‘Big Brother’ contestant’s win overshadowed by accusations of racism

On the Big Brother season finale, Jackson Michie appeared to be blindsided by accusations of racism. Michie had one of the most dominant performances in the show’s 22 season history, but shortly before being announced the winner he learned that many viewers thought he was racist. In the beginning of the season, Michie had put up the only two black contestants, a latino contestant, and the oldest contestant on the chopping block. When host Julie Chen-Moonves informed Michie that fans thought he was racist, he appeared visibly shocked and said, “Absolutely not.” “This was strictly players against players,” said Michie, “Race, age, religion, gender... none of that ever had anything to do with any decision.” The accusations loomed over Michie as he was announced as the winner. His expression was stoic as the confetti fell and contestants hugged and congratulated him. When asked how it felt to win, a dejected Michie said, “I did it for my mom, and I did it for my dad. And at the end of the day, what matters more to me than the half million is that they’re proud of me. I just hope that everything’s alright.” Thousands of fans took to Twitter to weigh in on the matter. And the most liked and retweeted Many viewers also commented that in the final seconds of the broadcast. Michie can be seen talking to his parents and vehemently denying he is a racist as they console him.