The season 16 champ also has a radical change to the game he’d like to see.
Our second entry is with the champion of season 16.
(Also check out our first interview, withseason 1 winner Eddie McGee.)
Derrick Levasseur on ‘Big Brother’.Sonja Flemming/CBS
Derrick Levasseur is pretty much ecstatic about his experience on season 16 ofBig Brother.
And why shouldn’t he be?
Plus, he never embarrassed himself with his behavior… something that is shockingly easy forBig Brothercontestants to do.
Derrick Levasseur on ‘Big Brother’.Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images
As the season 16 champ will tell you, “I am so blessed to have been onBig Brother.
It absolutely changed the course of my life.”
“My biggest regret is not winning that final HOH,” Derrick tells EW.But why?
Derrick Levasseur on ‘Big Brother’.Johnny Vy/CBS via Getty Images
DERRICK LEVASSEUR:Since being onBig Brother, I had another daughter.
Her name’s Peyton.
She was born in February of 2016.
Derrick Levasseur on ‘Big Brother’.Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images
She’s now 6 years old, and Tenley’s 9.
After the show, I went on to do a couple TV shows on Discovery Channel.
I opened my own private investigation firm called Break Investigative Group, which is still in business today.
Currently, my day-to-day is running the PI firm.
I also host a true-crime podcast with my cohost Stephanie Harlowe, calledCrime Weekly.
We come out with a new episode every week.
And we just started our own coffee line.
That comes out duringBig Brother.
We always interview the houseguests when they get evicted.
Besides winning, what is your proudest moment from playingBig Brother?
Honestly, I think it’s just the way I played.
I went in there and I didn’t completely remove myself from who I am in the outside world.
I kept most of my morals and my character in there.
So not only did I win, but I’m proud of the way I won.
It’s something I can hold my head up high about.
I’m not embarrassed by the way I conducted myself.
What is your biggest regret from yourBig Brotherexperience in terms of anything that happened in the house?
My biggest regret is not winning that final HOH.
People think I threw that final HOH.
I tried to win it.
It went down to a final question, a bonus question, and he beat me by 100 seconds.
People doubt that I would have taken him.
That’s completely false.
I would have taken him, without a doubt.
I don’t think he cares too much anymore though, because obviously he’s anAll-Starswinner.
He’s won his money.
So good things happen to good people.
In that case, karma really came back and paid off for him.
What are your thoughts about how you were portrayed on the internet episodes of the show?
I’m so blessed.
They took care of me so much.
If anything, they made me look better than I even was.
They really did give me the mastermind edit.
It was a fairy-tale season.
So I would not change a single thing about how they edited me on this show.
They can’t put words in your mouth, but they can definitely stack the deck against you.
I was fortunate enough to be one of the people who I think got a pretty damn good edit.
So I’m very thankful to theBBproducers.
What are your feelings on the Diary Room and the interviews you would do in there?
So when you’re in there, you hate it.
But I understand why you got to do it.
But I understand why they do it.
And again, I knew that going in there.
What was it like coming back to regular society after being in the house?
Was there culture shock or an adjustment coming back?
It was a big adjustment.
I was undercover for a long time, but never 90, 95 days.
That’s just the surface-level stuff.
I didn’t miss the things that you think you would miss.
I missed the conversations and the good memories we made.
I’ve made some decisions in my life that were very impactful.
My daughter was having problems.
I just was like, “This is a sign I shouldn’t go.”
And then I got a call from [then-Big Brothercasting head] Robin Kass.
I was just like, “You know what?
But if I don’t go, I’ll never know.”
I was fortunate enough to basically travel the world, working on these cold cases.
I got to go to L.A. and work on O.J.
I got to go to Hawaii twice and investigate cold cases out there.
That never would have happened if it wasn’t forBig Brother.
Whom do you still talk, text, or email with the most from your season?
I talk to Cody Calafiore the most, obviously.
I talk to Caleb Reynolds a ton and Zach Rance a bunch.
I talk to Frankie Grande a ton.
I’ve met up with him numerous times when I’ve been filming out in L.A..
He and his family are always very hospitable.
I actually was auditioning forBreaking Homicide.
I went out there and ended up staying atAriana Grande’s house with Frankie, and Ariana was great.
I talk to Victoria here and there.
She just got married.
No ill will towards anybody from my season.
There are two answers because, as a season, it’sBig Brother20.
I thoughtBig Brother20 was just likeBig Brother16.
It had good characters.
It had a good strategist.
It had good competitions.
It had a little drama.
But overall, it was like summer camp.
You wanted to hang out with those people.
It was a great cast.
But I was living vicariously through Cody onBig Brother All-Stars.
I know it wasn’t the best season to watch.
It had its ups and downs.
I couldn’t have been more happy.
I had the opportunity to go on that season.
I turned it down for a lot of reasons, mostly my family.
I could not have dreamt a better outcome.
I would have preferred him winning over myself because I’d already gotten a win.
It was, for me, a highlight inBig Brotherhistory.
I lost more sleep watching his season than I did my own.
Who’s one player from anotherBig Brotherseason you wish you could have played with or against, and why?
I tried to play a lot like him.
I told him that before I went in because he interviewed me for CBS.
You could tell that the guy you saw on the show was who he really was.
If you could make one change to any aspect ofBig Brother, what would it be, and why?
It would lessen the odds that someone who’s on the block could win.
I just think it would bring more value to the game.
That’s something that I’d personally like to see.
They have no recourse.
Yeah, you’re free to say, “Oh, social game.
If you have a better social game, you’re free to save yourself.”
I’d like to see them try that and see how it goes.
I don’t think it would hurt to change it up a little bit.
What did you do with your prize money from winning the game?
So that was the first thing I did.
My present to myself was a hot tub.
I never had a hot tub in my life.
I grew up an inner-city kid and I wanted a hot tub.
The rest of the money I threw right into investments.
It was at a very good time.
So I was able to make some more money that way.
As far as I know, theBig Brothermoney’s still in there collecting interest.
As you know, after taxes, it’s not half a million dollars.
So you got to be very careful with it.
I have two big college funds for both of my daughters.
I am so blessed to have been onBig Brother.
It absolutely changed the course of my life.
Finally, would you play again if asked?
People are like, “Why won’t you go back on?”
Part of it is because my first experience was so amazing.
I don’t want to taint that.
It is one of the highlights of my life.
I know if I go back, it could never be as good.
Even if I won, it could never be as good.
So it’s something that I did.
It was a bucket-list thing.
I had literally the fairy-tale experience.
I was voted onto Team America.
I won the game.
I made some really good friends.
It was a cool opportunity before my kids were too old.
And what would I be going there for?
What am I trying to prove?
I love the way I played the first time around.
I’m not trying to be the greatestBig Brotherplayer of all time.
All that said, if it’s an all-winners season, I have to go.
They call me tomorrow and they say, “Hey, we’re doing it.
It’s all winners.
No bulls—.
No filling in people because they were entertaining.
It’s all winners: Dan, Will, all the best players.
You name it, they’re there.
You coming or you not?”
If I don’t go, I’m going to be embarrassed.
I got to go.
If I finish 16th, that means I’m the 16th-bestBig Brotherplayer, and I’m cool with that.
