Vancouver B.C.’s Julie Vu was the first houseguest to be evicted on Big Brother Canada season 9. We were able to chat with Julie following her eviction to find out how the teams challenge changed up her initial strategy, being part of such a diverse cast, and if she could have done any damage control with either Josh or Latoya.
How much of a shakeup did the team-play twist have on your pre-planned game strategy?
Ah! The team twist definitely screwed me up. I had an idea of who I wanted on my team – I wanted brain, muscle, and a shoulder to cry on – but, under these circumstances I wasn’t allowed to have those alliances.
Big Brother Canada has really stepped up by showcasing diversity and inclusivity this season. How does it feel being part of such an important moment for the show and reality television?
It feels amazing being part of this season with the diversity. It’s a great cast. I’m really shocked. They did a great job. I’m very happy and honoured to be the first transgender houseguest on Big Brother Canada. I’m very happy that I got to share my story.
You had mentioned that you couldn’t go home first because you still had to share your story. You did briefly get to do that in the second episode. What more would you have wanted to show viewers about yourself?
I wanted the viewers to know that I’m a strong individual. Just because I was born different doesn’t mean that I’m not capable of winning competitions, being successful, and going far. I still have a lot of fight in me! I want to get back into the house and prove to Canada and the world that I can win.
Since it’s the first week and the live feeds weren’t available yet, we didn’t really get to see much of your strategy to stay in the game. At what point did you realize that you’d be a target and which tactics did you use to try to stay in the game?
The Defender team was definitely in trouble, so I immediately knew I was in danger. I played different scenarios [in my mind]. [I thought about] who were the first two to drop? That was an easy target. It was Josh and myself. I was like, “Oh god, here we go.” I was probably one of the weaker [players] on my team. I weigh 105 pounds. I was the lightest one and that’s an easy target.
My strategy was always just to put the target on someone else… and that was Josh. It was Josh for most of the week until last night when he flipped the votes.
Do you think that you turned on Josh too quickly? Could you have gone after someone else?
I don’t think there was anyone else because he kind of blew up his own game. He scrambled and broke under pressure. He went around trying to pin everyone against he each other. He was super emotional. [It made him] an easy target.
Where does the blame really lie with your eviction? Is there a particular houseguest that you are pinning this on? Josh did try to deflect it from him but was there anyone else?
Well, he was telling everyone there was a “Pretty Boys 2.0” alliance. So, he was talking crap about the boys. Then he spoke about Rohan, and then about me… It was just a bunch of people. It upset the whole house.
Do you think you could have done any damage control with Latoya? Do you think she also played a role in how things ended up for you?
She definitely played a huge part in me going home. We didn’t vibe. We weren’t on the same page. Something about her just rubbed me the wrong way. I should have aligned myself with her a little more and bring her in…but it was just set. Something just did not work out between us two.
Big Brother Canada continues Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET/PT, and Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Global. To watch the free live feeds, please visit BigBrotherCanada.ca. Stay tuned to The TV Watercooler for the latest on BBCAN9!
