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Matthew Turner reveals his never delivered Big Brother jury speech

The Big Brother season 24 finale was definitely not bussin' if your name is Matthew Turner. Turner told viewers he thought he could beat either Taylor Hale or Monte Taylor in the final two, but he never got there, as he was eliminated on Sunday's live finale when Monte beat him in the final Head of Household competition, and then cut the rug-maker loose, believing he stood a better chance at the end at defeating Taylor. (He didn't.)

How does Turner now feel he would have done had Monte chosen him to sit in the final two? What was he planning for his final speech? And why did he cast the only vote for Monte to win? We went discussin' with Turner a few hours after he exited the house. (Also check out our finale interviews with winner Taylor Hale and runner-up Monte Taylor.)

Big Brother
Big Brother

CBS Matthew Turner on 'Big Brother'

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You voted for Monte to win. Why?

MATTHEW TURNER: I mean, honestly, I specifically did not want to be the bitter juror who was on the wrong side of the vote, and then I had 10 seconds to decide. In the commercial break, I was like, "Where are you guys voting?" They were like, "I don't know if we can say." I was like, "Well, then, I guess I'm just going to assume Monte's winning because he won more comps and that's how it goes a lot of the time. To not be on the wrong side, I'll vote for Monte." And I was on the wrong side. My worst nightmare.

Well, you could just say it was a sympathy vote now, right?

Exactly, exactly. And by no means was it a vote against Taylor because I love Taylor. She's one of the nicest people I have ever met in my life and so is Monte. I have all respect and all love for both of them. It sounds like Monte would've had a very good chance at winning because of my lack of jury management if he took me to the end, but to each their own, live and let live.

Well, let's talk about that because at one point you said you thought you could beat both Monte and Taylor in the end, and yet you also said you had terrible jury management. So how do you think you do in the final 2 against Monte if he chooses you?

Yeah, every minute that passes in Big Brother feels like a month. I would go through these mind states where I'm like, "Oh yes, I'm definitely going to win," or "Oh no, I'm definitely going to lose" And "I could win against Taylor, I could win against Monte, I could lose against both." But honestly, I don't know.

I thought a lot of it came down to that final HOH. I think I was two questions off, it could have been one, I don't know. But I tried my best. I think that I played a game that could have stood on its own two legs as far as the speech goes. I had my speeches for when I was asked questions, because I thought I knew kind of what the gist of them was going to be — about me going back on alliances and kicking my friends out of the house — and I had things well prepared.

I think I had a chance against both. Now seeing how beloved Taylor was, even with her speeches, she described it, I was like, "Wow, you do have a huge point." I think it could've been a toss-up either way. Just talking to the jury, they were not pleased with my gameplay, which I understand.

BIG BROTHER Sunday, September 25 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Matthew Turner
BIG BROTHER Sunday, September 25 (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Matthew Turner

CBS Matthew Turner on 'Big Brother'

I'm sure you had a final speech planned to the jury. You never got to give it, so let's not put it to waste. Why don't you go ahead and give it now?

Oh hell yes. I'm a lot less prepared cause it essentially slipped my mind, but I will give you my key-points. I was able to kick the biggest competitors out of the house. Early on, I kicked Ameerah out and my HOH started the Leftovers, which was able to just flood the gates that was the rest of the game. Simultaneously, I had the Pound, which was my final four.

And then, even when I had to make tough Big Brother decisions, I was able to. I had to vote out Joseph, and I had to kick out Kyle on my own HOH. And if anyone is playing Big Brother, as Daniel would say, "We're playing Big Brother, dude." Oh my God. But I had to make very tough decisions and they weren't always easy, but I was able to get in front of the house, make them, and somehow even making enemies in the house end up at the final three.

And then obviously kicking out Michael. I kicked out the winner of the game. We were all just playing with the winner Michael, until I kicked him out. And I had this huge struggle in my head whether I wanted to kick Michael out or keep him in the game, and that was because I remember there was a time, and me and Michael kind of got into it for a second during this eviction where I told him, I was like, "Dude, I don't want to kick out the only other LGBTQ member."

And then, simultaneously I was like, "Okay, well I am in a house where if I don't kick out this person when I have the open door to, I will be looked at as a weak player," and I have no idea what holds more weight. I just kind of feel like in the moment, even when Monte was using the Veto, I was like, "Oh wait, we're using the Veto? I didn't even expect this." I had a lot of trouble personally with balancing game decisions and personal decisions. And when I told Michael I didn't want to evict him because he was the only other LGBTQ represented in the house, that was true. But when the door opened, I had no idea what to do and I just picked one.

How is your entire endgame plan different if the news does not come out about Kyle making those comments about being worried about an alliance based on race?

I never knew. I will die on the hill that I never knew anything about Kyle's plan of doing any of this. I never knew about this all-white alliance he had, and I hate that my name was even brought up in the same conversation. And so by no means would I ever co-sign that. I don't know what was shown, but if anything is said, I never knew anything about it and I will die on that hill.

Now, it definitely hurt me because I considered Kyle a very close friend, and I never would've expected this from him. And I see he was very paranoid. There were multiple mornings at my HOH's, he'd be in there like 5 a.m. with a blanket wrapped around his head pacing back and forth saying, "We need to kick this person out." And I'm like, "Dude, just let me sleep. Oh my God, what are you doing?"

So clearly he was very paranoid, and I think he had a lot of personal demons, but I'm glad a lot of the houseguests got to let him grow in the house. And I just hope the best for him going outside as far as his growing process.

However, my thing with the Afterparty was I was the only person in the Afterparty to win an HOH. I was like, this is another basket where I don't know how putting all of my eggs in this is going to end up for me. The thing with Kyle came out and a lot of the times I just stumbled from situation to situation and somehow it worked.

I was like "Okay, well I hate this. This is an awful thing that I just have to do what's best for CBS, for the show, for all of the houseguests." And with this information coming out, there was no other option. I was just able to adapt on my feet and be like, "All right, well kicking out my final two, new final two with Monte, and we'll go from there one day at a time."

BIG BROTHER Wednesday, August 10, (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Jasmine Davis and Matthew Turner. Photo: CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved
BIG BROTHER Wednesday, August 10, (8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and live streaming on Paramount+. Pictured: Jasmine Davis and Matthew Turner. Photo: CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved

CBS Jasmine Davis and Matthew Turner on 'Big Brother'

As great as it was making it all the way to finale night, does part of you wish you could have spent all that time with Jasmine in the jury house instead?

Oh my God, dude, you read my mind exactly, because absolutely. Every day with Jasmine was one unique day after the next, and I think I'm dying. The first episode I watch when I get out of here is going to be that birthday party episode because I can only imagine the whole, "Say two things you love about me, go!" roundtable.

That will be something I will watch as soon as I get my phone. I'm dying to see what Jasmine and I's relationship looks like, if it was even aired, and if people cared at all about my feud with Jasmine.

Yes and yes.

Let's go.

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