"What Your Partner Did Reflected on You" - An Interview with Big Brother 9's Parker

by David Bloomberg -- 04/30/2008

In his short time on Big Brother, Parker was not shy in telling people what he thought. And he's pretty much the same now! For example, what does he have to say about the couples twist this season? And does he blame Jen for his elimination? Plus, just how close was he to sending Adam and Sheila home within the first few days? Read on for this RealityNewsOnline exclusive interview!

Parker might have been on Big Brother 9 a short time, but he was memorable - and he had perhaps the worst deal of everybody with being shoved into the couples twist along with the Jen/Ryan twist. Still, he stayed in good spirits throughout the whole thing [ed: WTF??], and shares his thoughts with us now.

RealityNewsOnline: Hi, Parker, and thanks for taking the time to talk to us here at RealityNewsOnline! Let's start at the beginning. Did you have a specific planned strategy coming into the game?

Parker: I had no strategy at all, I was just going in there to be myself and have a good time and see what happened. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way, but it was okay.

RNO: Did you try to develop a strategy once you got in the house?

Parker: No, not really. I just pretty much did my own thing, or at least tried to until that whole twist came about. I really didn't know too much about the game to begin with.

RNO: How much Big Brother had you seen before going into the house?

Parker: Before I even considered going on the show, I'd maybe seen like three episodes. But as I started advancing in the casting process, I watched all of Season 3 and all of Season 6.

RNO: When you and Jen were made the power couple, how close were you to booting Sheila and Adam?

Parker: They were going to go, definitely. They were supposed to go. We were going to boot them until Jacob started that stuff. Hands down, they were going.

RNO: It was quite a turnaround for them, then.

Parker: Yeah, definitely.

RNO: Was Jen as annoying in person as she seemed on TV?

Parker: No, she was cool; we had a lot in common. She just wouldn't think things through, like if she got backed into a corner, she would just open her mouth about the wrong thing at the wrong time. She's cool though, that's my girl.

RNO: Do you blame her for your eviction?

Parker: Oh boy. I blame her partially for my eviction. I do blame her partially. I don't know, I don't really want to answer that.

RNO: Why did you decide to inform the rest of the house about the Jen/Ryan relationship?

Parker: Because Allison was not getting along with Jen and it was in my best interest to not be looked at as a liar. Allison said she wasn't going to say anything but she didn't really convince me well enough. So to avoid her saying they were a couple, I went ahead and said it because it's best to hear it from me rather than another party.

RNO: What did you think of the couples twist?

Parker: I thought the couples idea sucked. I thought it was the worst twist they could have ever done to everybody - what your partner did reflected on you. For some people, it just wasn't fair - like for me and Allison. Everybody got screwed, but we got double penetrated, considering the circumstances.

RNO: Why did you decide to publicly call out Jacob rather than doing something quieter behind his back?

Parker: Because I don't tolerate people talking $#!t about me when there was nothing warranted for them to do so. I went into the house cool to everybody and all of as sudden, I was like, if that's how you feel, tell me to my face. If I have the courtesy to tell you how I feel to your face, you do it for me. I have no regrets on that. And I've woken up people for less. In college, I woke up my roommate because somebody drank my soda. That was definitely not for TV, that was my character.

RNO: How long have you been out of sequester?

Parker: A little over a month now.

RNO: Did they ever tell you why you were still being sequestered?

Parker: Yeah, they told us there was a chance we could get back on the show. So we had to just wait it out.

RNO: How was life alone with Jen?

Parker: First, no, we didn't hook up - that's like the question everybody asks. She's cool, though, outside the house. I told her to her face I hated her in the house because of the situation. Outside the house she's cool, inside the house she really wasn't kosher.

RNO: What did you think of the outcome of the show?

Parker: I'm happy for Adam, I'm glad he got it. Good for him. I'd rather him get it than Ryan get it just because Ryan did a lot of dirt and Adam was pretty much straightforward, while Ryan was kind of sneaky. Good for Adam.

RNO: So you would have voted for Adam?

Parker: Yeah, I would have voted for Adam. I'm just glad I didn't have that responsibility, though.

RNO: Did you watch religiously after you were out, and see the episodes that occurred while you were still inside?

Parker: Not at all. I saw all the episodes I was on and I was like in the chat rooms and people updated me, but I wasn't really a fan of the show before I went in so I didn't make time to watch it. I wasn't going to watch it just because I was on it. I really didn't watch it at all. I watched if it was a key moment, such as when James cried. I watched Chelsia's exit. I watched when Matty and Natalie got evicted. Other than that, no. That's about it. I peeked in - I can get the live feeds on my cell phone, so I'd peek in every now and then, but not really.

RNO: What was the biggest surprise to you that you saw on TV but didn't know about while you were still in the house?

Parker: Matty saying that he was going to use the veto on my to pacify me. I was a little disturbed with that. That was supposed to be my boy. We're cool now, but when he said that, I was like, you're supposed to be my guy but you're feeding me bull$#!t. I was a little disturbed by that.

RNO: What led up to you ending up in L.A.?

Parker: When I graduated [high school], I immediately left and went to the Air Force. I figured my fastest ticket out was to join the military because I wasn't ready for college, to see where that would take me. I'm glad I did it, because if I hadn't, I'd probably have flunked out of college because I was kind of a wild child. The whole military gave me a little sense of stability and helped me grow up a little faster. You can't beat the weather out here [in California].

RNO: So you're planning to stay in California?

Parker: I got my degree in radio and TV production. There are so many more opportunities in L.A. Some of the people I went to high school with, it seems like they're working dead-end jobs and not doing anything with themselves. And I'm all about progression and moving forward. When I go home, I'll catch up with people I went to high school with and I'll tell them about what I've been doing and they'll be like they're doing nothing, just working and that's the end of the conversation. I've done so much stuff since my time in high school that I don't see how some people can settle. That's pretty much it.

RNO: What are you up to these days, and what does your future hold?

Parker: I work for TMZ and it's going well. I get recognized all the time when I'm working - it's pretty funny and kind of flattering. I'm pretty much trying to get into commercials. I've always told myself I didn't want to be a big-time actor, but I want to be a famous face. You don't need to know my name, just recognize me, kind of like the Verizon guy. I want to do that and design some shirts and get those out there. That's about it for right now.

RNO: Do you have anything else to tell us about your time on Big Brother?

Parker: I wish I could have lasted a little bit longer - I'm pretty sure I could have, but considering the circumstances, I had to go when it was my time - it really wasn't my time but I still had to go. It was a good experience even though I was a little angry at the fact that I couldn't control my own destiny. I would thank the producers for giving me the opportunity. No use crying over spilled milk. I just look at it as an opportunity to get myself out there and people could get a little taste of what Parker's about.

RNO: Thanks again, Parker!