By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

Guilt by association has been the downfall of many Big Brother houseguests and such was the fate of DJ Dan Szabo. Although he tried to distance himself from Ty and Zach it was his association with those two massive threats in the game that sunk his.

John Powell: Congratulations on making it to the jury! It must be really nice not having to cook for everyone and Big Brother taking care of everything for you.

Dan Szabo: Yes, but I really love to cook! I actually have been doing a lot of cooking here, which I don’t mind at all, but it is nice to be here and just be able to relax and not think about the game for a bit.

John Powell: Why do you think your pitch to Daniel, Kuzie and Anika didn’t work? Was your game pretty much over when Claudia was nominated beside you?

Dan Szabo: I think my pitch didn’t work because they would have had to really trust that I was really going to go after Ty and I think they probably just didn’t have full confidence in that. I think being put up against Claudia put me in a really difficult position. She doesn’t really have any blood on her hands and she doesn’t really have a target on her back whereas I did so I was not surprised to get evicted going up against her.

John Powell: Did you have to do a lot of soul-searching before committing to your ‘Hail Mary’ play, turning against Ty?

Dan Szabo: Yeah, definitely. In the beginning, I was really apprehensive about it. When I learned that Ty might have been looking to get me out of the game, when Hope told me that him, Zach and Ty were planning on getting me out after Rob left, it kind of made it easier. It gave me a reason and gave me a proper pitch to Kuzie, Daniel and Anika. It made it all easier. But in the end, I was really going to say anything I could to try and stay. (laughs)

John Powell: I’m going to give you a chance to take your shot. Who do you hope follows you into the jury house and why?

Dan Szabo: I’m so sorry, Santina, but it’s you! I believe Santina was the Invisible HoH. She and I just didn’t really get a chance to connect throughout the game. I was just aligned in different areas than she was. She did try and make an alliance with me at different times. I think it was just circumstance that didn’t allow that to happen.

John Powell: We saw that you were really close to Shanaya in the house. How would you categorize your relationship?

Dan Szabo: Shanaya and I feel like we are the exact same person! She’s a female version of me! I’m the male version of her! (laughs) We connected pretty early on. I could see us being lifelong friends. I don’t know if it’s ever going to be more than that. I don’t think so but I really I really love her and I’m so happy she was in the house! She made my time there so enjoyable. If she wasn’t there I think I would have had a lot tougher time.

John Powell: Did being paired up with Zach and Ty hurt your game? Was it basically guilty by association?

Dan Szabo: 100 per cent! Zach and Ty had a lot of eyes on them during Kuzie’s HoH week but at that point I was already aligned with Zach and I felt at that moment it was better to stick it out with them. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out in my favor but I felt like I was in too deep at that point.

John Powell: Speaking of Zach, what was the mood of the house when he left and did him leaving hurt or help your game?

Dan Szabo: There was definitely some mixed emotions. I think a lot of people wanted to see Zach stay and at least go through the vote, me included. A part of me understands why he was so upset but I think he should have stuck it out. Him leaving I think just put a bigger target on my back. If he would have stayed in the house and Ty was in the house, I think those two people would have been the biggest targets but because I think I was next in line in terms of who was going home.

John Powell: Who are you rooting for to win?

Dan Szabo: I’m definitely rooting for Shanaya, my bestie! I really hope she wins at all! I would like to see Ty go far as well because I think he’s extremely smart and calculated in everything he does. He’s a physical competitor as well. I’m also rooting for Kuzie too. I think she’s really good at the game so I’d like to see her go very far.

John Powell: You mentioned a bunch of different people and some of them have played very different games. What qualities do you want to see in a winner?

Dan Szabo: I think someone who is able to adapt week by week. Whenever there’s a new HoH the whole dynamic of the house changes so someone who’s able to navigate week by week, depending on who is in power. That is very impressive to me and that’s something I’m going to be looking for when I cast my vote in the end.

Who will be crowned HoH and who will they nominate for eviction? Tune into Big Brother Canada tonight to find out.

You can watch Big Brother Canada episodes here and the latest Digital Dailies here.

Big Brother Canada airs:

Tuesdays at 7 PM EST
Wednesday at 9 PM EST
Thursday at 7 PM EST