Ryan Lochte Reveals He Didn’t Even Know ‘Big Brother’ Was A Show Before He Signed On To Celebrity Edition

Ryan Lochte is a newfound Big Brother superfan despite the fact that he never even heard of the CBS reality show before he signed on to compete. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Lochte, who became Celebrity Big Brother’s second evicted houseguest, talked about his lack of knowledge about the show and how his nice guy/competition beast strategy didn’t pan out for him.

Ryan Lochte was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother on Monday night in an almost unanimous vote. Although the 12-time Olympic medalist admitted he was “bummed” to be kicked from the competition so early, he said he still had a lot of fun.

“It was a new experience. I didn’t even know it was a show, before I came on.”

While Lochte was unaware of Big Brother’s more than 20 past seasons, he told ET he is now a super fan of the CBS reality franchise.

“Now that I was on it, I’m gonna watch it all the time. I am a fan now. It was so entertaining in the house, and I can’t wait to see what it’s like when I’m watching it in my living room. It’s gonna be fun.”

Ryan Lochte also revealed that he would rather “train for years for one race in the Olympics” than go through the Celebrity Big Brother experience again. Lochte pointed to the contestants’ constant alliance-making, lying, manipulating, and yes, yelling, as to why he’d rather train for the Olympics than live in the Big Brother house again.

While he was evicted from the CBS’s sequestered celebrity house without a shot at the $250,000 grand prize, Ryan Lochte’s Celebrity Big Brother mission was still accomplished. Lochte’s agent, Jeff Ostrow, recently told People that the Olympic swimmer hoped to change the public’s perception of him after seeing him on Celebrity Big Brother.

Lochte, who is serving a 14-month anti-doping suspension for receiving an illegal IV vitamin drip last year, has long been regarded as an Olympics bad boy. In 2016, Lochte made headlines after he and other members of the U.S. swim team claimed they were robbed at gunpoint while in a taxi during the summer games in Rio. Brazilian authorities later revealed the robbery story was fabricated and accused the U.S. swimmers of vandalizing a gas station bathroom.

Ostrow reiterated that Ryan Lochte is not the way he is portrayed in the media. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lochte said his goal on Celebrity Big Brother was for America to “really see me for me.”

“I’m sensitive, I’m giving, and I put everyone before me,” Lochte said.

Considering he left the Celebrity Big brother house as one of the most-liked contestants, Ryan Lochte can call this one a win.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BATpdboNmEY

The next episode of Celebrity Big Brother airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. on CBS.