"I had a very low chance of winning"— Big Brother runner-up Makensy weighs in on Chelsie's victory

After a long season of twists and turns, Big Brother 26 concluded on October 13, 2024, which aired at 9 pm ET on CBS. In the finale, only three houseguests were left to compete for the prize money of $750,000 which included Chelsie Baham, Makensy Manbeck, and Cam Sullivan-Brown.

Before the finale, Makensy proved herself to be a strong contender as she had the most competition to her name with continuous HoH and PoV wins. She eliminated Rubina to reach the final three and in the finale eliminated Cam to get to reach the final two. Despite her comp record, she failed to convince the jury which consisted of the eliminated houseguests and Chelsie became the winner of Big Brother 26.

In an interview with Parade magazine on October 13, 2024, Makensy weighed in with her thoughts on the competition and Chelsie's strategy in front of the jury. She explained that although she had expected to receive some votes, after Chelsie's speech she had lost hope.

"Chelsie explained her game in a very, very well way. She did have a very complex game, and she knows how to talk... I'll give that to her. I love her. And listening to her explain her game would have made me vote for her! So I knew that sitting there that I had a very low chance of winning," said Makensy.

---

Makensy believes that Chelsie's Big Brother victory is like her victory

Even if Makensy earned only a tenth of the actual prize money from Big Brother, she had no ill feelings towards the actual winner of the competition, Chelsie.

The runner-up explained that she had developed a good understanding with Chelsie and her winning felt like she won. She also revealed that without Chelsie planning as such, she wouldn't have made it to the final two.

Being a D1 athlete, Makensy was very competitive throughout the show which can be verified with her record of wins in the show. She revealed that money is a bonus as her prime motive was to win the competitions and get to Day 90.

As mentioned earlier, Makensy had the chance to eliminate Chelsie in the final elimination round which would have barred the latter from going up to the jury table with her plea.

"I did think a little bit about how bringing Cam probably would have allowed me to have an easier win, but maybe it's the competitive nature in me, and also my loyalty and just who I am. I wanted to sit next to Chelsie," revealed Makensy.

Makensy ousted Leah early on in the competition and even mentioned the move in her jury speech. When the topic was brought up, Makensy clarified that the decision to eliminate Leah was completely independent and not influenced by any other houseguest of Big Brother. She revealed that Chelsie did come up to her with the idea, but the thought was already present in her mind.

Makensy further expressed that she arrived at the game to play with others and in Chelsie, she felt she had a partner. So, the decision of eliminating Leah not only benefitted her but also Chelsie which helped them reach the final two.

She later praised Leah's game and expressed her surprise that before being eliminated, Leah did not enter the chopping block even once.

Along with her comp wins, Makensy and Chelsie believed that Leah was becoming a threat. That notion got validated as throughout the game Leah did not let others know what her game plan was, a move which Makensy believes helped her make the decision to eliminate her.

---

Big Brother 26 aired its finale on October 13, 2024, with Chelsie being decalsred the winner.