Though Michael left the house with no goodbyes for his remaining houseguests, he’s dishing to AfterBuzz TV why he doesn’t regret throwing Brittany under the bus, whether he wishes he’d evicted Turner or not and so much more in his exclusive interview.
Just on the heels of breaking Janelle Pierzina’s legendary competition win record, Michael Bruner was evicted in a dramatic double eviction on Thursday’s episode of Big Brother.
Though Michael left the house with no goodbyes for his remaining houseguests, he’s dishing to AfterBuzz TV why he doesn’t regret throwing Brittany under the bus, whether he wishes he’d evicted Turner or not and so much more in his interview below:
AFTERBUZZ: Going into the house, did you strategically plan or even anticipate being such a big competitive threat, to the extent that you beat Janelle’s legendary comp win record?
MICHAEL: I never went into the game planning on winning so many competitions. I actually never wanted to be in the position where I felt like I had to win, but being up on the block early, I really had no choice. And then by the time I felt comfortable in the game, I had already racked up quite a few wins. I knew the target on my back wasn’t going to get smaller, so I figured why not just go for it. I also would’ve way more regretted throwing a comp and going home from that than winning too much and becoming a target. So it wasn’t my plan going in, wasn’t the game I necessarily thought I would play or was even capable of playing, but it’s the game I ended up playing and I’m proud of how I did.
AFTERBUZZ: How integral was Brittany to your strategy and gameplay?
MICHAEL: Brittany was an integral part of my strategy. It was really good to know that I had someone that I could trust and I could talk to. If she heard things about me, she would tell me. So she was a big part of my plans moving forward. It also felt good when I did win competitions, if I was HOH I knew that I had someone I could count on for a vote and to let me know what other people were saying in the house. So Brittany was a very big part of my game and I was very lucky to find another super fan like her in the house, and I’m very glad that we worked together.
AFTERBUZZ: Brittany told you to evict Turner when you had a chance. Do you regret protecting him?
MICHAEL: I don’t. And you know, maybe on paper I should because he was the HOH that took me out, but I made a promise to Turner last week. He did what we all thought was the right thing to do in evicting Kyle, which wasn’t good for his game. I didn’t want that to come at a cost to his own game and that the lesson to be taken away is that if you do the right thing, you have to be punished for it. I think that there exists a reality in which you can do the right thing and it also doesn’t hurt you. So I don’t regret that. I think I’d be sitting here regardless; if I had evicted Turner last week, I think Monte would’ve gotten me out. So ultimately I don’t necessarily regret that, even though on paper maybe I should. I’m at peace with the decision.
AFTERBUZZ: Terrance said he felt it was convenient for you in Brittany to wait until it benefited your game to reveal Kyle’s Cookout 2.0 theory. Is he right in assuming that that was a game decision? Why or why not?
MICHAEL: I don’t think Terrance is right in making that assumption. I completely understand why he would be skeptical. Any information that you use in this game, people are going to look at it as you’re using it to get ahead. And even though this was an issue that I felt transcended the game, we were still in the game and it is information that is going to impact it. So I wish I maybe had handled it differently and came forward sooner, but I also felt no matter when this information came into the game, people were gonna look at it as, ‘Okay, what is he trying to gain from this?’ And at every step of the way it could have been spun or these assumptions could have been made no matter what. I’m not claiming I went about things the exact right way and I wish I had handled things differently–especially hearing how other people wish it had been handled at different times–but I don’t agree with his assumption that this was a strictly strategic thing that I was trying to manipulate and twist to get myself further.
AFTERBUZZ: You threw Brittany under the bus in your eviction speech, and she was clearly upset. Was that something you had previously thought out or did it just come out in the moment, and how will you address that when you see her again?
MICHAEL: Moving forward in the game, I knew that I had a lot of information that Brittany trusted me with that I could use against her if the time came. I never wanted to use that against her, but I also don’t believe in the term ride or die. I wasn’t about to die for anyone in this game. It has been my dream to play this game since I was eight years old and not only to play, but to win, and I knew I would have regretted it if I didn’t try to win this game. And I felt like if I were sitting here and I was like, ‘Gosh, I wish I had said that. I wish I had said this’–I don’t feel that way. I feel like I said everything. I made the best pitch that I could, so I don’t necessarily regret that.
I do feel horrible because I knew that she was very hurt by that. But ultimately I expected her to go in on me as well, and the fact that she didn’t, it worked out for her, it didn’t work out for me. So maybe she made the right call and I didn’t, but I know I would’ve regretted it if I didn’t try. I hope that as a super fan of this game she can understand that it was strictly a game move where I was doing what I felt like I had to do with the position that I was in, so I really hope she understands that. I definitely owe her a big apology.
To find out how Brittany fairs in the game without her number one ally, tune into Big Brother Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays on CBS, and watch the live feeds on Paramount+.
