James Huling Courtesy of CBS
THR talks to the fifth juror about who he'd return with for an all-star season.
James led The Hollywood Reporter's poll of which houseguest had the best shot at winning Big Brother 17, but thanks to Steve, fans were left with another disappointing double eviction. The result: fan favorite James was sent to the jury house, elevating the twins' chance of victory substantially and allowing Vanessa to once again get her way.
Before he entered the game, James told THR, about how his experiences had prepared him for the game, "Working in a prison, you got inmates that are in there for life and that's all they do is run game on you, or try to," he said. "Obviously I'm going to take that and apply it to the Big Brother house." He did just that and was able to read the other houseguests well, but after his alliance members were taken out of the game, his odds against the twins and a showmance dipped sharply and he was ultimately shown the door.
Speaking with THR the day after his eviction, the self-proclaimed "Asian hillbilly" opened up about his speech, Austin and Liz's romance and his decision not to team with Audrey.
(Disclosure: Because the nine-person jury is underway, houseguests will now answer the questions via email from THR. It's stipulated that questions cannot in any way be a potential interference to the game and are required to be approved by production before given to the houseguests.)
You were playing to win the game for your daughter. What do you think the other houseguests are playing for?
I think the other houseguests were playing for separate reasons. Some to pay off loans and others are for a little bit of fame — Austin might want to get his wrestling game off the ground. Ultimately we all have our own reasons.
It has been open that Austin has a girlfriend. What do you think of him leaving her for Liz?
I think it was a good game strategy to link up with the twins if that was his ultimate goal for winning Big Brother, but morally, I think that was not the right way to do it.
Which two houseguests do you NOT want to see in the final two?
I would say Steve because I feel like Steve has been floating through the game, and I would say Austin for the simple fact that he told everyone that he did not want to win the game and he used that as a strategy and that he would be the pawn every week. For a Big Brother fan, throwing in the towel is pretty much a deal breaker for me. You can't say you don’t want to win the game. Even when my back was against the wall, I would never say I don’t want to win this game.
Why didn't you throw people under the bus in your eviction speech?
I tried to stay out of as much chaos as I could, but I felt like the less that I knew the better. During my eviction speech, I knew no matter what I said that Vanessa, Austin and the twins formed too much of an alliance and allegiance to each other to keep me in the game. If I had gotten my hands on another HOH, I would have split that group up.
What prank were you planning that viewers didn't get to see?
I don’t know which ones they did or didn’t see. I played so many pranks in the house, I couldn’t use my fingers, toes and theirs to count them, so I don’t know which ones they have seen or didn’t see.
If you could come back for an all-star season, who from this season and past seasons would you align with?
Caleb, Enzo, Cody and Boogie.
Audrey tried to align with you before she got evicted. Do you regret not working with her?
No. She had so much stuff going on that she would have been taken out of the game early on or would have gotten me taken out.
Would you want James to play the game again? Does he have your vote for "America's Favorite Houseguest"? Will the twins be in the final two? Sound off in the comments below and stay tuned to The Live Feed for all things Big Brother.
Big Brother airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on CBS.
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