Passionate Big Brother enthusiast and Unlocked cohost Jerry O’Connell shared his insights on the budding romance between Rome Seymour and Lyric Medeiros following the pickleball coach’s recent eviction from the show.
“They were together for hours and already expressing deep affection,” O’Connell, 52, revealed exclusively to Us prior to the upcoming episode of Big Brother: Unlocked scheduled for Friday, July 24. “This man was expressing love barely 12 hours into their relationship.”
Besides the rapid development of strong feelings between Rome and Lyric, O’Connell was captivated by their intimate discussions and cuddling sessions on the Have-Not bed, a rotating circular wooden plank. (Every week, several Big Brother contestants are designated as have-nots, enduring more challenging living conditions, such as eating slop, cold showers, and sleeping in non-traditional beds.)
“He said on a rotating wooden bed, ‘I want to make babies with you.’ … That highlights the unique power of the Big Brother house,” O’Connell humorously remarked. “This is why Big Brother stands out as the best unscripted show on TV … you won’t hear other shows declaring, ‘I want to make babies with you’ on a rotating wooden bed.”
Rome was eventually voted out by his fellow houseguests, including his own girlfriend, on Thursday, July 23. O’Connell expressed surprise at how quickly Rome and Lyric became close, admitting he was “very disappointed” to see Rome leave.
“I genuinely thought Rome, for those unfamiliar with him, was this alpha male gathering a following,” he said about Rome’s strategy. “He was new to this. He wasn’t among the Survivor legends. I really saw him as the only one capable of challenging the reigning champions, Dee [Valladares] and [Rick] Devens from Survivor. His showmanship, however, likely rubbed many the wrong way.”
O’Connell noted that being part of the show’s first romance didn’t help diminish Rome’s perceived threat.
O’Connell, a dedicated follower of Big Brother every summer, finds this season particularly special as he cohosts the companion show, Unlocked. Alongside former winners Taylor Hale and Derrick Levasseur, he discusses season 28 and offers viewers sneak peeks into what lies ahead for the contestants.
O’Connell reveals that the Friday episode of Unlocked will showcase “some super exclusive secret content” involving the contestants.
“I am the one who personally breaks the news. I’m bold enough to enter the Big Brother house and extract. I’m like Odysseus in the Odyssey, extracting information from the Big Brother house,” he teases. “It’s significant news. It will impact the rest of the season.”
Big Brother: Unlocked airs on CBS on Fridays at 8 p.m. ET, while Big Brother itself airs on CBS on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET.
