Andy Herren, your Big Brother 15 winner, laid low during much of the season on CBS, aligning with the power players and not ruffling any feathers.
That turned out to be a key to his surprise victory.
After the finale aired Wednesday evening in Studio City, Calif., Herren spoke about his win, his game play and thoughts on the season’s big controversies.
Excerpts from his chat with THR below …
On his goals going in: “Don’t get voted out first. Make it to four votes. Survive this double eviction. Stuff like that. So every week, I felt I got closer and closer.”
“I thought that I had the chops to [win] … I always had my eye on the prize throughout the whole season and I thought I played a very meticulous game.”
On why he took GinaMarie to the finals: “GinaMarie is my very close friend, but I almost would say Spencer was an even closer friend to me in the house.”
“GinaMarie and I had pledged loyalty to each other the first week in this game and I knew the journey would see me as disloyal and I needed a loyalty card to play.”
“I thought I [needed to] show them that I remained loyal to someone … I never nominated her, she never nominated me, I brought her to the end with me.”
“I also thought I could beat [GinaMarie Zimmerman]! I thought she would be a tougher beat than Spencer, but at the same time I thought it was still doable.”
On the jury process: “I’m very proud of what I said. I think that I covered my bases, said what I needed to say. I was very happy with it. I think that I did a good job.”
On the 7-2 vote: “I wasn’t too surprised. I thought [Aaryn Gries] would’ve voted for GinaMarie … Judd, I think, is a wonderful guy and cares a lot about both of us.”
“I thought he was a little more strategic. Being such a strategic lover of the game, I thought I would get his vote and I was surprised that I didn’t.”
“At the same time, I hold nothing against him. I did think that I was going to do well with the votes based on how I played and what I said in the debate.”
On staying under the radar: “For the first half of this game, it was definitely key to me … I was just like, bite your tongue. I never ever wanted to be at the center of any trouble.”
“That’s why when some of the racist or bigoted things were said, I didn’t really speak up; I would pull people aside and tell them I was sorry about the things that were said that I didn’t condone.”
“[I wish] I would have been a little more vocal about how I didn’t approve of that. At the same time, I think people knew where my head was and it was nothing I was thinking.”
On the whole season being shrouded in controversy: “I had no idea there was such a big deal. I know things were said in the house that people didn’t like and I didn’t like them either.”
“But at the same time, I had no idea it was going to be this grand scope of things, that it was going to be so controversial.”
“I really hope that myself and a lot of the people who weren’t really involved in that can come out of it with America knowing that none of that was at the helm of me or most of the people.”