“I feel like a winner”- Lisa Weintraub bids Big Brother season 26 goodbye

Big Brother released the latest episode of season 26 on August 1, 2024. In the episode, celebrity chef Lisa Weintraub was sent packing home with an 11-1 voting result against her.

Lisa was fighting for a place in the house against Angela Murray who has faced a fair bit of criticism of her own. During her Exit interview with the host Julie Chen Moonves, Lisa said:

"This has been an incredible experience. I’ve met amazing people. I have shown everything that I have become in this life, from personal triumphs to professional wins. I have represented myself authentically and with the integrity that I came into this game."

She further added:

"I may not have won Big Brother 26, but I feel like a winner because I have shown America who I am. For that, I am very proud.”

Big Brother's American version first premiered in 2000. In season 26, fans of the reality show saw 16 contestants come in the door. The current season also introduced BB AI for the very first time.

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What happened in the house of Big Brother season 26 that led to Lisa's exit?

Tucker, a content creator and marketing executive was the first one to arrive in the house. He was not shy about stating his love for cooking and expressed how he would stay out of conflict and keep everyone happy by cooking for them.

“I’m a chef. So, you know, I’m gonna be the person that keeps everybody happy and if people are butting heads or whatever, I’m going to be the one cracking jokes and trying to simmer down the water,” said Tucker.

Lisa quickly interrupted Tucker during the first episode when the whole cast was introducing themselves. It seemingly rubbed him off in the wrong way. He complained about the edible glitter that Lisa added to the food and raised doubts over her credibility as a chef.

Tucker and Quinn clashed when the former insinuated that Lisa had the secret power that could lead to Angela's eviction from the house. This led Angela to gossip that Quinn had the secret power, which even the latter didn't believe in.

Later, Tucker and Lisa were talking with Joseph and Rubina about Angela and her unpredictability which could upset the house. Angela caught wind of it and listened to their conversation while being near the door.

This eventually led to Angela staring at the aforementioned contestants and mocking Lisa's walk when she pronounced her a "twit" and asked her to "wipe that stupid smirk off your face.”

During the vote out in Big Brother 26, everybody except Kenney voted against Lisa to the surprise of the viewers. Lisa who was nominated for elimination the second consecutive time saved herself the last time by earning the power of veto.

After her eviction, Lisa hinted that some house guests weren't truthful with her completely as the plan was to evict Angela. So the eventual 11 votes against her left her feeling blindsided.

"I thought at least seven or eight people in that house had my back, so I was completely shocked. There was Kenney, and Kenney was always transparent. He's a great guy and I'll take that one vote. Wish there were 11 more, but that is not the way the cookie crumbled," said Lisa in exit interview.

The host of the show, Julie Chen Moonves chimed in with her thoughts on the matter which has created a stir among reality TV fans.

During her interview with Entertainment Weekly published on August 2, Moonves explained that the surprise eviction of Lisa on Big Brother 26 stemmed from other house guests being afraid of her going all the way.

"Bottom line is the house felt Lisa was a tougher competitor to beat, so they had to evict her over Angela," added Julie.

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New episodes of Big Brother 26 airs every Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday on CBS and will also stream on Paramount+.