With friends like those sometimes you don’t need enemies in the cruel and complicated Big Brother game. Gym manager Roberto Lopez found that out during his short but impactful stay in the house. Game aside and betrayals aside, he feels as if he has made some once-in-a-lifetime connections, friends for life.

John Powell: Hey, Rob, how are you doing today?

Roberto Lopez: I’m doing well, thanks! There’s definitely a lot of emotions running through me in the last 24 hours.

John Powell: I asked this to John Michael last week. You were in the house for just a couple of weeks. What made you into such a massive threat to everyone?

Roberto Lopez: I have no idea. (laughs) I think truthfully, not being afraid to be myself and I think people saw me as a threat not only physically but socially and intellectually as well. Zach especially knew how smart of a guy was and I think right off the bat he saw that as a threat and decided to move the way he did.

John Powell: As you said with Arisa last night, you were stunned that some of your closest allies voted you out. Why do you think that happened?

Roberto Lopez: Getting blindsided and back-stabbed, that’s always tough. (sighs) I had a feeling that it was going to happen and I think that’s evident with the early thoughts I had about Zach. I kind of saw it coming. I just didn’t think it would happen so fast. I thought I had a couple more weeks. If so, I would have more time to kind of plant the seeds and be more strategic around things. It’s unfortunate how it turned out and I’m still trying to process it all, to be honest with you.

John Powell: Well, you’ve only been out of the house for short while so it’s gonna take some time to put everything together. Speaking about Zach, you called him a “puppet master”. You told others he’s pulling people’s strings in the house. Why do you think nobody’s opposing him?

Roberto Lopez: It’s great question. It’s safer to go to go with the house. It’s safe to kind of see where everyone’s head is at and follow along. It’s scary trying to oppose something like that (Zach) especially when you have physical threats like Ty and Dan doing some of the dirty work for them (Zach). I think lot of people weren’t comfortable with making that big move yet.

For me, there was no choice. I had to make moves especially with my back up against the wall. The thing is, the big dogs are going keep going after each other, right? So, the people that are kind of in the middle and are safe, they’re just going to let let it unfold as it may. I really do wish that people saw it like I did. I think that I had a good thing going with my campaign and trying to wake people up to what was going on. I think that people weren’t ready to really make that jump yet.

John Powell: I’ll tell you what was crushing for me was to see that house suddenly turn on you and you didn’t even get to play the veto. That must have been a horrible feeling looking back especially when you’re as competitive as you are.

John Powell: Absolutely! It was truly heartbreaking for me. At the time, I didn’t think I was a candidate for eviction. Dan had assured me that I wasn’t a target. I thought I could play stress free. I didn’t have to be too worried because he gave me his word. As much as there is deceit and strategy going on in the house I’d like to take someone’s word for what it is. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for everyone. They don’t see it that way. I was pretty disappointed when it all sunk in because I came so close to winning competitions.

John Powell: We talked about some people who betrayed you but then there’s some people who stuck by you. We saw you and Jonathan and the bond you guys shared. It must give you some kind of peace knowing that he stuck by you.

Roberto Lopez: I’m forever grateful for Jonathan and he’s probably one of the most genuine and loyal people that I’ve not only met in the Big Brother house but in life. His is a truly inspiring story. He’s a young father and he’s in a committed marriage which was something I found really admirable about him. He is there to represent his province, represent his family and his name. He is a great guy. We really helped each other emotionally through this game.

John Powell: Did you give him any advice before you left the house?

Roberto Lopez: I did! It was funny because as I was giving him advice we were in disbelief because I might be going home. I gave him my hat and he said: ‘I’ll give it to you later.’ It’s kind of cute. (laughs) I told him you’re not alone. You have people in this house that like you and love you and you can still repair your game. I rest assured him that there were people that would still ride with him. I told him to make his family proud and keep being true to himself.

John Powell: We saw you and Santina get close to the house and become friends. Is there anything more?

Roberto Lopez: To be honest, I grew quite fond of Santina and I think that’s clear. She was a person that was aware of her social surroundings though. She knew that too much time around me might not be so good for her game but not enough time around me would affect her emotionally. I think she was also a person that genuinely enjoyed her alone time so as much as we did have a lot of time together I wish we had a lot more. I would follow her around the house and she’d be like: ‘Just leave me alone! Stop!’ (laughs) I think if I stayed in the house and people accepted that her and I had a connection then it would have blossomed into something a little bit more. It’s unfortunate that I might not have that chance again. I hope I do. We’ll have to see when she gets out of the house.

John Powell: This might be a foregone conclusion and maybe I’ve answered my own question but Rob, who you want to win? Who do you want to go far in the game?

Roberto Lopez: I would love to see Jonathan really go far in the game. He’s got to stay focused, man. He’s just got to stay focused. He’s an emotional guy and that’s the best thing about him. I just hope that people don’t see that as a target.

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Big Brother Canada airs:

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