Following the finale of Big Brother Canada’s ninth season, we got the chance to chat with winner Tychon Carter-Newman about which jury vote really surprised him, when he realized he had to start playing his own game, and the important message he hopes to send with his historic win.
Congratulations! Was there a jury vote that really surprised you?
Rohan’s surprised me. It was the only one that surprised me. I did not expect him to vote for me [to win]! That just means that he was being very impartial. I thought he would have voted for the person who he was playing the game with and knew. I knew that he knew Breydon’s game better than mine, so I had figured he’d just vote for Breydon.
Can you walk us through the process where you decided that you had to start looking after your own game, even if that meant turning on Jedson and Beth?
That was a tough decision to make. I know people were in my ear, “It’s time for you to start switching from a team game to individual.” I was down to go to the final four with them. Me, Jed, Kiefer and Beth – I was down for that! But as soon as Kiefer went on the block, loyalty no longer had the same meaning in that game.
And then when Jedson and Beth made that final three deal with Kiefer without me included in it, that’s when I knew that this whole thing was done. Then, I had to turn on Jed and get him to use the veto on Beth so that we could keep him on the block and get him out of the game.
Were you surprised he actually did that?
No! Jed throughout this game has made it very clear to me that he has a heart and he’ll do anything for who he loves. I kind of baited him into it because in his mind, he was keeping two of us safe and we’d take him down [to the end]. So, it was a no-brainer for him. But yeah, in the end, we stabbed him in the back.
What went through your mind with the fake double eviction? Were you worried Jedson would come back and come after you for how dirty the trap door was?
That was my biggest fear! When I saw Jed’s face playing in that competition to get back in the house, I was terrified! The look in his eyes said it all – if he’s coming back in this game, he’s coming for me and I’m not going to be able to talk my way out of that one!
Was the “trap door” the hardest decision or move you had to make?
I would say that it was hardest move and it was a tough decision, but it was the right one. I wasn’t wavering much on the decision. I knew that once Jed was on the block, he had to go. We had vote him out. It was hard, but I knew it had to be done.
Who was the easiest to get along with inside that house?
Probably Breydon. He’s probably the most easy-going, easy to talk to, reasonable, understanding. I would say Breydon for sure. I love him.
Who was the hardest to connect with?
That’s a tough one because there’s some that I didn’t get to know as well. I’d say the furthest connection I have with the houseguest that was there the longest would have to be Rohan. We didn’t develop a strong relationship – game or socially, in the house. Probably for the reason that I wanted him out for so long.
This was of course a very important season of the show regarding representation. How does it feel being part of such a historic television run? Even Big Brother fans and players in the U.S. are celebrating! It was such a big deal.
I didn’t even know that! That’s means the world to me. That was my goal. I wanted to be part of seeing a black person win Big Brother. I wanted to be part of that and to be the actual person who won, it’s surreal to me. I can’t believe it. I’m sure there’s a lot of people proud of me, including my family. My mom would be ecstatic about this. She’s all about the message and I think we’re sending a message that this was long overdue and now it’s time. I think that kids in our country will see that if you put your mind to it, you can do anything if you try hard and put in the work!
You mentioned that you studied with Beth – did that help you in the final HOH competition?
I would say technically a lot of people helped me throughout the game. Relationships help get me there, but ultimately, I was very big on the studying. That’s one thing that I knew would come in handy at some point. And then it did. I would study with Beth and Breydon as well. I tried to get all my days down and my people down to really understand what happened and when, all throughout the game.
The finale brought back all the houseguests, is there a moment that stands out?
Seeing Latoya definitely warmed my heart, especially when she said “Keifer, Jed and Ty are my boys!” That really touched me because we loved Latoya and we really missed her. We did not want to see her go. It was so sad to see her go so early, but it did bring us closer together in a way. It’s probably a big reason why I was able to win the game.
How has the game changed you regardless of the win? Was there something that you learned about yourself?
I think there were a few things that I learned about myself, like how much I appreciate my close friends and family. As well as how much more time I should be spending with them. Being in this game and being away from them really makes you realize how important they are to you and how time is not in endless supply. That’s something that I really took away with from being away from them for so long.
The other thing is to just how to have tough conversations with people. There’s no avoiding that in Big Brother. You really have to learn to have tough, real conversations and I think that’s a skill that I will take back into the real world with me, for sure.
Check out the rest of The TV Watercooler’s Big Brother Canada coverage here.
