This season of Big Brother was probably the worst in the show’s history for blatant racism, sexism, homophobia… you name a prejudice and someone in that house had it and vocalized it, no doubt. CBS may not have cared – hell, I bet their ratings were higher this year than than have been in a long ass time – but the contestants’ relative employers did, and a few of them lost their jobs. Of course, they didn’t find that out until it was all over, and since the finale was on Wednesday night, we can now find out how those home truths have affected them back in the real world.
A few of them talked to The Hollywood Reporter about the response they’ve received, and while everyone “apologised”, it was clear that there’s no real regret there. Aaryn – the worst offender of the bunch by a longshot – is even so bigheaded as to insist that her issues with her modeling agency happened BEFORE she left, and she’s got plenty of opportunities where that came from. Oh, fuck off.
Aaryn:
“My eviction was surprising and I was shocked to walk out to that,” Gries said of the audience’s tepid reaction following her eviction. “I had other things on my mind so I was thrown off. I guess I can’t be too surprised though; I already had that feeling ever since [my remarks/actions were] brought to light. But I was wanting to talk more about my game than controversy.”
When asked about her firing from her modeling agency, Gries claimed she was already on the way out. “I was on the rocks with the agency before I even came here,” she said, “and I do have more opportunities, more agencies that are wanting to meet with me that I’m going to meet with [Thursday]. It’s all good. I’m going to move up.”
GinaMarie:
Following the finale, she voiced regret over some of the “unruly” things that “came out” of her mouth. “I definitely regret that and [would] take that back if I could,” she told THR, adding that she will “probably keep a little low right now because of the pageant situation.”
Zimmerman called her firing “unfortunate, because pageant’s my whole world and so are the kids.” When she elaborated further, she admitted that “it’s a little tear at my heart a little bit because that’s my life. I kind of don’t know what I’m going to do without it.”
But she understood why the company did what they did. “I represent me and also the pageant corporation, and they have to back up their back,” she said. “I am a good person and I do have a big heart and I do work really hard no matter what I do. I’m always there for them, and hopefully when time passes, they might welcome me back. We just got to wait and see what happens.”
Spencer:
Clawson’s employer, the Union Pacific Railroad, released a statement in early July distancing itself from him following some of his questionable statements, which included the use of the C-word. “I hope I continue working for them,” Clawson told THR. “After this, I’ve got a big mess to clean up back home with my home and maybe some people in my town, but at the same time, hopefully I can handle that with the grace that I handled being up on the block in the house so much. I just got to stay calm, cool and hopefully everything will work out for me.”
Like his fellow houseguests, Clawson — who made the final three — was apologetic. “I don’t have any hate in my heart. I try to be a good person, and I know there were some comments I said that got taken out of context or even the context they were taken may not have been appropriate,” Clawson said, adding, “I hope that the good I did this season outweighs the bad. … If I said anything that was bad judgment, I apologize for that. I don’t want anyone to think I hate a particular group of people or I condone a particular activity or behavior. … I’m kind of a jokester and I talk a lot, and I’m going to say stupid things — and that’s exactly what happened. I can’t blame anybody for it but myself.”
Amanda:
“Bullying is a very hot topic right now, and it’s viewed differently by different people. I personally don’t feel like I was bullying anyone. I played a really strong game and I was loyal to my alliance. I’m a strong woman and that can rub people the wrong way, but that made me a strong competitor and that’s why I made it far in the game,” Zuckerman, who said she was a Type A personality, told THR.
“I am a strong person,” she said when asked if the person we saw in the house was who she was in real life. “I fight for my clients. I fight for what’s right. In the game you have to be more manipulative about it, but overall, I am a strong woman.”
Zuckerman was aware of the “smoothing over” she had to do. “I know I’ve offended people and I’m super apologetic for that. [That] definitely wasn’t my intention and I just want to move forward in a positive light. Do good things in the public eye and not be seen negatively,” Zuckerman said.
These people are all THE WORST. Andy got some shit for talking about Elissa, as well – he was quite nasty at times – but in general, I think he means well, he’s just bitchy. Elissa was no angel herself sometimes, so I have no real feelings about that.
Also, I still love McCrae and I think he’s really sweet. He needs to grow a pair and get as far away from Amanda as he can, which I think is going to happen anyway. Boo hoo.