It was shaping up to be a pretty ho-hum week on “Big Brother 22: All-Stars” after Christmas Abbott won the Veto to go with her HOH victory, all but ensuring that her nominees, Bayleigh Dayton and Da’Vonne Rogers, would stay the same. But Tyler Crispen threw in a curveball when he told Bay and Day that he wanted to sacrifice his game to make amends for not just starting drama between them and Dani Briones, but to stand with them as a Black Lives Matter ally because he knows they’re on the show for a greater purpose. Christmas was not on board with backdooring her untouchable final two and kept the noms the same, leading to Bay’s 9-0 eviction on Thursday — but not before we got our first fight of the season between her, Day and Bay.
They hashed things out before Bay walked out the door, but will Bay be friends with Christmas and Tyler in the real world? Does she think Tyler was genuine in his offer? And does she regret not heeding Kaysar Ridha‘s warning that she and Day were low on the totem pole? We caught up with the Season 20 alum and fan favorite below.
Gold Derby: How does it feel to be out because you seemed to be at peace with leaving even before all the drama this week?
Bayleigh: Your words are taken from my heart. I’m literally at peace. I think everybody kind of has the same vibe where if it’s our time to go, it’s our time to go. We’ve all played this game before, so we know the outcome — only one person can win — so I’m just grateful that I am out of the house. And I’m grateful that it was before jury got started.
Gold Derby: Now that you know Tyler and Christmas are not only in an alliance but have a final two, how do you look back on everything that went down this week with them?
Bayleigh: It made sense. Obviously, everything that happened was kind of a whirlwind for everybody involved. I feel like Tyler was protected on all fronts, so I do feel like his intentions to confess had some validity to them, but I think he did know in the back of his head that there was a possibility that Christmas was not going to put him up because they were final two and that would jeopardize her game. It just makes sense.
Gold Derby: Did you ever suspect they might be working together that closely?
Bayleigh: No. Not at all. That’s one thing that I will give them — that they’re playing the hell outta that. I had no clue that they were final two.
SEE ‘Big Brother 22’ episode 16 recap: Bayleigh is evicted
Gold Derby: When Tyler made that offer to you and Da’Vonne to sacrifice himself, he brought up Black Lives Matter. Do you think he was using the movement to further his own game?
Bayleigh: I hope not. But unfortunately, because of the way things panned out, that is what it looks like. I just hope that that would not have been his intention because that’s a very serious thing. So if he did use that maliciously, that would be pretty bad.
Gold Derby: Do you talk about that with him after the Veto wasn’t used, if he was being genuine about it?
Bayleigh: Yes. Before I left the house, he and I had a conversation, and he said that when I go back and look at all the episodes, he feels like I will be pleasantly surprised with him. So I hope that he was genuine in our conversation and I hope that when I do look at it, I will be pleasantly surprised.
Gold Derby: We also saw on the feeds that Tyler helped you with your Veto speech to plant the seeds for his backdoor. When he did that, were you thinking that this is going to happen or was it still like “I’ll believe it when I see it” because it was still up to Christmas?
Bayleigh: It was “I’ll believe it when I see it” because whenever I was talking to him about how should I go about it, he was still very hesitant, and specifically, he told me not to use his name. Right after the Veto [ceremony], Da’Vonne said that when she went to Christmas, she said, “I didn’t use the Veto because she didn’t say his name.” So it did feel like, OK, this is a setup. And I asked him, “Hey, did you know?” And he said, “No, no, no.” But, like I said, you just never know.
Gold Derby: He was worried about you, and you said last night you wouldn’t have nominated Tyler if you had won HOH last night, so when would you have gone after him?
Bayleigh: The crazy part, Joyce, is I would’ve waited until the very end. I really would’ve! [Laughs] And I know that sounds crazy and people will look at me like I’m crazy, but the way that my heart is set up, if I squash something with someone, I genuinely mean it. I do feel like if Tyler and I had worked together, it would’ve been very nice for our games and maybe we would’ve ended up further down the road together. I would’ve literally let him be my second [ride or die] after Day if that were what it came to.
Gold Derby: How did do you think each of you were affected by what happened between you guys two years ago in the house?
Bayleigh: I think we were 100 percent traumatized — is the word — by what happened in the house two years ago, and I don’t think either one of our games could’ve been played to 100 percent ability with either of us in the house. So if Tyler didn’t completely trust me and if I didn’t completely trust him, it was going to hinder our game regardless. So there was definitely some trauma, and unfortunately that baggage definitely ruined a lot of my game. A lot of it.
Gold Derby: You and Da’Vonne have talked a lot about how you have to adapt your personalities or suppress some of your emotions because there is this cruel stereotype. What was going through your mind during the fight with Christmas and when you guys had to console her because she was crying that she nominated you?
Bayleigh: The consoling her while she nominated us was almost comical, to be honest, because of the things she was saying. So when we were consoling her, it was a lot of, “I can’t believe you guys are consoling me. I expected a different outcome. You’re so much nicer than I thought. I admit I did bring some stereotypical judgments from you last season on here. I’m sorry I misjudged you.” So we already knew what we were dealing with when it came to that.
But the fight really threw us off. And I think I responded the way that I did because I was actually surprised. The way that she was acting and the things that she was doing really caught me off guard to where I had to call it out, like, “Why are you screaming? I’m having a conversation with you.” I told her to take a deep breath, I told her to talk in a regular voice, and I even told her, “Hey, get your hand outta my face. Don’t clap at me because if I did that to you, there would be a different reception.” So I feel like I handled it very well, but it was a very interesting journey and I wasn’t expecting it to be that way. And like I thought, I think these conversations need to be had, so I’m happy that it happened. I’m just not happy that it happened in the way that it did.
SEE ‘Big Brother 22’ spoilers: Who won the Week 6 HOH?
Gold Derby: And you walked in on that not knowing what was happening and then she went off on you.
Bayleigh: Right! That’s why I literally felt surprised. I didn’t know there was an argument, I didn’t know there was an issue. I was coming in trying to mediate the conversation, not realizing the conversation was about me. It was just a shock. It was a shock.
Gold Derby: Why do you think she was so upset that you wouldn’t give her a hug after she didn’t use the Veto?
Bayleigh: You know, Joyce, I don’t know. And I think if I hadn’t communicated to her that I needed time, then maybe she could’ve felt a little upset or isolated. But she came up to me and said, “Hey, can I tell you I love you? Can I give you a hug?” And I told her, “Hey, I’m a little hurt by you right now, so I’m gonna need some time. We can talk about it later.” So the fact that I communicated that to her and let her know how I’m feeling, just give me some space, and she still received it that way, I’m really shocked. It’s a little bit like an audacity, like why do you think you can be in my space and I automatically need to forgive you right away when you’ve done something that I felt like has hurt me? So I felt like I was setting my boundaries and she just didn’t respect it.
Gold Derby: Also, every nominee has the right to be upset when they’re on the block.
Bayleigh: A hundred percent! Personal game or not. Everybody can. I think typically in this game, the nominees that are put up on the block run up to the HOH and are like, “Is there anything I can do to repair, blah, blah, blah, blah?” And I felt like our situation was very different; it wasn’t like a typical game move where I can go to the HOH and say, “Hey, what can I do for you to want to keep me this week and how can we repair it?” It wasn’t that situation, so I did have to take a step back.
Gold Derby: You talked things out with Tyler and Christmas before leaving. What kind of relationships do you think you’ll have with them outside the house?
Bayleigh: An educational one with both. [Laughs] I think I will definitely have to have a conversation with both of them about these experiences. It’s something that needs to be discussed, and I want to clear up any ideas or any questions that they might have. I definitely don’t think we’ll have close relationships. As far as Tyler, we have a little bit more history, so I’m a little bit more open to figuring out where his head is at and discussing things with him and seeing if we can possibly bury the hatchet. But as far as Christmas, I met her a month and a half ago, so I’ll have a conversation with her and I’ll let her continue her life.
Gold Derby: Kaysar warned you a few times that you and Day were probably next on the hit list after they were done with him and Janelle [Pierzina]. Do you regret not listening to him?
Bayleigh: No, I don’t. I love Swaggy K. He was right, but the person he was telling all this information to was Christmas, so it’s just like, he was right, but only halfway right. And I wouldn’t have changed it. I’m so glad she put me and Day up together because the message that we needed to share was shared, and it was well received. If we wouldn’t have been put up together, we might not have had this opportunity. So everything happens for a reason, and now him and I have had those talks and he understands what my reason was.
Gold Derby: Do you think Kaysar can ever pull off saying “Swaggy K”?
Bayleigh: No, never. Ever. Ever, ever, ever! But I think it’s really cute that he tried.
Gold Derby: Not to spoil anything for you, but you’ll have some content to watch when you get your phone back.
Bayleigh: Oh, my God! Oh, my God! I can’t stand him already! [Laughs]
Gold Derby: What do you think Da’Vonne has to do now to get to the end?
Bayleigh: I think Da’Vonne is going to have to press down on some of the promises that people are giving her in the house, specifically Nicole [Franzel] and Dani. I think she’s gonna have to align with Enzo [Palumbo], David [Alexander] and Kevin [Campbell] and really hope that somebody within her alliance can pull out some wins.
Gold Derby: If it’s not Da’Vonne, who do you think will be willing or even realize they have to take a shot at that large alliance?
Bayleigh: I hope it’s Enzo. Actually, I’ve had conversations with Enzo and I think he knows that he’s on the outskirts and that he needs to wake up and go ahead and come to play. I think David can if he ever decides to win a competition. There’s a few people who can do it. I think Kevin is still playing a very scared game and he wants to remain under the radar, and that’s on him.
Gold Derby: You’ve said a few times that you were done with reality TV after this. Is that still the plan? You’re retiring?
Bayleigh: It’s so funny because I think Tyler was the one who called me out on this in the house. He was just like, “So what if ‘Amazing Race’ calls? And I’m like, “Well, I’ll do that.” And he’s like, “What if ‘Big Brother’ calls? And I’m like, “Well, I’ll do that,” and then if they decided to bring a camera to my house, “well, I’ll do that.” So I don’t think that I’m necessarily done. [Laughs] But in my head I’m done.
Gold Derby: For now. Janelle gave you a dress when she was evicted, but you didn’t wear it that night and you didn’t wear it last night. When are we gonna see you in it?
Bayleigh: When me and Janelle go on our girls’ trip that we planned during the “BB” alumni reunion that now I know a few people were not invited to. [Laughs] But yeah, you’ll see it then.
Gold Derby: So we have to wait a couple months.
Bayleigh: Yeah, a couple months, but it’s really cute!
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s newsletter with experts’ latest predictions
