It’s been an uphill battle for the New Contenders on Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders this season.
Not only do they have to do all the things regular housemates do, like going without all of their creature comforts, competing in challenges and strategising their next big move, this year, they had to go up against some of Big Brother Australia‘s most beloved housemates — including three former winners!
“I think we’ve been on the back foot in the sense of character building and having the audience get to know us,” Gabbie Keevill told POPSUGAR Australia after her eviction from the house.
“Some of these OGs have had over a hundred days of the audience getting to know them, but we’re only just meeting everyone!” she explained.
Noting that it’s “definitely been interesting” to navigate being on a show with all-star competitors, Gabbie said that she’s “been very lucky” when it comes to the fans’ reception to her, something she credits to her aligning with the OG players during her time in the house.
For her fellow newbie contenders, things haven’t been so easy, and compared to the experience they shared while in the house, it’s been a surprise for all of them.
“Being in the experience, we thought certain people were going to be fan favourites and then what we’ve seen now has been a totally different case, which has been just insane,” Gabbie explained, adding: “If someone had told me that I was going to be lucky enough to have this support that I’ve had from the Big Brother fans, I would’ve been like ‘oh, not me! Not me!’”
Gabbie explained that while they were in the house, it became very obvious that New Contenders Johnson Ashak and Aleisha Campbell were going to be big players in the game, so they all assumed that this would translate into them becoming fan favourites.
“We just thought that production loves them so obviously Australia’s going to love them,” Gabbie said. “That’s just how you think it works, and I’ve spoken to Aleisha and Johnson and they’re like ‘this is insane, we are getting HATED ON’, because they hadn’t aligned with the OGs.”
She continued: “Bless the fans, they are absolutely insane. If you blink the wrong direction at Reggie, they will come for you! But knowing that’s been the case, Aleisha and Johnson both aligned themselves with the newbies, so everyone’s just like ‘nup, not interested’ which is just insane.”
While they were filming the series, Gabbie said that “you just don’t think about” how the public will react to you.
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“I didn’t jump ship thinking ‘this will be good for my public image’, I was like ‘you guys are just way more relaxed!’” she exclaimed.
Don’t get her wrong, though. Gabbie said that she’s still “really grateful” for the experience, the fans’ response to her, and for the light she was depicted in.
“I really loved everything you guys got to see of me,” she said. “It’s quality over quantity, and I was never really worried about air time. I was more just worried about how they would portray me, and I’m so grateful, I loved it.”
If she could show us one thing we didn’t get to see, though? It would’ve been more of her friendship with OG icon and 2004 winner Trevor Butler.
“I was next to Trev when he went home and I remember saying ‘if someone had told me that my best friend in this house would be a 48-year-old man, I probably would’ve laughed!’” she exclaimed.
In fact, the duo were so tight that they even created a fake podcast together, called Gift of the Gab.
“I would interview housemates about their time on the show, and it was very strategic, because then I would draw information from them without them even knowing in a very light and fun manner,” she shared. “Trev and I had so much fun in there, we were just being kids.
“I think there’s so much strategy that goes on in Big Brother that to have people like us and a couple of others who were willing to make fun of the experience, yeah, it was probably one of the things you didn’t get to see!”
Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders airs Monday — Wednesdays at 7.30pm, only on 7 and 7 Plus.
Want more Big Brother goss? Check out the stories below:
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- Meet the Intruders Set to Shake Things Up on Big Brother: Royalty vs New Contenders
- What Does the Term ‘OG’ Mean on Big Brother Royalty vs New Contenders?
- Trevor Butler Won a Million Dollars After Winning Big Brother — Now, He’s Back to Make History
- “Made Me Look Like a Psycho” — Evicted Housemate Josh Slams Big Brother For His Bad Edit
- When Is Big Brother Royalty vs New Contenders On? Here’s What You Need to Know
- Layla Subritzky Has Returned to Big Brother Australia — and This Time, She’s In It to Win It
- Farmer Dave Is Back to Win Big Brother Royalty vs New Contenders
- The Cast of Big Brother Australia 2022 Features Some Very Familiar Faces
- Where to Follow The Big Brother Royalty vs New Contenders Housemates on Instagram
- Take a Look Inside the Brand New Big Brother Australia House
- For Reggie Bird, Life After Big Brother Has Been No Walk in the Park — But She’s Back to Win
- Tully and Drew are Reuniting on Big Brother Australia — Let’s Breakdown Their Relationship
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