Big Brother Canada 6 interview: Kaela Grant on jury vote, game moves, interest in returning
What went wrong, and was there a way to correct this along the way? This is something that we discussed with the runner-up of the season in our post-finale interview on Friday.
CarterMatt – How are you holding up the day after everything happened?
Kaela Grant – I’m so stoked I got a chance to play and I’m so proud of the game that I played and the moves that I made. Even though I didn’t win in the end I’m so happy that I got to the final two in the first place. This has been a dream come true for me. Everything is all positive.
How much harder is it when you are winning a lot of competitions to keep people from being angry with you?
It is hard. Those people were very emotional! No matter what they thought I was the person who was taking the game from them. Every person sitting in the jury was there because of me; it’s hard not to be bitter in that sense, but that’s the game. I was there to play.
Was there a point during the final speeches that you could start to see people turning against you?
I knew just by the questions that were being asked that every single person in the jury did not want me to win. I kind of thought that I wasn’t winning at that point … I was just going with the flow by the end of it (laughs).
Who did you think would be the hardest juror to win over?
Definitely Ryan, Maddy, and Will. All three of them were guaranteed a vote for Paras.
Were you expecting a certain degree of animosity?
Honestly, I kind of thought that because there were superfans in the jury that they might just see the game moves as Big Brother. Whether it be making a big move, stirring the pot, winning comps, or causing drama, I kind of thought they would appreciate that. Obviously, they just didn’t want me to win in the end after they all just talked to each other and realized ‘oh, Kaela screwed us all over.’ I think they honestly did not want me in that position.
I think one of the big turning points this season was your move to get Erica out. Did you think you absolutely needed to take her out at that point?
I think that Erica liked to be the top dog. Good for her — I love strong, independent women like her and I absolutely adore Erica to death. But, I think she was intimidated that I had the potential to be that kind of person as well, which I don’t think she liked. I think that as soon as she got power again, she was going to take a shot at me. I had to do that in order for me to continue in the game. It’s one of the reasons I ended up at the end of the game as well. She would have definitely taken me out, for sure.
Do you think that you had a shot against Derek in the final two?
No, because the jury liked Derek a lot more (laughs). I downplayed my game a lot and put Derek on a pedestal, saying that he was stronger and better. I had to do that for the reason that if Derek and I were sitting next to each other, Derek would go home over me. I had to do that for my personal game. A lot of people on the jury thought that I did absolutely nothing and Derek carried me through that game. I didn’t manage the jury; they thought Derek did a lot and he would have won in final two.
How much coaching did you give Derek, given that he didn’t know much about the show going in?
It was a lot of coaching to be honest! He didn’t really know anything early in the game and he was kind of emotional after Jesse left. He was being bitter for the fact that people were getting his friends out and he was taking it personal. I was just saying that ‘this is the game of Big Brother. Look at it as an opportunity to not be a bigger target and start working with people who wanted to work with you, but didn’t want to work with Jesse.’ He saw that and realized that this was a game and you have to separate your personal opinions about things.
Derek caught on really quick and I think he played well, but I definitely was the reason he was able to do that.
Are you surprised that you being a rugby player was a big deal in the house?
During week 2, as soon as Veronica was in the house and everyone knew she played rugby, Andrew was saying ‘oh my gosh, a rugby player. We have to get her out since she’s intimidating and she is going to be a comp beast. Anyone who plays rugby, I will never miss with them.’ After that I was like ‘oh my gosh, I am never telling anyone that I play rugby’ (laughs). At that point, I just thought it would be a detriment to my game to let that out. I was more vocal about it the second half of the game because Veronica went around and told people, but it is what it is.
Did you think about cutting Paras earlier in the game?
I didn’t want Paras in the final three, that’s for sure. I really wanted me, Derek, and Will in that final three, but good on Paras for winning that final four HoH. If she didn’t, she was going to go home that week. I did want Maddy gone first — in physical comps I’m not intimidated and I can hold my own, but in the mental comps I knew Maddy was studying so hard and she probably knew the game better than I did. At that point, she was the biggest target I had to get rid of.
Are you prepared for people on Twitter to ask constantly about yourself and Derek over the next few months?
I’m sure the question will come up! We’re always talking about it, as well. We definitely want to stay in contact. He’s my best friend and my favorite person in the house. I have 20 grand now so I’m definitely going to visit him in Vancouver. We’ll see what happens and we’re definitely going to stay best friends.
Do you have any interest in playing again?
Oh my goodness, I would go back in a heartbeat! Playing the game was a dream for me. It was never about the money — it was more about the title for me.
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