Details Emerge in CBS v. ABC Lawsuit, Big Brother Confidentiality Breached?

It’s like the story that never ends. With just days before The Glass House contestants move in and just over a week before the show is set to premiere on ABC, details continue to emerge on the lawsuit CBS has filed against ABC for their Big Brother-esque reality show. As we have been constantly updating fans with details of the court case, we have uncovered more details that have emerged from the deposition that took place Sunday night. Late Thursday night, CBS filed an emergency injunction for the temporary restraining order, yet another attempt to stop ABC from premiering The Glass House. As the presiding judge’s decision won’t come until close to the premiere date of June 18, this was CBS’s last ditch effort at making a big wave.

As we previously reported, former Big Brother and current The Glass House producer, Kenny Rosen, was deposed for seven hours on Sunday regarding his role in the production of the ABC show. During the deposition, Rosen admitted to using a copy of the Big Brother Guest Manual as a draft for a supporting document for The Glass House. As the Big Brother manual is property of CBS (and regarded as confidential information), it appears CBS’s claim might have more to it than initially thought. This may be in violation of the agreement Rosen signed when employed by CBS. Rosen also admitted that he “consulted” the CBS Big Brother Master Control schedule to assess how many helping hands he would need to hire in production for ABC’s The Glass House. Initially, it was believed that no more than 15 former Big Brother employees were on tap for The Glass House, but the deposition revealed that the number might be doubled, in fact.

Rosen stated that the creation of The Glass House began around the time another former Big Brother producer Corie Henson came over to work for ABC. Even further, Rosen also admitted during the deposition that he had purposefully deleted Glass House emails after the lawsuit was filed by CBS. We’ll keep you updated as details continue to emerge.

Fans will be able to peek at the hamsters in the house made of glass on Monday from 11pm – 3am EST and on Tuesdays – Thursdays from just 3pm – 4pm EST. ABC will permit LIVE voting starting June 9, while the live streaming will kick off June 11. The show will premiere on the ABC network on Monday June 18 at 10/9c! Big Brother 14 premieres on CBS on Thursday July 12 at 9/8c!

‘The Glass House’ Producer Grilled 7 Hours in ‘Big Brother’ Deposition

If you thought CBS would take a step back and leave ABC to their wits in airing The Glass House, well you thought wrong. ABC announced the cast of their inaugural season yesterday and CBS is STILL trying to put a stop to this show. Touted as a Big Brother rip-off, CBS has left threatening letters for ABC, while ABC has not stayed quiet and fired back. Less than 2 weeks before The Glass House is set to premiere, CBS has taken the aggressive route in putting an end to these shenanigans.

As we previously reported, CBS is suing ABC, arguing that the show violates trade secrets and threatens to leak production secrets, as at least 19 former Big Brother employees now work under the ABC show. ABC is vehemently denying the claims, stating that Glass House is not a rip-off and is far from the CBS summer hit. On May 31, CBS filed a motion to expedite the court’s process in preparation for a preliminary injunction. In turn, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has fired its own complaint.

Read ABC’s Court Filing Here

Per reports, a hearing took place on Friday where ABC was demanded to turn in a number of up-to-date documents outlining their plans for the upcoming season of Glass House. According to legal papers, Kenny Rosen, Glass House producer and former Big Brother producer, was deposed for 7 hours on Sunday. During the deposition, he was grilled about Glass House and whether any Big Brother trade secrets were used in the upcoming ABC production. As CBS struggles to find out what Glass House really is (join the club), it’s been difficult for their lawyers to effectively put an end to this competing program.

Late Monday, CBS filed papers proposing an expedited schedule for the court to gather more papers from Glass House production. U.S. Discrict Court Judge Gary Fees is ironically the third judge to preside over this case, as the previous two have recused their responsibility.

According to THR, the proposed schedule argues that “CBS undeniably has an interest in stopping the irreparable harm caused by Defendants’ ongoing misappropriation of trade secrets, infringement of Big Brother’s copyright, and other unlawful activity (including spoilaiton of evidence)…For these reasons, CBS intends to seek a TRO [temporary restraining order] preventing the ongoing production and imminent airing of Glass House on June 18.”

ABC has already fired back claiming that CBS’s claims are preposterous. “…it is misleading—and frankly irrelevant to the legal claims—that Mr. Rosen said he hired more than twenty people with prior experience on Big Brother…What CBS does not tell this Court is that Mr. Rosen also testified that the vast majority of these people worked with Mr. Rosen more recently on a different reality show, Hell’s Kitchen, that has nothing to do with Big Brother. It is true that Mr. Rosen hires people with whom he has experience working on reality shows; there is nothing improper about that.” The argument stresses that “It is preposterous for CBS to argue that a one-page outdated master control room schedule from an old season of Big Brother is a trade secret.”

Now, please allow this writer a moment to editorially comment regarding the story above. This back and forth battle is becoming a little bit ridiculous. Glass House, while arguably a Big Brother knockoff, is not the first show to be spun into creation inspired by a rival network’s show. Why is NBC not firing at Fox for their upcoming dating mockery, The Choice, which clearly mimics The Voice’s format to a “T”? Would CBS be working this hard if there weren’t so many former producers working on ABC’s new show? Does this determination hint at some underlying work environment issue with Big Brother than just merely exposing “trade secrets?”

At this point, CBS needs to give it a rest. Glass House will likely air, in its entirety, no matter what. The fans will decide and the ratings will speak for themselves. At this rate, CBS is helping ABC immensely with the free publicity, since Glass House is strategically premiering almost 4 weeks before Big Brother 14. Fans will be able to peek at the hamsters in the house made of glass on Monday from 11pm – 3am EST and on Tuesdays – Thursdays from just 3pm – 4pm EST. ABC will permit LIVE voting starting June 9, while the live streaming will kick off June 11. The show will premiere on the ABC network on Monday June 18 at 10/9c! Big Brother 14 premieres on CBS on Thursday July 12 at 9/8c!

Big Brother Heading Up to Our Northern Neighbors!

It’s about time isn’t it? The Big Brother franchise is finally headed up to Canada. Just like the U.S. version, BB Canada will pit a diverse cast of peeps living under the BB watchful eye 24/7 in a house to win some cash.

According to the Executive Producer of Big Brother Canada, John Brunton, “The franchise presents an opportunity to make serious waves north of the border. Like Captain Kirk said, ‘Boldly go where no man has gone before.’ We’ve never produced a show that shoots 24/7. Casting this program is going to be a blast.” Isn’t that true! I don’t know how many times our Canadian fans have complained about not having access to the U.S. feeds or not having their own show. It’s about darn time.

Details, for now, are sketchy, but Shaw Media has announced that the series will be airing on the 2012/2013 season in ‘Slice’.

Now our only question is… will the U.S. have access to watching it? Will the U.S. be able to buy the Canadian feeds? I sure hope so! So Canadian fans, are you excited? U.S. fans, will you tune in if you can? Leave us a comment below!

Big Brother v. Glass House: The Saga Continues…

ABC is not taking the threats from CBS over their upcoming show ‘Glass House’ lying down. ABC, in response to the eye network claims it’s new reality show is NOT stealing any trade secrets from ‘Big Brother’ stating that nothing about ‘Big Brother’ is a secret.

ABC’s responses is official, filed in the court in response to CBS’ lawsuit, asking the judge to throw out the absurd and “over-the-top” lawsuit immediately. According to court documents, ABC calls the stealing of Big Brother “outrageous” because “there is nothing secret about editing a program with multiple feeds together or developing a narrative structure for it. That is reality TV.” They go on to say that using hidden cameras, having contestants in isolation etc. is not new and should not be considered a “trade secret” as CBS is claiming.

ABC made note in the court filing that there are many differences between the two shows. For one, ‘Glass House’ will be a team oriented game rather than a single individual game. They also say the reason so many old Big Brother employees came on board with ‘Glass House’ leaving CBS and Big Brother behind is that it is “common knowledge in the industry that low pay and the 24 hours a day/7 days a week filming schedule makes life on the Big Brother set difficult,” going on to say that “employees prefer a different show with benefits and better hours is hardly evidence of a trade secret violation.”

ABC is asking the judge to deny all demands and accusations filed from CBS so it can begin production on it’s show. No ruling has yet been made.

Who do you believe? Is ‘Glass House’ just a rip off of ‘Big Brother’ or is CBS just trying to quell any competition? Will you be watching?

CBS Lawyers Threaten ABC Over New Big Brotheresqe Show ‘Glass House’

Update: CBS has followed through on their bluff. Reports have surfaced of CBS taking it one step further with their threat on ABC’s Glass House and suing the network for their alleged Big Brother rip-off. CBS reportedly wants a judge to put an end to production on the ABC summer reality TV show, after ABC refused to back down to CBS’s cease and desist letter found below. Noted in the suit filed earlier today, “If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” the suit begins, “then CBS should take pride in ABC’s latest reality TV project. Glass House, which remarkably employs at least 19 former producers and staff from CBS’ hit reality TV series Big Brother, is a carbon copy of Big Brother and an obvious attempt by Defendants to capitalize on its unique success. CBS therefore brings this action to halt and recover its damages from Defendants’ ongoing infringement of its rights in Big Brother.” It went on to say that Glass House “replicates every key aspect of Big Brother, including, among other things, its plot, themes, mood, setting, pace, characters, sequence of events, and other concrete elements.”

Read the full lawsuit thanks to The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, CBS lawyers are threatening ABC over a recently announced reality show called Life in a Glass House, which CBS is alleging is a rip off of their long time running Reality Show Big Brother, currently going into it’s 14th season this summer.

CBS Executives sent a cease-and-desist letter today to ABC executives Anne Sweeney and Alan Braverman. According to CBS lawyer Scott Edelman of the Gibson Dunn firm, Glass House is “strikingly” similar to Big Brother. “In the strongest possible terms, we must admonish ABC and anyone involved in the development or production of Glass House that they will be acting at their own peril if they continue to proceed in this manner,” Edelman writes, “and that CBS has instructed us to pursue all available remedies if this course of conduct continues.”

Read the Letter Here (Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter)

According to THR, “CBS also claims that the new ABC series is being produced by Big Brother veterans who might reveal private information about the inner workings of the show. Specifically, ABC alternative development executive Corie Henson is a Big Brother alum, and both Kenny Rosen and Mike O’Sullivan worked on the show. Those individuals also received similar cease and desist letters.”

“Even worse, CBS is informed that Glass House is being produced by a team of at least 18 former members of CBS’ Big Brother production staff — all of whom were privy to trade secrets and other confidential, proprietary information and signed broad and binding non-disclosure agreements in connection with Big Brother,” the letter reads.

The Hollywood Reporter has contacted ABC for comment but has not yet heard back. We will update you if they get a response.

What do you think? Too much like Big Brother? Will CBS win this one? Leave us a comment below!

The Mystery Behind Big Brother’s Fortune Teller

Just who is Madame Broella?

It has been nearly a month and a half since Rachel Reilly took away the grand prize of $500,000 as the winner of Big Brother 13, but many fans are still discussing, investigating, and debating the identity behind the house’s iconic figure, the fortune teller? Ever since the Fortune Teller surfaced on Twitter shortly before the start of Big Brother 13, rumors have been swirling as to the identity of @BBFortuneTeller.

Before we delve any further, I’d like to point out that the theories and opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the writer or staff at YakkityYaks. We have done our best to compile various opinions as we scour the internet and are bound to miss a few. This piece is meant to be for fun and in no way definitive about the identity of the Big Brother Fortune Teller. We’d also like to thank our exclusive Twitter sleuth, @pj_williamson, a self-proclaimed Big Brother and TV fanatic, for many of the investigative findings below.

A few key and popular theories exist about who the FT really is. Fans all over social networking sites and fan message boards (such as YY) have speculated that Madame Broella is indeed a member of production who has taken to social media sites like Twitter to give Big Brother fans just one more thing to obsess about in addition to the game. Other fans believe that a previous houseguest (popular or unpopular) from Big Brother’s past came up with a sick joke to mess with Big Brother fans. Even further, some fans believe that multiple houseguests are on a “rotation” in using the now infamous Twitter handle. The latter seems to be the most dominant and popular theory at this time.

Supporting the producer/insider theory, avid (and maybe even obsessed) “Fortunate Followers” will remember that the @BBFortuneTeller handle was able to tweet some information regarding the house and houseguests before news was made public. However, that doesn’t completely defend that theory because it is possible that previous houseguests may be privy to such information. So basically we’re back at square one.

As the season went on, it appeared that not only did the FT seem to have some inside scoop, but she (or he?) was willing to sporadically send out clues regarding it’s identity. The clue giving has continued on to this day, as fans continue to investigate this mystery. First up, the FT’s twitter description previously included “#TeamAlumni = #TeamBox.” As we mentioned, it has been believed for some time that the person behind the FT was a previous housguest, hence team alumni (or previous houseguest) = team box (or person inside the box, aka person in control of the FT). However, is there more to this clue that what we see on the surface? In the past week, the FT has released not one but TWO anagrams with the first being “OctoberThirtyFirst.” After much deliberation, the jury is still out on how to decipher this. The names Robert and Eric can be pulled out in two different deciphers (but then not much can be done with the other letters). Robert Roman appeared on BB4, but there’s not much more to go from there. However, Eric Stein was America’s Player on BB8, so … The second anagram was “Never Doubt Broella” and the FT let us know “Ellen” was the first world. Since “Ellen8million” was a trending topic that day, we are led to believe this does not signal any clue as to the identity of the FT. So, let us move on. We want to know if you’ve come up with any other ways to decipher these anagrams.

As we begin yet another week, the Fortune Teller ominously teased her Fortunate Followers regarding a #ManicMonday. Just what is Manic Monday and what does it have to with this Big Brother mystery? It’s clear now that #ManicMonday dealt with a new “Treasure Hunt” in collaboration with @MichelleBB10. As to what the hunt entails and what its reward will be, well, that’s anybody’s guess.

Additionally, the FT uses the term “EyE” rather than “I” with its random capitalization. It is more than likely that the “EyE” may simply refer to a.) The BB eye, b.) The CBS eye or c.) A fortuneteller’s all-seeing eye or even d) all of the above.

Even so, the story behind the Fortune Teller isn’t all fun and games. There was a point in time where fans seemed to get frustrated with Madame Broella and speculation grew that the identity of the tweeter was nothing more than a fan messing around and having fun with obsessed Big Brother fanatics. It was also even speculated that a major Big Brother blog and message board might be behind this social experiment. Some angry tweets were thrown her way, but it’s pretty obvious that the FT can handle angry tweets. She did live in the house with some interesting folk, after all. Plus, she’s probably still flattered with Shelly’s compliments from inside the house. These such theories didn’t hold much weight anyways and weren’t focused on as much by many Big Brother fans, but they did exist and we feel as if they should be pointed out as a reminder.

If there’s one thing EyE know, it’s that this Twitter handle, whether real or experimental, has made waves in social networking with one of the summer’s biggest reality shows. EyE think this could and will open doors for Big Brother next summer … the question is, my personal Fortunate Followers, just who is Madame Crystal Broella?

To follow along the speculation, join in our FORUMS and be sure to follow the Yak on Twitter and Facebook. Of course, don’t forget that you can follow Madame Broella on Twitter as well, so you’re not left in the dark on this mysterious yet enjoyable mystery. EyE know U won’t regRET it!

Big Brother Victory House: Meet the Cast!

The Big Brother fun at YakkityYaks doesn’t end when the hit CBS summer reality series closes its door. This weekend, YakkityYaks is proud to be the exclusive sponsor of Big Brother Victory House! Big Brother Victory House–named after the location’s former party nickname–is a scaled down, North Carolina-based reality game that will see the likes of twenty people compete in a house cut off from the outside world. With no cell phones, no televisions, no music and no Internet access, these houseguests will encounter the nearest thing possible to a stay in the real Big Brother house.

This will be Big Brother Victory House’s ninth season, and it will feature several of the game’s most notorious players from the past, alongside partners with whom they share dynamic relationships in the “real world.” This crop of dynamic duos range from relatives to coworkers, and from romantic partners to life-long friends, but despite how close they are, they will ultimately have to face off against one another.

Like CBS’s Big Brother, fans may watch a 24/7 live feed broadcast from inside the Big Brother Victory House compound. Viewers may choose between two cams, and they may also chat about the game with other viewers.

Read on below for houseguest bios and vote for who you think will walk away victorious on our poll! (Duos listed from left to right in reference to the picture below.) Don’t forget the LIVE 24/7 feeds are available at Big Brother Victory House!

Alan & Jon
LIFELONG BEST FRIENDS

Alan: A server and college student of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His favorite sport is tennis, and he is inspired by Barack Obama and Andre Agassi.

Jon: A New Jersey native who describes himself as self-actualized, motivating and unique. He enjoys sky diving and plans to use that love of adventure to excel in competitions.

Anna & Skyler
FRIENDS

Anna: A manager of a four diamond hotel, she is no stranger to diplomacy. She plans to make only one reservation in the house, however, and it’s for herself.

Skyler: Describing himself as kind, loyal and charismatic, this former runner-up hopes to finally win. He sums up his strategy in one word: “Slaychel.”

Jessica & Steph B
LIFELONG BEST FRIENDS

Jessica: This former cosmetologist and current server possesses a quick wit and sharp tongue, but plans to not show her cards.

Steph B: A hospitality leader in the restaurant industry, this Washington DC resident has never met a stranger, and plans to use her social skills to take home the gold.

JaLisa & Micah
COWORERS

Jalisa: A proud member of the National Guard, she describes herself as straight to the point. Working with her partner, she hopes to demolish the competition.

Micah: Being a huge enthusiast of the game and show, this former third-place finisher and aspiring politician hopes to use his communications skills to finally make it to the final two.

Shelbi & Peter
COWORKERS

Shelbi: Free-spirited and artistic, this young server firmly believes that “life isn’t about finding yourself; it’s about creating yourself.” She plans to make unexpected alliances to keep a target off her back.

Peter: This sever knows how to have a good time, but he isn’t planning on an experience of just fun and games. He is ready to destroy those who stand in between himself and the grand prize.

Jeremy & Caroline
ROOMMATES

Jeremy: This Illinois native describes himself as clumsy, loud, and optimistic. A former runner-up to the game, he says his strategy to take home the gold is to only look out for himself but to keep his eyes wide open.

Caroline: A magna cum laude graduate of theatre, this newcomer proudly proclaims that she has met the love of her life. She proudly proclaims she is inspired by her mother, and wants to play the game as trustworthy as possible.

Maxx & Kayla
FRIENDS

Maxx: A server and student of entertainment technology, this single (“but not for long”) guy describes himself as funny and wild, and he plans to “take no mercy.”

Kayla: She describes herself as ninety fiesty and fabulous pounds of fun. Leaving a long-term boyfriend behind, Kayla will do anything to win. She jokes that her strategy is simple: Get rich or die trying.

Chad & Brantley
ROOMMATES

Chad: He is a dean’s list art student with a morbid sense of humor and a vast horror film collection. Being an athletic person, Chad plans to lie low to avoid being seen as a threat.

Brantley: A former winner of the game, he plans to utilize his original winning formula: act like he’s just having a good time so people do not find him as a threat. He is a senior associate for a high-end retailer.

Chris & Stephanie M
COWORKERS

Chris: A former news correspondent and current freelance writer, this former winner will use his brains and charm to take him to the finish line once again.

Stephanie M: An evening news producer who prides herself on her morals, which she believes is instilled by her mother–a woman of Chinese descent.

Michelle & Ryan
FRIENDS

Michelle: A loud and proud feminist, this pharmacy technician will use her logic and lovable nature to excel in the game. She is an avid ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Harry Potter’ fan.

Ryan: Describing himself as dependable, loyal and competitive, this staffing coordinator and former runner-up to the game hopes to win by aligning with strong players and having them do the dirty work.

Introducing ‘Big Brother Victory House’

YakkityYaks will be featuring a weekend-long version of CBS’s Big Brother.  Big Brother Victory House–named after the location’s former party nickname–is a scaled down, North Carolina-based reality game that will see the likes of nearly sixteen people compete in a house cut off from the outside world.  With no cell phones, no televisions, no music and no Internet access, these houseguests will encounter the nearest thing possible to a stay in the real Big Brother house.

This will be Big Brother Victory House’s ninth season, and it will feature several of the game’s most notorious players from the past, alongside partners with whom they share dynamic relationships in the “real world.”  Modeling this season after CBS’s most recent season of Big Brother, Big Brother Victory House will follow a similar format–but with some surprising alterations.  While the upcoming season’s details are still wrapped in mystery, this season’s hosts promise that Big Brother Victory House’s ninth season is quite the jaw-dropper.  This crop of dynamic duos range from relatives to coworkers, and from romantic partners to life-long friends, but despite how close they are, they will ultimately have to face off against one another.

Like CBS’s Big Brother, fans may watch a 24/7 live feed broadcast from inside the Big Brother Victory House compound.   Viewers may choose between two cams, and they may also chat about the game with other viewers.

“We’re just die-hard Big Brother fans, creating a game for other die-hard fans,” host and YakkityYaks member Alex Roten says.  “We don’t have a CBS-sized budget, so of course we can’t pull off elaborate live feed cameras or ridiculously over-the-top challenges.  Don’t expect our houseguests to be hanging from a crane in our backyard!” he laughs.  “This is all for fun!”

“There’s always plenty of scheming and backstabbing, and the inevitable crying and arguing,” Alex continues.  “Houseguests really get into it!  It’s surprising how much of a pressure cooker the house can be, even in such a short period.  It’s fast-paced, so there’s always something interesting happening.  We are really wanting the YakkityYaks community to watch, discuss and enjoy our game!”

Big Brother Victory House: Dynamic Duos kicks off Friday, October 7, and it will conclude with the live finale on the following Sunday.  Fans may visit the official website at www.bigbrothervictoryhouse.com for more information, and to get exclusive details about the upcoming season.

Big Brother 13 Adam Poch: ‘Creepiest Stripper at a Bachelorette Party’

The Yak had the pleasure of chatting with Adam Poch, 3rd place finisher of Big Brother 13! He gives us the low down on what it’s like to be a fan playing the Big Brother game!

____________________________

The Yak: Hello Adam! How are you doing this morning?

Adam: I am doing amazing! It would have been better waking up with a half a million dollars, but instead I woke up with something even better, I woke up with my girlfriend and I am out of that house.

The Yak: That is so awesome… I mean final 3, I know it isn’t exactly what you had your eyes on, but you know, final three, Tori Spelling, the Summer of Big Brother and now freedom! How does it feel to be Adam about right now?

Adam: You know, it feels pretty damn good to be Adam right now I gotta admit. It was a Summer that I never expected to happen, even though I was trying for a few years to get on the show, I never expected to get on. Then to actually get on the show and compete, and win competitions and get to the final three, who would ever think that? And Tori Spelling showing up? Phenomenal. I mean David Hasselhoff, that was cool, but if I never met David Hasselhoff, I could have continued living my life, but being able to meet Tori Spelling? And more importantly Tori Spelling knows who Adam is! If I had just gone to one of her book signings and asked her to sign my book and I would have said I love you and I host trivia night on Beverly Hills 90210, you’re the greatest, she would have thought I was just some weirdo. Now she thinks I am still a weirdo, but Adam the weirdo from Big Brother. She invited me to come over to her house for Christmas, I love my girlfriend dearly, we have a future together… Tori has a reality show where she plans weddings, who knows.

The Yak: Maybe she can plan your wedding!

Adam: Maybe with my little bit of quirkiness and loving Tori Spelling and loving 90210 I could get her to plan our wedding. Rachel won’t be the only one getting a dream wedding this season.

The Yak: Well, Rachel had her wedding this season.

Adam: Yes with the cutest ring bearer ever, as well as probably the creepiest stripper ever at a Bachelorette party.

The Yak: Yeah, we can get on board with that statement.

Adam: Well you gotta work with what ya got honey!

The Yak: We know you like fan sites, specifically Hamsterwatch

Adam: How did you know that? [laugh]

The Yak: I think I may just be psychic…

Adam: Well, now that I have been on the show, I will be for sure checking out every site now. I am a bit of an egomaniac, and if there is something written about me, whether it’s good or bad, I will read it. Even if it’s bad about me, I know who I am, and if your talking bad about me and you never lived in that house, you have no idea what you have to go through on a day to day basis.

The Yak: That was exactly what we wanted to ask you. Being a fan just like we are, watching the show and feeds, hanging out at the websites criticizing the game play and players, what can you tell us now that you have experienced it first hand?

Adam: You know, before I walked into that house, I had so many ideas of how I wanted to play the game. I watched how other people played it, and I knew I would have to play my own game, obviously not realizing the type of people I would be playing with, especially strong competitors that knew the game inside and out because they played the game before. That was definitely the toughest thing to get used to. The first couple of weeks, still trying to learn about people… learning who you can trust and who you can’t and in the meantime, there are 5 to 6 people who knew exactly what they were doing, so that was the toughest part of the competition. You know as a fan when you are watching on TV, it’s so easy to criticize… you have to sleep with both eyes open in that house. You can’t even sleep sometimes! I’m sitting there running scenarios through my head, and that person that’s laying next to you pretending to be sleeping and you wonder what scenarios are running through their heads. You know the first couple weeks trying to figure out who to trust is the hardest part… and once I started working with Jeff and Jordan, and I knew I could trust them, I think that’s when my game got some focus. People wanted to call me a floater and I call it covering my ass. I call it making sure I was not a target. I was making sure I was loveable and people wouldn’t look at me like I was a big threat, but meanwhile I was totally dedicated to Jeff and Jordan, and to some degree Rachel. I was definitely working with them when the newbies I was trying to align with either jumped ship or got in over their head, so I just had to make sure I did whatever I had to do to get by in the game. And say what you want about my game, I got to final three and gave myself a chance to win this game. Floater, drifter, fence sitter… you know there is no handbook that says how to play this game, and ya know what, in previous seasons, if I tried to play the game the exact way I played it, it may not have worked. So when you look at how anybody played this game, you cannot criticize how they did it, especially to get far in this game. You look back at every big move that was made this season and it blew up in their face, and not making a big move, was a big move, and not falling prey to help someone else out while not helping my game, that was a big move. So say what you want about me, but the moves that I made may not have looked big, but they got me to where I was.

The Yak: Did you experience paranoia in the game?

Adam: Paranoia sets in two seconds after you walk in that door. When you look at someone and you realize they aren’t here to just hand you a half million dollars, they’re here to take a half million dollars away from you. Then finding out people were throwing competitions early in the game because they didn’t like their partner, I mean come on… that’s why when the vets first asked me to come aboard and asked me to throw competitions, I did not want to roll like that. That’s not why I worked hard to get onto that show. That’s not why I tried 3 out of the last 4 years to get on that show. I did not go in there just to be someone else’s puppet, I went in there to win a half a million dollars. When I realized what I had to do, and maybe I was better off not winning competitions, that never stopped me from trying to win them. I said it to people in the house, and I will say it to anyone outside the house, I never threw a competition. If I lost a competition, it was because I sucked at it. When I got the Before and After wrong, the Fast Forward did startle me a little bit, the HoH Daniele won, it was the same one as the veto and we played it at night… I just got confused for a second and when you lose your head in this game, it screws you up. Hey, it worked out to my advantage… I wanted to get Jeff out, but I didn’t want to get Jeff out then. I wanted to get Jeff out in the final four and go head to head, but it worked out to help me a little bit. I was really upset I was not able to win the HoH and the Veto on the Fast Forward and keep Jeff safe because he had kept me safe and I wanted to return the favor. It really bummed me out. Then when Jeff looked at me after the vote came in 2-2 and thought I voted against him it really hurt me. But hey ya know what, any ripple in the whole scheme of things, I may not have been in the final three so…

The Yak: Do you think if Rachel had taken you to the final two you could have won and why did you ultimately end up voting for Porsche to win?

Adam: I’d like to think I could have convinced the jury to vote for me. Chances are with the people who were on that jury, they were pretty set on who they would vote for. Rachel did earn her spot there, Rachel was the fiercest competitor of the season. Honestly I threw my vote to Porsche, and people are giving me slack for that, but I did throw my vote to Porsche because I really did not want to see a veteran win the game. When it came down to it, I tried to help Rachel get further in the game so she could help me get further in the game, and I really wish she had taken me and showed me the same courtesy that I showed her by working with her and sticking with her, and keeping her safe when I did, and it did hurt me, so that’s why I did vote for Porsch to win. I know as a new player what I had to go through this time around and the fact that a veteren had a second chance to play the game, I felt like the new people definitely deserved it.

The Yak: Did the vets coming into the game change the way you had originally planned to play the game?

Adam: The only thing it changed was the fact the I knew there were some big targets in the house, and I can hide behind them a little bit. I knew coming into the game I’m a 40 yr. old quirky guy and I wanted to make sure people fell in love with me early because sometimes people don’t get me right away. Knowing that there were big targets in the house did let me take a back seat and blend in a little bit, which I know is hard to imagine from a guy who is throwing metal horns in the air and screamin’, but you had some other people that were playing the game too fast, too strong, too quickly. I let people like Keith dig his own ditch. I let Dominic dig his own ditch. That sucked because I really wanted to work with Dominic but with the veterans there, they knew what they were doing… but with the newbies there that didn’t know what they were doing that were getting in over their heads so I just took a back seat and let them dig their ditches and fall in it. When it was time for me to start steppin’ up, I thought I could put it into overdrive and step it up. I did for a little bit, but in this game there are so many up and downs week to week.

The Yak: Why didn’t you tell Jeff and Jordan about Shelly’s betrayel sooner?

Adam: Ya know, I didn’t want to believe it! I did not want to believe that Shelly was not on board. I thought Shelly was being true and honest with me because we would talk things through. We were both up early in the morning and we would talk about decisions that were going on, it always seemed like her and I were on the same page. When we did not agree on stuff we would talk about it. The fact that she was just actually just taking the information I was giving her and twisting it, going back to Jeff and Jordan telling them that they shouldn’t be trusting me… we didn’t figure that out until it was too late. I think Shelly did do an amazing job with that, trying to be a “Dr. Will”, trying to manipulate other people. But again, too much, too fast, too strong, and when people finally started comparing notes, we realized Shelly was the one that was betraying us.

The Yak: That’s what we saw as well. It seemed that Shelly was very manipulative, but at some point, it seemed she got a little too big for her britches so-to-speak, that she was doing it so well, she got a little cocky about it.

Adam: Exactly and in this game as you have seen before, once you think you got it wrapped up, that’s when you go down. When she was going upstairs when Kalia was HoH and telling Jeff, Jordan and myself that she was telling Kalia that she was voting to keep Rachel, but going up there to get information for us, we thought it was a little suspicious, but she had not done anything to that point to show her suspicion, so we didn’t want to believe it. Looking back if we had we realized it, when Shelly and Brendon were up, we could have sent Shelly home. But like I said so many times, any one change in the ripple, I might have not made final three, so it worked out the way it was supposed to work out. Except for the fact that I could not win one of the first two parts of the final HoH, because I got four questions right in part 3 sitting in the kitchen by myself, and could not believe how they weren’t getting these questions right, and that’s where I would have excelled because I did get to know all the jury members, as well as everybody in the house on a personal level, so I knew what they would have been thinking in those final questions. It was my own fault.

The Yak: Since we are running out of time, I would like a more personal question if I could. We know you lost a lot of weight before going into the Big Brother house, and just wondered if you did it using the Atkins or similar low carb program, and if that’s how you got hooked on bacon?

Adam: [laugh] No, I have always been hooked on bacon! I have been hooked on bacon since I was a little boy, and my father would cook bacon in the morning on the weekends, and I would wake up to the sweet smell of bacon… as a Jew it’s like the forbidden fruit. But I have been able to keep bacon in my diet and lose the weight by finding healthier alternatives still using bacon. Bacon is good for you, moderation is the key. Like anything in life, it’s all about moderation. You do not have to cut bacon out of your diet, you can still stay healthy, and look as good as I do… the sexiest man to play Big Brother!

The Yak: Well thank you so much Adam. You have a great day and some wonderful wrap parties!

Adam: Thank you so much I appreciate it.

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Big Brother 13 2nd Place Winner Porsche Briggs: ‘Burning the Pink Velour’

The Yak had the pleasure of talking with second place Big Brother winner, Porsche Briggs yesterday morning, immediately following her win of $50,000 the night before. Read below what Porsche had to say about her Summer of Big Brother, her other Houseguests, and how she feels about her 2nd place victory!

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The Yak: Hi Porsche, congratulations on final two! I know you wanted to win the big money, but you got second place, $50,000, a summer of Big Brother and now freedom this morning! How does it feel to be you about right now?

Porsche: Oh it’s pretty nice! It’s $50,000 more than I started this Summer with!

The Yak: Too true! Our members as you know watch the feeds, watch the show and criticize the game play of course, but can you tell us first hand now what it truly feels like to be in there and how stressful it really is?

Porsche: Oh that’s the biggest difference between watching it on TV and being there actually. It’s stressful ALL the time you know, everyone is constantly trying to determine who’s side are you on, what you will do if we win, if you win… it’s all game talk all the time in that house and it’s REALLY stressful!

The Yak: Yes because the fans can watch the show and feeds and see what is going on behind all the doors and what people are saying but of course you can’t, so it must be paranoia city!

Porsche: Oh of course… when you walk out of a room, you are always wondering if someone is plotting your demise! We used to joke about that in the house. Now we are going to see people on the street and wonder if they are plotting our demise!

The Yak: Ok let’s get the most asked questions out of the way here. I’m sure you have heard these words a lot since you have gotten out of the house. Let’s start with “Benefiber.”

Porsche: Yeah that’s so funny that that question keeps coming up! It was literally only in the stuff for like a couple hours. You know I never actually had to use Benefiber, I didn’t know if it was going to make someone sick or anything like that and I had Dani and Kalia sitting right there and not telling me anything different and they were the ones, you know, keeping an eye on me. You know you just get really bored in the house, and you kinda look for ways to kind of spice things up and keep it interesting you know, and it was a joke that just kinda got out of hand… but yeah it was only there literally for like a couple of hours before I just threw the entire container of protein shake away.

The Yak: Yes and I’m sure you heard about it a lot since last night huh?

Porsche: A few times for sure yeah! [laugh]

The Yak: The other most asked question… pink velour suit!

Porsche: Ok, it will be burned yes! [laugh] Everyone can rest assured.

The Yak: I think it was just that you wore it so often. I have a feeling if you had only worn it a few times that no one would have said anything, but since you were always in it…

Porsche: Yeah, I mean, I didn’t have to get dressed, like any kind of fancy or anything, and it was cold in the house you know, and kind of cold outside at night so you always just want to be comfortable you know… and whatever, it is a matching little sweatsuit and I had a couple of them but yeah that one was my favorite!

The Yak: I’m certainly glad no one has feeds to my house because I’m sure they would get sick of what I am wearing around the house as well! Anyway… what caused you to jump ship from Rachel and the vets to the Dani/Kalia side of the house?

Porsche: Yeah ok, well after Brendon left Rachel definitely had a very emotional week but she definitely didn’t take it out in the best ways possible, you know as far as game play and everything is concerned, you know she had the whole house going against her, and when he left she just stuck real close to Jeff and Jordan and at that time, even though I was in the vet alliance, I wasn’t really aligned with Jeff and Jordan, I was more aligned with Brendon and Rachel and that’s why I even voted for him to stay at that point. She just went and hung out with Jeff and Jordan, then Jeff wanted me to throw the “Knock Out” competition and all that kind of stuff… I’m not there to help anybody else. I am there to play my game. I didn’t come into that game as a duo, with a partner, anything of the sort. I came in by myself and only I can help myself win $500,000, and at that point, it just didn’t feel right playing with them. I wanted to be able to get to know the rest of the people in the house and just not hate people because I was told to do so. I made friends with the other people in the house and I find out I really liked them, we got along, we had a lot in common, and I had a really enjoyable few weeks there.

The Yak: Yes, and there is a lot of downtime in the house, so it was probably nice to find someone you can speak to.

Porsche: Exactly, and their not just always trying to talk game. It was nice to just have a little break from constant game talk.

The Yak: Speaking of the duos, if you were able to rewind and choose to partner up with someone else instead of Keith, would you, and who would it be?

Porsche: Absolutely not. At this point in the game, I am extremely happy that Keith was my partner. He definitely blew up in the beginning you know, right when we were on the block and it worked out to my advantage obviously. But when we were all sitting down, me and Kalia thought that we would have partnered up together and you know what… we did later on in the game so… I guess it worked out for everyone.

The Yak: Do you think if you went to the end with Adam you would have won?

Porsche: Umm, no actually. Adam was really close to Jeff and Jordan obviously, and at that point, Rachel and I had week to week deals going back and forth. That’s all you have in the Big Brother game, you don’t have any kind of money or anything else but your word and your deals, and if I would have broken that promise with Rachel, I know that Rachel would not have wanted to vote for me and neither would Brendon, so right there would have been the 4 votes for me to get second place so… people can say that maybe I could have beaten Adam, but when you look at it, Jeff and Jordan didn’t like me and they would have voted for Adam because he was their friend so… whatever. [laugh]

The Yak: Yeah and speaking of that, it didn’t seem you got along well with Jordan in particular and Jeff really. Do you have any idea why?

Porsche: I never really had anything against them. Obviously they were the longest running couple in the house, so they had to be broken up. Jeff was a really strong competitor and I did talk to him a lot just on free time, not game or anything like that… we talked about different Humanitarian Services and things he did from Around the World and he has obviously done some TV and I would like to get into that business, so we talked a lot about that stuff, as well as just hangin’ out playing 20 questions. Jordan and I, you know we were the closest in age in the house… I mean I was the youngest and she was second youngest but we definitely had two different lifestyles. She is definitely a little bit more guarded than me, I have had a lot more time to grow into my skin, and I’m really happy about that. I think she is an awesome, pure girl, and she was carried by Jeff, you know, most of the game and it worked out for awhile, but I was not going to be able to take her to final 3.

The Yak: Yes and it seemed like she felt the same way about you when she would say things about you “like to bake cookies, host competitions and hang out in a bikini” insinuating that you didn’t real play and got carried as well.

Porsche: What they keep forgetting in there is that I was given a golden key for the first 30 days of the competition so what did they expect me to do? Get in people’s faces and try to cut people’s throats when I can’t even compete to save myself?

The Yak: It seemed that’s what Daniele did with her golden key and look where it got her right? If you had won the final 4 HOH, who would have been your target?

Porsche: Honestly at that point, the final 4 HoH does mean as much as that final 4 veto. The veto is what you need… in fact it is almost better the way it did work out cause if it had gone any other way with me winning HoH, I could have been facing with Jordan and Adam because at that point, with coming down to final 3 and what not, you know Jordan would have taken Adam and Adam would have taken Jordan, so I would have been out 3rd, so… it was what I needed to ensure that I could make deals and get myself to final two.

The Yak: Who do you think you will remain friends with now that it’s over?

Porsche: I definitely think I will remain friends with Rachel, she’s great and we get along really well obviously under extreme circumstances. I will definitely also continue to talk with Adam and Dani.

The Yak: If asked, would you do it all over again for All-Stars?

Porsche: Oh absolutely. Big Brother is normally a once in a lifetime opportunity and I got my first time on Big Brother playing with more winners than All-Stars even had, so they must have saw something in me that I was a good competitor, and I am… I would definitely come back and compete again. I can only get one more thing in Big Brother. You know, I have done Pandora’s Boxes, I’ve done HoH, Veto… I’ve done it all and won second place, now all I need to do is win. [laugh]

The Yak: Speaking of playing with past winners, did your strategy change at all from what you planned on doing before entering the house when you saw the vets walk in?

Porsche: Absolutely. My personality is outgoing, flirtatious, fun… basically what I was in the house but being in the house with couples, engaged people and people who have boyfriends/girlfriends on the outside, it makes it really difficult to play the kind of game you think you are going to play when you come into the house. Especially playing with veterans who think “hey we’re hot shit and we’re going to be the number one alliance and be awesome” but you can only be on top for so long in that game and then you are back on the bottom, then from the bottom you can get back on top. It’s very flip flop week to week in that game and I definitely had a struggle playing with a lot of people that had already played this game but it was definitely worth the challenge.

The Yak: Well thank you so much for talking to us this morning Porsche. Keep us in mind when you decide to take the dive into reading things online which could be dangerous! [laugh]

Porsche: I know, that’s what they have been telling me! [laugh]

The Yak: Enjoy your freedom and your wrap parties!

Porsche: Thank you so much!

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