Big Brother Exit Interview: Ashley Trail
Ashley Trail became the first houseguest evicted from Big Brother 28 following a chaotic opening week in the house. The 24-year-old bartender – originally from Alton, Ill., and currently residing in Chicago – found herself on the block and attempting a last-minute house flip that ultimately resulted in a unanimous vote against her.
Following her departure, media outlets participated in a press pool interview to get Ashley’s take on her campaign strategy, game trust, and whether overplaying led to her downfall. Here are the key highlights from her exit interview.
On Her Campaign Strategy & Naming Names
Addressing the perception that telling people she had the votes cost her the game, Ashley revealed that the strategy wasn't originally hers.
"It was set in stone that I was going home... until my little posse came up to me and they said that I was going to flip the house. That's what my campaign should be—I should go out with a bang."
Ashley explained that because she didn't naturally have the numbers, she pitched to Mallory, Melody, and Lyric to try to gain leverage. However, the move quickly backfired when word spread that she was dropping names. Despite the fallout, Ashley maintained that the vote breakdown was inevitable: "It was going to be quite literally, obviously inferred who the votes were anyways."
On Overplaying vs. Being a Target
Despite being evicted unanimously after campaigning heavily, Ashley doesn't believe overplaying was the root cause of her eviction.
"I do not think that I sunk my game by overplaying. Everybody's thinking, 'Ashley, you should have just shut up.' However, if I had Angela, Drew, Barrett—and didn't even have D, turns out... all the people that said they had me, I wouldn't have had enough votes anyway. So I had to go and campaign."
Trust and Ideal Alliances
When asked about her closest bonds in the house, Ashley admitted to feeling mostly isolated from a true core alliance, though she found some comfort in Angela.
- Blind Trust: Ashley placed her faith in Angela due to personal and strategic conversations, though she acknowledged having no ironclad allies.
- Desired Alliance: Had she stayed, Ashley noted she would have preferred to move forward in the game alongside Devin, Angela, and Barrett.
- Who Benefited: She believes houseguests on the opposite side of the board—specifically Lala, Taylor, Jason, and Rome—gained the most from her departure, as she would have been a firm vote for D's side of the house.
No Regrets on the Speech
Despite the outcome, Ashley stands firm on how she handled her final moments on the broadcast stage. She stated she would not change a single word of her eviction ceremony speech, noting that live speeches rarely alter the outcome compared to the work done behind closed doors.
"Knowing what I know now, I would have kept my eviction speech the exact same. I don't think that affects people's game whatsoever in the sense of if they're going to stay or not. You really do all the behind-the-scenes campaigning and just hope that it pays off in the end."
Big Brother airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on Global and CBS. Canadians can stream BB28 on STACKTV and the Global TV app.
