What a time to be alive. After the Big Brother finale, it feels like all the wrongs that happened throughout the summer — mostly what happened in the HOH bedroom — were corrected with America's Favorite Houseguest. America, I knew I liked you. You and I should stick together, because James won America's Favorite Houseguest on Big Brother 17 , and Johnny Mac and Jason came in second and third place. I had a feeling that James and Johnny Mac would be two contenders for the title, but I was honestly surprised to see Jason in the America's Favorite Houseguest top three. Not because I didn't like him — how could you not like someone who considers himself a Big Brother "historian" — but because he was voted out in Week 5... and I figured people had forgotten about him.
I see Jason's Big Brother life as a "gone-to-soon" situation. Jason was a fun guy, but he didn't necessarily show that personality in the house very often. He was backdoored by Vanessa, and had no way of stopping himself from being evicted. Overall, Jason's game was cut short. And so he returned to his life at the grocery store, watching Big Brother from home.
So if Jason was evicted in Week 5, how did he get to be in the top three for America's Favorite? Well, probably because 1) he's likable, 2) he was able to communicate with fans throughout the season on social media, and 3) the other houseguests didn't give him a run for his money.
Sure, Jason was gone before jury even existed, but he built a fan following during his time on the show, and kept up with that time on the show. Jason's fan base probably consists of true Big Brother fans, who are the people ultimately voting in these America's Favorite polls. While someone like, oh I don't know, Clay, probably has a sizable amount of followers at the end of the day too, his fan base isn't calling, texting, and going online to vote for him to win America's Favorite Houseguest.
I'm happy that Jason got a nod for America's Favorite Houseguest. I'm happier that James won, but at least the top three houseguests all felt worthy of the title.
For more on this season of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.
Images: Monty Brinton/CBS
