The final three houseguests of Big Brother 14 showed up on The Talk Thursday morning to discuss the season finale. One of the most revealing moments from the interview was winner Ian Terry’s “Strategy.”
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Yes, before coming into the house, Ian mapped out a strategy for winning the game, literally. Julie Chen had his hand-written Strategy blown up so Ian could walk us through it, and it proved eerily successful. Here’s a quick rundown of The Strategy.
Step 1: Watch the Try-Hards Crash and Burn, Don’t Attract Attention
This was his plan for week 1, and it didn’t quite work out as he planned. He did attract some attention to himself, but luckily he got a key from his coach, Mike Boogie, that kept him safe. And the Try-Hards (his nickname for people who play too hard, too fast) did crash and burn. Just look at Willie and Frank’s fight from the first week that put huge targets on their backs. Or Joe, who blabbed to everyone and earned the nickname “Eagle Eye,” losing everyone’s trust right away.
Step 2: The Alliance of 5
The most stunning part of Ian’s Strategy is that he planned on a five-person alliance and stumbled into it with the Quack Pack. He wanted a Jock Leader (Shane), an All-American (Britney), an Old Guy (Dan) and a Hot Girl (Danielle). His plan was to be the fourth person on the totem pole so he wouldn’t be a huge target, but he also wouldn’t be the first person to get evicted if his alliance lost.
Even more impressive, Ian’s strategy involved having a showmance with Hot Girl #2 (Ashley) who was NOT in his alliance of five. This plan worked out almost exactly as Ian predicted.
Step 3: Throw Competitions
Just like Dan, Ian’s strategy early on was to throw competitions he didn’t need to win, like the second HoH competition that was a quiz about the burglar in the house. This worked out, because once he reached the jury, he DID start to dominate the competitions and took home six wins. He actually won the last four HoH competitions that he was eligible to play in.
Step 4: Jump Sides If Needed
Another key part of his Strategy was to jump sides from his alliance if he needed to. This worked out perfectly because he started the game in an alliance he didn’t want (Boogie, Frank and Jenn), then betrayed them for the alliance he actually wanted (the Quack Pack).
Sometimes people walk into the Big Brother house with an elaborate strategy that fails immediately (just ask season 13’s Keith Henderson about Keith’s Angels). But for Ian Terry, The Strategy worked. As he said in his final speech, “With probability, statistics and a little bit of heart,” Ian Terry was able to win Big Brother 14.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
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John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
