"I have earned it every step of the way.”
Washington’s Jag Bains has won the 25th season of Big Brother USA, becoming the first Sikh winner.
His victory came at the end of a 100-day season.
The 25-year-old clinched the title over Matt Klotz, a swimmer from Louisiana, in a five-to-two jury vote.
At the end of the episode, Jag told host Julie Chen-Moonves:
“To be able to win this with integrity and loyalty the whole time is exactly what I wanted to do.”
Jag was the first Sikh American to participate in the US version of Big Brother.
In addition to becoming the first Sikh winner, Jag is also the first winner after being voted out.
Jag was voted out in week four but Matt won the Power of Invincibility, allowing him to nullify Jag’s eviction.
The trucking company owner’s win netted him $750,000.
But his final speech to vote for him was a dramatic one, saying “my hands are covered in your blood”.
Jag said: “I am the most dominant, masterful, strategic player in this house.
“I don’t only deserve to win, I have earned this victory.
“I am the first Sikh player on Big Brother, and not only that, you all need to make the right decision tonight so I can be crowned the first Sikh winner of Big Brother.
“It is the right thing to do and I have earned it every step of the way.”
The speech divided viewers, with some accusing him of being cocky.
But after his victory, Jag Bains clarified what he meant.
He told Entertainment Weekly: “Yeah, it really wasn’t cockiness for me.
“I get really passionate. Really passionate. And I’ve always said you should advocate for yourself. And that was me truly advocating for myself.
“That’s a hundred days of buildup for this one moment. And this is the one chance I have to share with the jury what game I’ve played and to own up to everything.
“So I knew as I was giving my speech that I was getting passionate, but it was — this is who I am.”
“I played this game, I’m going to own up to it. And at the end of the day, I did have a lot of people’s blood on my hands. I didn’t lie in my speech, so I just owned up to it.
“And I was like: Look, if they vote for me because they respect that gameplay, then they’ll vote for me.
“And if they don’t, at least I stood up for myself and maybe I didn’t win because of that, but that’s okay. I don’t want to regret my speeches or my answers ever.”
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