Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
Big Brother 20: Steve Reacts to Kaitlyn's Shocking Switch Vote
He did not see her betrayal coming
For the first eviction of Big Brother 20, it came down to Steve or a robot.
Not wanting to get blood on his hands, Tyler nominated safe choices Steve and Sam, who is still living under the robo-punishment, which might just be the best punishment in BB history. And while Steve did have the votes for the majority of his time on the block, ultimately his game was cut short by a love triangle he wasn't even a part of!
After Faysal and Haleigh struck up a showmance, Kaitlyn -- who had thought Fessy was her ride-or-die -- betrayed her F.O.U.T.T.E. alliance and voted Steve out because she didn't want to be the only one without a partner and felt like she couldn't trust that side of the house anymore. (Note: Kaitlyn has a boyfriend, so her jealousy over his relationship with Haleigh is... questionable.)
It's a bit of a shame that Steve was a casualty of this melodrama, and we spoke to the former undercover cop/fake mechanic about what it was like the be blindsided, Kaitlyn's surprising vote and who we should keep our eyes on.
You were completely blindsided by your eviction last night. How are you feeling this morning?
Steve: A little shellshocked, trying to play it over in my head -- where I could have went differently, what I should have did differently. I can tell you this, I hold no ill will toward anybody in the house. I think they're all great people, I really do. I said it last night, I really mean it this morning. And I tell you this too, the more I think about it, and I saw the goodbye messages from Brett -- otherwise known as Brad of the Brad and Chad alliance, the bros -- I'm damn proud of those two, and I'll tell you why. They took a shot at Swaggy and Fes in regards to lowering the numbers in the alliance and they believe that I was part of that alliance. They took a big shot and they swung and they hit a home run right off the bat. I love Big Brother seasons where they make big moves and they don't start casting out the easy ones early and it doesn't get good. This season, they started off with a bang and I can't wait to see the rest. I'm excited.
Are you grateful that at the very least you didn't get sent home on the first night?
Steve: Yes! Oh, you have no idea. Yes. That would have been the nightmare scenario where I probably would have crawled underneath a rock and never showed my face again. At least this way I got a chance to be a part of it. I competed in several events, even though I wasn't successful in any of them. But you know, I got to know the houseguests. I got to be a part of it. I got to be in an alliance. I tried to play my game, I just didn't have the longitudinal factor in regards to longevity, but I absolutely am just very thankful to have been a part of it. And now that I'm part of the Big Brother alumni, I feel pretty good. I'm honored to have been there.
You did have allies who had your back and voted for you to stay, but why didn't you try to campaign more with the other side of the house to really secure the votes?
Steve: You know, the truth of the matter was I had the seven votes, I thought, with my alliance and I thought my alliance was strong. And I automatically had the earlier deal with Winston and Brett, that they had my back. So doing the math, that's nine. I talked to Kaycee and she said, "I'm voting for you." So there's ten! So in my mind, I've got ten, but even if the bros turned on me, I had eight and that's still a number I could have walked away as a winner. In the Big Brother house, it's really hard to know when to press the issue, when to back off from the issue, because the more you bring it up, the more people start to question it. But on the same token, the less you bring it up, the less people think that you're working. It's a really delicate balance and I can say that obviously I didn't know the right ratio.
CBS Warns Big Brother Contestants of "Future Consequences" for Inappropriate Behavior
Swaggy really thought he was running this house but was also totally blindsided by your eviction. How do you imagine he's going to handle this?
Steve: I can tell you last night, the minute I got up -- I was floating in outer space when my name was called for being evicted. I really wanted to ask Julie to read it again. Like, "I think you got the wrong S. I think you meant Sam. I know I'm Steve." But she was right. And when I gave Sam a hug, I turned around and I saw Kaitlyn's face and Kaitlyn looked floored. And then I saw Swaggy's face and Swaggy looked more floored than Kaitlyn, so I knew that there was a serious blindside, I just don't know where it came from. I'll tell you the truth, I'm excited to find out and follow the rest of the season. I'm excited as a fan.
You still don't know who the switch vote was?
Steve: Nope, nope. I haven't seen the episode. Nobody's told me. The only person I can surmise -- and I can surmise, but I don't know if it's 100 percent true -- was Haleigh. Like I said, I don't know 100 percent. And if it's not her, I apologize to Haleigh. I'm sorry, I saw you on the hammock with the bros two nights ago and I assume that's when they flipped you. But I don't know, I have to see it.
Do you want me to tell you or do you want to be surprised by the episode?
Steve: No, lay it on me because my wife will tell me. Lay it on me.
So you did have the votes until Fessy's relationship with Haleigh upset Kaitlyn and she switched sides.
Steve: Kaitlyn voted against me? Oh my gosh! Awww.
She felt terrible about it.
Steve: I hope she did, that young lady. Ohh, Kaitlyn voted against me. Wow! Total blindside. And this all had to do with a relationship?
Yeah.
Steve: She has a boyfriend she keeps talking about! You know what? Maybe I'm so out of the loop with young kids nowadays, when somebody tells me they're in a relationship with somebody, I automatically assume that you're in a relationship and you're not going to get feelings for everybody else. And she was egging on Fessy to go after Haleigh, so... wow. Hashtag confused.
Yeah, it was a very unexpected turn of events.
Steve: So I got locked into a love triangle that I had absolutely nothing to do with and I'm a casualty of love -- wow. Casualty of love. I love it. Man, I feel terrible for Kaitlyn if she's upset but by the same token, she egged on that relationship. What could she possibly be talking about?
Now that Kaitlyn's HOH, I don't think there's any need to feel bad for her.
Steve: I did not know that either! So now I know. So Kaitlyn's HOH. Man, is she going after Fessy?
I have no idea. I can't tell by the feeds yet.
Steve: Oh man, if I can get back in the house and find out. I'll get back in, Sadie. I'll be right back.
Big Brother 20: JC Mounduix Accused of Sexually Harassing Houseguests with Ice Cream Scooper
If you had stayed, who would have been your biggest targets?
Steve: Well, now that this whole love triangle idiocy showed up -- I'm really disappointed that a love triangle I had absolutely nothing to do with ended up being my demise. I thought it was out-strategizing, that the bros had out-strategized me and had moved Haleigh against me. I would have respected that move. This seems like nonsense. I would have taken a shot, honestly, at the Brad and Chad alliance. I would have put up Brett and I would have put up Angela. I would have let them battle for the Power of Veto and then whoever won and took themselves off, I would have put Winston up and backdoored. That would have been my plan.
Right now, what player do you think people are seriously underestimating in the house?
Steve: Well, Scottie was the underestimated one, but now he's not. The secret's out. He's super athletic. He's got an excellent strategy behind him. I honestly believe that the houseguest that everybody is ignoring -- and it will be a mistake in the end -- is JC.
Why do you think he's the one to keep an eye on?
Steve: JC is super athletic. JC has floated by and will continue to float until someone pays attention. But on the same token, JC has the ability to win HOHs. He's athletic, he's super strong, he's a lot more intelligent than half of the houseguests give him credit for. He's cagey; you can't lock him down on a single statement. It's like trying to catch a cloud. When you're talking to him, it's really hard to talk game. And he's hysterical and you know America loves him because he's funny and he's awesome. So yeah, I would say JC is exceedingly dangerous right now. And if they're going to turn the other way, by the time they turn back to him it will be too late.
Even though you were the first one out, you got to compete in probably the most brutal Veto competition I've ever seen. Were you surprised when you saw live snakes and shock collars were involved?
Steve: Yeah, I can honestly tell you that Big Brother amped it up tenfold. This is Big Brother 2.0. They're not messing around. We open it up, there's 50, 60 snakes slithering around, some bigger than my arm. Ice cold water, and I'm talking buckets of ice that you have to dive through to get to that water. It's freezing. Being shot with paintball pellets is not fun, especially when you're ice cold. The electric collars took it to the next level and then they made you taste disgusting things and try to match it up. Big Brother isn't messing around. I thought that Veto competition was off the hook! I had a blast doing it. It was so much fun to watch everybody's eyes with the snakes. And the ice water was never very fun but it was fun to be able to compete on TV doing it. I'm very happy to have been a part of the whole show. I'm so happy to be a part of the fraternity that is Big Brother. i feel truly blessed.
Now that you're out of the Big Brother house, how much are you looking forward to your first bath?
Steve: Well, I can tell you officially, I had it last night. They put me in a hotel and in the hotel room, foolishly, they had a big bathtub and body wash and soap and everything I can make my bubbles with and Big Steve went right to work! I took that hot bath, turned on my DVD player and was watching The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg while taking a gigantic bubble bath for a good hour. It was heavenly bliss. And now I'm ready to take on the next day.
Big Brother airs Sundays and Wednesdays at 8/7c and Thursdays at 9/8c on CBS.
(Full disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS.)