CBS cancels the post-eviction interviews of professional bull rider and Big Brother villain Rylie Jeffries, who is the focus of fan backlash following his exit from the Big Brother house.
Issues with the reality TV star sparked concern from audiences due to his alarming behavior toward potential love interest Katherine Woodman. During the course of the show, Rylie was seen throwing things at Katherine, insisting they were going to get married, and touching her excessively.
On Thursday, August 21, Rylie was evicted by a five-to-four vote against Morgan Pope. In his post-exit interview with Julie Chen Moonves, Rylie was quizzed on his alarming comments, which included, “I’m being with you outside of this, whether you like it or not.” When asked about the nature of these unnerving comments, Rylie expressed disbelief: “I did say that. I can’t believe y’all heard that.”
According to The U.S. Sun, a source close to the production stated, “It was like being hit by a wall of bricks as soon as he stepped off set. He wasn’t even upset at first because he was in a genuine state of disbelief.”
The source added that producers had to brief the contestant in a “situation-room-like setting” about the audience’s reaction, as well as real-world accusations about his controlling behavior, past baby mamas, and previous relationships that had been made against the cringy cowboy.
“He doesn’t seem to remember a lot of what he said, or he thinks it wasn’t picked up by cameras so it came as a total shock to him.”
After the clip of Rylie’s comment about marriage to Katherine went viral, fans flooded social media to condemn the contestant’s red-flag behavior, even begging the network to remove him from the show.
He apparently did not take the news well. His reaction, combined with his lack of polish in dealing with the media, is what presumably led producers to cancel press in the immediate future.
“They felt if they had gone through with the press, they would just be setting their own contestant up for failure,” said the source.
— Additional reporting by Brittany Sims.
Big Brother, Season 27, Wednesdays, Thursdays & Sundays, 8/7c, CBS