And The Best Of 2011 Are …

Other sites have been making lists based on their preference, telling you who they believe was the best of 2011. We here at the Yak like to do it another way … put you in command. You nominated, you voted, and now it’s time to reveal who YOU chose as the Best of 2011. As 2011 comes to a close in just a few days, we figured it’s time to take you down memory lane as we reminisce about what made these people, TV shows, songs, albums, and celebrities the best (or in some cases the worst) of 2011. There were some EXTREMELY tight races this year, but fans came out in full force to make sure their favorites got to the top. No more yakking, let’s just get right to it. Click on a pic below to see what they won – or just click on the first pic and scroll through to see who and what made YOUR list of favorites in television, music, movies and more in 2011.

 

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Song of the Year:

Favorite Live Performance of the Year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLMzr3PFgk

Most Viral Video of the Year:

Big Brother 13 Winner, Rachel Reilly: ‘Look at me now…’

The Yak had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel this afternoon, less than 24 hours after being crowned winner of Big Brother 13! Keep on reading what she has to say about her victory, the summer, and what she really thinks about her fellow houseguests. Our chats with Porsche and Adam will be up later!

Editor’s Note: It was a real pleasure talking with Rachel. Her bubbly personality was infectious and she was extremely friendly and genuinely happy!

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The Yak: Congratulations on the win! It must feel amazing! We are very proud of you…

Rachel: Awwww thank you! I WON BIG BROTHER! {laughs}

The Yak: You stayed real strong after Brendon’s 2nd eviction, told him in your goodbye message you were going to do this, and you got it done! How do you feel right now?

Rachel: Feels AMAZING! I can’t believe I won Big Brother. It’s surreal, considering everything that I had to go through in that house. It’s such a great feeling, especially knowing how many fans I picked up. I’m still trying to get used to that.

The Yak: You seemed to be a big fan of Big Brother… were you a fan before your original season? Did you watch the show and feeds or only the show?

Rachel: I was a fan of Big Brother for a long time. I never watched the live feeds but I always watched the CBS shows. I always told myself how I wanted to make it on this show, end up competing like Janelle, play a great social game, make the right alliances, etc…Things didn’t turn out so well in my season so I told myself that if I was ever asked back, I’d do it differently. When I was asked back this season, I made sure that Brendon and I adjusted our social game. I think we did a good job of it going in, considering we had no idea if any other veterans would be joining. The second we saw Jeff and Jordan, we knew we had to join with them and work on our social game from the get go. The competitions would come later.

The Yak: How do you think the vets changed the dynamic this year?

Rachel: The vets totally changed the dynamics this year. Not only did we have targets on our back, but we knew that we’d be picked off one by one if we didn’t join forces early on. It was a great idea to have fans and new people play with us, but it was also dangerous for us. Then Daniele had to go and ruin our game making a terrible move by going against our alliance. I’m still not sure why she did it, but it put us in danger and it wasn’t the smartest move Daniele has ever made.

The Yak: Looking back on the first few evictions the vets decided, is there any that you think you would do differently now?

Rachel: Well, you can’t really play the “what if” game. But I think evicting Keith was a great idea. I think evicting Cassi was a great idea. Looking back, I had no idea Shelly was playing a Dr. Will type game early on. Maybe voting her out instead of Dominic would have been a good idea for my alliance, but then maybe Dominic would have teamed up with Cassi or Dani or whoever was around and that would have hurt us in the end.

The Yak: Well and don’t forget that keeping Shelly a little longer got her to jury which gave you the victory …

Rachel: {Laughs} Exactly! That’s why you can’t really play the “what if” game here. Maybe then I wouldn’t have won.

The Yak: You’ve mentioned Daniele a few times already, is it safe to assume that we won’t be hearing of a Rachel and Dani friendship anytime soon?

Rachel: Probably not. Well {laughs} you never really know. Look at me now. Ragan and I are best friends, so I guess it could happen, but probably not.

The Yak: What was going through your mind when she made her comment as she cast her vote last night?

Rachel: I FOR SURE thought I had her vote, which would have meant I won the game. I didn’t think that she’d make a dig at me and vote for Porsche at the same time. I was really shocked when I saw that she voted for Porsche, and I was even more shocked when I saw that Shelly voted for me.

The Yak: Yeah, we saw it in your face. Did you know that you won at that point?

Rachel: Oh for sure. The second I saw Shelly’s key, I knew I won this game and I don’t even remember what was going through my head at that point. I was SHOCKED.

The Yak: Before that point, was there any other moment in the game where you thought you might win it?

Rachel: I honestly didn’t realize I was going to win this game until after I won the final HOH. I went to the Diary Room after I won and that’s when I first thought to myself that I could actually have just won Big Brother.

The Yak: You mean not once before last night did you think you might have a shot at this game?

Rachel: Nope, not at all. Considering how big of a target I and the other vets had on our backs, I knew that I’d have to step up my game; but every single week I thought that I’d be the one walking out that door. After Brendon and Jeff left, I for sure didn’t think I’d win this thing. Even if I took Jordan to the F2 I think she would have beat me, but I knew that her and I needed to make it there, so I knew I had to fight for it.

The Yak: If you had won the final 4 POV, who would you have evicted and why?

Rachel: If I had won…well, my hope was that Jordan would win the F4 HOH and I won the F4 POV. At that point, I would have evicted Adam for sure. My gut feeling was that Adam just wasn’t with Jordan and I 100%, and I was starting to think of ways for us both to make it to the Final 2.

The Yak: Speaking of Adam, what do you make of his vote last night?

Rachel: I was SHOCKED. I knew that Brendon, Jeff and Jordan would vote for me and that Shelly, Kalia and Dani would vote for Porsche.

The Yak: Right? Who would have known that Shelly would have been the deciding vote?

Rachel: I KNOW! It really hurt to see that Adam voted for Porsche. Before I evicted him, he stood up and made that speech and called Porsche a floater. Adam had always told me that if I won the final HOH, he’d vote for me to win because I deserved it. After all that, I’m surprised he voted for Porsche.

The Yak: Did you get to ask Adam about it since last night or no?

Rachel: I did. I actually confronted him in the backyard last night and he told me that he knew I had won the game. He told me that somehow he saw Shelly’s vote. I don’t really believe it; it seemed more that he was angry I evicted him.

The Yak: A lot of people were confused about the vote, but you still won! … If you were on jury instead of in the final two, who would you think deserved to win the game the most (other than Brendon) of all the other Houseguests?

Rachel: Jeff 100%. If Jeff made it to the finals, I would have voted for him for sure. He plays a great social game, he’s a nice guy, and I would have loved to see either him or Jordan win this game if Brendon or I couldn’t.

The Yak: Throughout the season, we obviously witnessed a lot of lows for Rachel, especially after Brendon was evicted the second time. Other than an underlying motivation to win the game, what do you attribute climbing out of those lows to?

Rachel: 100% Jordan. Jordan was my life saver in this game. She knew I needed her and she needed me. Our men were in the Jury house and we were left behind to keep on. Jordan and I HAD to make it to the final 2 and I knew that I couldn’t sit around crying too long or we’d be sent out next. For sure, I attribute much of my success to Jordan helping me through. I SO wanted to bring her with me to the finals, but obviously that wasn’t possible.

The Yak: America was totally team Jorchel as I’m sure you now know. Much of America would have loved that F2 as well, but you still did what you sought out to do so congrats!

Rachel: I know, I can’t believe it!

The Yak: A couple of fans at our site first want me to tell you how much they LOVE you! They would like to know… if you could say one thing to those people that put you down last season, what would it be?

Rachel: Uhh {Laughs}, Look at me now. {Laughs}

The Yak: Before we let you go, Rachel, we just wanted to say that when everything mellows out for you, you must check out our coverage on your trash bag wedding. That must have been a blast!

Rachel: Ohhhhhh! YES! I’d love to see pictures. That night was so much fun. I’ll definitely check it out.

The Yak: Well, it was a pleasure talking to you Rachel. You’re such a sweetheart Thank you so much for your time. You’ve definitely redeemed yourself this year with A LOT of people, and have so many fans now it’s incredible! Good luck with everything!

Rachel: Awww, thanks! It was SO much fun talking to you. Thanks so much!

The Storybook Wedding in the Big Brother House

It was a wedding to rival that of Luke and Laura (for those old enough to remember). A Page out of Prince William and Kate, complete with a designer dress and specialty made rings. Love was in the air tonight, and we Big Brother aficionados got a chance to indulge and completely immerse in it. The bride blushing, the groom like a Prince awaiting his Princess, gushing with pride. Yes, a fairytale to be treasured for Big Brother seasons to come. Surely it tops Mike “Uncle Jerry” Malin proposing to the love of his life season 2, and all love birds to come in future season. It was a site to behold, and behold we all did.

[singlepic id=586 w=200 h=140 float=left]We all held our breath as the bride readied herself in the Parlor on this August night, with onlookers adoring her every ruby red hair and lips. The Bridesmaids shined in their chosen gowns, but paled in comparison to the bride to be. We rushed in excitement to the live feeds, 10:30pm Pacific we were told to converge. The storybook wedding did get off to a bit of a late start, but we minded naught.

[singlepic id=599 w=200 h=140 float=right]Amidst a beautiful ambient bubble wand goddess, adorned in all white, she emerged. Rachel Reilly was a site to behold. The dress made of a shimmering pliant, yet resilient sheath, was crafted by hand by none other than the world renowned fashion designer Hefty, beating out top designers Glad and Ziploc. Putting the final touches on the gown was none other than the derrière bonded Shelly Moore, who also happens to be the world’s premier matriarch and knowledge of all circumstance. The Grooms attire, fit for a King, was also designed with great effort by Hefty to adhere to the gowns conception.

[singlepic id=591 w=200 h=140 float=left]The ring bearer, clad in Elf wear reminiscent of our childhood October celebrations, carefully and steadfast balanced the ring on the luxurious Ikea pillow made of a beautiful faux chenille. Those Swedes sure know how to rest their heads!

[singlepic id=600 w=200 h=140 float=right]Out of the house came the beautiful bridesmaids, all stunning in their own right. Posche Briggs, Jordan Lloyd and Kalia Booker, with naught a bite to be had, led the precession amidst thundering applause resembling music, making way for the bride to gracefully float to the groom. The bouquet was adorned with fresh plastic flowers, and a peacocks tail feather borrowed from the mystical fortune teller of the Parlor. Awaiting the elegant bride was the swelling groom, Brendon Villegas and his Best Man, Jeff Schroeder, all dressed up in his mid century blue blazer and top hat.

[singlepic id=596 w=200 h=140 float=left]The preacher, Rev. Lawon Exum, gleefully yet calmly awaited to give the last rights to the delighted couple. His presentation of the vows rang like a melody, enchanting the crowd gathered. Even the happy couple was heard singing his praise. Nothing like it has ever been heard, and could only be challenged by the great Rev. Jesse Jackson.

[singlepic id=601 w=200 h=140 float=right]The two wrote their own vows, the bride’s in limerick, ending with a beautiful rendition of her reality television trademark “No one comes between me and my man” as the goddess in white waved her bubble want magically in the air. The couple said their “I do’s” and marched their way down the aisle to a sea of gatherers awaiting their congratulations.

[singlepic id=606 w=200 h=140 float=left]The night that followed was simply fairy tail. The Bride’s bouquet was caught by Jordan, the garter by her soul mate Jeff, young lovers on a path to happiness. Nothing could have ended this magical evening better. [singlepic id=608 w=200 h=140 float=right]

Big Brother behind the walls of the castle were also cast under the bewitching spell of the evening, prompting them to provide the entire party with Dom Ralph’s Champaigne. All toasted to a wonderful evening of elegance and romance. We hope you didn’t miss this exquisite and once in a lifetime experience. If you have, the night was surely recorded, and can be found as a marvelous flashback to August 2, 2011 at approximately 10:30pm. We hope you don’t become one who cheats ones soul of this glorious event.[singlepic id=604 w=200 h=140 float=left]

[singlepic id=603 w=200 h=140 float=right]To the couple, the Yak would like to extend his cup and make a toast; May you both be happy with one another always, love one another always, respect one another always, and keep your parcels off the Twitter.

To see more pictures of this stunning evening, take a look at the slideshow below. To read more about it, and to see the Yaks reactions, come join us in the forum HERE.

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Big Brother Alums Brendon and Rachel get Engaged!

Ahhh… they say Valentines Day is for lovers, and now, everything is right with the world.

That’s right, Brendon Villegas and Rachel Reilly (BB12) announced on Valentines Day via Real Player Superpass that they are engaged to be married. Rachel’s twitter lit up, “I’m engaged 2 my best friend!!!!!!!!!” and “Yay 4shellic nail products! Making manicures last!! Gotta have pretty hands 4my pretty ring!” and “Oh gym no sugar diets why do you hate me! but you make my butt look cute and after all I gotta start wedding dress shopping next week!” Thank you to Yak Forum member kmteach for the heads up on this precious moment!

We even got a picture of her engaged hand via Twitpic (included below).

No word yet on where they will set up house, but we would imagine Las Vegas is in the running. She “is Vegas” after all.

Cheers to you two! We hope it lasts a lifetime!

Comments? Let us know below!

Big Brother 12 Crowns a Winner!

The Jury of 7 crowned Hayden Moss the winner of Big Brother 12, who walked away with a nice chunk of change of $500,000! The jury votes were as follows:

Lane – Rachel, Brendon, Britney
Hayden – Kathy, Matt, Ragan, Enzo

It came down to the last key to be turned, which was Enzo’s, revealing the tie breaker handing the win to Hayden. (Course those with a keen eye saw Lane’s key sticking out of Enzo’s bag on camera after he put Hayden’s key in the box.)

Now, just because Big Brother is over, the Yak still has all your entertainment needs covered! Be sure to check us out! We will be covering all your favorite shows, Reality and otherwise, plus we have the arcade!  Can you be “King of the arcade?”  Some members may disagree!