Julie Chen has seemingly seen it all in her 18 years as the host of Big Brother , but she has never done a post-eviction interview like the one she did with the show’s most recently ousted houseguest, Rachel Swindler. The 29-year-old Las Vegas entertainer was blindsided when she was sent home by her own Level 6 alliance members after being assured by Head of Household Bayleigh Dayton that she was just a pawn up against the real target, Brett Robinson. When the votes didn’t go as expected, Swindler stormed out of the CBS summertime house in a huff without saying goodbye to any of her housemates. And she didn’t have much to say to Chen, who was waiting in the wings to interview her, either.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly , Chen said her awkward interview with the “shell-shocked” ousted houseguest was a hosting first for her.
“She was literally speechless! She sat there in complete stunned silence for about a minute plus. As we took our live cameras back into the house, she and I just sat there in silence as the wheels were turning in her head trying to figure out what the heck happened! She was shaking like a leaf. It was like talking to someone who just had their mind erased. She had no idea what to think.”
Swindler seemed at a loss for words as Chen tried to get through the painful interview with her during Thursday’s live Big Brother broadcast. When Swindler finally did speak, she expressed anger over the way she got played by her former Big Brother bestie, Angela Rummans.
Lies, another blindside, and a crucial HOH competition. You definitely need to watch the latest #BB20 if you missed it: https://t.co/nvAvDPzIfB pic.twitter.com/Ui7HBFxdFI
— Big Brother (@CBSBigBrother) August 3, 2018
Swindler told Parade that she is a huge Big Brother fan and has been watching the show since its debut in 2000, but explained that after she got played on live TV she was in a state of shock.
“I was upset at the moment and visibly shaken right after. But as I’ve had time to sit down and marinate [in] it, I know that I was a bit of an emotional wreck this week. I’m sure that scared my alliance. Somebody manipulated my emotions and trust against me, and my alliance turned on me.”
While Swindler didn’t have much to say during her Big Brother exit interview, Julie Chen and the CBS censors may want to get ready for what’s to come next month. Swindler has already promised that she has some choice words for her backstabbing Big Brother alliance member, Angela, whom she described as “a lazy Persian cat” when she reunites with her and the rest of the cast for the Big Brother Season 20 finale in September.
“I can’t wait to talk to her on finale night and I will be having all of my speeches ready,” Swindler told The Hollywood Reporte r .
You can see Julie Chen’s awkward Big Brother exit interview with Rachel Swindler below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkzmMAud6JI&t=2s