Though the Big Brother game is all about manipulation, backstabbing, and doing whatever it takes to win the Big Brother game, there are moments of genuine, human connection. We witnessed a few of those moments in the last few days of gameplay.
When Ian Terry was on Big Brother 14, fans and medical professionals speculated that Ian might be autistic or on the autism spectrum. On Thursday, Ian confirmed that he is autistic. In a casual conversation on the feeds with Janelle Pierzina, Nicole Anthony, and Kaysar Ridha, he mentioned being autistic and Kaysar said that he was as well.
For those who want to flashback to that moment, it starts Thursday night (08/6) at 8:27 PM BBT (cameras 3/4). Kaysar said that he is also autistic but never been formally diagnosed. Nicole A added that she thinks many people are on the spectrum to varying degrees, and she thinks she is as well. Ian has discussed being autistic throughout the week but had a longer in-depth conversation with Kaysar about it this morning.
The conversation takes place on camera 3/4 and around 8:57 AM BBT. The conversation starts with them discussing social cues and how they’re harder for Ian to pick up on them, and how important the social game is in Big Brother. He said he was able to win Big Brother 14 because he was able to rely on his competition wins and brains to take him far.
Kaysar gave him some advice on how to read social situations better, and about using empathy to assess a situation and someone else’s needs. Ian also shared more about his experience on Big Brother the first time. He said that people openly mocked him that season. He also said he feels slightly more comfortable with Janelle than anyone else in the house because they were on the same season together.
Click the images to get a closer look at Ian, Janelle, Kaysar, and Nicole A’s autism conversation.
Ian shared a story about how Mike “Boogie” Malin scolded him on Big Brother 14 for using the shower before everyone else, when others had just played in a Veto competition. He said that Mike even mentioned regretting picking Ian for his team. He said that moment made him more aware of his surroundings and tried to be more considerate of others because of it. He said it was probably in the top 5 most important conversations he has had in his life in terms of shaping who he is.
Kaysar tried to show Ian how Mike was wrong for his approach, and how Ian is a very considerate person. That one mistake shouldn’t be something that he holds over his own head. Kaysar also said he had a similar experience and situation with a college friend and him being late. It made him be more aware of other’s time and being empathetic.
Ian also shared that he wasn’t aware that he was on the autism spectrum until after Big Brother. Whereas Kaysar said he knew before his experience on the show. Ian said there was an autism website where someone pointed out why it was obvious that Ian was on the spectrum. He then realized it himself. He said he didn’t want to admit to himself, but getting letters from all these different people helped him see some good in being on the show and on the spectrum.
It was a really heartwarming and insightful conversation. It ended around 9:56 AM. Definitely a conversation that you might want to rewind to if you have the Big Brother 22 Live Feeds.
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