“I Was in the Worst Situation” – An Interview with Big Brother 8’s Joe

Joe may be many things, but shy is not one of them. So he was ready to answer all my questions about his time on Big Brother. As you might imagine, getting Joe to slow down enough to take down everything he said was rather difficult, but we got the job done.

RealityNewsOnline: We heard you talk about how Dustin’s presence in the house ruined your game. And you explained on the show last night that it pushed you a bit off-balance. How would you have played differently if Dustin hadn’t been around?

Joe: If he hadn’t been in the house, I would have had a completely different strategy. Having your enemy in the house brings out the worst in you. There’s the person you are 90% of the time, a good person. Then there’s the evil person that only comes out in the worst situations. I was in the worst situation.

People got to see that angry side of me [which wouldn’t have come out otherwise]. Even if I had gotten backstabbed, I knew it was just a game. When Dustin came in, it became personal.

[Without him there], I would have been able to buddy up with people, everybody would have really liked me, and I would have had positive relationships. So when it came to the votes, people would have wanted to keep me around.

RNO: What do you think of the enemies twist, overall?

Joe: Overall I think the enemies twist is – there’s two sides to it. They were all twists that had previously been done. But having them all in one season really spiced things up. It was frustrating, though, because the others viewed it that we were faking and had an alliance.

The twist was very well done and well thought out, though it doesn’t hold a candle to the true twist of America’s Player.

RNO: So what do you think of the America’s Player twist?

Joe: I think that twist is brilliant. It’s the best twist they’ve had in a long time. It really pulls the viewers in because they affect the outcome each and every week. They affect the show, so it’s like America is like the 15th houseguest. I think it’s extremely creative, well thought-out, and helps pull viewers into the show.

RNO: Why do you think America voted for Eric to try to get you evicted?

Joe: I didn’t know that. (Joe pauses – you might say it’s an awk-ward! pause.) I don’t know. I think that’s entertainment.

RNO: Did you pretty much know by the time it came to vote that you would be going home?

Joe: Yes. Right before the live vote, Nick began to jump ship [and the others followed]. This early in the game, people want to vote for the majority and not stand out.

RNO: In his goodbye video, Dick suggested that being evicted was your own fault. How would you respond to that?

Joe: I really don’t, especially knowing it was Eric’s job to vote me out. I don’t feel it was my fault. My stirring the pot was done in front of everybody with a smile on my face. Everybody knew it was something I was going to do. Jen made a mistake by putting me up and she even admitted she made a mistake.

RNO: Speaking of the pot-stirring, why did you do that and draw so much attention to yourself?

Joe: You know, so much pot-stirring came about because in my everyday life I like to stir the pot. Life is so boring if you go the way you’re supposed to. It’s entertaining to watch and to do. Looking back, I might not have stirred the pot so much. But at least I did it in front of everybody. Everybody in the house is a pot-stirrer, they just do it behind their backs.

RNO: Why did you tell the gonorrhea story right off the bat?

Joe: I think it’s important because people talk about sexually transmitted diseases. One in four people have an STD, and I feel like it’s one of those taboo subjects people don’t talk about. [By my talking about it], people can see you are a fully actualized adult in an open discussion. That got so many people talking and that’s all I wanted was to have people comfortable talking about it. Because if you’re comfortable talking about it, more can be done about it.

RNO: And why were you so honest with the houseguests about how you ruined Dustin’s life after your breakup?

Joe: I was so honest so people would understand what I had done, so if Dustin came down they would understand where he was coming from. He wasn’t just making it up, I didn’t want to paint the picture that I was the victim and had done no wrong. I wanted people to understand that he had done some bad things and I had done some bad things. We both did things we regret.

RNO: Why do you think several houseguests indicated they felt they couldn’t trust you?

Joe: I feel like several didn’t trust me because of the way the Carol situation went. [I said I was supporting Carol, but] once she started saying she didn’t want to stay, I didn’t really care about saving her. I didn’t tell Carol, but I knew I was going to vote for Amber [to stay]. It was one of those situations where I should have stirred the pot and I actually didn’t.

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

Joe: It was an absolute blast. I really look forward to doing it again if I get the opportunity. I really love the show and the whole game strategy aspect. I really am disappointed that I didn’t get a chance to really play. If there is any chance in the future that I can do it again, I would love to.

It’s not the last you’ve seen of Joe Barber.

(To cap it off, Joe gave his now-trademark exclamation: Awk-ward!)

RNO: Thanks, Joe!

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