body Language During Final 2 Speech

“It’s a bummer. I wish he took me. I think it would have been close. He might have beat me. Maybe I would have beat him,” he told Us. “Devens is a really smart guy, and he wanted to take the sure thing, and I can’t blame him for doing that because if the shoe was on the other foot, I would have cut him. So I can’t be mad. It was the right move. It sucks to be on the other end of it, but it’s all love for Devens. He’s always going to be my Big Brother dad.”

Drew ultimately voted for Devens to win the game and gave him credit where it was due.

“Devens deserved to win because me and him, we played hard the whole time. He won the most competitions. He came in with a big target on his back, being an icon, and he has a lot of experience that helped him get to the end,” he explained. “At the end of the day, it’s like, who’s the guy that ran the show? It’s got to be Devens. I’m not going to be a bitter juror, even if he betrayed me. He’s the dude that played the best game. I’m going to vote for the guy or girl that played the best. And in this case, it was Devens.”

“I don’t know if you guys know — I’m very big on body language and just reading the room as to what was going on,” Taylor, 28, exclusively told Us following the season 28 finale on Thursday, October 1. “Between Angela [Murray], Dee [Valladares] and Melody [Morris] alone, I knew that their body language was [off].”

Taylor was referring to the moment when she responded to multiple questions from members of the jury which consisted of Angela, Dee, Melody, LaTrice “Lala” Verrett, Barrett Pfeiffer, Yash Patel and Drew Campbell.

While Taylor was speaking, she noticed there was a difference in Angela’s facial reactions when she spoke compared to Rick Devens. One moment fans noticed instantly online was when Angela, 52, shook her head at Melody, 24, after Taylor tried to take credit for Lyric Medeiros’ eviction (Devens, 42, later clarified that his alliance orchestrated the blindside.)

Rick Devens Details How Losing ‘Survivor’ Helped Him Win ‘Big Brother’

“Every time I would speak, her face would frown up,” she said. “Maybe I’m over reading [or] wrong, or whatever the case may be.”

While Taylor isn’t sure what was really going on in Angela, Melody or Dee’s mind, she already had a feeling that she wouldn’t have their votes to win the game.

“But I kind of already knew, and just being in the house, I lived with these people. The things that they would say about me, or the way in which they perceived me, I kind of already knew how the vote was going to go,” she said. “Dee and Angela working so closely with Devens throughout the season.”

Taylor also told Us that she did not feel intimidated by the jury’s reaction to her response while pleading her case to win.

“Oh no, never that. I don’t operate off fear at all,” she added.

While Taylor’s observant strategy impressed fans and even host Julie Chen Moonves, it wasn’t enough to sway the jury as they awarded Devens the $750,000 prize. Taylor earned one vote from her ally Lala and $75,000 for second place.

Taylor’s biggest move of the season was actually convincing Devens to take her to the final two over his ally Drew Campbell.

“I was convinced that [Devens] was going to take Drew, and he kind of did this intimidation tactic with me several days before, where he was like, ‘You need to take me to final two because I’m not going to vote for you. I’m gonna tell other people not to vote for you’. So I sat on it and I said, you know what? I’m gonna pull a reverse Uno card,” she told Us. “And that’s exactly what I did, and it worked out. I waited until the last minute to do it because I didn’t want to give him too much time to think about it or to ask Drew about it.”

Julie Chen Moonves Reveals How She Feels About Rick Devens After Criticism

While Taylor told Devens that he wouldn’t get her vote if she was sent to the jury, she confessed that was actually a lie.

“I would have voted for Devens,” she admitted.

However, if Taylor had won that final HoH, there was no way she would have taken Devens to the end.

“Did you see the way he just articulated his game? We all know he was cutthroat,” she quipped. “He was the best overall player, and that’s why he won and got America’s favorite.”

“I think it’s from the things I’ve learned on Survivor,” Devens, 42, exclusively told Us of his win following the Big Brother season 28 finale on Thursday, October 1. “A lot of the time, I led with my heart, and you have kind of more freedom on Survivor to kind of come up with clever things.”

Devens continued, “Maybe I spent too much time hiding idols at Tribal Council and searching for hidden immunity idols and should have been playing the social and strategic game harder because in the Big Brother house, like, I really worked hard to develop these relationships.”

The former news anchor added that because of his strong connections in the Big Brother house, he had the ability to play how he wanted.

Julie Chen Moonves Reveals How She Feels About Rick Devens After Criticism

“When I knew something wasn’t going to work — like, I knew I couldn’t talk someone into something — I just went and did it anyway because I got all week. May as well just keep trying,” he explained. “So many times, like by the end, [my allies] did what I wanted them to do, and it was incredible. So I think experience, pure bullheadedness and just a willingness to be a fool and fail turned out to be exactly what I needed to win the game.”

While Devens believes winning the second Head of Household competition put him in a good spot at the start of the season, his real superpower was controlling his emotions — a task he didn’t do as well on the islands.

“I honestly turned off my emotions in this game more than I ever did on my Survivor games,” he told Us. “I find it really hard to turn off your emotions when you’re under the Milky Way out in Fiji — like, you’re connected to the whole world. Whereas in this house, it was so sterile, and I’m just like, I need to block off the fact that I’m away from my family all summer, and I locked in, and I was a lot more cutthroat.”

Devens, who was loyal to a fault on Survivor, pulled a 360 in the Big Brother house, where he was not afraid to make difficult moves.

“I cut people who I really loved and cared about, starting with Rome [Seymour]. Then I betrayed Yash [Patel] and got rid of Kamu [Kirk], who I loved and cared about,” he reflected. “I was just able to make the hard decisions that maybe on Survivor I wouldn’t have made. And in the end, it got me the win.”

Not only was Devens crowned the winner of Big Brother 28 and awarded the $750,000 prize, but he also took home the coveted title of America’s Favorite Player, which added an additional $50,000 in his pocket.

“I feel really good about it. I think maybe that is something I can partially credit to Survivor. Like, I came in a known quantity a little bit,” he said of winning America’s vote. “There were some amazing houseguests in this season of Big Brother, and I love them, and they’re all my favorite players. But I really appreciate that what was received at home was received so well because I tried to have fun. I tried to never make it personal.”

Devens credited his wife, Becca and kids, Jack and Juju, as well as ally and fellow Survivor alum Dee Valladares for helping him stay grounded for nearly three months.

Big Brother Alum Kyland Young Reacts to Survivor’s Dee and Devens’ Gameplay

“I was away from my family for so much longer for Big Brother than I ever was for Survivor,” he admitted. “If I concentrated on how much that hurt, it was just going to kill me. So I’d already kind of compartmentalized that and blocked off that emotion, and then because of that, I was able to kind of block it off with the rest of the game. And I think Dee was a really good bad influence because Dee is a killer and she’s able to compartmentalize in that same way. So we kind of fed off each other, and she was a huge, terrific ally to have in the game.”

Devens also credited Becca for his win because without her, he would have never walked into the Big Brother house.

“I’m the luckiest dude in the world. Like, those three power me through everything,” he said of his family. “I had their blessing to be on the show. Never would have happened without Becca. I was getting ready to say no, and she said, ‘What? You have to do it. This is the only chance you’re ever going to have.’”

Rick Devens won by a jury vote of six to one during the Thursday, October 1, live finale, receiving the $750,000 cash prize. Taylor Brown came in second place earning $75,000.

Taylor, 27, won the first part of the last Head of Household competition while Devens, 42, was victorious in the second. The pair faced off in the final round where Devens was victorious and decided to evict Drew Campbell.

Devens also took home the prize of America’s Favorite’s houseguest earning an additional cash prize of $50,000. He also earned $10,000 from the pharaoh’s curse twist earlier this season.

Julie Chen Moonves Reveals How She Feels About Rick Devens After Criticism

Season 28’s theme took the houseguests throughout history with the dining room table time machine. The time machine also brought the reality TV icons Devens, Dee Valladares and Angela Murray in the mix to compete against a group of newbies.

Devens, who is best known for competing on Survivor: Edge of Extinction and Survivor 50, was the front runner to win the whole game. The former news anchor not only won several competitions but also formed multiple powerhouse alliances. Devens also made bold, daring moves including saving his ally Dee with the Diamond Power of Veto, which Devens earned during week 2 from the BB Time Capsule.

While Drew was tight with Devens and the other icons all season long, he made a name for himself in the game. Drew also won multiple competitions and was in the middle of two big alliances. Many have described Drew as a “weasel” all season long, but the strategy earned took him all the way to the finale.

Taylor, for her part, took the opposite approach as she laid low at the start of the game. She formed an instant bond with Latrice “Lala” Verrett and coached her on how to navigate the competition. After Lala was evicted and became the first member of the jury, Taylor started winning competitions when she needed them most including the final four HoH, which secured her spot in the finale.

‘Big Brother’ and ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ Winners Through the Years

Ahead of the finale, Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves exclusively told Us her thoughts on the final three.

“It’s anyone’s game. I’m so excited, and I’m happy no matter who wins because I’m very happy with this final three,” she gushed.

Chen Moonves shared that she was rooting for Taylor to win it all.

“I think she’s someone who won when she had to know not to let emotions get the best of her. Didn’t have loose lips or you know her ego like lash out,” she explained. “If that meant she stayed confined to her pod a lot, it’s a strategy, and I love that she loves Jesus so much, and she and she gave him the glory when she won that last puzzle competition. I just love her.”

“I like him. You can’t not like Rick Devens, so I’ve been humbled,” Chen Moonves, 56, exclusively shared with Us before the Thursday, October 1, finale of CBS’ hit reality show. “Look, no one can be a performative phony for 87 days straight, especially in a show like Big Brother with the live feeds. You can’t be a phony for that long. He’s someone who it’s very easy to root for him.”

When Big Brother 28 kicked off in July, Chen Moonves was not the biggest cheerleader for Devens, 42, who previously competed on seasons 38 and 50 of Survivor.

“I know people love Devens, and he was great at Survivor,” she shared with Entertainment Weekly at the time. “This ain’t Survivor, honey. This here [is] Big Brother.”

Julie Chen Moonves Shares Advice She Needed Hosting ‘Big Brother’ Season 1

Chen Moonves called some of Devens’ early moves “terrible” before adding, “I was like, ‘Go back to the island, dude! I’m gonna snuff out your flame.’”

Now that Devens is in the final three with Taylor Brown and Drew Campbell, Chen Moonves is happy to give credit where credit is due.

“I’ve been working it out between me and Jesus, and he’s telling me, ‘Love one another,’ and he’s telling me, ‘Thou shalt not judge,’ and I think he’s teaching me a lesson for that reason. I think God is going to say, ‘All right, we’ve got to have Rick Devens win it,’” Chen Moonves told Us. “Don’t forget he’s older. He has a wife. He has two little kids. They were rooting for him. You want a guy to be able to provide for his family. … We’ll see.”

Before the Big Brother jury casts their votes on Thursday evening, Chen Moonves is proud of the final three for making it so far in an always unpredictable game.

After having a front-row seat to all the shocking evictions and unexpected moves, the host of summer’s addictive reality show doesn’t even know who could win the $750,000 cash prize.

“I have butterflies in my stomach,” she said. “It’s anyone’s game. I’m so excited, and I’m happy no matter who wins because I’m very happy with this final three.”

After this season of Big Brother featured two former Survivor contestants (Dee Valladares also competed), Us asked Chen Moonves whether any other players should be sent to Fiji to experience host Jeff Probst’s popular CBS show.

Big Brother's Dee Defends Her Gameplay After Struggling in Competitions

Without hesitation, Chen Moonves recommended Kamu Kirk.

“I think he could crush it. He’s an athlete. I don’t think he’s scared of the elements,” she said. “I’d like to see Kamu. I’d also love to see Yash [Patel]. I think he’s hysterical and a great competitor. I don’t know if I want to see Angela [Murray] because I love her, but I think they would edit her too much. I love her on live feeds. I’d love to see Lala [Verrett]. She’s fierce. She won the wall [competition]. Let’s see what she’s got on the island.”

Big Brother’s season finale airs on CBS Thursday, October 1, at 8 p.m. ET.

“Oh my goodness, these comps look easy. They are not that easy,” Dee, 29, exclusively shared with Us on Friday, September 25, after being evicted from the CBS reality show. “I am more of a physical competitor more so than mental. It’s no secret. I suck at puzzles. That is not my thing. So I think Big Brother has a lot of mental games, and that’s just not my thing.”

Throughout season 28, Dee — who won Survivor 45 in 2023 — exceeded expectations by staying in the Big Brother house for so long and making the final 4. She was ultimately evicted by Drew Campbell before a three-part competition will determine the final Head of Household.

“I know I keep saying that’s just not my thing, but it could be changed, and I could practice that, so that’s the problem,” Dee said about struggling in the competitions. “I have never really been one to practice puzzles, and it’s crazy because my life is game shows, but I am just much more of a physical competitor.”

The Challenge’s Johnny Bananas Reacts to Dee’s ‘Big Brother’ Game Play

Ultimately, Dee’s social game and ability to connect with houseguests kept her in the house for several weeks.

The fact that one of her strongest allies — fellow Survivor member Rick Devens — is still in the game may just prove Dee’s game ain’t too shabby.

“I’m not the smartest person in the room, and that is OK with me. I’m just someone that my strengths are people and understanding people — the psychology of people — more so than games themselves,” she shared. “I mean, they were a lot harder than they look and I struggled so much, but it’s OK. I am so OK with embodying all sides of me — the strengths and the weaknesses.”

As Dee prepares to reunite with some of her fellow houseguests in the jury house, she can’t believe just how close she got to being the first winner of both Survivor and Big Brother.

The possibility kept her fighting in the house up until eviction day.

“That’s what drove me every single day. Yes, the money is good. $750,000 is phenomenal,” Dee explained. “But I think I wanted the title more than I wanted the money. Just to know that I would have made history. I would have been the first person to win Survivor and Big Brother. There’s a reason why I got there.”

The former Challenge contestant added, “I’m also still very OK with it because I am very proud of the game that I played, and I’m not just proud of the game that I played. I had a lot of fun.”

Big Brother’s Wildest — And Iconic — Punishment Costumes Over the Years

On Thursday, October 1, Dee and the jury will have the opportunity to cast their votes and name a winner for Big Brother season 28. While she’s not ready to reveal her pick just yet, there is someone she is rooting for.

“Truly, I have never played with someone as smart as Devens. He just knows he is such a people person,” she said. “Everyone loves to be around Devens, and he really embodied this dad energy that people just love and felt safe around.”

Big Brother airs on CBS and Paramount + Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

It turns out that it could have if Drew, 22, was able to stay in line.

“I think everyone knows Drew really pissed me off a lot of the time,” Melody, 24, exclusively told Us on Thursday, September 24, days after her eviction from the house. “And my biggest thing was like, why would I reward bad behavior with a kiss or something?”

She added, “He annoyed me a lot, and he didn’t deserve it.”

Big Brother’s Mallory Talks Feeling ‘Betrayed’ by Her Ally Drew

Melody and Drew grew close throughout the season and were often seen cuddling or flirting on the live feeds. It wasn’t exactly subtle to their fellow houseguests either, as some expressed shock when the famed Zingbot revealed they hadn’t even kissed yet.

Returning icon Angela Murray eventually drew Melody’s ire when the latter felt the former was making too big a deal over a moment she shared with Drew in the pool days before Angela’s eviction.

Melody ended her run on Big Brother 28 as the fifth-place finisher, taken out by the Egyptian Eviction twist that saw Head of Household Rick Devens cast the tie-breaking vote that sent her to the jury house.

She and Drew will reunite soon, either when Drew is evicted or on finale night on Thursday, October 1. Though she stressed that neither she nor Drew wanted a showmance in the house, Melody also did not close the door on what the future might hold.

“I have absolutely no idea,” she told Us. “I definitely want to continue to be his friend. I think he is awesome, and he definitely made my time at Big Brother great.”

Big Brother 28's Drew Confronts Ally Haley for Using Him as a 'Pawn'

Melody ultimately spent 77 days in the Big Brother house but struggled to gain traction as a bona fide threat to win the game. As she put it, if she didn’t “suck so bad at competitions,” she could have made a move earlier, targeting the “icons,” Devens, 42, Angela, 52, and Dee Valladares.

Instead, she felt “iced out,” ending up on the wrong side of several key votes in her final weeks. When Yash Patel and Taylor Brown didn’t bring her in on their plan to blindside Angela, she saw that as a turning point where it became clear to her exactly where everyone stood in the game.

“I got iced out so that me, Drew and Barrett were a solidified, targeted trio that was next to go, and Yash and Taylor were working with the icons,” she said.

Big Brother 28 continues on CBS Thursday at 8 p.m. ET with a two-hour live eviction episode — the last one before the season finale.

“This season of Big Brother has been absolutely insane,” Kyland, 35, exclusively told Us on Saturday, September 19, while walking the UFC 331 on Paramount+ red carpet outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

“I mean, one — shoutout to the Survivors for sure. They are entertaining. They brought some amazing people,” he continued. “Dee is someone who I’ve met. She’s wonderful. Devens, I haven’t met but he was actually [on] one of the first seasons I watched of Survivor. I see why he’s a fan favorite, for sure.”

Back in July, fans of the hit CBS reality show learned that Survivor 50 favorite Devens, 42, would be one of 14 players joining the Big Brother cast, vying for the coveted $750,000 prize. He was joined by Dee, 29, who fans recall won season 45 of Survivor back in 2023, alongside remaining contestants Drew Campbell, Melody Morris and Taylor Brown.

Julie Chen Moonves Slams ‘Survivor’ Alum Rick Devens' 'Big Brother' Gameplay

“Both of them are kind of pulling some amazing moves in the game,” Kyland continued of the Survivor alums. “I am a little biased, because I’m just like, this is supposed to be the Big Brother house, so it’s kind of like we put in these icons and then we give them the powers. And then I’m just like, they are doing impressive things.”

He continued, “But at the end of the day, if you’ve played any of these games — just one day in one of these games — gives you [a] miles ahead advantage over someone who’s never played a game like this. So it kind of does feel like I’m watching NBA players compete against college players in basketball. It’s not that they’re not doing impressive moves, but when you add that context it’s a little bit less impressive.”

Given what Kyland considers to be the Survivor stars’ undeniable advantage, the former Big Brother player — who fans met in 2021 during his Big Brother season 23 appearance, in which he gave a memorable exit after he was blindsided by Xavier Prather — can’t help but hope a less-than-experienced contestant ultimately walks away victorious.

The Challenge’s Johnny Bananas Reacts to Dee’s ‘Big Brother’ Game Play

“I gotta root for the underdogs who didn’t get these advantages coming in,” he explained to Us on Saturday. “You know, they didn’t have the existing fan base, they didn’t have that experience and they’re still there as well. So who knows what’s gonna happen? You know, we got Drew, Melody and Taylor left. Hopefully, one of them can get their way into those finale chairs.”

He continued, “At the end of the day, Survivors [Dee and Devens] have been doing some real work to get themselves to the end, and they’ve both stated how much they want both of them at the end. They flip back and forth sometimes, but for the most part, they’re trying to get each other there.”

“I would have remained loyal to Dee. I would have put Devens up the second I have the chance,” Yash, 24, exclusively told Us on Friday, September 18, following his eviction from the game. “Devens is by far the biggest threat in the game. He is a social genius. He’s been playing a masterclass, and he’s sneakily very good at competitions, so I would have put Devens up without a hesitation. I don’t trust him. He has done me wrong multiple times.”

While Yash didn’t have the best track record with Devens, 42, in the game, the financial analyst felt the opposite about Dee, 29.

“So putting Devens up would have been an easy decision. But I trust Dee. After Taylor [Brown], she was probably my number two [ally] going into eviction night,” he admitted. “So I think I would have stayed true to Dee, but I would have put Devens up.”

Why Big Brother's Lala Thinks Targeting the Icons 'Would Have Been Horrible'

Yash and Dee ended up forming a working relationship when she used her BB Bribe power on him. Dee won the prize during the third week of the BB Time Capsule. The power gave Dee the opportunity to offer one houseguest $5,000 in exchange for a specific gameplay action that benefited her game.

During the sixth week of the game, Dee attempted to use the bribe on Yash to guarantee herself safety during his Head of Household (HoH). Yash declined at the time and put her on the block alongside Angela Murray and Haley Thogmartin. However, Devens ended up using his Diamond Power of Veto power to save Dee and replaced her with Kamu Kirk, who ultimately went home.

After losing his ally on his HoH, Yash was in a pickle and went into self-preservation mode. Dee offered him the bribe a second time — but this time with more restrictions. Dee bribed Yash to not only keep herself safe but Angela and Devens as well, meaning that he could not put either of them up as an initial or replacement nominee during his next HoH. Yash agreed to the terms and found himself with three new allies.

“I gave in for a few reasons. First and foremost, the week before during my HOH when I had initially declined it, it’s because I believed I could rally the troops for the quote-unquote newbies, and we can keep Kamu to get out the icons. I really believe that was in everyone’s best interest,” he recalled. “We didn’t have the votes, and I didn’t have the support there, which definitely hurt, and it left me feeling ‘Who do I have in this game?’ I tried to help them; they declined my method of helping. I’m not a savior, so I’m not gonna keep trying to help y’all.”

Yash knew he needed to focus on saving himself, especially after being “a bit burned” by the house’s decision to evict Kamu.

Big Brother’s Barrett Details His Missing Clothes Struggles Before Eviction

“Even though I didn’t want to be in that room getting the bribe by the icons because it was definitely a strong bribe on their part. It was an opportunity to insulate myself pretty well,” he told Us. “Because there’s no real good way to decline that bribe because if I decline that bribe, not only would I go up, but that bribe would have been offered to somebody else. And had that bribe been offered to somebody else, and that person cannot put up the three icons, it’s guaranteed then that person would put me up, because I’m one of the biggest threats outside of that.”

While many fans have criticized Yash’s decision to take the bribe, he believes it did help his game a little bit.

“Short term, it improved my game because it kept me safe. Long term, which is why I was reluctant on taking this bribe in the first place because I knew the long term implications,” he explained. “It hurt my game because I had to play the game with handcuffs on. I couldn’t play freely. I couldn’t win whatever I wanted to win. Every competition became strategic. Is it worth winning? Think about who I would want to put up. Then I also had to navigate the game socially in a different way because the bribe almost made me feel like I had to have other people do my dirty work in putting up the icons because I couldn’t do it myself.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“You have no idea what it’s like to not only be on the block, be a have not, and on top of that, like lose your entire identity in your clothing. Absolutely, that affected me,” Barrett, 27, exclusively told Us on Friday, September 18, following his eviction from season 28. “I am not who I am without my clothes and my stuff.”

The show’s audience saw during the Thursday, September 17, episode that Barrett was reunited with his missing items — but live feeders watched Barrett struggle for a week without his items.

The previous week, Barrett was the Head of Household (HoH). The HoH has a lot of duties like putting up fellow houseguests for eviction but also get multiple perks including their own bedroom, private bathroom and a gift basket filled with special treats, mementos from home, a CD of their choosing and more. The HoH can also send their clothes out to get washed rather than doing laundry in the house themselves.

What Angela Wishes She Did Differently Before 'Big Brother 28' Eviction

Barrett ultimately opted to use the service but the clothes mysteriously went missing. While waiting for his wardrobe, Barrett was given alternate clothing provided by the Big Brother production team. While he was clothed, Barrett admitted he didn’t feel like himself — affecting his morale in the game as he was put on the block by Yash Patel.

“It’s like putting on a work uniform. I felt naked. I had clothes on, but I still felt naked, like in a way, personality wise. Like it was draining to not,” he explained. “I feel like I was in my pink camo zip up jacket and have my bandana shorts on. Like that stuff changes you when you don’t have it. Especially [when] you need all the comfort you can in the Big Brother house. So certainly I was a different person entirely without them.”

Prior to his eviction, Barrett made the biggest move of the game but successfully getting a reality TV icon out. While he had his eyes set on Survivor’s Dee Valladares or Rick Devens being evicted, the house voted to evict Big Brother 26 alum Angela Murray.

“Rick Devens said it best, ‘You may only get one chance at an HoH, and you don’t know what your next chance is going to be.’ So, that was a lot of my mindset going into it,” Barrett told Us. “I knew in this game I wanted to take big risks and I wanted to make big moves when I got the opportunity.”

Barrett was initially aligned with Dee, Devens, Angela and Drew Campbell but the jumbotron engineer felt it was “time” to betray his alliance with the hope of beefing up his game résumé.

Big Brother’s Haley Reveals How Long the Medieval Twist Competition Took

“I spent a long time in this game laying low, waiting for my chance. And I felt like, especially after Mallory [Aurichio] went home, my entire game changed from being ‘I am icon strong, I’m crossover strong. To then being, I need to get all of these newbies together to form a new alliance to go against the icons.’ I felt like that was going to be a new fun path for me,” he explained. “So I felt very confident with the timing of my move, and especially just being top eight at that point, there were only three people outside of the crossover to even nominate, and I saw an opportunity to take that shot and try to form something new with the non icons in place.”

Both Dee and Devens survived the eviction and vowed vengeance on Barrett in the game — which they ultimately got. Despite being close with them once, Barrett knew their working relationship would never be the same after he targeted them.

“I think there may have been a path to align with maybe one of Dee [or] Devens after Angela’s eviction. More likely Devens,” he said. “But at the same time, Dee and Devens very made it very clear that Yash and Taylor [Brown] were the new Drew and Barrett in their eyes with that vote and how they socialized that next week during Yash’s HoH.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“I think if I had to say anything that I could do differently, it would be in the final two to three days, and of my time in the house, and that would have been to read the room,” Angela, 52, exclusively told Us on Friday, September 11. “[I] knew something was going on.”

While Angela was aligned with Survivor alums Rick Devens and Dee Valladares throughout the game, she could tell their demeanours were different after they were all put on the block by Barrett Pfeiffer.

“Devens was acting way too cool, and I felt something was off with Dee. If I could have read the room,” she reflected about the shift in energy. “I even told her ‘[Devens] wants to keep you over me.’ I knew that. I knew that she was his number one.”

Why Big Brother's Lala Thinks Targeting the Icons 'Would Have Been Horrible'

Angela admitted that she should have taken the time to pitch her case to Yash Patel and Taylor Brown — who ended up being the deciding votes.

“I wish that I had gone to Taylor and Yash and told them that I’m due for an HoH. I wish I had said, ‘I’ll help you.’ I did say that, but I wish I had said things like Devens and Dee are not going to take out the boys. They’re not. They’re only putting on this big elaborate show. They’re fooling you. They actually want you guys out,” she said. “If I had said that, I could have maybe stayed, and I thought about that all night last night as I was leaving the house.”

Angela wishes she would “have been a little sneaky” and “set a different tone in motion.” However, it might have been a hard sell compared to how Dee, 29, pitched herself to stay.

Big Brother’s Mallory Talks Feeling ‘Betrayed’ by Her Ally Drew

“It’s very clear why the house kept Dee over me because she was acting like a killer,” she told Us. “Like she said in her speech — and she had been saying it all week long, ‘I’m gonna help you get out those boys,’ meaning Drew [Campbell] and Barrett.”

Angela knows all too well that Dee “has a history of winning and being very good” at games so the Survivor 45 winner’s argument was something she would “be able to deliver on that promise.”

While Angela knows she would have had to convince Yash, 24, and Taylor, 27, to flip their votes, she couldn’t see herself being loyal to them.

“I didn’t have that energy in me. I didn’t give that. I played very undertone because if I were to stay, I would have wanted Barrett and Drew to not be [targeted]. I didn’t want to be a threat to them,” she admitted. “I could either go with Yash and Taylor or I could go with Barrett and Drew. That was kind of my strategy of staying a little bit more even keel with that.”

Big Brother’s Haley Reveals How Long the Medieval Twist Competition Took

Angela was no stranger to the Big Brother house as she was a fan favorite during her first time playing in season 26. However, viewers got to see the evolution of Angela this year.

“Playing Big Brother this season compared to my first, I think there are a lot of changes,” she told Us. “There’s some familiar things because you know I’m Angela. I’m who I am, and I’m gonna play the way I want to play. And I play with my heart. I play with my gut. I always felt like I did have good reads in both seasons.”

The real estate agent continued, “I think the thing that’s different the most is that I strategized. I had multiple alliances, and I paid attention. And when I saw that there was going to be a divide starting in the house, and I was watching some of the heavy hitters puff out their chest, and I pointed out to them that there was this divide starting, and I was also kind of guiding that kind of divide and planting seeds. I created Big Brother from the get-go, and I think that is the difference.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“I was out there for probably seven hours, but I didn’t know how long I’d be out there,” Haley, 29. exclusively told Us on Thursday, September 3, following her elimination from the Big Brother house. “Plus, it was really hot.”

Haley, who is from Wildwood, Missouri, explained it was “super humid” outside during the competition.

“I’m not from California, so I don’t understand some of the humidity,” she said. “It was in the middle of the night, and it was just a really long competition. I’ve played sports my whole life. I’m used to the heat too, you know, having to play you know game after game after game in summer ball. But that was when I was like 13, not when I’m almost 30. So it was a lot harder. But I thought I gave it my best shot.”

‘Big Brother 28’ Makes Several Schedule Changes After Competition Cliffhanger

Following Big Brother’s milestone 1000th episode, the houseguests used the dining table time machine to travel to the medieval times for their next competition. However the players were informed that the Head of Household competition was canceled and that someone would be eliminated by the end of the night.

The group competed for safety which was ultimately won by Dee Valladares. The Survivor 45 winner, 29, could also give one additional player safety. Haley told Dee she was worried about being eliminated in a safety chain competition. However, Dee ultimately picked ally Rick Devens who saved her with the Diamond Power of Veto earlier this season.

“I already knew she was going to return the favor,” Haley said of why she didn’t campaign harder to Dee for safety. “So I just feel like it would have been more pressure for her and me to try to advocate for that and be like, ‘Hey, please save me.’ But in the back of my head, we all knew she was going to pick Devens because he saved her.”

Haley ultimately volunteered to compete first alongside Drew Campbell. Drew, 22, won the first competition and saved Angela Murray. Barrett Pfeiffer was sent in next to compete against Haley and he was victorious against her. Dee, Devens, Angela and Drew advised Barrett, 27, to send Taylor Brown and LaTrice “La La” Verrett in to compete against Haley to ensure her safety but the jumbotron engineer had different plans following the eviction of his friend Mallory Aurichio. Barrett sent in La La and Yash Patel to compete. Yash, 24, was successful and decided to send Haley home.

Haley confessed that she wasn’t completely surprised by Barrett’s decision to betray her.

Big Brother’s Mallory Talks Feeling ‘Betrayed’ by Her Ally Drew

“I’ve already been flipped on once in the house you know,? Again expect the unexpected,” she said, reciting host Julie Chen Moonves’ catchphrase. “I was kind of bummed because it was a do or die moment for me, and to be able to look back eventually and see why it happened again. I totally get it, but again, it just was what it was. But I knew it was going to be a win or go home moment.”

The telemedicine executive added that while she did volunteer to go first, she knew it was going to be tough to win against some “great competitors.”

“Drew is very, very good with puzzles, and we’ve talked about our strong suits before. So, you know, the competition was not easy. None of the competitions we played were easy,” she told Us. “And then, you know, Barrett, seeing him rock the balance beam already in the previous HOH, I knew going into that that was going to be tough, even though I didn’t know the games before. I went against some pretty great competitors, and then you Yash at the very end, [he] pulled it out. I can only tip my hat off to them because they did great.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

The Sunday, September 13, episode is scheduled to air at 8:30 p.m. ET rather than its usual 8 p.m. time slot. This change was made due to an NFL doubleheader and a delayed 60 Minutes that will be pushed back due to the Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts game followed by the Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings game. The time may change if the football games go into overtime.

The episodes scheduled for Wednesday, September 16, and Thursday, September 17, will both start at 8 p.m. ET and be two hours long.

The episode on Wednesday, September 23, will not air until 10 p.m. due to the two-hour Survivor 51 premiere. The Big Brother episode is still expected to be 90 minutes.

The Craziest 'Big Brother' Twists of All Time: White Locust and More

Big Brother: Unlocked will air its final episode on Friday, September 25

The Sunday, September 27, episode will start at 9:30 p.m. ET. This change is due to the MTV Video Music Awards which are scheduled to begin at 7:30 and will run for two hours. While the VMAs typically air on MTV, the awards show will run on CBS and Paramount+ this year instead.

The Big Brother finale is mixing things up as well as it will air on Thursday, October 1, at 8 p.m. ET. The finale, which will be 90 minutes, will crown the season 28 winner and reveal America’s Favorite Houseguest. Previous Big Brother finales have aired on Sundays in the past.

The schedule will remain the same for the upcoming episodes on Wednesday, September 2, and Thursday, September 3. A rep for CBS told Us that the Wednesday showing will be a two-hour episode.

The Wednesday episode will kick off where the Sunday, August 30, one left off with Barrett Pfeiffer having the power to choose two players to compete against Haley Thogmartin in the final phase of the game-changing medieval-themed twist.

During the Sunday episode, Big Brother alum and fan favorite Britney Haynes revealed the Head of Household competition had been canceled and that one houseguest’s game would end that night. Dee Valladares won safety and selected ally Rick Devens to be safe as well. Dee chose to send Haley and Drew Campbell into a safety chain-style competition. Drew won the first challenge and saved Angela Murray. He then chose Barrett to face off against Haley. Barrett ultimately won and was tasked with choosing the next two competitors.

Big Brother’s Mallory Talks Feeling ‘Betrayed’ by Her Ally Drew

While the show has not revealed the results of the competition, the live feeds have seemingly shown the outcome.

Spoilers below for Big Brother:

When the feeds returned on Sunday afternoon ahead of the live show, fans noticed that Haley was no longer in the house.

Exit interviews with the eliminated houseguest were initially scheduled for Monday, August 31. However, they were pushed to Thursday due to the cliffhanger.

Big Brother season 28 airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“I do feel betrayed by Drew, but he seems very regretful of it,” Mallory, 24, exclusively told Us on Friday, August 28, following her eviction from the season 28 house. “I have no doubt that this will bite him in the butt. I would be very surprised if this ends up being a good move for him.”

While Mallory was upset by Drew, 22, being one of the six votes to evict her, she said ultimately she won’t let his vote impact the pair’s friendship.

“I’m not leaving with a ton of anger at him, and I’m still excited to hang out with him after this,” she added.

Big Brother's Lyric Claims Drew Called Her ‘Homie Hopper’ After Rome’s Exit

Mallory and Drew were members of a four person alliance dubbed For the American People (FAP) alongside Barrett Pfeiffer and Melody Morris. Drew and Barrett, 27, are also members of the Crossovers alliance with the reality TV icons: Angela Murray, Rick Devens and Dee Valladares. Barrett and Drew invited Mallory and Melody to form the Mosh Pit alliance with the icons. The Mosh Pit group formed to get out Kamu Kirk the previous week.

The rocket scientist shared that it was “very frustrating” to learn that Drew planned on turning on her.

“I wouldn’t have done that to him, even if I knew he didn’t have the numbers,” she said of Drew’s betrayal. “I still would have voted to keep him, just to show loyalty. I guess the biggest feeling is [I’m] disappointed.”

Mallory understands that Drew “thinks he’s doing what’s best for his game,” but wishes he was more cautious around Angela, Dee and Devens.

“I just wish he didn’t trust the icons so much and kept them more at an arm’s length, like me and Melody told him over and over again,” she said.

Mallory added, “I think he’s scared of the icons, and I think he believes they are working with him, but I think he’s working for them.”

Why Big Brother 28's Chuk Was ‘Completely Blindsided’ Before Elimination

While Mallory feels betrayed by Drew, she knows there’s plenty of blame to go around when considering her exit.

“I think we just play the game differently,” she said of why she and Survivor winner Dee couldn’t get on the same strategic page. “She really wanted everyone’s game to be out in the open and aired. Like she kind of felt like if I was working with her, I shouldn’t be good with Yash [Patel] and Taylor [Brown] because she felt like Yash and Taylor wouldn’t put me up, but they would put her up.”

Mallory shared that she didn’t “like that way of playing the game.”

“Just because I’m working with you, your enemies don’t have to be my enemies. Like, how does that help me?” she reflected. “And that’s what you kind of feel everyone should play.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“For the first week and a half of the season, maybe even two weeks, Jason and I had a really good relationship,” the MMA fighter, 32, exclusively told Us on Friday, August 21, following his eviction from the Big Brother house. “We had a couple great, deep conversations where we, you know, we opened up to each other about things, and we were good friends.”

Kamu added that he was close to forming an alliance with Jason, 35, during the early stages in the game.

“In fact, at one point in time, I actually thought about starting an alliance with Jason called The Night Shift with all of the people that stayed up real late,” he recalled. “And there was a group of us every night that would stay up after everybody else would go to sleep, and Jason and I were part of that group, so we had a really good relationship.”

Frankie Grande Shuts Down Big Brother's Kamu's Request for Ariana Grande

Kamu claimed that he ultimately scrapped the idea after believing Jason was coming after him.

“Unfortunately, he started to throw my name out, which obviously led to distrust,” he said. “And then our games just didn’t align.”

While he didn’t see Jason as an ally, Kamu told Us that he really liked the drag queen “on a human level.”

“I’m hoping that he and I can be friends after the show,” he said. “Well, now I guess I won’t see him again until finale night. So I’m hoping that when I see him, he and I can shake hands, he and I can hug, and we can be friends. Because for me, it was never personal. Everything was always game-related.”

During Kamu’s Head of Household reign, which ultimately sent Jason home, the athlete publicly called out the RuPaul’s Drag Race alum for playing both sides of the house during the infamous Tea Party incident.

“Because his game blew up during [Rick] Devens‘ nomination, right, and then he threw my name out, and that was kind of what started, like, the rift between us in the beginning. But then he apologized, we shook hands, everything was cool as water under the bridge,” Kamu said. “Then, when I was HoH, several people came up to me saying, “Hey, man, Jason’s saying this about you. He’s saying that about you.’ But then he would tell a different group of people something completely different.”

Why Big Brother 28's Chuk Was ‘Completely Blindsided’ Before Elimination

Kamu continued, “So with the Tea Party thing, it was more like, all right, let’s get everything out in the open. He’s saying different things to everybody. I want everybody to collectively hear what he has to say, and then they can make the judgment call as to whether or not what he’s saying lines up with what he told them privately.”

While many fans thought that the Tea Party argument went a little too far to personally target Jason, Kamu reiterated “it was all game-related.”

“I knew that he’s a great competitor, and if he were to stay that week, I knew that there was a good shot he would come after me, and I didn’t want him to have an army of people behind him also coming after me,” he said. “So if I could make sure that people did not trust him, if he were to stay in the house, then that would have been better for my game moving forward. But again, it was all game-related. It was never personal.”

Kamu also made headlines while in the Big Brother house for making what appeared to be anti-drag remarks. During a conversation with Devens — who was the mastermind behind Kamu’s eviction — Kamu reacted to seeing Drew Campbell wearing a set of unicorn pajamas.

‘Big Brother’ Alumni React to Kamu's Controversial George Floyd Video

“I said, ‘Bro, miss me with the drag stuff.’ Miss me. I’m still an MMA guy, and I have an image to uphold,” Kamu said on the live feeds in July.

While fans believed that Kamu’s comments were a diss toward Jason, the conversation was not directed at him. Following his eviction from the house, Kamu addressed the remarks and reiterated his love for Jason in multiple exit interviews.

“Jason and all those guys, they can dress however they wanna dress. And that’s cool with me. But I also wanna be able to dress the way that I wanna be able to dress and feel comfortable dressing without people putting pressure on me to dress a certain way either,” Kamu told Entertainment Weekly. “So I love Jason on a personal level, man. And he can do whatever he wants to do. And I just ask for that same respect, that’s all.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“Knowing what I know now, I feel that we were completely blindsided, and all my doubts came into fruition,” Chuk, 27, exclusively shared with Us after being eliminated from the CBS reality show on Thursday, August 13. “My doubts about everyone came into fruition.”

The Dallas native said he had plenty of concerns about fellow houseguest Kamu Kirk. Once his competitor chose not to use the Power of Veto on him, Chuk knew he was in serious trouble.

“It’s a lot to process because it’s like, how can your people turn their backs?” he asked. “But it’s the game, and people need to play the game, and that’s what they do.”

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When looking back on his decision to pick Kamu, 32, as his partner for the Power of Veto competition, Chuk now believes it was “the worst decision I possibly could have made.”

“I truly am someone to where I stay loyal to my people. Kamu was a beast of a competitor, so I knew he was going to go into Veto and potentially win it,” he said. “And look what he did, right? And I knew I should have chosen Yash [Patel] because I knew Yash has a little bit more loyalty to just the fact that yo, you’re my boy.”

Before Chuk was evicted from the Big Brother house after 38 days, fellow houseguest Taylor Brown tried to give him advice — or as she described it as “Big Brother for dummies” in the Diary Room — on how to campaign for votes and stay another week.

After leaving the show, Chuk is the first to own the fact that he wasn’t receptive to her words of wisdom.

“I didn’t listen to it because of me being Chuk. I could not listen to someone who’s been on the block twice and to someone who’s come to me for that exact same [thing], you know, advice,” he said. “Well, not advice, but wanting me to campaign for them and campaign to a few of the people I’m working with for them because they couldn’t do it.”

The supply chain analyst continued, “I kind of deemed her as someone who truly is just not a strong competitor. I could not take advice from someone who wasn’t a strong competitor and someone who socially, you know, people kind of walked on eggshells around.”

Before Chuk watches the rest of the season unfold, he appears to have no regrets about his experience filming CBS’ summer hit.

Frankie Grande Shuts Down Big Brother's Kamu's Request for Ariana Grande

And no, he doesn’t wish he listened to Taylor, 27, after all.

“There was nothing I could have said because Kamu had so much influence in that house to sway their minds,” he shared. “There was nothing I truly could have said to change people’s minds.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.

The online exchange began on Monday, August 10, when a Big Brother fan compared current houseguest Haley Thogmartin to Janelle.

“Haley isn’t wrong calling herself Janelle cause if season six of BB aired TODAY yall would HATE Janelle who is also MAGA…. #BB28,” the user wrote via X.

Hours later, Janelle saw the post and responded to the fan’s assumption.

'Big Brother' Legend Janelle Addresses Rumors She’s Joining Season 28

“Stop labeling everyone MAGA just to create hate. Since you like spreading lies about people let me clear some things up,” the four-time player wrote via X. “I’m politically independent. Socially very liberal, fiscally conservative, and anti-big-government. Pro-choice. Pro-LGBTQ rights. Pro-individual freedom. Lower taxes, less government waste, controlled immigration, and no foreign wars. I don’t need every one of my beliefs to fit neatly into a political party.”

Janelle further argued that compared to when she first played Big Brother in 2005, everyone would be considered conservative in today’s political landscape.

“By today’s standards everyone from BB6 would be labeled MAGA by Twitter,” she continued. “There are several people from BB6 that would have been kicked out for saying the N word, none of them were from my alliance. So basically go f*** yourself and stop spreading lies. 🖕”

Janelle made her Big Brother debut in season 6, going on to become an instant fan favorite. She was a member of the underdog Sovereign Six alliance alongside Kaysar Ridha, Howie Gordon, Rachel Plencner, James Rhine and Sarah Hrejsa, whose goal was to unite against the remaining members of the house.

The realtor proved herself to be a challenge beast after winning multiple competitions to ensure her continuation in the competition. Janelle ultimately came in third place behind runner up Ivette Corredero and winner Maggie Ausburn.

The following season, Janelle returned to the Big Brother house to compete in its inaugural all-star season. During Big Brother 7, Janelle set the record for most individual competitions won in a single season with a total of nine wins. Despite her challenge prowess, Janelle came in third place for a second time, but she did take home the title of America’s Favorite Player.

Taylor and Janelle Discuss 'Big Brother' Tactic People Are 'Fearful' to Use

Janelle came back to the Big Brother house in season 14 as a coach alongside Mike “Boogie” Malin, Dan Gheesling and Britney Haynes. A twist later led the coaches to become players in the game. She finished in 12th place.

In 2020, Janelle came back for the second all-stars season alongside season 6 pal Kaysar. The duo were targeted early and Janelle was evicted during the third week of the competition.

Janelle has not played Big Brother since. However, she has been an active viewer and has shared her thoughts on the season and players via her social media channels.

The tradition began during season 8 when Jen Johnson secured the prize of wearing a red unitard for one week. Jen took the punishment with grace and actually made the full bright red bodysuit look chic.

After the positive reception of Jen’s participation in the punishment, the unitard returned the following season. The unitard has continued to grace our screens every summer and has evolved over time with even more elaborate designs.

As players become used to the idea of one day wearing a unitard, Big Brother upped the ante. In recent seasons, the costume department has gone the extra mile with even more creative wearable punishments.

Keep scrolling to see some of the most outrageous — and iconic — Big Brother costume punishments over the years:

Unitards

There have been many reiterations of the classic costume including former winners Jordan Lylod’s cute “Humtilard” and Nicole Franzel’s adorable “Super Safety” unitard costume. Season 20 winner Kaycee Clark also rocked the “Health Nut-itard.” During the second all-star season, Janelle Pierzina looked utterly adorable in the All-Star Mascot costume which featured a gold unitard and bright yellow star outfit to wear on top.

Adam and Eve

Things got biblical in Big Brother 16 when houseguests Caleb Reynolds and Victoria Rafael received the Adam and Eve punishment. Not only did the pair have to wear bright green leaves to cover themselves, they were tethered together for 48 hours.

Big Brother brought back the costume in season 28 as part of the BB Time Capsule. Mallory Aurichio landed on the punishment instead of a power and picked her bestie Melody Morris to be her partner.

The Whackstreet Boys

Nothing was more iconic that season 17’s parody boy band. For an entire week, Johnny Mac, Liz Nolan and Jason Roy dressed in matching white outfits that mimicked the Backstreet Boys’ Millennium album cover. In addition to looking like certified pop stars, the trio had to perform multiple songs and dance numbers.

The ‘Big Brother’ Robot

The reality series’ wildest punishment to date occurred in season 20. During the first week of the game, a twist placed houseguest Sam Bledsoe inside a robot. She was replaced in the house by a robot which she operated behind-the-scenes in a secluded room.

The houseguests could not see her as the robot’s screen was a simple — and cute — smiley face. However, she could communicate through the device’s speakers. Robot Sam has to wheel around the house and even inside the diary room. After the first eviction, real-life Sam returned to the game to play in person.

The Lord of the Latrine

Derek Xiao received the Lord of the Latrine punishment in Big Brother 23. While rocking a regal outfit, Derek was tasked with personally tending the bathroom for multiple days. Anytime a houseguest needed to use the facilities, Derek had to unlock the door, blow a horn and announce it to the entire house.

Kayak Companions

During season 25, Felicia Cannon received the Kayak Companions punishment after losing the veto competition and she chose ally Cirie Fields to accompany her. The pair were tethered together for 48 hours in a modified kayak. They donned life jackets and helmets and had paddles to navigate around the house. Anytime Felicia or Cirie needed to use the restroom, they had to lay down towels to “dock” their kayak.

The Hard Boiled Detective

The Hard Boiled Detective made its on-screen debut during Big Brother 27. After losing the veto competition, Vince Panaro was given the punishment, which was an oversized egg-shaped costume dressed up in a detective’s outfit with a giant magnifying glass. He wore the outfit for one whole week.

The costume made its return one season later when Angela Murray received the punishment after going into the BB Time Capsule.

“You know what’s interesting, because I knew that Rome wanted me to be strong and to win the game, and he told me the night before he left. He said, ‘Lyric, I want you to fight, and you can go far in this game. Rely on the guys to protect you. They will,’” the lawyer, 25, exclusively told Us on Friday, August 7, following her eviction from the hit reality series. “And so that’s exactly what I did.”

Lyric explained she always had a “good relationship” with both Chuk Anyanwu and Kamu Kirk. However, she never got the chance to start talking about the game with them until Rome, 28, was evicted. Rome and Lyric began their showmance almost instantly, and the couple’s feelings developed quickly as they exchanged “I love yous.” Rome was evicted in the second week of the competition.

When Lyric started buddying up with Chuk, 27, and Kamu, 32, after Rome’s departure, Drew, 22, apparently made a remark about it.

Big Brother 28’s Rome Teases Post-Game Romance With Lyric After Her Vote

“Drew made comments to me that night when Rome left. He said, ‘Wow, Rome left, and you’re already running around with Chuk,’ and then he called me a homie hopper,” she claimed. “He said these things, and I was thinking to myself, I’m like, ‘Hmm, that’s not very nice.’”

Lyric confessed she was “a little taken back” by Drew’s comment, but she tried to play it off like a joke.

“In that house, you have to bite your tongue because it will always come back to you,” she told Us. “So when he said that to me, I was laughing it off, like, ‘Oh, that’s so funny.’ But in my head, I’m thinking, ‘The moment I’m HoH, I’m putting you up.’”

Lyric also shared that she told fellow houseguest Yash Patel about Drew’s alleged remark, which led to an eventual apology.

“I told Yash, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s not so nice that he’s saying those things, because I want to play this game.’ And from a game standpoint, it was good that Rome left … because then people can’t use me as a pawn to put me up to get at Rome, and I can kind of start my own game,” she recalled. “And Yash told Drew like, ‘Hey, that wasn’t cool,’ I guess. And Drew the next day came and apologized to me for saying the homie hopper [remark] and things like that.”

Though Lyric did get close to Chuk, Kamu and Yash, 24, after Rome left, her feelings for the pickleball coach were still going strong.

“I truly am so in love with him, and I know that sounds crazy for only knowing him for two weeks, but when you know, you know,” she gushed of Rome. “We had so many conversations in the house from the minute we got in there. We talked about family. We talked about our parents being together for over 28 years for me and over 30 years for him, and so, we immediately knew that we had the same values. When you’re in the Big Brother house, when you find someone who you can trust and who you feel safe with, someone who makes you feel like you’re at home because you have no contact with your family, you hold on to that person and you hold them tight. And I felt that way immediately with Rome.”

Jerry O’Connell Has Thoughts About Rome and Lyric’s ‘Big Brother’ Showmance

Now that she and Rome are both out of the Big Brother house, Lyric is looking forward to reconnecting with him as soon as she can.

“I was thinking this past week, I’m like, ‘The one thing that’s getting me through is talking to my mom and talking to Rome.’ I can’t wait to tell him how much I love him when I get my phone,” she told Us. “I can’t wait to FaceTime him, and hopefully he hasn’t found a beautiful, gorgeous girl outside … I hope that he’s waiting for me. That was our understanding on the way out, and so, I’m not too far behind.”

Lyric added that she hoped Rome was “still waiting for” her and he’ll be able to join her in her native Hawaii “ASAP.”

“I hope he’s waiting for me in Hawaii. That’d be so nice,” she said. “I can’t wait to see him and just be in his arms again, because I slept with his hoodie literally every single night and it still smelled like him. And that was the one thing that got me to go to sleep at night.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.

“Frankie Grande, tell your sister to hit me up!” Kamu Kirk said while casting his vote for eviction on the Thursday, August 6, live show.

Frankie, 43, competed on Big Brother season 16 in 2014 and is the proud older brother of Ariana, 33.

“Not a f***ing chance Kamu,” Frankie wrote via X, sharing a selfie from the crowd at his sister’s Eternal Sunshine Tour concert that night. “You can eat my ass.”

Frankie Grande Calls for ‘Big Brother' to Remove Kamu After Drag Remarks

In response, a social media user called out the Broadway performer for giving Kamu, 32, “attention” by replying in the first place.

“He hasn’t seen anything cause he’s … in the house. Are you … OK?” Frankie quipped.

Earlier this season, Frankie condemned Kamu for his anti-drag comments.

“Um. What the f*** is this horses***?! Get these homophobic bigots out of the f***ing house IMMEDIATELY. Both of them,” Frankie tweeted last month. “Ew this conversation makes me sick to my stomach. I’m disgusted. This better be the biggest thing ever when I wake up tomorrow or I’m flipping a table… f***. Ew. Gross.”

In the footage, Kamu and fellow houseguest Rick Devens reacted to their alliance member Drew Campbell’s unicorn-themed pajamas. When Devens, 42, asked Kamu whether “those dudes dressed in women’s clothes,” his costar responded affirmatively.

“I’m not doing that, bro,” Kamu claimed, noting that he wouldn’t participate until Jason De Puy won a Head of Household competition. (Outside of the Big Brother house, Jason, 35, is a professional drag queen known as Salina EsTitties.)

Big Brother 28’s Jason Says He Could Tell Drag Made Kamu ‘Uncomfortable’

He added, “I said, ‘Bro, miss me with the drag stuff.’ I’m still an MMA guy, and I have an image to uphold.”

Frankie later said in a follow-up X post that it was a “mistake” to get involved in the drama.

“After leaving the show and getting sober, I’ve been nothing but an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community,” he tweeted. “So seeing things like that and seeing people in the house that are definitely homophobic is just hard for me. “It always is. And I should not engage on X.”

As for Ariana, she has not publicly addressed the Big Brother shout-out. The Oscar nominee is currently closing out her Eternal Sunshine Tour before taking a “break” from the spotlight.

“It is something that I had decided, a plan I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place,” Ariana said during her Monday, August 3, concert. “No matter what noises exist out there, nothing will be able to distort my reality or be more real to me or not as real to me than this love that we share and how it feels to make art with people that I love and respect. Absolutely nothing will change that.”

Big Brother airs on CBS Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.