Former Big Brother houseguests, Janelle Pierzina and McCrae Olson, have teamed up to launch the Diary Room Open Mic podcast, during which they presented a list of 10 strategies for future contestants. McCrae introduced himself as the producer of the podcast, and Janelle is the host. Janelle explained that the podcast is primarily about Big Brother, but they also want to discuss business and entrepreneurial topics, women empowerment, and real estate.
McCrae was a 23-year-old pizza boy when he joined the cast of Big Brother 15 in 2013. He was a self-described Big Brother superfan. He emerged as a front-runner when he won the first Head of Household competition and veto of the season. He then began a showmance with controversial contestant, Amanda Zuckerman. McCrae managed to keep a low profile in the game while Amanda was in the house, but, when she was evicted, he won crucial competitions to keep himself in the game. He won a total of five games, including two Head of Household and three Power of Veto competitions. Impressively, McCrae placed fourth, making him a memorable Big Brother houseguest.
Janelle is a Big Brother legend who fans regard as one of the greatest contestants in the history of the show. She earned the nickname “Queen of Big Brother” because of her incredible physical and social game play. In 2005, Janelle became an icon in the game when she placed third on Big Brother 6. She returned the following season for Big Brother 7, an all-stars season, during which she set the record for the most individual competitions won in a single season. Janelle won four Head of Household (HOH) and five veto competitions, for a total of nine wins. She became known as the “Veto Queen,” and again placed third in the competition. She also won the first ever America’s Favorite Houseguest award. Janelle was so respected that she returned to the game in 2012 as one of the coaches for Big Brother 14. In a twist, the coaches later joined the game as players, and Janelle placed 12th in the game. She returned again in 2021 for the much-anticipated second all-stars season, Big Brother 22, during which she placed 14th when the other houseguests immediately targeted her for eviction because they were threatened by her outstanding gameplay on her previous seasons.
Janelle and McCrae made their mark on the game, and people value their opinions about each season. Fans trust and respect their analysis because, as former houseguests, they have much experience and expertise when it comes to the game. In the Diary Room Open Mic episode 2, Janelle and McCrae offered 10 strategies for prospective Big Brother contestants. Janelle said that these are not advanced strategies about what to do, but basic things that people can do if they get cast in the show. McCrae described them as “useful tips and tricks of the trade.”
Strategy 1 – Know The Show
Janelle stressed that a person cannot go on the show as a model or an influencer and not know the show. She said that so many people go on to the show without any Big Brother knowledge. She explained that people do not have to know every little detail about the history of the show, but they should at least have basic knowledge about how the game works, including how to play the Power of Veto and what a huge time commitment the show is. Janelle said that she is a fan of Big Brother, and she wants contestants to have knowledge of the show so that fans can watch some really good gameplay, and McCrae agreed.
Strategy 2 – Work On People Skills
Janelle said this strategy is like a journey of self-discovery, and that to be successful on the show, a contestant must not only be a good listener, but also a good communicator. McCrae said that he used to think that he was bad at his people skills, but his job as a pizza delivery boy helped him to develop them. He said that making a conscious effort to work on his people skills helped him in the game. Janelle agreed that people who work in the service industry do well on Big Brother because they have to learn how to deal with a “kaleidoscope” of people. They know how to read people. Janelle and McCrae even recommended that people who feel that they do not have strong people skills get a job in the service industry before applying to the show in order to work on them. For people who do join the cast, Janelle recommended asking questions to get to know someone and to then be really good at listening to the answers.
Strategy 3 – Win The First HOH
Janelle said that she has believed in this strategy since she first played Big Brother, even though some other players thought she was “crazy.” McCrae did it in his season, and Janelle did it in season 7. She explained that winning the first HOH and getting power is important for a player’s placement in the house and getting in the first alliance. McCrae said that people have to come to the HOH and then that person gets information and can decide how to use it. He said that the first HOH sets the pace of the game, and Janelle agreed. Janelle knew that in season 7, if she didn’t win the first HOH, then she and Kaysar Ridha would have been put up on the chopping block during the first week because there was a huge pre-game alliance that was formed amongst the other all-stars in order to evict them. McCrae said that he won the first HOH on his season because he didn’t think he could compete against the “muscle boys” in his cast.
Strategy 4 – Have A Secret Alliance
Janelle said that having a secret alliance makes the game and the show interesting, and the fans love to see it, although she has never been able to use the strategy. They talked about how the Brigade from season 12 and the Cookout from season 23 had secret alliances. Janelle prefers secret alliances that are real and that last until the end of the game. However, she warned against having too many secret alliances.
Strategy 5 – Know Your Role, Shut Your Hole
McCrae said that a teacher taught him this lesson, and he used it in his game play. He said that “you have to know who you are as a character within the house and within your other castmates. And you have to know how you relate to them.” Janelle agreed and said, “Keep your mouth shut, and your eyes open,” which she attributed to Danielle Reyes, who said it in season 3. She said that listening and self-awareness is so important. McCrae agreed and said that he went in to the game knowing that he didn’t have to be the star of the show or the loudest in the room. He said that so many people are so excited to be on tv that they make fools of themselves. Janelle said that when a houseguest gets information, they should keep it to themselves or only share it with their alliance members.
Strategy 6 – Float Information To People You Want To Work With
Janelle called this more of an advanced strategy. It involves a player giving a houseguest false information that will not hurt them further in the game, to see if that houseguest tells anyone else. If the information gets back to them, then they know that the person told someone. This helps to know if the contestant can be trusted. McCrae called it a “vibe check.”
Strategy 7 – Start A Late-Game Alliance
Janelle said that houseguests will be true to their original alliances, but they should reevaluate things mid-game and start a late-game alliance once the jury begins. McCrae said that contestants have to be adaptive in the game, and that they should not rely on what happened at the beginning of the game to get them to the end because everything is always changing.
Strategy 8 – Join A Large Alliance In The Beginning
Janelle described this as “total modern Big Brother.” She said that even though big alliances usually only work well for the first couple of weeks and then crash and burn, it is important that houseguests join them. Janelle recommended that contestants do this by winning the first HOH, being charismatic so that people like them and want to work with them, being an athlete, or just showing that they are good players. McCrae said that contestants should find the majority because then everyone else is in front of you. They agreed that having the numbers and votes to stay can be even more important than having power later in the game. However, Janelle did warn against players pigeonholing themselves in the alliance, and said that they should reach out to other houseguests as well.
Strategy 9 – Know When To Take Risks
Janelle said that this is her favorite strategy, but people who play modern Big Brother tend not to take risks. She said that without risk comes no reward. She cited Dan Gheesling, who staged his own funeral in the game as a strategy in Big Brother 14. She and McCrae agreed that it was one of the greatest Big Brother moments. Janelle said that it doesn’t have to be a flashy move like Dan’s, and that 90% of players could not pull that off anyway. She said that houseguests can simply try to win an HOH or veto to take out a big threat. McCrae said that even if it doesn’t work out, “you can just die a legend,” by going against the main powers in the house.
Strategy 10 – Find That One Person You Can Trust
Janelle said that this goes back to having good people skills, communication skills, and charisma. She said that contestants should be open and vulnerable because, if they’re not, nobody wants to work with them. Janelle said that it can be extremely frightening for people to put themselves out there, but they have to do it. She said that houseguests have to build trust. She and McCrae agreed that if contestants confide in each other, that builds relationships. Janelle said that when contestants do find their one person, they should hold on to them tightly. Janelle said that her person was Kaysar, and also Howie Gordon. McCrae said that his person was Amanda Zuckerman, and also Judd Daugherty.
The advice that Janelle and McCrae offered in their podcast, Diary Room Open Mic, is so valuable to people who plan to play Big Brother in the future. They have the firsthand knowledge and experience that future contestants can trust as they enter the game. These players can use these tips as a guide. These 10 strategies can help prospective houseguests as they begin their journeys, and hopefully make it all the way to the grand prize on finale night.
