‘Big Brother 28’: Dee Valladares Says Having the Other Icons in the Game Made Hers Harder

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A Survivor winner has not survived the Big Brother house. Dee Valladares‘ fate was sealed by her Crossovers alliance member, Drew Campbell. The final three were set with Drew, Rick Devens, and Taylor Brown.

Coming into the house as the last icon put a big target on Dee’s back. But luckily, she had Devens and Season 26’s Angela Murray to align with and help take the target off her back.

The Survivor 45 winner won two Head of Household competitions and the Timecapsule vote. On both of her HOHs, she put up Drew, despite him being in an alliance with her. Her Timecapsule reward was the BB Bribe, which she gave to Yash Patel to keep all three icons safe on his next HOH. He did just that, and it caused the newbies to get him out soon after.

She also had Devens’ Diamond Power of Veto used on her, despite him having a few weeks left to use it on himself. The two of them stuck by each other throughout the entire game, but were thinking of cutting each other if they had made it to the final three together.

Here’s what Dee had to say about her game.

CBS

Would you have been loyal to the Crossovers until the final five if Barrett hadn’t put the three icons up?

Dee Valladares: Yes. If Barrett had not put us up, I would’ve been loyal. In fact, I would’ve been even more loyal to Barrett because I always felt like I couldn’t go to the end with Angela or Devens because I needed them as Jury votes.

I had a conversation with Barrett early on, where I told him that I couldn’t go to the final two with Devens. I wanted to go to the final two with him. Also, I trusted Barrett. It really surprised me, and it actually hurt because, other than Angela and Devens, if there were two people between Drew and Barrett, I trusted Barrett more. The fact that he put us up, because I felt like he wanted to make a big move without thinking through the steps.

I told Barrett about the bribe beforehand. I opened myself up to Barrett and my game. I was in a very vulnerable position. So, yes, I would have gone to the end with them. Would I have cut other people in the process? Absolutely.

Do you think Yash taking your bribe helped or hurt his game?

Oh gosh. Poor Yashy. He got screwed over by two powers. I feel like it didn’t really matter for his game. Well, I definitely feel like it hurt his game more because he was backed into a corner; when he won HOH, he only had to put up other people.

I think anytime you are bribed or sell your soul, that is a bad thing. I wouldn’t have done it because those are three people you can’t put up, and he was forced to put up his allies or just people he’s been working with. Had the bribe lasted longer, it would’ve hurt him because we were still in the game, and it limited who he could put up.

We were going to cut him in a heartbeat because he is such a great competitor, not because we didn’t like him. But I think it ended up hurting his game more than it helped him.

Would you truly have cut Devens if you had the chance? Do you think he would’ve taken you?

There was a point where I started to doubt Devens and worry about the Boys’ Club with him, Barrett, and Drew, specifically him and Drew. They’ve always been close, but there was a time in the game where Devens would come to me and doubt the way that I voted, right after a conversation with Drew.

There was another time when I was sitting with three of them after the Mallory vote, and Devens made a joke like, “Did you forget what happened last week?” It felt like he was playing the good guy role a little too much and me the bad cop role, which I allowed him to do. Sometimes he would make comments in front of them, and you know me, I will argue back, and I won’t stay quiet, but there were times when I did stay quiet because Devens is my person, and I’m not going to ruin his game or get other people mad at him.

But there was a time when I was doubting Devens, and I did think about cutting him. Could I have done it? I don’t think my heart would have let me do it. Even if I won the Final Four HOH, I would have weighed my options, but I still don’t think I would have cut him because, in the Final Four, if I won and, say, I took Drew out, I want to ensure that either me or Devens wins this game, even if he were to beat me at the end. I fricking love Devens. Once I am with you, I am with you. Would I think about cutting you? Yes, but that’s only if I felt like you were not trusting me, which I did feel at some points with Devens.

Now, do I think he would have taken me to the end? No. I think he would have cut me in the final two. The only time I would cut Devens was in the final two. Had I won the final three, I would have cut Devens in the final two because I need his vote. I think if we were in the final three together, and Devens would have won, he would have cut me because he’s going to vote for me even if I cut him. Like, come on, you should cut me, and I should cut you. Just to ensure that there is no world where I lose out on $750,000.

Were you surprised Devens used the Diamond Power of Veto on you and not save it for himself down the road?

No, I was not surprised at all. I’m not an ally who expects anything from anyone. There were many conversations that I had with him where I told him I didn’t expect him to use it on me. I don’t want to tell you what to do with it. I want it to come out of your mouth that you want to use it on me.

There was never a point that I doubted Devens was going to use it on me. The only part I was unsure of was that initially he wanted to use the Diamond POV on LaLa. He wanted to put her up because he thought she was against him, but him putting Kamu up surprised me more because he was in an alliance with Yash and Kamu. He was very close to both of them.

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But it never crossed my mind that he wouldn’t use it on me and save it for himself later. I think Devens knew that me being in the game, I’m not only a shield for him, but I’m a competitor. He knows that I’m a ride-or-die. He knows that having me in the game was better for his game. I would have done the same for him in that moment.

How different do you think your game would have been if you didn’t play with the other two icons?

Ooo, great question. Going in, when I saw Devens and Angela, in my head I’m like, “I’m so screwed,” because what do you mean there are only three people that have played before and now we’re being called icons. I think we went into it with a huge target on our backs from the get-go.

Had they not been in the game, I would’ve had more solid relationships with other people, but because I had Devens and Angela, I was so blindly loyal to them. I was still loyal to other people, but it wasn’t like I was blindly loyal to them. So, I feel like had they not been in the game, I would’ve still found my people. I would’ve been blindly loyal to them.

Kamu I really liked. I maybe would have put in more time with some of the pre-jurors. Even with Barrett and Drew, I would’ve had a different working relationship. I do think having them around was harder, because people saw us at the icons. The icons, the icons, the icons. It was so frustrating because people didn’t allow us in fully because we were looped in as one.

It would have been different in other ways. I would’ve been blindly loyal to other people, which I’m also cool with. Who knows?

There are very highly intelligent people in the house. I never want to underestimate anyone in that game. I think I would have gotten to play with people in a much deeper way had I not had them, obviously.

 Big Brother, Sunday, 9:30, Thursday, finale, 8/7c, CBS