By John Powell – GlobalTV.com

Some would say the ballgame was over quite some time ago. Ty McDonald, the winner of Big Brother Canada, slam dunked, set all manner of Big Brother records including being tied in second place with most Power of Veto wins in a Big Brother season with such legends as Janelle Pierzina, Daniele Briones, Paul Abrahamian and Kaycee Clark. Ty certainly made his mark on Big Brother history and the Big Brother game.

John Powell: Congratulations on winning Big Brother Canada! How do you feel about your game and the experience?

Ty McDonald: I feel like $100,000! That’s what I feel like! The experience was amazing! The houseguests were amazing! I’ve learned so much about myself and other people along my journey. Lots of ups and downs, twists and turns but I’m super proud of the game I played!

John Powell: You have broken some Big Brother records in the house. How do you feel about that?

Ty McDonald: That’s crazy! I mean, it wasn’t even on my radar! It wasn’t! It definitely wasn’t my goal. That was a bonus to my journey. So, I’m excited and I’m obviously again proud of that!

John Powell: Were you surprised that Claudia picked you over Daniel? Do you think that was a mistake on her part?

Ty McDonald: I think Claudia and I both have a certain level of respect for each other. Early on in the game we both agreed that we wanted to see somebody represent our season and our cast who we felt was a strong player. Claudia felt like we were both the strongest players to represent our cast. I think no matter which way it went I would have picked her over Daniel even if it meant that I could lose the game. She obviously followed through on her word and saying she wants to see a strong player win. She brought me so I won’t say that I doubted her…I’m super proud of her for not being afraid to stand next to me in the end and to be able to articulate to the jury the game that she played, to the world and to Canada. I am so proud of her! I’m proud of myself!

John Powell: You dominated the challenges. How do you feel to keep pulling out those clutch wins?

Ty McDonald: That’s crazy! My strategy heading into the game wasn’t to show people that I could compete. I actually wanted to be more passive. I threw a couple of competitions. That was part of my strategy to be able to just kind of cruise by and not put the target on myself. Unfortunately, I lost my numbers very early on in the game. I had to start winning because if I didn’t I would have been next out the door. So, just having to adjust what was going on, I was forced to start winning and show everybody that I am the competitor.

John Powell: There were occasions where Claudia expressed her frustration with things you have said or how you said those things to her. Do you regret how you treated Claudia at times?

Ty McDonald: Right now, I think that there isn’t any particular moment that I can say I necessarily regret. Maybe looking back and watching the show back I might say I should have handled that better but I do think that being in the Big Brother house stresses out a lot of people, including myself. I do keep my composure most of the time but there was times where I was feeling frustrated with her. Maybe things that she’s doing or saying, when I react or respond to those things, it might not come off as the warmest or the kindest of ways but I do think I always tried to remain as respectful as possible. I don’t think that I’ve ever said or done anything that was particularly disrespectful. Maybe it was rude in the moment. If so, I’ll definitely take ownership for that. If there’s anything that comes up that I can see, tangibly, I can definitely address the situation and take a responsibility for my actions and my words.

John Powell: Although you floated between alliances, you were essentially playing alone. How did you cope with that?

Ty McDonald: Early on in the game I only had one real alliance and that was with my guy, Zach. Well, we all know what happened to Zach. I was looking to build a relationship with my guy, Dan. He was the next one out the door. I was essentially a lone wolf in the house. I had to figure out my own way because it seemed that everybody who was associated with me ended up out the door. Everybody was afraid to be associated with me, even my showmance. It was a smart game move on her side and I understand why she made a decision to break the showmance off for a while.. That said, I just feel like I never really had an alliance. It was me against the house at one point and I held my own. I made sure that I made it through to a critical point in the game and then I turned the house on its head and I took control the entire game.

John Powell: Do you think you’ll Claudia have a future outside the house?

Ty McDonald: I definitely think there’s something there. I feel like Claudia knows how I feel about her at this point. Living in the Big Brother house we’re in our own bubble. There is so much to kind of figure out outside of the house now. I do plan on seeing where this thing goes because I have the utmost respect for her as a player and as a person. She’s an amazing, amazing girl! I’m so grateful that I was able to connect with her inside of the house but I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store for us.

John Powell: You must be glad that you didn’t quit the game when Zach did. What was your determining factor in that decision?

Ty McDonald: That was a very tough time for me. Zach was my right-hand guy. You get very close to people very quickly in that house and we just agreed that we’re going to go all the way with each other. Him deciding to leave was a tough moment for me but I did read the letter from my mom, who obviously is my world. Her words that seeing me on Big Brother Canada was one of the greatest joys in her life was the determining factor of me deciding to stay and push through the adversity that I was facing at that time.

John Powell: What do you think was the weakest part of your game if you had to pick one?

Ty McDonald: The weakest part of my game would probably say was leveraging emotions. I’m agree I keep my emotions in. I think I’m probably viewed as a very cold person when in fact I’m actually a very emotional person. I’m an empath that connects and resonates with people especially when they’re going through hard times. I also think that was a strength of mine. I think your biggest strength can also be your biggest weakness as well. If I was to have leveraged my emotions showing people more of the human inside of Ty and not just the comp beast I might have been able to make better relationships in the house. However, it worked out in my favorite at the end because I’m sitting here as the winner.

John Powell: I know it has only been less than 24 hours, but do you have any plans for the money?

Ty McDonald: The only thing I can say for sure I know is I’m going to make sure my mom’s good. I want to do some charity work. So, those are the two things that I will be putting money towards. The rest of it? I’m going to figure out how to make my money make more money. I’m all about investing and making financially literate moves with my money because I don’t want to just have $100,000 today and have nothing tomorrow.