Miesha Tate and winning went hand-in-hand during Celebrity Big Brother 3. The MMA fighter came in intending to beast the competitions, knowing her physicality would give her an octagon-shaped target on her back. And she did just that, setting the record for most competition wins in Celebrity Big Brother history, and tying HoH wins across celebrity and civilian versions of the U.S. series. And most importantly, she got the W with the $250,000 price tag attached, handily winning the final jury vote over her tightest ally Todrick Hall. Miesha’s natural sense of competition had her gunning for the first HoH, even though she had no idea what to do with it. Fortunately, that immediate power got her into a good position, as she made an immediate bond with Todrick. She then formulated a majority alliance with Lamar Odom, Todd Bridges, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Shanna Moakler. But that made finding a first target far from easy. She bounced between targeting Mirai Nagasu and Carson Kressley before finally putting up Teddi Mellencamp after the latter won the veto. Her sights did not stray from Carson, though he was able to keep his stylish self in the house time after time to her chagrin. On Day 18, Miesha thought her game was all over. Carson had won HoH and predictably nominated the person who put him up twice. And with Shanna using the veto against her wishes days ago, she thought it was her and Todrick against the world. But they made a last-ditch effort, painting Shanna as playing the middle to Carson and Cynthia. And surprisingly, the duo lapped it up. In a matter of days, Miesha had gone from out the door to making a final four deal with her enemies and being part of a housewide backdoor of Shanna. From then on, it was smooth sailing. Todrick and Miesha won HoH and/or veto every round after that, making sure the power couple would be true to their moniker. When given the choice of who to sit next to in the final two, Miesha picked the guy who helped get her there since the first week. And it worked lucratively in her favor. Though the two had made their decisions together, Todrick’s personal comments and betrayals of relationships gave the jury initiative to give her the win in a near-unanimous decision. Now out of the house, Miesha talks with Parade.com about her surprise at the jury’s reaction to the final two, what her first HoH win taught her about the game, and why she feels she didn’t lie when turning Carson and Cynthia against Shanna. First off, congratulations on taking home the win! I would imagine the jury reactions definitely were a surprise. But before you heard them, what did you think your chances were winning against Todrick? 50/50. I thought it would come down to Teddi, to be honest, who she was more upset at. She left the house really heated with me, especially since it ended up being an unintentional backdoor situation. She was pretty mad. So I was like, “Oh, she might still have it out for me.” But she also said that Todrick was a target of hers at one point. I was like, “Maybe that’s just gameplay.” So I was chasing my tail. Well, you definitely got more than half the votes. Which jury vote for you surprised you the most? Teddi certainly surprised me. And Carson really surprised me! I didn’t expect Carson to vote for me, as lovely as the man is. We got along great in the house, and I cannot wait to follow this man on Instagram and knock the [expletive] out of him. Am I allowed to cuss right now? You’re a winner! Do you what you like. Okay, good. Because on Celebrity Big Brother, I know that’s a big no, no. Welcome back to the world, Miesha! I can cast again. But I just can’t wait to follow him in his career. And his vote surprised me. I would imagine that a lot of the jurors’ comments towards you and especially Todrick came as a surprise. Talk to me about how the room felt, even as you came out a winner. I was very taken aback. And I’ll be honest, the mother in me came out. I was just worried. I was like, “What is going on right now?” I must have looked like a deer in headlights. Because I’m taking this all in, and I just won Celebrity Big Brother. But I’m concerned for my friend. I don’t understand what’s going on. I haven’t seen any of this. I’ve been in the dark for 30 days, literally and figuratively. Then I see my beautiful family up on the wall there. And I was just overwhelmed with emotion. I saw that my son got emotional because you can tell he sees me and wants me. I’m like, “I have to get to my baby.” And then, of course, we started hugging. And I see Julie looking as amazing as ever in real life. She’s just gorgeous, in every sense of the word. So It was a lot of taking in a lot of different emotions in the room. I want to go back to the beginning of the game. You keep talking about how you felt there would be a target on your back because of your physicality. Did the people in the house shape that, and how did that affect your choice to go for the first HoH? I was so unsure of my game plan going into this house. I was like, “Well, I think I’m just going to have to feel it out.” I’ve watched the seasons of Celebrity Big Brother before this one, and I realized each one has its own unique ecosystem. I thought, “I’m gonna have to feel this out and go with my gut.” I got up on those ropes in that first competition, and I’m like, “I’m not going down. I am staying up here. I am going to win this competition. I cannot throw it.” I also got the read of the room when I first walked in. And everyone was looking me up and down, like, “Oh, she’s the target.” I just felt it. I was like, “Okay, well, if I’m going to go down, I am going to go down swinging. I am coming to win every competition, because that is the only way that I think I can ensure that I stay here.” So that was a quick shift in a nutshell of how I decided in a matter of moments that I was going to try to win that HoH. You shifted targets throughout your first HoH reign, from Teddi to Mirai to Carson back to Teddi. Why did you struggle so much, and what did that teach you about the game so early on? Oh, it taught me to expect the unexpected! It’s the perfect slogan for this game. Because just when I thought that I had it all figured out, I didn’t have it figured out at all. Something else would come up, or a new presentation or more information or switching of alliances. Mirai was the first person that I talked to immediately after the HoH competition, and I suggested an athletes’ alliance. And then, when I found out she was working with the other side and Teddi, obviously, things flipped. And then Teddi came to me; I was like, “Well, maybe Teddi kind of fits the criteria.” The only idea that I did go into the house with was that I wanted to get the athletes to stick together. I felt like they would have a target for being physically fit. So I was like, “Maybe if we can keep those strong competitors strong together, we will have a better chance of surviving this.” Because if we got each other out, once we’re singled out, we’re gone. So that was the only premeditated thing I had going into the house. In that first week, you also make a crucial bond with Todrick. In your final HoH speech, you mentioned that the two of you were like “yin and yang.” What made you connect to the point where you made up those final two chairs? Todrick seemed to have a better understanding of the game. I didn’t know that he was a super fan of the show, by the way. But he just seemed to have an understanding that I didn’t about the game. And he could read a room really well. He was always navigating and would be like, “Hey Miesha, this person can’t be trusted.” And I really relied on him. I also just felt like I bonded with him. We spent a lot of time together. And I think he’s a he’s a genuinely good person. But I didn’t know anything about him. I also like learning about culture and diversity. I like to travel the world. I like to learn about new things. So I think it was an “opposites attract” kind of a thing. He was so different from anyone else in the house and so different than me. But I was like, “What can I learn from this person? What can I take away with somebody who’s walked in an entirely different way of life?” And I did feel like I learned a lot. You spoke a lot about how you played an upfront and honest game, part of the reason why you ended up winning. But there was a moment of duplicity where you and Todrick lied about Shanna playing both sides and targeting Carson to turn Carson and Cynthia against her. Was that tough to do, given your honest mentality? And why did you and Todrick then go on to keep criticizing her morals and appearance? Well, I don’t know how what has been portrayed, but I don’t feel like it was a stretch of the truth. But I don’t know how Big Brother portrayed it. And the live feeds were not going when Shanna was in my room being like, “Yeah, I’m down for the final four with you, Chris Kirkpatrick, Todrick, and myself.” So she definitely did that. I don’t know if that was highlighted, but it did happen. That’s why I didn’t feel bad about saying that. You would have been able to tell if I was trying to lie. I cannot lie to that degree. I am not able to do it. And I knew that coming into the house, so I don’t feel like that was a stretch of the truth whatsoever. However, it was very crafty, I think, to present it and for Carson and Cynthia as such sweet, honest, loyal people as well. But they agreed this was egregious. How could somebody do this? And Shanna was getting protection from both sides. She absolutely claimed to be in our alliance while supposedly in Carson and Cynthia’s alliance. So it was a big move in the game. I don’t feel like we lied whatsoever. But I also was surprised that Carson and Cynthia took that in and took their gaze off me for a second. That was probably the most pivotal move of the game. I’ll finish by revealing some records you set this season. You are the first person in Celebrity Big Brother history to win three HoH competitions, let alone four. You won half the HoH competitions this season. You have the most CBB wins with six total. And your four HoH wins tie you for the record for the U.S. series with several Big Brother winners and legends. What’s your reaction to that? I love to set records. Nothing fuels the fire more than then smashing glass ceilings and setting records. So that is music to my ears. I did believe going into the game that it’s rare for someone like me to win. And I thought that my best strategy going in was to be so honest that people knew exactly where I was going to be. And build trust with people, even people who were not in my alliance. Because if I could be straightforward, that may have some value. It may take the heat off of me a little bit. And if for no other reason, as the game went on, to intimidate the crap out of people. I was like, “I am coming for you. And I will tell you when I’m coming for you just so you don’t sleep tonight. I’m going to tell you right now so that you lose sleep. And when that next mental comp comes like you’re a little groggy, you’re a little tired because you know I’m coming for you.” So it was part of my strategy was to be big, bold, honest, and let everyone see that. Here I am; I’m already a target; I don’t have a choice. So I might as well embrace it and make them fear me a little bit. Next, check out interview with Todd Bridges, who was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother 3 on Day 27 during the double eviction.
