Interview with James from Reality News Online

by David Bloomberg -- 05/01/2008
James may be crazy, but he still thinks he’s saner than the bunch of houseguests he was cooped up with! In this exclusive RealityNewsOnline interview, what does James have to say about his strategy, what he would do differently if he could, and his future relationship with Chelsia – among a variety of other topics? Read on to find out!

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As you’ll see, James didn’t know much about Big Brother coming into the game, but he picked up on things in a hurry. Read on to find out what he thought of the game and some of his fellow houseguests, among other answers to questions you want to know about.

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, James, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline! Let’s start at the beginning. Did you have a specific planned strategy coming into the game?

James: When I got into Big Brother, I really didn’t have any strategy. I didn’t watch Big Brother before, so I went into it a little naïve. But once I got in, I got partnered with Chelsia, who had a ton of strategy, so I think that kind of wiped off on me.
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RNO: So then, what strategy did you use once you got in the house?

James: Once I was there, I was going to make people laugh and become the entertainment for the show and the houseguests. I wanted to bring the good energy to the house and if I could keep that coming, they would hopefully realize they wanted to be with people who made the time in the house better for them.

RNO: What did you think of the couples twist?

James: With the couples twist, I thought it implemented a whole new life for the game. I had to watch what Chelsia was doing. I thought it was pretty good but also thought it was cheesy. I kind of wanted to play the game alone but I’m also kind of glad I got partnered with her – it made it a little easier for me.

RNO: What would you do differently if you had it to do over again?

James: I would probably not have evicted Matt and lied to the houseguests. When I won the veto, I would have kept it the same and evicted Ryan. I think not working with matt was one of my downfalls.

RNO: At what point did you decide to vote for Adam instead of Ryan?

James: I knew that the whole game. I knew I would have Adam’s back. Ryan didn’t impress me. In my eyes, he’s a baffling idiot. It was the lesser of two evils.

RNO: What went into that decision?

James: What they did with me and how they treated me. Adam giving me a shot and not nominating me, that was big in my eyes.

RNO: Was it clear that the majority was going with Adam?

James: Yeah, absolutely.

RNO: Have you had a chance to watch any of the show yet, or have you heard about anything that you didn’t know about?

James: No, I really haven’t had a chance to watch. Nobody’s told me. I just asked how I was portrayed and they said it was in a really good light. As long as I come out true to me, that’s all that rally matters. What did you think?

RNO: I think you had a really good edit. In fact, a number of people say that you had too good an edit. For example, the pickle juice incident with Natalie and Josh – that didn’t make it to air. Same with when you followed Natalie around naked.

James: That wasn’t on there either? (Laughs) I wish they would have put that stuff on there. With all that good they might have shown, there’s also going to be a bad side. With that time in the house with people I don’t really like, it’s going to happen.

I’m not saying I’m a bad person, but the house turns you into somebody sometimes. I wish I would have been a little nicer. Evel Dick won last year by being a bad-ass and a hard-ass. That might not be the most respected game but you have to speak your mind and say who you are.

RNO: How did you get along with the other jurors?

James: It seemed like we were pretty much a group of friends. We hung out, I cooked for everyone because I used to be a chef. We’d grill out, have barbecues, and drink. We realized we’re in a huge thing. If I would have gone to the final three and been cut and thrown into the real world without having that peace, I don’t know how I’d be.

Also, it was good to get to know people off-camera. The one thing I did differently than others was I was the same off-camera as on-camera, and a lot of people in the house were completely different in sequester.

RNO: Do you want to give some examples?

James: Joshuah inside the house was always on, he always had the ultra-gay thing going. [In sequester], he was mellow and didn’t talk as much. Same with Matt. Matt in the house was a cocky @$$#ole, which he still is, but it was toned down in sequester and he’s low-key – not as much a jerk as he was on TV. It seemed like when he was in the house, his head got really inflated. Same with Natalie, she was quiet. Inside the house, she would never shut up. I wanted to blow my head off just to be away from her voice.

RNO: Do you regret anything you did in the house?

James: I wish I was a little nicer and like I said, I wish I didn’t evict Matt. It’s not because Ryan got second place; it’s because he’s an idiot who didn’t deserve to get as far as he got. I don’t really think anybody had any strategy going into the house; it seemed like they were just going with who had power each week and alliances would change.

RNO: It’s interesting you say that, because to us, it looked like there were fairly solid alliances. There was your alliance and “Team Christ.”

James: Yeah, Team Christ and we were the evildoers. But most lying and ridiculousness came from that side of the group. Yeah there was that. But besides, on a solo game level, it wasn’t really solidified. That didn’t get solidified until after we got put into solos. Even after that, Sheila was a wildcard, and you had Adam and Ryan who stayed together but only because nobody would hang out with those guys besides themselves.

RNO: As part of the final HOH competition, you gave a quote indicating you didn’t think your relationship with Chelsia would last. Do you still feel that way?

James: I think we’ll be friends, but on a romance level, I don’t think there’s anything that can stop what’s about to happen. I’m about to go again and I think her parents thought she was more a goody good girl than we saw on the show, and I think that kind of shocked them. They have small town values and small town views. I think they’re kind of blown away with how she acted. I love her for who she is, but her parents have that view. I think it took them for a shock.

RNO: You’re about to head out again?

James: I’m about to get back on my bicycle and start traveling again. At the same time, I’m in talks with CBS to do Housecalls. We’ll see what happens. I’m under contract to CBS for a year, so whatever they say I gotta do, I gotta do.

RNO: Earlier you talked about how you wanted to be the entertainer of the house. What is the one prank you wish you could have pulled, but for whatever reason, didn't?

James: I wish I could have antiqued Natalie – thrown flour on Natalie before I left the house. But I had to learn to respect the game and all the previous cast members in the house. When I got evicted, I had to respect everything around me.

RNO: Do you have anything else you want to tell us about your time on Big Brother?

James: My time was intense. I’m a crazy guy but these guys are mentally crazy! I think I was one of the most sane people in there! I know what I want in life and a lot of people in there don’t know what they want. I think I have the ability to help inspire people with their lives. I’m bicycling around the world and I wanted to show you don’t have to do a nine-to-five to be happyThe time in the house was hard, but I felt love from everybody watching the show. I think that was a big thing for me.

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