- Hey everyone.
Thank you for tuning into another episode of In Studio.
I'm Brian Perica and today we have Ross Mathews.
- It's a big deal.
How did you ever get this booking?
- I know, it's such a big deal.
Everyone here is excited you're here.
I'm excited to reunite with you.
- Yes, yeah, I saw you right before I walked
into the Celebrity Big Brother house.
- Yeah, it was a fun day. - Yeah.
You remember that? Our interview?
- Yeah, it was great.
- Can I ask you, what did you think in that moment?
Did you think that this is
someone who is going to win the game.
This is someone who's going to make it to the finale.
Did you think that about me?
- Compared to the other interviews, I kind of thought,
not that I hoped you weren't going to win,
but because you were such a super fan,
I thought you had such a leg up over everyone else.
- Yeah, that's right.
- So I kind of thought--
- You're right, very observant.
- Yeah, but I like, thought you would win,
but it's boring to like see someone so good at the game
and then win, but you completely were different.
- Okay, I'm going to let you interview now, sorry.
- No, that's good, turn the tables.
- I'm used to doing that, so I just did it.
- Ah, we have so much to talk about but first, but first--
- But first.
- But first--
- Hashtag but first.
- What is it, four days since you've been out of
the Big Brother House?
How have you reacclimated to the real world, to life?
- I've been fine.
It was odd to come out.
Everything moves very fast and like
as soon as I got out of the house,
my assistant was trying to give me my phone and
I was like, Oh my God, I do not want my phone.
No, which is funny because for the first few days,
first week, all I wanted was my phone.
I'm adjusting better than Marissa is
cause Marissa and I talk 18 times a day.
- Oh you do.
- And she goes, I'm so tired,
I just want to go back in the house.
That's what she said to me yesterday.
- Really?
- (laughing) Yes, I go, go see your therapist.
- What has been, I guess, the toughest part of it?
Of adjustment?
- The toughest part is the stimulation.
I mean, like, I haven't really even turned on the television
and usually I have the TV going,
playing a game on my phone, and the Internet on my iPad.
You know, it's usually just stimulation, stimulation.
So, I just have really appreciated calm.
Like on the drive here, I didn't look at my phone.
I just sat and looked out the window
and watched things go by.
- No music either?
- No, which I don't know, I actually kind of like it.
I don't know if I'll go back to the old way, I don't know.
- That's kind of, it's like you're a whole new Ross.
- It is a whole new Ross, yeah.
Very focused and thinner.
- Um, so you came in second place on
Celebrity Big Brother and you also won
America's favorite house guess.
- Well now that's the most important one.
- Yeah, it's a pretty big deal.
- This, it's a huge deal, because I--
- I voted for Omarosa.
- For Omarosa?
- Okay, I'm joking.
(laughing)
- I was okay, cut.
(laughing)
I'll tell you, because I played this game as a super fan.
I knew the jury would be an issue.
I believe we even talked about this,
the fact that the jury was not sequestered
like they usually are during regular seasons
of Big Brother, but I couldn't care.
If you played the game worried about the jury
seeing everything you said in the Diary Room,
then you weren't really playing Big Brother.
So I just wanted to play.
I wanted to be on many episodes as I could,
last as long as I could, so finale, huge,
final two, bigger, America's favorite player,
the biggest of big, yeah.
- Ah, speaking of bitter kind of jury,
do you think Shannon was the one to kind of
flip everyone against you and vote for Marissa?
- Probably.
- Can you talk about that?
- Well, it surprises me that Shannon took it so personally,
inside the house and then especially outside the house
with some perspective.
I just assumed, if I had been able to backdoor Shannon,
which I was going to do.
I had the votes to do it,
but Keshia wanted to go home to be with her baby,
so I let that happen.
But if I had done that--
- It's the noble thing to do.
- It was the noble thing to do.
It was the right thing to do.
But I had it set up to backdoor Shannon.
Had I been able to do that,
and then I did get her the next week,
I really thought Shannon would turn to me and say,
awesome move. - Good game.
- Good game, you did the right thing getting me out,
now go win.
- It didn't happen.
- That didn't happen.
I love Shannon.
I think she has an amazing heart and
what she does for animals is an extraordinary thing.
I just thought as a super fan,
she wouldn't take it like this.
I kind of want to like, buy her the box set
of seasons one through 19 so she can rewatch the show
and remember what it's about.
It's about building alliances,
it's about crossing alliances,
it's about saving your butt when you're on the line.
- Now one thing I asked you and Marissa,
if you would go back into the house
and you both said, hell no, absolutely not.
I'm not doing that again.
But Shannon said she would do
a regular season of Big Brother.
Do you think she would do well?
And that and what do you think of that?
- If Shannon did a regular season of Big Brother,
she'd certainly have to get thicker skin.
You don't survive the Big Brother House
being that emotional.
She has a beautiful heart and that's my
favorite thing about Shannon.
Outside the house, I am so in awe of her,
but that house is tough.
You can't take it personally because it's not personal.
You're a number and you're either a winner or
you're a loser in that house.
There is no in between.
- Now one thing you did after the show wrapped,
something you guys all talked about on the live feeds
was go to Marissa's BBQ.
Can you tell fans what went down that day?
- Well, there was so much to talk about that like,
you know, you're on camera 24/7,
so there is what's happening,
what you think about what's happening,
and then, the stuff you can't talk about
because it's just like, ehhhh.
- Please don't talk about production.
- A little bit of that and a little bit, like,
Omarosa, when we're out of this house,
I want to know if you were lying about Chuck.
I want to know, like when it really doesn't matter
in the game anymore, I want to know everything.
So, we always talked about going to Marissa's
for a BBQ the day after we got out
and then that night when we got out,
we were like, that is not happening,
but it happened and it was Omarosa, Ari, Ariadna,
Brandi, Marissa, and myself at Marissa's house
and it was a fascinating conversation.
We took phones and threw them in the corner.
So Omarosa felt like she could talk freely
about some White House stuff, things like that.
I promised I'd never tell.
But, but, oh my God.
- Now you're the one to kind of get Omarosa
to spill some secrets. - Kind of get?
- No, no, no, to actually get Omarosa, the scoop.
- The scoop--
- It was your Pulitzer Prize.
- Where's my Pulitzer Prize?
Give me an Edward R Murrow Award, something.
Listen, I'm fascinated by Omarosa in general.
I'm fascinated as well that she has been in
the inner circle of this, the most historical presidency,
well, other than Barrack Obama, of our lifetime.
Really, it is crazy.
I had to ask her some questions because
I've seen her interviewed like on Good Morning America,
you all saw that.
I felt like there were clearly talking points--
Bye Felicia by Robert Roberts.
I thought there were certainly talking points
on the interview, things they wouldn't talk about,
couldn't talk about, but I never
agreed to any talking points with Omarosa.
So I thought, let me ask the question that I think
people really want to know.
After the drama, after the gossip,
after all of that, they really want to know,
are we going to be okay.
Whether you're a college kid, or you're a parent,
you want to know, am I going to be okay.
- [Brian] And she said.
- She said no! - [Brian] Yeah.
- What the hell?
That wasn't the answer I was looking for.
- Well I guess, was that the most shocking
thing she said about Trump in the White House?
- Yeah, she also said she'd never vote for him again.
She said a lot, but the answer, are we going to be okay? No.
I thought it was also interesting when she talked about
the vice president and saying he's scarier.
It's something like, you could sort of deduce,
but for someone who worked for them to say it,
it's just scary.
It's not what we were all looking for.
- Now going off that, on Wednesday night,
she appeared on Steven Colbert and kind of
backtracked those comments.
You reacted to it on Twitter and said
Big Brother can release the actual full footage of it.
What's your reaction to how she's kind of back tracking?
Why do you think she's doing it?
- Well, I appreciate Omarosa.
I do have a deep appreciation for what she does.
I am in awe of her and I respect what she does.
And we actually were on good terms
and she actually texted me that morning,
I think it was the night before,
she was going to Colbert and said, I'm nervous.
- [Brian] She hasn't texted you since?
- No, she hasn't.
I said, just be you, be real, and be honest.
That's what I said.
So, when I watched the clip and Colbert was asking
about that conversation I had with Omarosa
and she was saying we're not going to be okay,
Omarosa started back tracking on Colbert and said,
we were talking about DACA and the dreamers
and that's the reference and that is incorrect.
We were not talking about DACA and the dreamers.
We had that conversation later,
like a week or so later, yeah.
But that conversation that she saw the clip and
that conversation was strictly about President Trump.
Are we going to be okay with him in office?
And so, I tweeted, no shade, but Omarosa,
you're mistaken, the conversation was that.
I've heard through the grapevine she's not thrilled with me
but I just wanted to keep it real.
Just like she would keep it real for me.
- Well, it's important you can make those
comments on the show and, first of all,
not want to talk about it and then
backtrack kind of what you're saying.
- And this stuff that Omarosa's talking about,
that I'm talking about, is way bigger than Big Brother.
It's way bigger than any reality show.
We're talking about the president of the United States.
And someone who worked with him inside the Oval Office
said we're not going to be okay
and she can't backtrack from that
because we're talking about lives here.
We're talking about jobs here.
We're talking about business and the economy.
You can not backtrack from that.
- Now one thing that we kind of talked about
at the finale too was, what's your take on
having this reality drama about the White House?
And having the political lines, I mean it's--
- Well, I'll tell you this, there should not be
questions in the White House briefing room about
things that happen inside the Celebrity Big Brother House.
Those lines should not blur.
I love pop culture and pop culture especially includes
politics so I follow it very closely.
But it shouldn't be this way.
There should be silly, fluffy, funny entertainment
and there should be the job of the economy
and keeping us going and running the government
and those two things shouldn't blur.
We shouldn't be living in this world where it's like this.
It's silly, it's ridiculous and it's unhealthy.
I don't like it.
Y'all I don't like it. - It's crazy.
- Right, it's crazy.
It's not good for us.
That being said, it was fascinating.
- You got the scoop.
You got the scoop.
- I did.
- Mathews is with one T.
Uh, we have some questions from Twitter.
- Go.
- Some Big Brother related ones.
From @CalebBSenders, when in the BB house
did you ever wonder if anyone you know, like Sal,
Salvador, - My partner, Salvador.
- Was watching the live feeds in that moment
or did you often forget they were on?
- You often forget they're on,
even though you never forget they're on.
It just becomes the new normal, you know?
And we never really knew who was watching,
if anyone was watching, if the show was a hit,
if anybody cared, if we were wasting our time in there,
but you had to just not care.
I just wanted to play the game and play it hard
and then, I was thrilled to find out it was a hit
when I got out of the house, but we had no clue.
- Next question, from MichaelHorn23,
looking back, do you still think you could
have beaten Mark at the end or
were people like Shannon and Omarosa so set on you
losing that they would have voted for Mark?
- I don't know.
I think I would have a really good shot beating Mark.
I would have loved that finale
because I could have said, look, one of us played the game.
And I love mark.
One of us played the game though, and one of us,
Mark is great, but I would have said,
one of us played the game and one of us--
- [Brian] Was a camper.
- Got here, took a vacation when they got here, okay?
But I knew when Marissa won that final HOH
and I was going to the finale with a woman,
there was no chance that I was going to win.
Because I'd been told since day one by every woman
in the house that they wanted a woman winner.
So, I made peace with it right away.
I was happy.
I was good, but it was no surprise to me at all.
- Did you see it when Shannon was kind of
talking to everyone, they're whispering.
- Yeah.
- That's ridiculous.
- You know--
- Julie tried to put a stop to it.
- Yes, Julie is wonderful. She knows the truth.
She's a fan of mine, I'm a big fan of hers.
You now, it's silly. It really is silly.
Listen, who did the best in the game?
That should be the sole reason, how you vote.
- I thought Ari did really well as well,
but she didn't make it obviously to the end.
- No, but look at competitions.
- No, no, no, again, it was you.
- And look at who shifted the house.
- Yeah, it was you.
And like, who saved himself every time.
Omarosa put him on the block.
- Uh huh. - It's crazy.
- Not for nothing, just say, I'm a fan of the show.
You vote for the person who does the best.
- Ultimately, you would call the jury bitter.
Like that's like, a good description.
- Uh, bitter, I would call them, bitter's harsh,
um, let me say this, I am happy with the outcome
because America's player was more important to me
than the title of winning.
I think it's clear why they voted how they did.
It was for personal reasons.
Not for game play. - Totally personal.
Who, I guess in the house, obviously,
you and Marissa are close, but who else in the house
are you, do you see having the closest relationship?
- Tonight I'm going--
- And whose relationship kind of surprised you?
- My relationship with Mark surprised me
because I just adore him and like, we just were messaging.
Tonight I'm going to dinner with Ari, Marissa, and Brandi.
I mean, we are, we've gone through something
that nobody else in the world will ever understand
and we went through it together.
And it was really challenging and tough
and it sounds kumbaya-ie,
but it's a bond I don't think we'll break.
- That's great.
You guys stuck together mostly for the whole entire thing.
- Mmhmm.
- What's next for you?
So you're still on All Stars?
- Yes, we have All Stars Drag Racing airing now
and then--
- What can you tease about that?
- Oh, it's so good.
It's about to, you don't even know what you don't know.
- Yeah.
- It's that good.
And then season 10 starts right away after that
and season 10 might be my favorite season ever.
- That's awesome.
- Yeah, it's really good.
- And then your new show, Nat Geo Wild From the Red Carpet,
premiering Sunday.
- Thank you so much, yes.
So, you know I'm no stranger to the Oscar Red Carpet.
This year I'm doing it a little bit differently.
I'm interviewing some of the biggest stars in the world,
but I'm doing it on Nat Geo Wild,
so we're talking to animals like, Meryl Sheep,
Mahersha Llama Ali, Cat Damon and Jimmy Kibble
get into a fight.
Dame Judy Stench, I have the honor of interviewing her.
She's a skunk of course.
(laughing)
And the actors play their voices and talk back to me
and it is a show for the whole family.
So on Oscar Sunday, Nat Geo Wild,
seven p.m. in the east coast,
four p.m. here on the west coast.
And it is, we should win a prize for how many puns
we can fit into one show.
- That is too funny.
- Yeah, so I get to produce this along with
Nat Geo Wild and host it.
It's really good.
- Now, for the actual Oscars, what are you
looking forward to most watching this year's show?
- This year, I will be watching the actual Oscars
at home in full head to toe elastic.
And I'm looking forward to that because
it's been over 16 years since I've, as a super fan,
since I'm gotten to like, actually watch the show.
So, I'm exhausted and I really look forward to
doing not a damn thing.
I'm going to print out the ballot,
make my predictions and then enjoy the show.
- What are your predictions so far?
- Oh, you want to talk predictions?
- Let's do it.
- All right.
Three Billboards because it won the SAG,
it won BAFTA, it won the Globe, okay?
People say Shape of Water.
It could happen, but I don't know.
Directing, it's going to be Shape of Water.
It's going to be what's his face for
the movie with the chin, the double chin, um, uh-
- Gary Oldman.
- Gary Oldman for that, for the Darkest Hour.
It's going to be Francis McDormant.
If you're going to see a surprise,
it's going to be in supporting because
Sam Rockwell's won everything,
but watch out for Woody Harrelson.
He's beloved and that character is more empathetic,
more empathetic towards him.
And then it's probably going to be Allison Jeremy,
but if there's a surprise there, it will be Lori Metcalf.
There you go.
- Awesome, now what do you want
to say to your friends before we go?
(sighing)
Mathews with one T.
- You know, I've always been the super fan
that won the golden ticket, that got to come here
and that is getting to go in the Big Brother house
is no different than that.
I felt the same way.
I felt like I had to play for you guys.
I'm the super fan who they let in.
So, I felt you all throughout.
I would do moves and I would think,
I can't let down the people who love this as much as I do.
So, if there were people playing a watered down,
muted version of this game, I wasn't going to do that
for you and I wasn't going to do that for myself.
So thank you for making me be even better than I
thought I could be at it.
Thank you. We did it together.
Now I'm tired.
I mean, I'm literally just walked out of the house
and been talking for the past four days.
I am so tired.
I want to turn everything off.
I want to get under a little comforter with my dogs, yeah.
I might actually eat a full bag of Doritos
because Mercer never let me do it in the house.
(laughing)
Have a full bottle of wine because Brandi
never let me do it in the house.
(laughing)
- On that note, thanks for watching everyone.
See ya. (kissing)