‘Big Brother 17’ exclusive: Jason Roy on gameplay, alliances, reaction, and much more
We were looking forward to our “Big Brother” interview with Jason Roy long before Wednesday afternoon came around and we had a chance to actually conduct it. He is one of the most-popular contestants on the season, and one of the biggest reasons for that was his big personality. Therefore, it was pretty darn clear to us that we were going to get a lot of great information in this chat.
Suffice it to say, Jason did not disappoint! Take a look below to see what he had to say about watching himself back on the show, working with his fellow allies, and also if working with another superfan as a superfan like Steve is something that is incredibly difficult to do.
CarterMatt – I know you’ve been watching the show back over the past few days. Has it been weird watching yourself on TV?
Jason Roy – I do not put a lot of images or videos of myself out there in the world, so to now have episodes with me in it, sounding and looking ridiculous, and people sending me pictures of my looking ridiculous, it is actually quite the strangest, surrealist experience.
Okay, so what is the origin story of ‘oh mylanta’ as a catchphrase?
I’m actually not sure. I was talking to one of my best friends last night and she thinks that I got I may have got it from her, and she thinks that she may have gotten it from a movie. I’m not really sure where the complete origin comes from, but I’ve been using it in my social circle for years now. That’s why it’s all so strange; I thought the whole world knew about ‘oh mylanta,’ but obviously not!
You’ve been doing a ton of these interviews, so I want to know from you if there is something out there from your experience that you don’t think is getting enough attention.
I would say no. Not really. I’ve been getting all-over questions, like what was the best thing [about the show], what was a thing I could have changed. I’ve been asked a lot of questions about all different houseguests, and I have gotten a really good mix. People keep just chiming back on whether or not I should have told people about the twins. Other than that, I’ve been getting [all sorts of questions].
I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of other interviews, and in some of them you seemed genuinely surprised that you were so popular when you came out of the house. Why was that?
My mouth is reckless! I have no filter, and as a feed-watcher myself, I remembered other houseguests who I was not a fan of or annoyed me on feeds. I thought I was going to look or seem like one of these people. Because I’m a realist, I expected the worst.
Since you have watched the feeds and the show for so long, were you more cognizant that you were being watched than maybe some of the other people?
You spend some time in front of the cameras in the house that you know you could be on TV. In the DR you know most of it will not be on TV. You’re in there for a rather long time, and most of it gets boiled down to a couple of sentences … I hear that people like my DRs, and it’s actually funny because I wasn’t paying attention to what I was saying in there.
Did you start to not feel like yourself after a few weeks in there, when most of your standard routine and your way of thinking is gone?
It’s nothing like real life. It’s very strange when you’re in there for a long amount of time. They say that people start to lose it around day 40, and I left on day 43. So I probably am just missing the wave of craziness. About halfway through you start to realize that this isn’t how the normal world works. My circle of friends is a close, tight circle. I trust everyone I really roll with.
[In the game], you’re living with people and you don’t know who you can trust or not. It’s a very paranoid place to lay your head down in.
Let me get your take on some sort of a theory that I’ve heard over the years, and that is why superfans sometimes struggle to work together. Is it just because people like you and Steve sort of occupy the same role, and you tend to want to fill that role on your own? Or, are we making too much of this and the sample size is too small?
It hits you subconsciously when you’re in there, that ‘this is the other person with the knowledge you have’ … I knew down the line Steve was going to be a threat to me, because he is the only person who was going to be able to study for the comps like I was. The best thing about Steve, though, was that he wasn’t selling his information to everyone, whereas I, because I love the game so much, was telling everyone what I thought was going to happen and what I thought the script would be. I should have held my cards a little closer.
Steve has probably played the superfan card a little bit better than I did; I was just too willing to share the information I had with others.
The people you were very good at sharing your information with were James and Meg, and over the past couple of weeks I wanted to see you guys branch out more. Is it hard in the game to do that when you find the people you like, especially if there are people like Austin who you really don’t want to spend time with?
I don’t think it was so much that my bond with the people I was with was so great; it was my loathing for some of the other people was way greater! I know this is ‘Big Brother,’ and you have to spend time with people you wouldn’t spend time with, but in normal life I don’t really roll like that. There were just people I didn’t want to spend time with; I was not hanging out with Austin for a second of my life in there.
What is the deal with Austin? I thought early on he was playing a really good game, but he’s just lost his mind with Liz.
He was saying he was in love with her, that without her he had this ‘hole in his soul,’ all of this other stuff. I didn’t buy it for a second! Now that I’m on the outside, I’m seeing what Creeper McCreep looks like and how he may actually be [truthful about those feelings]. I am so confused. As much as you’re in there for a long time, you’re saying you’re falling in love with someone when it doesn’t feel mutual both on the inside and on the outside. Liz has told people in there that she’s not really into Austin. It just all seems really confusing. You would think a grown adult man would be able to get the hint: She’s not into you, sir.
What was your experience with Johnny Mac? Inside the game I wanted to see you try to work more with him [before you left], but at the same time we didn’t see a ton of him on the feeds all the time. We didn’t know all the time where he stood.
Johnny is a sleeper. If it was 11 o’clock, Johnny Mac was going to bed. There were a lot of times you wouldn’t see him. In the game Johnny Mac is a really fun person. He really didn’t [go around and talk a lot of game]; he was mostly just throwing out random jokes with that laugh. So to come out and see his DRs, what he was doing with the other side of the house that I wasn’t aware of, I’m a supporter of Johnny Mac. I would love to see Johnny Mac pull this out; he is a funny gem. The house would be LOST without a person like Johnny Mac.
Is Vanessa playing a game similar to Derrick, or is she trying a little too hard sometimes to control everyone?
Derrick played the game so much more flawlessly. Derrick was never overly paranoid about it, he was calculated and calm about [everything]. The paranoia is playing into Vanessa, and she is too quick to make decisions and too quick to change her mind. She is a little too all over the place. I would say Derrick did it much better; I think Vanessa thought she was going to be able to do Derrick’s game, but I think she’s realizing that it is much harder to do than it looks like.
Let’s say someday there’s a ‘Big Brother Second Chance’ like there is with ‘Survivor’ this coming season. What would Jason as a returning player look like?
Future Jason would spend a lot more time mingling and not just sitting on those couches, he would be better at pretending to like these people, and he wouldn’t be so naive … If I was to play again I would be more [careful] when making groups, and having different groups. [This time] I went with people and said ‘I’m going to go with these people and no one else,’ and instead I should have what everyone else did this season, and have a different alliance and a different alliance [going constantly].
So what’s next for you? How are you going to spend the next few months?
I’m going to be watching lots of ‘Big Brother.’ I’m reconnecting with all my friends, and I’m enjoying a little bit of the summer we have in Massachusetts. Then I’m open to everything. I haven’t gone back to work to the supermarket yet, but I’m sure I will be there next week or so. I’m looking forward to being back to being a normal person.
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