There’s a new “Big Brother” winner in the house.
Chelsie Baham, the 27-year-old nonprofit director, won “Big Brother 26” during the two-hour finale on Sunday night. She took home the $750,000 grand prize.
Makensy Manbeck, the 22-year-old construction worker, came in second place and won $75,000.
Cam Sullivan-Brown, the 25-year-old physical therapist, came in third place.
Baham and Manbeck faced off against each other in the third part of the final Head of Household competition, which Manbeck won.
Manbeck decided to take Baham with her to the final two and evict Sullivan-Brown, who became the seventh and final member of the jury.
During his interview with host Julie Chen Moonves, Sullivan-Brown said he wasn’t surprised he got evicted and that the girls “deserved” to make it to the end together.
When asked if Manbeck made the right choice in who to evict, he said, “I think it will be very tough to sit next to Chelsie. But I do respect the loyalty and decision she made.”
He also confirmed he would’ve taken Baham to the final two if he had won the final HOH.
“I was gonna stay with Chelsie the whole time. I love her so much. We have been together since the beginning. That was just a little game. A little finesse,” he explained.
Sullivan-Brown then joined the other six jury members — Quinn Martin, T’Kor Clottey, Leah Peters, Angela Murray, Kimo Apaka and Rubina Bernabe — as they all questioned Baham and Manbeck on their respective games to decide who to vote for.
Baham argued n her speech that she had “the power of my words” and convinced Manbeck to make moves against Martin and Peters. She also told the jurors that she didn’t want to rely on competitions to stay safe.
“I was strategic. I was social. I was skillful,” she said.
Manbeck, meanwhile, denied that Baham influenced her strategic decisions throughout the season. She also called herself a “competition beast” and noted that she “had a target on my back walking into this house” because of her physical prowess.
Baham received all seven jury votes. She was in tears as she left the house to greet the rest of the cast as confetti rained down on her.
America’s Favorite Houseguest, voted by the fans of the show, came down to Martin, Murray and Tucker Des Lauriers. Des Lauriers won the $50,000 prize.
“Big Brother” returns for Season 27 in 2025.
