Big Brother 20 officially reached the jury point last week with Bayleigh’s eviction and another houseguest will be joining her in the jury house this week.
That means jury management is now another aspect of the BB20 game, and as as we’ve seen in recent seasons, a very, very important one. Paul Abrahamian lost two seasons back-to-back and Ross Mathews lost Big Brother Celebrity, further sparking the debate over poor jury management vs. the bitter jury.
We wanted to get a Big Brother winner’s thoughts on the jury management and what it takes to win over a jury, so we thought who better to ask than EvelDick, who admits he did not cater to the jury the season he won. He may not have catered to them, but he was honest with them, and honesty goes a long way, he says.
So I asked EvelDick just a few questions on the topic and he obliged with some very insightful and thought-provoking answers.
BBN: As we’ve seen the past couple seasons jury management is very important. Some people say it’s actually bitter juries that’s the problem. Which do you think it is?
EvelDick: Always the debate, always will be the debate with Big Brother and Survivor. We have seen many great players get screwed in the end and the jury giving the win to very forgettable and shitty players over the years. To me, Russell Hantz losing in his first season [of Survivor] was robbery.
Then we have players in BB like Dan, who in his second season played a great game and lost. People say Dan was robbed, Ian was horrible, etc… But I don’t see it that way. Ian ran the table in comp wins at the end of that season. Dan on the other hand, screwed A LOT of people over in order to get to the Final 2 in BB14.
I think when you lie to people and f— them over after you have created a bond with them, they get really hurt and feel betrayed, and yes, bitter.
BBN: Is this what happened to Paul?
ED: The biggest, most glaring example of this was of course BB19 with Paul. Did Paul play a better game than Josh? Yes, by far… no question. But, you still have to be voted winner by the people that you either got out or voted out. This is the quagmire. Paul befriended each of them, (with the exception of Cody and Jessica) made them feel like his number 1. THEY were his real final 2 partner. Then he would have everyone in the house attack them personally and relentlessly. Even after they were on the block and going home, FOR SURE… didn’t matter to him, constant attacks and isolation. And people were either pissed off as hell at him or hurt deeply that he would do that and get other people to do that to them. And, he paid for it in the end. They hated him and they would have voted for Orwell the owl to win over him that season. They were not giving him the win, no matter who sat next to him.
BBN: As someone who played and won the game as a “villain” how did you manage the jury? What made the jury vote you over Daniele?
ED: I didn’t play to the jury at all in BB8. I was more concerned with getting Dani and I to the final 2 than worrying about jury votes. Besides, if we did get to the final 2, they had to vote for one of us… I honestly didn’t care which of us won. When we made final 2, that was our win. That was my celebration. WE WON! After that, I didn’t care. My goal from the start was to get both of us to the F2. Ask anyone how hard it is to get yourself to final 2 … I had to get 2 people there. Don’t get me wrong, I am not taking all the credit, far from it. I said in BB8 how lucky I was that Dani was on my side, and she killed the comps that season — tied for the record for veto wins in a season. We were one of, if not the greatest, duo to ever play that game.
So, I guess I was lucky in the aspect that I wasn’t going against Zach or someone else more likable than I was in F2, but water under the bridge now…
Russell Hantz always tells me that he can’t believe that I won, even with all the shit I pulled in my season. Well, I didn’t lie to people. I never made false promises (the only time that happened was with Jessica. I promised her she wasn’t going home and at that time I was sincere, but we changed our minds and voted her out. So what wasn’t a lie, then became a lie. And I really did feel bad about that.) I never told anyone they were my final 2. When I railed on everyone during Hell Week, afterwards I didn’t apologize for it, but I did go to each person individually and explain why I did what I did, it was to save Daniele.
Add all that to the fact that even though I pulled all that shit, the jury members looked at me as a genuine person, more so than my daughter. If you’re gonna be an asshole, you better bring someone to the F2 with you that the jury doesn’t like more than they don’t like you…
They always knew where they stood with me. Many said they would rather be stabbed in the front by me, than stabbed in the back by ______.
So yes, [back to question 1] there are bitter juries, but the majority of the time it is well deserved.
BBN: I know it’s way too early to be talking about anyone being in the BB20 final 2, but fans are already starting to wonder if Tyler is going to end up like Paul this season. So bear with me here. Do you see BB20 frontrunner Tyler having a hard time with the jury (he’s upset Bayleigh and will be angering off two more this week)?
ED: Talking about Tyler and jury management when we are only at the halfway point in the game is a bit premature, but I’ll play along because I like you…
Tyler’s problem with the jury members will be the fact that he lied to them, made them feel that they were his number 1, and totally played them for fools. Sam went on a rant about “are people laughing at me?” freaking out… How do you think she will feel about Tyler when she finds out that he was playing her? I think she will see it as he was laughing at her and playing her for a fool. She will be bitter. Bayleigh, she is and will be bitter as all hell. She had that big fight with Tyler and she will not forget about it, no way…
Angie is going this week and she’ll be blindsided, again thinking Tyler is going to vote for her to stay. How bitter will she be? I’m not sure about her. She got over her hate of Brett in a couple days after his speech, so… But if it’s Tyler and Brett in F2, I think she will vote Brett. Brett has made up a lot of ground since then and is playing a very good game.
One thing I learned watching Dr. Will, an apology goes a very long way with people, even if it is insincere. As long as they feel it to be sincere, that’s all that matters. Tyler has F2’s with Kaycee and JC as well. He keeps telling them that they are his number 1. How will they feel sitting on jury, knowing he lied to them?
He’s [basically] been making out with Angela now. I’m not sure if he has, but I will guarantee you, if he hasn’t promised her a F2 yet, he will very soon. How hurt will she be? How scorned will she feel? It’s a very delicate balancing act when you play a game like Tyler is… question is, IF he makes F2 will he be able to pull it off? We’ll have to see how the 2nd half of the season plays out to find out…
BBN: Thank you!
What do you think of EvelDick’s thoughts on jury management? Catch more of EvelDick’s (and special guests’) thoughts and opinions on his Big Brother recap show Dick @ Nite.
