John Powell – GlobalTV.com

It has been a long and eventful journey from the shores of Newfoundland to the cutthroat Big Brother house for fisherman Jonathan Leonard. As the second member of the jury, Jonathan had a very difficult decision to make coming up but right now he is enjoying his time in the jury house while he looks back on the game he played and the friends he made.

John Powell: Congratulations on making the jury! You must be proud to have made it that far. How are you feeling right now?

Jonathan Leonard: Oh, my god! I’m so proud that I made it this far. I have had a smile on my face ever since I exited the house. I look back and I miss the people in there but I’m super excited! I’m part of the jury! I’m still part of the show! I’m loving it!

John Powell: Tell us what are the reasons why you’re sitting there talking to me right now and you’re not in the house still playing the game?

Jonathan Leonard: It was weird chain of events this week. Honestly, last week, I felt like Hope and I were kings of the world! We had a great alliance and great friends around us. We felt safe. Then this week, Santina got saved and she was Ty’s original target. She came off the block. She became untouchable. Then, the PoV came up. Ty picked Shanaya (shakes head) and then Shanaya won and took her friend off the block! I went up there and had to sit next to my guy, Hope. I was blindsided, for sure. I was sitting next to a good dear friend of mine and close ally. This week kind of came out of nowhere.

John Powell: Big Brother is a really cutthroat game. What was it like for a person like you to play that game?

Jonathan Leonard: Very tough at times, I can’t lie. I think of myself as not a cutthroat person but I found ways to play the game that was close to who I was. I found relationships in here. I’m the type of person who will fight harder for someone than I do for myself sometimes, which is sometimes not fair to me but that’s just who I am. When I found the Crown alliance I also found new life in the game. I felt like I had some purpose, something to fight for and something to believe in. It is a very cutthroat game though. I found that out early on and pretty quick but I tried to find my way and try not to veer off who I was as a person. I tried the best I could. I tried the only way I could. I’m happy with where I am. I’m part of the jury part of the show! I get to participate in the finale! I’m pretty excited! I’m very pleased at how I played!

John Powell: Speaking of the Crown, what was your reasoning for telling them that Santina was the Invisible HoH?

Jonathan Leonard: The reasoning for telling them, I kind of kicked myself in the butt for that, to be honest. I wanted them to feel safe because they were really uneasy about what was going to happen. They didn’t know who the HoH was and they felt like one of them may go on the block. I wanted to reassure them. I kind of went against myself a little bit in telling them that but I felt that the Crown were the people I could trust. I did go behind Santina’s back and tell them which was a little bit of a slip-up on my part. It made me feel little uneasy afterwards because I really trusted Santina and I really cared about her and her game. It was a little tricky for me but I really wanted to eventually bring the two sides together and have them work together. That was my plan.

John Powell: What drew you and Hope together and what did it mean to have his support in the house?

Jonathan Leonard: Oh, we were so close! I mean, I woke up this morning and I missed him! (laughs) It happened over time and in the hard times we really bonded. I saw the man that was inside. Once that shell breaks you really get to know Hope. You get to know who he is and what he stands for. His energy is big but I got to see his heart and the man he wants to be in and continues to be. It was a privilege and an honor to help him in the game and get to spend time with him and grow our relationship. Trust me when I say that after this game is over you’re going to see a lot more of Johnny and Hope!

John Powell: You said you were reluctant to campaign against Hope. What was holding you back? Your friendship?

Jonathan Leonard: Absolutely, man. I’m feel bad for anyone who feels like I should have fought more for my game but I really wanted to leave it in the people’s hands in the house. I did campaign for myself. I told people what I had to offer. I was a great number. I could compete for them and I was loyal. I could be trusted. I brought a comfort level to the house. People knew when they were stressed or had a lot on their minds they could come to me and I would help. I didn’t want to throw Hope under the bus because there’s nothing bad I could say about him. I felt like he has great potential in the game. Sometimes he forgets that. (laughs) He’s a great young man…I really hope that Hope pushes forward in this game because he’s a better game player than he think he is and I’m excited to see where he lands.

John Powell: You spoke in the house about how much your family means to you. When they look back on this what do you hope that they take from it from your journey?

Jonathan Leonard: So much! That you can step out of your comfort zone and do things that you don’t think you can do! I live a pretty average life and I have a great life. I’m rich in family and love but I took a chance to step out of my comfort zone and did this thing called Big Brother Canada! I’m so proud I did it! I’m so proud of how it went and I hope that my son especially can know that you can chase your dreams no matter what. It’s always been a dream of mine to be part of something like this. If anything I want my son to see that his dad was true to himself, he did what he thought was best no matter what other people told him. You couldn’t dictate my mind and strength. I did something I wasn’t comfortable with but I’m I’m a better man for it. I hope that my family and my province and everyone that supported me is proud of that. It wasn’t just me in there. It was me and my family all the way!

John Powell: I’m going to give you a little ‘get back’. Who do you hope follows you into the jury house and why?

Jonathan Leonard: Well, personally Hope but I hope I don’t see him for a long time. (laughs) I hope Ty walks through that the door because he was the HoH who evicted me. Our games haven’t aligned. I feel like once the game is over Ty and I can become great friends. I think we have a lot of similarities.

John Powell: As a member of the jury you have a very important job. You have a say in who wins this season. What are the some of the attributes that you’re looking for when you’re going to pick a winner?

Jonathan Leonard: Strategy and leadership. I feel like a winner has to have both of those things. Someone able to strategize on the fly because it’s Big brother Canada! You don’t know what’s coming every day! Sometimes your game plan has got to change…A great game player and someone who represented themselves in that house with strength. That’s definitely what’s going to help me decide on a winner.