Ryan Lochte opens up about becoming 'one of the most hated people'

The penultimate episode of Celebrity Big Brother Monday night featured unseen moments from the season, including an emotional Ryan Lochte as he opened up about the struggle he has faced since the highly publicized incident at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. When asked why he decided to come on Big Brother, Lochte explained that he wants people to see him for who he is, not for how he has been portrayed in the headlines, based off his past. In particular, the time Lochte found himself in hot water following an incident at a Rio gas station, in which the Olympic swimmer, and three of his teammates, claimed they were held at gunpoint and robbed. However, Lochte later admitted that he "over-exaggerated" the story, and was subsequently dropped by four of his sponsors and charged with filing a false police report. "They blamed us because I fabricated the story," Lochte told his fellow Big Brother houseguests. "I said the gun was pointed at my head but, it was, like, from me to you. But when I told the story, I was still, like, really, like, drunk." Lochte then explained that what happened ultimately got blown out of proportion, and that the incident has become "the hardest time of my life, because I went from everyone loved me, and I was on top of the world, and then I was one of the most hated people." Since the incident, Lochte has been facing an uphill battle seeking redemption, and the Olympic swimmer admitted that it has been extremely hard for him. "I'm a role model for these kids, and when I get messages saying 'you should die,' and 'I thought were you my role model, you're not any more,' that is what really got me. Is when they started saying you're not my role model, and I lost faith in you and stuff like that," Lochte admitted as he began to tear up.