Yahoo Movies Jordan Lloyd on dealing with 'vicious' comments after Big Brother
Leading up to the July 6th season 24 premiere of Big Brother, EW caught up with 11 former U.S. winners from the show with a set of questions designed to have them look back at their time in the house as well what life has been like since leaving it. Our ninth entry is with the season 11 champion who won both the game and a life partner inside the house. (Also, make sure to check out our Q&As with Eddie McGee, Derrick Levasseur, Jun Song, Dan Gheesling, Ian Terry, Rachel Reilly, and Will Kirby, and Cody Calafiore.)
Big Brother is hard. You spend months dealing with knuckleheads trying to vote you out, and often have to do so while eating slop and dressed up in bizarre unitards. But Big Brother can be just as hard out of the house as in it, even when you are a well-liked, popular champion.
Jordan Lloyd found this out after winning season 11, having to deal with inexcusable comments from fans. "You're like, 'Wow, I'm a nice person, and I care about people,'" says Jordan. "And then you see people writing, 'Oh your voice is so annoying. You are fat. You're ugly.' And I mean vicious things."
Monty Brinton/CBS via Getty Images Jordan Lloyd on 'Big Brother'
While dealing with toxic fans is never easy, Jordan knew that her game in the house spoke for itself. "When Jeff got evicted, everybody thought that I was basically doomed and there was no chance for me," she recalls. "And I won those last challenges when I needed to. I convinced Kevin to keep me, and then I won those challenges… And so it's nice when people think you're an underdog the whole time, but then you pull out a win."
Jordan and showmance partner turned future husband Jeff Schroeder would both return for season 13, where she went far in the game yet again, this time making it all the way to fourth place. But Jordan and Jeff — who would also appear on The Amazing Race — were only getting started, and they have formed the ultimate alliance in life… with their two sons. We caught up with the season 11 champ to get her take on her time in the house, and adjusting to life outside of it.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: First off, give the update as to what you've been up to since last appearing on Big Brother.
JORDAN LLOYD: Our son Lawson is five now, and our son Layton is three. Lawson was born in California. We were living there, and then Jeff got a job out here in Denver, Colorado. So we're living in Colorado now, and I absolutely love it.
I'm a stay-at-home mom, but I also get to create content, which I love. I do work with a lot of brands, and I love that because a lot of people don't know that I have my cosmetology license. I've worked with Bondi Boost, and all these other skincare and haircare products. And I love it because you sometimes can feel like you lose yourself as a stay-at-home mom, and this is something on the side where I can get creative, and I can make content, and I can do things on the side and show life as a mom. Everybody knows on Big Brother I was always open and honest, and I feel like I'm the same way on my Instagram, so it's nice for people to be able to go on there and just see an older version of me. Nothing's changed.
If it wasn't for Big Brother, I'd have no followers. A lot of the people who follow me on Instagram have been following me since Big Brother, which was 12 years ago. It's nice that I have those loyal followers and that people even still care.
Besides winning, what is your proudest moment from playing Big Brother?
To be honest, I think it's just that I was true to myself and I was who I was. Because when people fake who they are on Big Brother, it always comes out eventually, because you lose yourself in that house because it's so crazy. When I walked in, I was like, "I'm going to be a loyal person. I'm going to play an honest game." That's how I am in real life. I'm loyal to all my friends and I'm honest. And that is something I'm proud of, because reality TV could really destroy you. A lot of younger people don't know that. If you're perceived a certain way, people might not like you in the outside world, and they're just judging from what they see you on the show. And then when they get to know you, they're like, "Wow, I really like you." So I'm proud that I just stuck to my morals and I stuck to who I am.
What is your biggest regret from your Big Brother experience in terms of anything that happened in the house in any of your seasons?
I mean, now that I'm older and I have kids, maybe chest bumping Russell and yelling at Shelly. Those I'm not very proud about, but after day 50, you kind of lose it a little bit and you snap pretty easily. So those are not my proudest moments.
What are your thoughts about how you were portrayed on the network episodes of the show?
Like I said, that's really who I am. Probably because I was younger, I came across as a dingbat and kind of just dumb. It's more when you get off the show that you read the comments. You're like, "Wow, I'm a nice person, and I care about people." And then you see people writing, "Oh your voice is so annoying. You are fat. You're ugly." And I mean vicious things. And now I can handle things like that because I'm used to it, and I really don't get mean comments.
I've always been dingy, but I'm goofy. I was only 22-years-old, and it's so different now that I'm older. People probably still think of me as the person that can't tell time. But when Jeff got evicted, everybody thought that I was basically doomed and there was no chance for me. And I won those last challenges when I needed to. I convinced Kevin to keep me, and then I won those challenges — surprisingly, because I couldn't win anything all season. And I pulled it out and then I won. And so it's nice when people think you're an underdog the whole time, but then you pull out a win.
Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images Jordan Lloyd on 'Big Brother'
What are your feelings on the Diary Room and the interviews you would do in there?
I loved the Diary Room. That's your time when you vent, and you just basically are talking to the camera and the producers. They never tell you what to say, and you can go and vent, and all they do is listen. And they let you get whatever you need to out. So I personally liked going in the Diary Room. When you're in the house with all the Houseguests, it's almost like you want to break free. You're like, "I want to get out of this house!" But whenever you go in there, it's like, "Okay. I'm in a safe zone and I can just talk, and I can say whatever and I can vent and I can get what I want to out."
What was it like coming back to regular society after being in the house? Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
I was in the house 72 days. And when I got out, you're used to every morning having to put a mic pack on. And when I got out of the house, I remember I would wake up and for two weeks I would be like, "Oh, where's my mic pack? I've got to have my mic pack on." And then I would just be like, "What am I doing? What am I saying?"
I remember one time my mom and my brother were talking, and in my head I was like, "Are they talking about me? What are they talking about?" And then I'm like, "That's my family! What am I doing?" And I did that for probably two weeks because you're so used to thinking people are talking about you.
But I think now it's worse because it's 100 days, and when they get off now there's Instagram. Instagram's huge. When I was on, Twitter had just started. Now you get it from all sides, with mean comments and things like that.
Was there ever a point either during the game or after you got out of the house where you regretted going on the show?
No, I don't have any regrets.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your seasons?
I pretty much keep up with everyone on social media. That's kind of my way to see what everyone's doing. There's a young boy in my neighborhood and Derrick is his favorite player. And Derrick was so sweet. He got on the phone with him and talked to him. And then other people like Elissa, Rachel's sister, we'll message sometimes back and forth because she lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and that's where I'm from. Or I'll comment on people's Instagram, things like that.
I don't really talk to everybody on the phone that much, but I just keep up with everybody through social media. Everybody's a mom now. And I have a hard time keeping up with my friends from home, let alone people from a show I did.
Lisette M. Azar/CBS via Getty Images Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd on 'Big Brother'
Do you still watch Big Brother, and, if so, what's your favorite season you were not on and why?
Ooh, yes. And I love watching Big Brother as a fan now. I love sitting at home, watching it, and not being in that house. I do get nervous. I get anxious whenever things are going on, and you have people you root for, and it's so fun. I like all of them, and I hope when Big Brother is over that they do a behind the scenes episode and they show how that show works. It is so amazing how they put it together and how they come up with the competitions and come up with a different theme each year. So I have enjoyed every season.
Who's one player from another Big Brother season you wish you could have played with or against and why?
I feel like Derrick, because Derrick's the best player. He made it look so easy, and it's not an easy game. Derrick never got in arguments with anybody. He played it cool. So probably somebody like him, but just because he's the best, because I would want to play against the best. And Dan. Dan's such a good player. I got to play with Rachel and Dani, and they were I think the best female players.
What did you do with your prize money from winning the game?
Before I left for Big Brother, I did not think I was going to win. And I remember telling my mom, "If I win, I promise I will buy you a house." And I don't know if she believed me, and I didn't even think I would win. But when I got the money, I bought her a home and she still lives there today. So I basically took care of my family, paid off my sister's car, and I did good with it.
My grandpa is very smart, and the best advice he ever gave me is when he wrote me a letter, and he said, "You are not rich. You have cushion." And he goes, "Do not go and buy a rich man's car." Because I used to joke around and say, "Oh, I want a Range Rover." And he was like, "Don't go buy a rich man's car. Just know you have cushion right now, and don't blow it on materialistic things." And it was the best advice I ever got.
When I got back home, I kept my 2003 Honda Civic. My parents got it for me when I was 17, and it was an old car. It was funny, people would look at me and be like, "Oh, what are you driving?" Then I'd pull up in my Honda Civic.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
No, I would never do it again. I am so appreciative of the opportunity. I'm appreciative that I've had a positive experience with Big Brother. It changed my life, and I am so thankful for that. But I'm in a different stage of my life, and I could not be away from my kids and Jeff for 100 days. And I would not want to share one bathroom with 12 people. I would not want to go through all of that again, but I love enjoying it, watching at home.
I've done it twice. It's done. If you keep going back, it makes it even harder for you to come back and win. I feel like the only chance you would have would be if it was an all-stars season, but if you come like how we did on season 13 with newbies, it's a lot harder because you're already targeted.
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