Welcome to Reality Derby, Gold Derby’s weekly deep dive into all things reality TV, hosted by senior editors Marcus James Dixon and Denton Davidson. Watch the latest episode above. The following interview contains Big Brother 27 spoilers. Read at your own risk!
Katherine Woodman is happy to be back in the real world. The 23-year-old fine dining server from Columbia, S.C., was evicted 7-1 over Ava Pearl on Thursday night’s episode of Big Brother after being put on the block by Head of Household Vince Panaro.
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“I’m excited to talk to friends and family,” she tells Gold Derby. “I never got to feel fully in control or fully trusting of the HOHs the past few weeks. The most obvious turning point was Lauren [Domingue] using the Veto on Vince and Rylie [Jeffries] going up. No matter who had been put up by Rachel [Reilly], things were going to be crazy. That was my biggest turning point. I knew I would never fully trust Vince again.”
Tears have flowed freely in the Big Brother house this summer, and Katherine thinks her lack of emotion may have actually worked against her. “I’m not a cryer,” she confesses. “I was even told by other houseguests that they didn’t think I cared enough because I didn’t cry that much. I thought that was crazy because I felt overly emotional in there. It was incredibly intense.”
Katherine’s time in the house was defined by her controversial showmance with Rylie, something she didn’t see coming. “I didn’t expect something like that to happen,” she says. “If I felt anything for anybody, I thought it would be easy to not pursue in the house. I was proven wrong. I’m normally someone who is very good at compartmentalizing, but I couldn’t help it. Rylie is very charming and a very good person.”
Since leaving the BB house, Katherine has learned about the backlash Rylie has faced online, with labels like “controlling” and “aggressive.” She’s quick to defend him. “Specific instances were blown out of proportion,” she insists. “There were incredibly high emotions — that happened with everyone in there. The romantic aspect may have made it seem like his actions were more serious or more concerning than they actually were. If we were just friends and there was no romantic part of it, I don’t know how much that would have been taken [seriously]. I know I wasn’t uncomfortable or unhappy. I hope that he’s doing OK. I’m excited to talk to him and see how he’s doing.”
Read on for our full interview with Katherine.
Gold Derby: Why couldn’t you and Rachel see eye-to-eye this season?
Katherine: I felt like she crossed personal lines. I could tell — a little too late — that she really tries to connect with people and get them to feel close to her. The things that made me feel close to her and safe with her were things that she used against me. Sending Rylie home and then wanting me on the block — it felt like it crossed a boundary.
Every hour that I get away from it, I realize that probably wasn’t her intent. If it was, yikes! I tried to cope with a lot of it with humor. I made some comments — I blacked out for the majority of them — but it was how I tried to deal with the situation. I thought they were funny. They might not have been funny to everybody, so I apologize for that.
Were you shocked when Vince put you on the block?
No. I wish I were. I said, “He is either that easily manipulated and still on my side and still on Lauren’s side — trying to figure out where he stands — and getting manipulated six weeks in a row. Or, he is definitely working against me and the people I’m close to.” Those were the two scenarios I felt were there. Me going on the block proved both and neither correct. He questions his game a lot and he’s a little paranoid.
How do you think things will play out this week now that Keanu Soto has become HOH?
I think Vince could potentially be safe this week. I’m not sure that’s somebody Keanu would immediately gun for. If he doesn’t put Rachel up then it likely could be Vince. I can’t guess what Keanu is going to do at any point at any time. I think it’s going to be surprising what he does with that power.
Who his sitting in the best position to win?
Will [Williams] is sitting very pretty. I was very surprised to find out that some of the people that he was closest to aren’t in his alliance at all. That’s crazy! He’s slightly underestimated — I’m guilty of that as well — and I think that he is very discreet with the way he’s moving in the house.
Who do you want to win?
I would like to see Rachel and Vince up against each other as the final two. I want Rachel to win so everyone can feel the regret of letting her get this far in the game. I think it is insane that she hasn’t touched the block yet. She knows what she’s doing! She is a smart cookie.
I didn’t expect you to say that. Water under the bridge? It’s all game for you?
Every hour that I’m separated from the house I’m feeling that way. Even when I was saying certain comments in the house — which were mostly meant to be taken in humor — I knew upon leaving I would likely be OK. It’s all water under the bridge — at least on my side.
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