BB8 update..(producers ruled the show)
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Here it was. A quiet Friday morning and I'm toiling away at work while listening to my favorite podcasts. At the time, I was listening to the latest Reality TV Podcast by Rob and Trevor. Now at the beginning of their latest podcast, they announced that they had interviewed CBS' Big Brother 8 contestant, Jessica Hughbanks and that her interview would be played after their regular show. They kept dropping teasers about something that floored them halfway through the interview. I couldn't wait to hear it!
And so it began at the 59:52 mark in their podcast. OMG!!! Go listen to it yourself if you can immediately! If you can't, I've transcribed that part of the conversation the best that I could below. It's a relatively long read but definitely worth it. You're just not going to believe it. Or perhaps you will.
Trevor - Now one of the biggest tactical moves of the entire game was Eric not taking the opportunity to backdoor Dick and Daniele down the stretch. I think that actually cost you, may well have cost you, the game because if he backdoors Dick and Daniele one of them will go home and I had you getting to the final two in that scenario. What was your thoughts on that, like looking back on it what do you think of that whole situation?
Jessica - Well *big pause*, um I'm gonna, on the chat we had earlier, Eric explained he wasn't allowed to use the veto that week. The producers said that America wasn't given enough time to decide who he should use it on if he was going to so that just flat out told him he is not allowed to use the veto at all - nominations had to stay the same. Which is why Eric didn't use the veto. I think that's because they knew if he used the veto I was going to put up one of the Donatos, Dick or Daniele, and so they just said you know you can't do it. I didn't know it at the time. I said, 'What? What is going through your head? This is the perfect opportunity to get one of the big dogs out of here' and he wouldn't do it but I went along with him because I had to. He had the power that week. He was my ally. I....
Trevor - Wait a sec. I'd never even heard that. So the producers actually told Eric he wasn't allowed to use the Power of Veto like he told you this beforehand why he didn't use it?
Jessica - No, he couldn't tell me in the house that he wasn't allowed to use it but afterward he said they said 'Do not use it. You don't have a choice. You are to keep nominations the same.'
Rob - So did you pressure him a lot that week to use the veto or?
Jessica - I did. I wanted him to. I didn't pressure him but I talked to him about it saying we have an amazing opportunity right now. I put up two people that were were just kinda like ehh so we have the opportunity to get somebody out that is huge in the game and I wanted to but because he was told that he couldn't he had to keep arguing to me 'No no no. We have the right people up. Trust in the alliance it's all going to be good' and I had to go along with it because I didn't have a choice.
Rob - Did you trust the alliance?
Jessica - I doubted the alliance probably more than anybody. I doubted it to Eric and I never tried to let Dick and Daniele know that I doubted it because I felt like they would use that against me if they did. Eric had to talk to me every day because I said 'We're making the wrong decision, we're making the wrong decision, I can't do this with them, I don't trust them' but he couldn't do anything about it. His hands were tied the entire season.
Trevor - Well that's just I did not know that. That's really shady when you think about it.
Jessica - Very! Yes! And that's why I'm like ...
Trevor - I would be furious if I were you.
Jessica - I am.
Trevor - If you rewatch the season, CBS may have basically cost you $500,000 because if he backdoors Dick and Daniele you're probably going to the final two and you're winning if you get there.
Jessica - Yep. It was a game and I was outplayed.
Everybody laughs.
Rob - You are taking it really really well then Jessica.
Trevor - If I were you I'd be flipping out still right now.
Jessica - Yeah.
Trevor - That's just really shady because American couldn't vote and let him know what to do he wasn't allowed to use the power of veto? I mean it seems to me like that's just like a perversion of the entire game strategy.
Jessica - Exactly. And they would threaten Eric if he failed a task they would say 'If you fail one more task, the next question's going to be should Eric be able to stay in the game'. And so um and then America would vote him out if they wanted him gone. He would just be kicked out of the house in the middle of the game so Eric really had to try on the America things and I just I don't know. I wasn't happy with it whenever I found everything out.
Rob - So basically if Eric didn't do a very good job at sleepwalking and going into Joe's room and bed they were going to cut his nuts off?
Jessica - Yes. They were going to say, they told him after he failed that one that's when they said 'If you fail your next task the next question will be should Eric stay in the Big Brother house.'
Trevor - Well see because me and Rob discussed this on the show because Eric, in the Big Brother rules it says that Eric gets $10,000 for completing each task.. I was always complaining to Rob does it say anywhere if he doesn't try to do the tasks at all like what's his penalty for it? So now I guess we know.
Rob - Apparently, they put his nuts in a jar. I mean....
Trevor - Well, I'm still just dumbstruck by the fact he wasn't allowed to use the Power of Veto for that weekend. He cost himself maybe $500,000.
Jessica - I know! Exactly. And I don't understand why a lot of the other houseguests are still mad at Eric. They're mad at him when they really should be mad at America or the producers and they're holding grudges against him that wasn't his decision.
Trevor - Who's holding grudges against him? Anybody like big?
Jessica - Um, just like, the people that you know, that were cost(?) because of it. Like Jameka and Amber and there's a bunch of people that are just like ....
Rob - Oh, those two are f***ing crazy.
Jessica - Yeah.
Trevor - I mean I don't see how you can fault Eric right now I mean I totally faulted him for your elimination like all that I was like I can't believe he didn't use the Power of Veto. I was literally like cursing at my television screen. What's he doing? No! No!
Rob - You were cursing on this show.
Trevor - I was so mad I was like who taught, he says he's watched seven seasons of Big Brother. How does he not backdoor Dick or Daniele there? Now we know.
Jessica - Yeah. I think he totally would've if he could've. He told me all along that he would have so....
So there we have it folks. That's the reason Eric didn't use the POV. Because the producers (are you out there Allison Grodner?) told him he couldn't. I'm sorry but that's just.... I believe you can finish my thought there.
If any of you out there doubted the level of manipulation from the producers that others were accusing them of, I guess now you know.
W
