A few days after she was evicted out of the Big Brother Canada 5 house, I had the chance to catch up with Neda Kalantar to discuss what happened. We chatted about why the veteran players seemed so fragmented this season and why they were unable to stick together. We also discussed her immunity and whether she regarded it as an advantage or a disadvantage in the game. We discussed her decision to evict Cassandra and if she blamed Ika or Sindy more for her eviction.
Here is the transcript:
Murtz Jaffer: Neda, thanks for taking the time to speak with us. When you were first asked back, did you have to think about it or was it an immediate decision to say yes?
Neda Kalantar: Literally didn’t have to think about it for a second. It was an immediate yes and will always be an immediate yes.
MJ: You are generally regarded as the best BB Canada player to play the game. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage when you come back for another season? Advantage in the sense that others might be afraid of you but disadvantage because you could be seen as a threat?
NK: There is no advantage at all, I found it to be entirely a disadvantage. Especially on a season of mixed vets and new people. When you have veterans who have left much earlier in the game in their seasons, and new people who know exactly what your gameplay style is, it’s impossible to be under the radar.
MJ: When you were given immunity by Canada, were you expecting it and how did that affect your strategy moving forward?
NK: I was a million percent not expecting it. I thought Gary would win – I probably would have voted for Gary! It completely flipped my strategy upside down because if I got to the end of the game it would seem like I was just given a free pass by Canada, but if I made big moves I risked becoming a bigger target. Clearly I chose the latter and decided to try and get out my targets before they could take a shot at me.
MJ: It seemed like you wanted to make sure you were still making big moves despite having immunity and your biggest was undoubtedly targeting Cassandra. Why did you want her out of the house?
NK: You guys didn’t see a lot before feeds turned on. There was several times that she threatened she was done with the veterans, and she threatened to backdoor me in week one. She was forming a large side alliance that wasn’t inclusive of a lot of the veterans. I wasn’t included in that and it made it very clear we weren’t working together in the house.
MJ: Many believed that the veterans would immediately stick together to the end but now the new players outnumber the veterans. In your opinion, why do you think the vets were not able to stick together?
NK: Eight big personalities are too many for an alliance. It’s also not reasonable to expect that the veteran players aren’t going to take a shot at another returning player whose game skills have been proven, and who ultimately is working with different new players. I assumed that while we all agreed to try to protect each other, that plan would break down sooner than later, and clearly it did.
MJ: When Arisa brought up the double-eviction, did you have any idea you might be a target?
NK: 100% – as soon as she said it was a double, and that my immunity was up, I knew it was a perfect chance for someone to take a shot.
MJ: When Sindy won the HOH, did you think that you’d be okay since she was a member of The Six?
Yes. Until right after the Veto Comp.
MJ: Who do you blame more for your eviction. Ika or Sindy?
NK: Both. Sindy was the HOH, but the move benefitted Ika. Sindy likes to make big moves, as we saw in her last season, but doesn’t always think through the benefits for her.
MJ: In hindsight, is there anything you would have changed about any of your moves?
NK: It’s easy for me to say I should have laid low. But then you have to consider that I could potentially get to the end and no one would vote for me because they wouldn’t see me as having done enough to win. Alternatively, all of my targets would have been in jury voting against me. Hindsight is 20/20.
MJ: You received one vote to stay. Who do you think that vote came from?
NK: I think either Kevin or Jackie. The people I was working with and loyal to knew they didn’t have the numbers so they had to vote with the “house”.
MJ: How would you like Big Brother Canada fans to remember you?
NK: Just remember me – that’s all. I want them to know I worked hard, even if it didn’t pan out as planned.
MJ: Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us.
