Mecole Hayes explains why she refused to hug Cory on “Big Brother”
The hug stops here.
Mecole Hayes played an even-keeled, sometimes even emotionless game on Big Brother — preferring to be seen as a levelheaded ally who could be predictable and trustworthy through the roller-coaster ride of reality competition. But the ice queen finally showed some fire after being unanimously voted out by her housemates on Thursday's live eviction episode.
Mecole refused to hug Cory Wurtenberger goodbye after the vote was revealed, and then called out Cory, America Lopez, and Bowie Jane for having an alliance that was running the house (news that might have been a surprise to both Bowie Jane and viewers).
Why did Mecole go off on the trio? We caught up with the 30-year-old political consultant the morning after her big exit and asked her all about it. We also inquired as to why she didn't fight harder to stay once she went up on the block, how her strategy might have changed had she known Cirie and Jared were related, and what she wishes she had done differently. Grab two spray cans of disinfectant and dive in! (You can watch the entire interview above or read it below.)
CBS Mecole Hayes on 'Big Brother' season 25
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: It seemed like the entire house was ready to send Felicia out the door, and then instead, you're knocked out unanimously, 7-0. What do you think happened?
MECOLE HAYES: I think that what I knew going into this week is although I was being painted as the pawn, I knew that there was a strong possibility that I could easily become the target. I knew that people would possibly perceive me to be the stronger competitor and that I had a good social game. And so while unfortunate, also not surprising to me.
We've got to talk about your exit. First off, you refuse to hug Cory on your way out. Why is that?
I know that he was responsible for flipping the vote. I had been a victim to his vote flipping, unfortunately, and also had been a part of it in evictions prior to. So I knew that he had played some role in it, and I also knew that America had played a heavy role in it as well. So I did think that it was inauthentic of me, if you will, to do the hugging and the kiki-ing with them while they were secretly plotting my demise. So I opted out.
You called out Cory, America, and Bowie Jane on your way out the door and then pointed at the people they were targeting, yet the camera angle we had didn't show it, so who were you pointing at and saying were next on their hit list?
I was pointing at Jag, Matt, and Blue. So earlier that week during my pitch, I was having a conversation with America, and she was just like, "Me, you, and Cory, we've all worked together before. We would like to continue this moving forward. Who else do you feel comfortable with?" And I was like, "I really don't feel like I have anyone. Especially if Mama Fe leaves, I kind of feel like I'm out here alone. Besides you two, I don't feel like I can trust anyone."
And she's like, "Oh, well, I love Bowie Jane. So get to know Bowie Jane. She's so smart. She really trusts Cory. She looks to him as sort of an advisor. So I really think you should get to know Bowie Jane." And I was just like, "I don't really know about that per se, but sure." So my plan on the way out was just to tell a little white lie and also spill a little tea. America seemed to know so much about Bowie Jane, so I figured the rest of the house should know how much she knows about her.
CBS Felicia Cannon and Mecole Hayes on 'Big Brother' season 25
Just throw a little bomb over your shoulder as you walk out the door.
Yeah, just throw a little bomb over my shoulder. America was always saying, "Mimi doesn't talk game to me. She doesn't talk game to me." Everyone is saying that they didn't know where I stood. And I also don't think that they know where each other stand either. It was just a convenient characterization, so I figured that I'd make them scramble a little bit before I walked out the door.
Let's talk about your strategy once you were put up on the block. It seemed to be to sort of hang back and not make waves, maybe let Felicia dig her own grave. Why didn't that work, and do you think you should have been a bit more aggressive and maybe made some deals?
I could have been a little more aggressive, but part of me wanted to stay true to how I played the game, which was to not go around making a bunch of BS deals that I knew I couldn't really hold true to. I don't really like to speak for my future self. You learn that while working in politics. You only want to speak to what you're able to do in the present tense. So my strategy that week was to lay as low as possible, but also not to seem too frazzled or too worried.
Although I was super anxious and not getting much sleep that week. I knew that Mama Fe is a fighter and that she would obviously campaign for herself, and I didn't think that she would campaign against me, but I knew that she would go around making a lot of deals and promising a lot of things that people knew that she wouldn't be able to hold up to. So I wanted my strategy to be opposite of that when I went into those conversations.
Did that approach sort of mirror your strategy for the game, which was to keep a low profile and let the flashier folks keep taking shots at each other while you avoid the crossfire?
I've spent my career working in politics, so I've been tasked with tons of important decisions, and I know that oftentimes when you are a decision maker and a mover and shaker, while it can seem to be a more popular position, you also tend to get a lot of envy and you also tend to make yourself a target. And that's what I did not want to do in this game. I knew that the house would be filled with tons of big personalities and tons of masterminds and strategists, and I didn't come here to win America's favorite player. I came here to win $750,000. So I figured that I let the big personalities get their shine on where I kind of hung back and see what it was like in the backyard.
CBS Mecole Hayes on 'Big Brother' season 25
Speaking of big personalities, how does your view of the game and the alliances in the house change now knowing that Cire and Jared are mother and son?
Oh, it changes. First of all, I'm still shook. Okay! I had a nightmare about them being mother and son because so many things make sense to me now! It's like an epiphany. But it really does change everything. I kept thinking to myself, "Why is she spending so much time up there? They seem to have such a close relationship."
At some point, he moved out of the scary room and into the comic room, and after losing the zombie resurrection, he was in there and he was tearful and crying and crying — she was talking to him and consoling him. And even during the zombie resurrection, she was cheering him on and was the only one out there that was verbally coaching him through what was going on. Now that I sit back and know that they are mother and son, I'm like, "Wow, this all makes sense. I'm such an idiot. How did I miss that?"
Who's playing the best game in the house?
It's so hard to say, but if I had to pick anyone, I would probably say Matt — just because he is well-liked and well-received in the house. He also has the ability to win comps. Although he hasn't won that many, he has showed that he can win if and when necessary. And I just think that people love Matt and he is someone who, while they know they probably can't beat at the end of this game, is someone that they would probably like to take to the end of this game. So I probably have to go with Matt.
Who are you rooting for to win this game?
It's so hard to say because I hate everybody! But if I have to pick two people to sit in those final two chairs, I'm going to go Matt and Cire.
If you could get a do-over and go back and change anything you did during the game that would maybe take you down a different path that leads to you not talking to me right now, what would it be?
I would probably try to trust more people. I think my downfall in this game is that I truly trusted no one, and so I just didn't feel comfortable sharing my strategy and sharing all of my thoughts and opinions because the house is like a leaky faucet. Once you say it once, it just kind of spreads everywhere.
And so I would really try to align myself with people that I can trust. I think that I tried to do that with the Brown Sugar Babes, and then I heard about the idea to potentially blindside me on the Izzy–Felicia vote. And so that really just altered my trust, and from there I was just like, "Oh, no, I can't trust any of you." So I would probably find more people that I could trust and really try to stick to that.
Sonja Flemming/CBS Mecole Hayes on 'Big Brother' season 25
What's more cutthroat: politics or Big Brother?
Oh, politics, 100 percent. You have so many avenues that you can explore in politics. You go for being a representative to a senator, to maybe attorney general, governor, vice president, so on and so forth. In Big Brother, you can only win so many HOHs and vetoes.
Well, I don't know if you've been caught up, but there's been some cutthroat political stuff happening over the past week.
No, I have not been caught up!
I'll wait for you to get your phone back, but there's been some things happening there that are maybe just as crazy as in the Big Brother house the past week. Final question: Just how messy and germ-infested is the Big Brother house?
Oh, it's disgusting. It is terrible. I mean, the bathroom's horrendous. First of all, I would go into the bathroom stall and put tissue in my nose because it literally stunk so bad. The shower is terrible. I would take 15-, 20-minute showers with my eyes closed because there are clumps of hair everywhere — half-open bottles of shampoo and body wash. The bathroom sinks are always wet and filled with mouthwash or water. The dishes are never washed, the floor is never swept. It's disgusting. It's horrible. The kids are gross.
Not your problem anymore.
Not my problem anymore. I will not sweep another floor. I will not clean another bathroom. I will not wipe down another counter. That is somebody else's problem.
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