On the other side, Yul, how did it feel to be targeted as the snake throughout basically the entire competition?Yul: It was pretty frustrating. I didn’t know what else I could possibly do. I was just praying that if we got that final clue, it would be fairly determinative. And it wasn’t. It was about alligators, which points at Jeff. I’m like, “Oh, I don’t think it’s really Jeff.” I didn’t really have a high conviction on who it might be. I thought it might be Malcolm towards the end. But I thought I couldn’t convince the other guys it was Malcolm. And by the way, I just want to say Malcolm played a brilliant game. I don’t want to take anything away from him. He did a lot of really subtle things. Like, for example, casting doubt on Earl when Earl kind of flubbed the game. He highlighted that in a way that I felt immediately caused suspicion on Earl. When we got the clue about the leafy green walls, he volunteered that he went to Dartmouth. And I was thinking, “If he was the snake, he didn’t have to volunteer that information.” Of course, he did it because he thought I already knew that.Another thing he did at the final Snake Pit was, at one point, it was all clear that everyone was going after me. And he said something that could put doubt on somebody else. And I was thinking, “He could have just stood by and let everyone dogpile on me. He didn’t have to read this other idea that might actually redirect the vote.” So you know, he did a lot of really subtle things. Kudos to Malcolm. Honestly, playing with him and getting blindsided so badly was an honor. It was really fun to play together.Jeff: I suck at that, Yul! Malcolm showed me at the end what I don’t know. I feel like a baby living in an adult’s world after this show. (Laughs.) I don’t feel like I can trust anybody for the rest of my life. Malcolm took away my innocence. I’m having a mental problem with living in this world now.(Laughs.) That’s intense! I want to talk about the Snake Pit a bit. Malcolm, I noticed that you seemed to take a backseat to all the accusations flying between Yul, Earl, and Jeff, which was one of the things that allowed you to slip through undetected. Was that one of your strategies with that discussion?Malcolm: Jeff definitely jumped on Yul very early and would not give it up. And Jeff and Earl were very tight. So I did notice that on the first day of the game. Then Yul ran off in the middle of the night for two hours to think about what he would say the next morning. I worked that so hard. I woke up Earl and made him take notice. Then this alligator thing came out, which pointed towards Jeff. Because he really was telling alligator stories for hours last night. So I had this out. But the thing was, it was clear that they weren’t going to shift to Jeff, and Earl wasn’t going to shift to me that. It became clear pretty early on in the Snake Pit that they were going to stick with Yul. And, of course, I’m going to vote for Yul. But it went through my head that Yul’s not going to sit here and take it. A cornered dog lashes out at somebody; he’s not just going to sit and take it. So I need to make sure that when he does take it on somebody, it’s not me. And that’s when Yul was referencing when I tried to pin it on Jeff. I came up with this little act to pretend I was having doubts. I’m like, “If it’s not Yul, then it’s got to be Jeff.” And so, while Earl and Jeff are over there having a conversation, I spoke to Yul. And I think that was significant.Yul: I jumped on that as well. I didn’t think it was Jeff. But I knew it wasn’t me. So I was still trying to go with Jeff. But clearly, you played really, really well.Malcolm: But the idea was that Yul wouldn’t just sit back and take it the entire time. He’s going to pick somebody up. I just need to make sure it’s not me when he does that.Was there anything that didn’t make the final edit you wish was shown?Yul: So another thing Malcolm did that I thought was really on point was happening even before the game started.Malcolm: (Laughs.) Oh, no. I’m going to have to tell people eventually about this, so go ahead.Yul: So apparently, after Malcolm found out that she was going to be the snake, he had this brilliant idea. From his perspective, you don’t want to do well on the challenges, but you don’t want people to think you’re deliberately throwing a challenge. And so one of the things he did to provide that excuse and that defensibility was he got piss drunk the night before. (Laughs.) Somehow he got alcohol and just got completely wasted. The next morning, when we meet each other for the first time, he’s sitting there throwing up sick. His face was all splotchy and bright red. It looked like he might not even be able to participate. So they were thinking, “Oh, do we bring the alternate on board?” It seemed like a very last-minute thing that he was able to actually participate. He was legitimately sick. I was thinking, “This guy looks pretty [expletive] up.” And it worked! So during the challenges, if he was slowing down and not feeling well, no one questioned it. In my case, I actually got sick at one point! And the fact that I got sick just led everyone to believe that I was faking it, so it just caused more suspicion. (Laughs.) So, again, I think Malcolm was thinking way ahead, even before the game started.Malcolm: (Laughs.) Yeah, that happened.Wow. That’s a hangover that’s worth $100,000.Malcolm: I had to pay off housekeeping and bring me a bottle of rum. And it wasn’t fun drinking. It was just making myself sick. I threw up in front of that helicopter before we got on it in front of all the guys. It got so bad that production was running medical checks on me. I wasn’t counting on that. They were sitting in the helicopter, waiting to see if I could go. And I’m saying, “I’m okay. I’m familiar with how my body reacts to too much alcohol. It’s just a bad hangover. Let me go do this.” But it actually really did help. Jeff’s first impression of me was that I was immediately not the snake. And that’s because I was puking in front of the helicopter. (Laughs.)Jeff: I felt bad for the guy! (Laughs.) I know what it’s like to puke in the wild. I just wanted to put my arm around him and be like, “It’s going to be okay. We got this.“Malcolm: I claimed it was food poisoning. We had seafood the day before. And I said it was bad seafood. And so that was my out. But yeah, they bought that. And so I got to live through the challenges, but I really was sick. I couldn’t fake being sick. I was actually dying.Yul: All I had to do was throw up in front of Jeff, and he would have believed me. (Laughs.)What would each of you say surprised you most about participating in Snake in the Grass?Yul: You learn a lot about human behavior. It’s just natural, once you have a certain confirmation bias, you tend to look at everything through the same lens. In my case, I thought early on it was Earl. And then, from that point on, every time there was information that didn’t fit with that, I tend not to put much weight on it. But things that seem to win favor don’t feel really anchored to the information. I think it’s really interesting to see that happen to all of us.Jeff: I expected to show up to this competition like playing a backyard football game with some friends. But when I showed up, I realized I had just walked into an NFL practice with these guys. They took this gameplay to a whole new level that I didn’t even know existed. I thought, “Oh, okay. We’re going to be manipulative to each other, and we’re going to lie about some stuff.” I didn’t even know there was this level of manipulation that could take place. It rocked me. I don’t know if I’ll be the same after this.Malcolm: I was talking to a friend about this. If you ask any of these guys, I bet they say if there was one more day, they would have caught me. It was like I was holding on to the very end of a rope. But it’s funny Jeff mentioned the NFL. It’s like if you get a big lead in the first half of an NFL game, you just hold on to that lead. That’s all I was doing by the end of it. I was like, “Come on. Let’s just hurry up and get to the Snake Pit.” One thing on more of a wholesome note is that all four of us really got along. We have the group chat. On the morning of the second day, Earl, Yul, and I got to see these sea turtles going back to the ocean. The one thing to bring this home is that Jeff told me the entire time, “If it’s you, I’m never going to be friends with you.” He said this over eight times at least over the course of six hours. So what I learned is that that’s not necessarily true. I think Jeff still likes me. (Laughs.)Jeff: We’re friends! But I meant it when I said it. I wasn’t trying to be manipulative. I meant it at the time. I’m a very competitive person. So when I was in this, I was like, “Win at all costs. I don’t care about friendships or anything.” But of course, we’re friends! I respect Malcolm for what he was able to pull off. It was fun as hell. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of three dudes to be partnered with. They’re just so authentic. I can’t say truly authentic, just good, nice, fun dudes. I had a great time. But I meant it at the moment. I’m not going to be friends with a snake! (Laughs.)Next, here’s everything to know about this season of Big Brother 24.
