Joey Lawrence on His ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ Experience & a Possible ‘Blossom’ Revival

Big Brother: Celebrity Edition - Joey Lawrence
Q&A
Monty Brinton/CBS

Whoa! Joey Lawrence was the third eviction on Season 2 of Celebrity Big Brother, following favorites Jonathan Bennett and Ryan Lochte, who were previously sent off. But don’t feel too bad for the actor and producer.

The 42-year-old found solace in having a gym at his disposal in the house, but he was happy to get back to his wife and daughters. That and getting to watch the Super Bowl LIII. The morning after the elimination, Lawrence reflected on the experience and if we’ll ever get a Blossom revival.

You mentioned you didn’t follow the show too much before going in. What kind advice did you get from family and friends who were more familiar with it?

Joey Lawrence: To remember that it’s a game — don’t let your emotions get the best of you. I’ve learned throughout my life that you have to be centered. When your emotions get the best of you, you say stupid things, you fly off the handle. It’s never the best representation of yourself or your family. It was unfortunate to see that with several people in the house, I think they forgot the fact that it’s a game. They take things personally or throw out personal insults. There really isn’t a place for that, no matter what the game is. You should never let it reach that level, especially as an adult. Unfortunately, people do.

What’s the one thing you’ll take with you from this experience?

It was interesting to step out of my comfort zone, get locked into a box with people you never knew before with strong personalities. You try to maneuver your way through to decide who is being honest and who is not. It’s hard to explain to be in there without anything, but it’s certainly interesting. If you don’t know a good way to keep yourself centered, you can go off course pretty quickly.

In the last episode, you spoke to other “Fun Five” members about Tom Green and Kato Kaelin’s strategy and theorized if they kept you in the house, maybe you would help change that dynamic. It seemed to resonate with some like Natalie Eva Marie, yet she along with the others voted to evict you. Did it surprise you?

Jonathan tried to get Ryan and I quickly into an alliance. That word is so funny, but we did — and to the detriment to all three of us. The first impression became quickly in the house that, if the three of us were to grow and thrive, we’d be a threat, even though physicality is not always in play because a lot of these competitions are wacky and depend on chance. But we became public enemy one, two, three.

Moving forward, when it came down to Kandi [Burruss] and I, in terms of any opportunity to win a challenge, I actually presented a better opportunity to win a challenge. It was deeper than that, though. They had it in their minds they wanted to get the three of us first. However, it will be interesting now as they turn on each other, which will for sure happen.

Photo:Monty Brinton /CBS

A lot of viewers responded positively on social media to your exit interview with Julie Chen. Do you think people learned something about you from this experience?

Yeah, maybe. But I had to play close to the vest locked in a box because we had some super intense, out-of-control people in there. I’ve been doing this for a long time, but very rarely have I given people a glimpse of how I am personally. There are the characters I play and the perception of who I am, but it gave some insight into who I am personally.

Ryan Lochte mentioned there was a bond you built. He went as far as to credit you for helping when it came to his diet and that he would take that outside the house. Do you see yourself staying in touch with Ryan moving forward?

We already had a great talk. I got my phone back, and he was the second incoming call. It was crazy. He is really a genuine person, just super kind. What you see with him is what you get with him, and I love that. It’s one of my favorite qualities, just being a genuine person. Nobody is perfect — I know I’m certainly not — but I love people who are kind and genuine, [and] he is definitely both of those things. So we’ll be friends for a while, no doubt about it.

Who do you think will walk away the winner?

We have a wicked house. It’s pretty brutal in there. From what I can tell and [what I’m] hearing being out, I am told it’s a different vibe than last season. Melissa [Winokur] was able to make it to the end and was the most liked, therefore she took it. I think it will be interesting to determine “most liked” because the way a lot of these people are winning right now, there is certainly nothing to like right now. It’s very undercutting, very manipulative. People have been flat-out mean in there. It will be interesting to see the final vote. Unfortunately, I think it will come down to the person who plays it the dirtiest, not necessarily the smartest.

Photo: Monty Brinton /CBS

Was the consolation prize for you being able to watch the Super Bowl since you predicted the two teams correctly?

Hell yeah. It was so exciting to be able to watch the game and be with my family. Look, it was an interesting experiment for me to step out of my comfort zone. I can say I did it, and the opportunity was cool. I’m thankful to CBS for it. I’m happy to be out of there, but it is getting worse. I mean I was already uncomfortable with all the screaming and F-bombs and everyone getting in everybody’s face. This is grown adults, not even young adults. They were flying off the handle playing a game, [and] it’s embarrassing at times. I’m thankful to be out of there and let them finish it out.

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS

So, what’s next for you?

We are working with Netflix on something and CBS on something. There is a lot of good stuff going on. It’s the kind of year you are tying all that up. I’m very excited for the rest of the year.

Any update on that Blossom revival?

That’s out there, too. There have been talks, Mayim [Bialik], and I have spoken. We’re both on board in terms of moving forward and seeing where it goes. After that happens, it took on some steam because if her and I are in it, I think we have a shot. We’ll see. Things are progressing.

Jenna Von Oy (Six), Joey Lawrence (Joey), Mayim Bialik (Blossom) in Blossom Season 3 (Touchstone Pictures/ABC via Getty Images)

What about working with your brothers [Matthew and Andrew] again?

We’re working on something, too. We renovate homes on the side as a passion project. We’re actually working on a project where we might be doing that with people seeing us do it. That has been a lot of fun and been in the works, too. Then, of course, there is Batman [Laughs].

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Joey Lawrence (@joeylawrence) on

Depending on who you talk to or believe, there might be an opening for that.

My goal is to play Batman at some point.

Big Brother next airs Monday, February 4, 9/8c, CBS