Warning! The following contains spoilers for the finale of Celebrity Big Brother Season 3. Read at your own risk!
The Big Brother franchise is no stranger to awkward situations or even awkward season finales. It was only a short time ago, after all, that Jackson Michie walked out a winner still in shock over Julie Chen Moonves asking him if he was racist only minutes prior. The finale of Celebrity Big Brother Season 3 didn’t have quite that same energy, but it was absolutely super awkward and uncomfortable for both the audience and the cast members, as CinemaBlend learned.
The animosity that much of the cast had developed for winner Miesha Tate and runner-up Todrick Hall (a self-proclaimed Big Brother superfan) could be felt through the TV screen, as many weren’t too happy after reading and watching some of the upsetting things both finalists said about everyone else during their time in the house. I asked America’s Favorite Player and reality star Carson Kressley (who was tricked by the duo) if he felt the tension in the room, and he confirmed it was as awkward as it seemed from the start.
Yeah, hello from awkward-town. I was like, ‘Guys, we all know this is a TV show, right? It’s not like life or death.’ You know, I’ve had some things happen outside of the house that put things in perspective, and I’m just like, it’s not that deep. Some people, I think, played the game ungraciously, and I think people’s feelings were hurt. I think that created a mood in the room that was less than jovial. Also, I think in most seasons, and to not be too hard on Todrick or Miesha, I think in most seasons it’s not COVID protocol, and you can jump up and kind of congratulate. We were told to wait, not go up there right away. So if we seemed tentative, that might’ve been part of it as well. It was definitely a lukewarm room.
As mentioned, most of the tension came from the fact the cast was unsequestered, and therefore had access to all the various times Todrick Hall and occasionally Miesha Tate said disparaging things about them throughout the season. For some, the news was worse, particularly for Todd Bridges and others who believed they formed a solid bond with fellow competitors, only to learn that wasn’t the case.
If there was any joy to be witnessed, it manifested when the time for voting began, and every cast member had some biting remark to make towards Todrick Hall. Chris Kirkpatrick, for example, made reference to a time where Todrick Hall encouraged him to be a good role model for his son, and Teddi Mellencamp (who talked to us about her Todrick issues) said she found it ironic that Hall loves The Wizard Of Oz but wasn’t aware that people can “see behind the curtain.”
It all came as a shock to Cynthia Bailey, who was the last evicted houseguest and exited just mere minutes before the vote. Bailey shared her thoughts with me on the situation, all while admitting she still didn’t know what that was about.
I had no idea. I was so excited to walk through the door to get closer to seeing my family, and I was met with my stone-faced cast. I was like, ‘What is happening.’ I didn’t really have time to talk to anyone, and Carson was kind of like mouthing to me, ‘You gotta watch the show, you gotta watch the show.’ I’m like, ‘What? What is happening?’ So, once the voting started, I was last to vote because I was the last one out of the house. I was really surprised that everyone was voting for Miesha because Todrick and Miesha are the same person, they are the dynamic duo. Miesha didn’t make any moves without Todrick. They singlehandedly took that house down together and had the same blood on both of their hands. I assumed when I went out there that it would maybe be 50/50? Maybe we would have to break the tie or whatever, but once I realized it was all Miesha? I was like, ‘Whoa, what am I missing here?’
Cynthia Bailey, as well as Miesha Tate and Todrick Hall, didn’t seem to expect the cast’s combined attitude to show itself so strongly during the Celebrity Big Brother finale. Hall did mention on the live feeds that he suspected some of the cast wouldn’t be too happy with him, though it’s unclear if he understood quite the level of what he received from houseguests he shared time with over the past month.
Miesha Tate ended up winning every vote from the cast outside of Cynthia Bailey, who voted for Todrick. Though she won the game, Tate admitted even she couldn’t help but notice the awkward nature of the finale.
Yeah, it was very tense. I’m sure I looked confused when I walked out because I was. I was very taken back at the way the votes were presented, and I still have yet to see any of [the show]. I don’t even have my phone yet, I still haven’t seen my family. So, I’m still very in the dark on how people may feel about the situation. But, it was shocking. It was very surprising.
Miesha Tate, Todrick Hall, and Cynthia Bailey’s surprise isn’t that shocking, as it’s not uncommon for Big Brother houseguests to be completely out of the loop after a long time in isolation. It’s possible they had no idea the ice-cold reaction from a bulk of the cast was coming, and didn’t really have time to absorb it properly.
When I spoke to Tate, she informed me she hadn’t spoken to her family or even received her phone to check the internet. Even so, she seemed to understand the cast and fans were mad at her and Todrick Hall, and since Hall declined interviews after the show, shared a request for fans to remember now that the game is done.
I think that it would be important for me to remind the world that, yes, you watched us for a month. However, you watched us in the most extreme circumstances. This is not really an accurate depiction of who we are under normal circumstances. . . . Be a little bit kind to us. This was the most stressful, extenuating, emotional rollercoaster that we’ve all been on. Any person that has been emotional at any point or has had an argument with someone that they loved and they say something that they don’t mean in that moment. You go back, and you say, ‘You know what I was wrong for that, and I’m sorry.’ We’ve all been in those shoes before. I just want to remind people that you didn’t have to spend that month in there, but take it from me, it was excruciatingly difficult. It was very hard, and we were under pressure at all times.
Miesha Tate does make a good point, as there’s no telling what mistakes any might make with a camera on them at all hours of the day. Again, she wasn't exactly in the know regarding what viewers are mad about, so it’s not exactly like she could defend specific accusations.
Tate continued on with her message and pointed out that even the smallest outlets for stress are denied in Celebrity Big Brother. When a houseguest can’t even step outside for a moment to relax, that can impact how they behave.
Missing the regular things in life, the regular comforts. We were not able to access the world. You couldn’t just go for a walk in the sun even just to like decompress. . . . You’re ready to implode at any moment. It was a lot harder than anyone I think can imagine. And just keep that in mind when making your assessments about who we are as people because it’s a pressure cooker in there. And I feel like it’s a little unfair to judge when you’re playing a game that has no boundaries, no limits and you’re allowed to do whatever you want because Big Brother is not real life. It’s a game. It can be played many ways, and it doesn’t mean you’re a horrible person if you decide to lean into the social game more. I think anyone who has watched the regular Big Brother would understand that’s certainly a strategy that can be played, and it doesn’t mean that those are evil and bad people. It’s just that they want to win a game and they want to win at all costs. . .You get a glimpse, you get a peek. You think you know, but you might not really know. So, judge us gently, please.
It remains to be seen just how much grace the fandom will grant Miesha Tate or Todrick Hall. It’s possible that anger may settle as the weeks pass, and/or after the former houseguests all have time to meet and talk things out. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail, and we can all move on and get excited for Season 24 of Big Brother this summer.
Celebrity Big Brother is finished, but fans can catch the entire season on Paramount+ or even check out past seasons of Big Brother from the states or in Canada. There’s plenty of reason to have a Paramount+ subscription right now, so it’s certainly worth looking into.
