“I’m Not Really a Rat, I Just Play One on Television” – RealityNewsOnline’s Exclusive Interview with Big Brother 11’s Ronnie

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, Ronnie, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline!

Ronnie: Thanks, David. I have to tell you, I religious read your website and all the articles on it.

RNO: We had a feeling, because one of our live feed recappers heard you mention the Reality TV Hall of Shame one day.

Ronnie: Please tell me I’m not going to be inducted into the Hall of Shame! I feel I don’t deserve it.

RNO: There haven’t been any calls for your induction yet. We did give Braden a mention for his tirade, but that’s it for this season so far.

RNO: So let’s start at the beginning. Did you have a specific planned strategy coming into the game?

Ronnie: Coming into the game, I knew that I waned to utilize my strengths as a person and what I know about persuasive speech and from competitive speech and debate and wanted to use lying and manipulation as a strategy.

RNO: Why did you overplay so hard from the very beginning?

Ronnie: In hindsight, the reason I did that was it was hard to counterbalance my passion and love for the game with my actual strategy.

RNO: Does that relate to why you didn’t throw the HOH competition in Week 2 to Michele and let her be the bad person while you remained safe as a member of her clique?

Ronnie: Ultimately, I didn’t throw that because I have an absolute drive to win – I cannot throw things. Also, at that point in time, I didn’t know really anything about Michele and where she stood in this game. I was doing everything I could to stay 100% loyal to Natalie, Jessie, and Chima, and for all I knew, Michele could nominate Natalie or Jessie.

RNO: Why did you latch onto Jessie, Natalie, and Chima so much, even when doing so looked to be to your detriment?

Ronnie: I initially allied with Jessie because he is so absolutely different from myself. He brought all the physical strength that I lack. It was the best of both worlds. It just so happened that Jessie was close to Natalie and Natalie was close to Chima and it turned out we got along and had similar strategies.

RNO: What did you think of Jessie last season and when he walked into the house this season?

Ronnie: I told Jessie face to face that last season, I didn’t think he was too nice – he did come across as very vain and as if he thinks a lot of himself. But the moment he walked through the door, I was 50/50. Fifty percent of me said, “Oh my God, this guy is last season all over again.” The other half said, “He offers something strategically you don’t have.” As I got to know him, I can absolutely assure viewers that he is not the person he was last season. He’s an incredibly kind, warm-hearted friend who will absolutely stay true to you.

RNO: In some of your comments, you compared yourself to Dr. Will – did you think you could be as good a player as him?

Ronnie: Any of those comments were based off comments Russ made. I don’t feel I compare to Dr. Will, but if others want to compare me to him, I find that flattering. But by no means do I feel I’m on that same level.

RNO: You sort of explained this to Julie Chen last night, but I still don’t understand why you singled out Michele as supposedly being such a horrible person. That is, between what you said on the live show and the live feeds leading up to it, calling her sociopathic and so on, it seemed to go far beyond just not liking her strategy.

Ronnie: The reason I made the comments I did on the live show is when Russell was making comments about me my wife and my family [early in the game], Michele was so quick to condemn them and we bonded. But then she did a compete 180 on a personal level and attacked me and made very hurtful personal comments. If she had done that from the beginning, it would have been different, but she tried to befriend me and then backstabbed me on a personal level.

RNO: If you could redo any moment in the house, but one not related to the game, what would it be?

Ronnie: That’s a good question! Honestly, it probably would be not getting to be friendly with Michele – not letting her know anything about my personal life.

RNO: And on the other side, what would you do differently game-wise?

Ronnie: The only real regret I could have game-wise is I should have backdoored Russ in week two. But that would have changed everything. If I had done that, Jessie may have put me up.

RNO: You said you read RNO regularly – what are you expecting to see on the web about yourself?

Ronnie: I’m fully expecting to see some people who like me and some who hate me. I’m a very polarizing person. There will be a lot who understand lying is a part of the game. I’m not really a rat, I just play one on television. I’m one of the most honest and loyal people in my real life. I was living a dream on TV, playing the game I love the way I wanted to play it.

RNO: If it turns out that you end up being regarded as one of the least popular contestants, will you be okay with that?

Ronnie: I think if I end up being one of the least popular this season, it will be a burden I must bear. But you need a bad guy you love to hate. Without the drama, what have you got?

RNO: Since you read RNO, you know about my columns addressing why each player lost. So tell me: Why did Ronnie lose?

Ronnie: Ronnie lost because I let my passion for the game overstep the boundaries into my strategy and I ultimately lost because I let too many personal elements get into the game. I should have let things remain very professional.

RNO: So you won’t take offense at my version of the article when I post it?

RNO: No, I’ve read all your articles. You’ve been very impartial and honest and I would expect nothing less.

RNO: Do you have anything else you’d like to tell us about your time on Big Brother?

Ronnie: It was an absolute dream come true. I’ve tried so long to get on this show. I would do it again in a heartbeat a million times over. It’s everything I thought it would be and even more.

RNO: Thanks again, Ronnie!

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