‘Big Brother’s Mickey Lee Spills on Morgan and Vince’s ‘Intimate’ Relationship

Another Big Brother houseguest has been evicted. Mickey Lee was the last houseguest before the Jury starts to leave the Big Brother house.

When Keanu Soto won Head of Household, he put up his ally Vince Panaro, Morgan Pope, and Mickey, hoping that Morgan would be the one leaving the house. But when she won the Power of Veto, plans had to shift.

Keanu decided to renominate Ashley Hollis, which caused a rift between him and his “frenemy” Rachel Reilly because Ashley is a close ally of hers. Once Vince won the Blockbuster, Mickey and Ashley remained on the block, and Mickey went home in a six-to-one vote.

Mickey formed many alliances in the house and flew under the radar for the first few weeks. Then, her fellow houseguests pointed out that she lied to them and would tell others things she was told in confidence. They tried to get her out week after week, but she either won the Veto or the Blockbuster, so they had to take this shot and kept Ashley in the house.

Mickey talked to TV Insider about her relationships with people in the house, why she overthrew Riley’s HOH, that Vince and Morgan relationship, and more.

CBS

So you looked completely shocked when Julie [Chen Moonves] said that you were evicted. Were you told that you were safe or that you had the votes? What was going on with that?

Mickey Lee: Yeah, so I definitely thought I did have the votes — at least, the votes next to Ashley — just because that is what I was told. But obviously, that is Big Brother nature. You can be lied to, you can be back stabbed, all these things, because that is a part of the game. So I was shocked. But you know what? I was not stunned. Meaning, I had a feeling that some things were going on, and I kind of didn’t do heavy investigating, because I’m gonna be honest, a part of me was kind of ready to go home. So I can’t say I was too upset about it, but I was shocked for sure.

And you were voted out 6-1, with only Vince voting to keep you. Did you think that you were gonna get anybody else’s votes? Did any of them shock you?

Honestly, no. So I was shocked that it was Vince who was the one person to keep me. I thought that one vote might have been Morgan or Will, possibly, but I do respect it. I respect Vince so much more because he gave me that vote. That means he did stick to his word and at least attempted to give that sympathy vote or to keep me. So I respect that 1,000 times over for sure.

At the beginning of the game, you and Morgan were really close, really good friends, and then it seemed like, in recent weeks, she kind of shifted to Vince. What do you think caused that shift or for her to align more with him?

Yeah. Well, I mean, honestly, I think as women, when we’re in love, we do really crazy things. And I think their intimate relationship made things a little bit easier for them to stay connected — meaning, they like each other, and that’s totally fine. So I was kind of like the third wheel in that situation. And I kind of sensed it early, and at that point, you just have to roll with it. I saw pretty early on that I was on an island by myself, and you just have to get in, even if you don’t fit in. And so I saw it coming to an end at some point. Just didn’t know exactly when.

Do you think there’s more than friendship there between them?

I don’t know what goes on with their conversations, but just as far as what it appears to look like, it does appear that they have a really deeply rooted connection and/or relationship. They take showers together. They do a lot of things together. She cooks for him, back scratches, head rubs, all the things. So I do think that they have a very good connection, for sure.

You had a lot of friends and allies in the house. Who would you have taken to the final two with you?

Final two, honestly, I was going to stick to my original plan with Morgan, unless things just got even more wackier than they already had gotten. And potentially Will. Those are two people I think I would have respected the most to be up there with me. And,

Who do you think now has the best chance to make it final two?

Honestly, final two, in my opinion, it’s really looking like Ava [Pearl]. I think Ava could make it up there, and maybe even Will. They’re in exceptional positions.

How did you feel being the one evicted right before the Jury started?

You know what? To be honest, I think I would have rather it be that way than the first person evicted into the jury house, just because I am allowed to go back into my life, get some things rolling and started, and just kind of just manifest, or walk into these opportunities and just come back on, obviously, finale night. I’m okay with that. I think there’s a reason why everything happens, and my game ended now, I think mainly because it needed to.

Going back a little bit to when you overtook Rylie’s HOH. Did you really think he was going to put you and your allies up?

I actually did. I think that Rylie’s moms would have been myself, Morgan, and Ashley, which, at the time, would not have been good for my game at all. Which is why I used my power. Looking back on it, if I had done anything different about using that power, I might have saved it a little longer and kept it more of a secret.

When Rylie revealed that the HOH power was Ashley, what was going through your head?

So when he revealed that he thought it was Ashley, I mean, I thought, “Mission accomplished.” That’s exactly what needed to have happened in order for me to use this. So I was very much so relieved, and at the same time, I’m really sad, because I did really care about Rylie. I do. I think he’s an exceptional person, and it really hurt me to have to take his HOH in that moment.

You put him up on the block when you were HOH, but then a few weeks later, when he was evicted, you were really upset. Do you think your relationship grew a little bit after you overtook his HOH?

I think our relationship definitely grew. I actually really trusted Rylie, and when it came to picking between he and Morgan, I struggled. I struggled with wanting to be loyal, and what that would be perceived as, with me not being loyal to Morgan, but then also wanting to keep Rylie, because I knew that he would never come for me, and I thought he was really genuine. I thought Morgan’s approach was always very self-centered, and it gave that, but I didn’t know who I should have been loyal to in the moment. And honestly, I guessed wrong.

During your HOH reign, you put up your ally Jimmy [Heagarty], who was part of Triple Threat with you, and he was evicted. Do you think that was the right move or the wrong move for your game?

Honestly, I think it was the right move, just because Jimmy was definitely okay with people wanting to send me home. He fueled a lot of things that happened behind my back that I had no knowledge of, that could have put me on the block any week before or any week after. So me putting him up, honestly, was the best thing for me, just because a lot of my relationships that were very sour were because of him
being the middleman of those things.

Do you think this week, when Keanu put up his ally Vince, that was a smart move or a dumb move?

Personally, I don’t think it was the smartest move, but I guess it wasn’t too bad, since I was the one who went home and not Vince. But I do think if Vince had gone home, it would have been the worst thing that Keanu could have ever done. But obviously, I was the target, so I guess it wasn’t too terrible for him to put him up.

What are you looking forward to most when you get home?

Oh my gosh, girl, I am ready for crab legs, and I’m ready for an Espresso Martini, extra creamy with reposado. That is what I’ve been dying to have for weeks, and honestly, just to sleep in a bed that is bigger than a box.

Looking back, would you have done anything differently, or do you have any regrets in the game?

I think the only things that I would have done differently — I think it’s two things. One, when Rylie and Morgan sat next to each other, I would have evicted Morgan, and I would have trusted Rylie a lot more obviously than I did. And two, when I had the opportunity to evict Ava, I think I might have done that as well.

Would you ever come back if you were asked?

Right now, I say it depends on how long the game is, but you know what? You have to expect the unexpected, and that’s even from me. So you never know. I’m always open to new opportunities, new experiences, and doing this again might be even a newer experience and approach that I knew before.

If you did come back, would you want to come back with the same cast or a different one?

Oh, if I came back, I want to come with a completely different cast. Of course. What?! I had nothing in common with these people. It was a struggle. I need some people that I can kind of kick it with, for sure.

If you had won, what would you have done with the money?

Oh my gosh. So I had plans to do a lot of investments. The number one thing is, I do own a home, and I wanted to fix it up, because it is very damaged, unfortunately. So, fix up the home. Obviously, do some investments and some things in Atlanta. And I wanted to open up an event and experience center in Atlanta, Georgia. Those are my goals.

Any last takeaways?

I would say the Big Brother house is a crazy place to be. Expecting the unexpected is just the tip of the iceberg. But I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I said yes, and I don’t know, I feel blessed to have even been chosen into the Big Brother family. So I’m grateful, and thank you guys so much for even supporting me or rooting for me.

Big Brother, Season 27, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays, 8/7c, CBS

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