Andrew David "Andy" Herren is the winner of Big Brother 15 (US).
Playing an extremely quiet game in the beginning, Andy formed a close alliance with power couple Amanda Zuckerman and McCrae Olson while managing a tight alliance with Elissa Slater and Helen Kim to keep himself safe from the MVP's nominations. Andy waited until the 3 A.M. alliance to pick up his gameplay, where he flipped on his former alliance with Helen and Elissa to take the former out of the game. After solidifying a final-four alliance with the Exterminators, Andy backstabbed Amanda and McCrae and manipulated McCrae into taking out Elissa during the season's second Double Eviction. Following this he went on a competition spree, winning the Final 4 HOH competition, the Final 4 Veto competition, and parts 2 and 3 of the Final HOH competition.
Andy is mainly remembered for his deception and for backstabbing many other HouseGuests, namely Helen, Amanda, and Elissa. He utilized his social capital in the game to avoid ever being a target, and thus he never received an eviction vote. His ability to lie effectively and on the spot allowed for him to pull off multiple blindsides while continuing to be in good standings with the members of the jury. Despite being deemed a "rat" by viewers and contestants alike, Andy was granted the win in a final vote of 7–2, making history as the first openly gay winner.
Biography
Retrieved from CBS.com
Name: Andy Herren
Age: 26
Hometown: Aurora, Ill.
Lives: Chicago, Ill.
Occupation: Professor
Marital Status: Single
Three adjectives that describe you: Friendly, funny and red.
Favorite Activities: Improv, eating candy, watching TV, running, laughing with friends, playing with puppies as they walk down the street, teaching, making lists, ranking things, teaching my family’s cockatiel to call my dad “gurl,” messing with people, eating ice-cream too fast and being adorable.
What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the “Big Brother” house?: Not having any privacy. I would be lying if I said I don’t find this intimidating. Also, the prospect of slop is something I have regular nightmares about. I just…can’t.
Strategy for winning “Big Brother”: I would start by playing a covertly aggressive game. I would lay low on the surface and be friendly to everyone (if this is possible) while secretly establishing a concrete alliance with people I have deemed the most trustworthy. I would scope out the house very quickly for these people, as I know you need to act soon to solidify trust and bonds. I’m quite good at reading people, so I would choose people I felt comfortable with, as well as people others would not expect me to align with. I also think my background in communications improv would be great strengths. Through communication and public speaking, I know how to say what people want to hear and through improv I am able to lie without batting an eye. I’m a smiley, friendly person, so nobody will see it coming when I stab them in the back.
Which past “Big Brother” cast member did you like most or least? My two favorites of all time are Britney and Ragan from season 12. I think I would have been BFFs with each of them, and I think I would have given Ragan the kick in the pants he needed to go far in the game. I thought he played a good social game (as he seemed to be genuinely well-liked by everyone), but I thought he wasn’t aggressive enough. He never made the big moves that I know he is capable of. Britney was similar. I would have smacked some sense into her and gotten her away from Lane. Her Diary Room confessions were like windows to my soul. She always said what I was thinking. They both made it far, but with me in the house during their season I think one of them (or me) could have won.
What are you afraid of? I am slightly afraid of heights, but it is not crippling or anything. I am terrified of bees, though. And people who enjoy Tyler Perry movies.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? There is a wall of graffiti on the first floor girls bathroom of the English Building at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that is solely dedicated to me. Quips include, “I AM IN LOVE WITH ANDY HERREN,” “Ha ha! I know that ginger bastard!” and “Andy Herren for President!” Pretty incredible right?!
Finish this sentence: My life’s motto is… “From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!” “Dr. Seuss, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
What would you take into the house and why? 1. My baby blanket. I’ve had it my entire life and it would give me a sense of security and comfort while in the house. 2. a notepad and pen to take notes after competitions/while observing others in the house. DUH. 3. Skittles. Just because, why not? What am I supposed to do if there are no Skittles in the house?
What would you do if “Big Brother” made you famous? If Big Brother made me famous, I would definitely embrace it, but to a certain extent. I would love seeing people smile in my presence (and let’s be real – having the spotlight would feel nice), but I also love my life and my friends and family, and don’t want fame to come in the way of my already-established personal relationships. Thus, I would be sad if horrible tabloid stories were written about me or my loved ones, but I understand that this comes with the territory. Long story short, being famous would be totally cool, but as long as it is on my terms. ME ME ME.[1]
Big Brother 15
On week 1, Andy joins the campaign to keep Elissa Slater in the house, hoping to control her MVP vote in future weeks and votes to evict David Girton instead. On week 2, Andy is made a Have-Not by HOH Aaryn Gries, feeling angry over David's eviction. However, Andy is later able to smooth things over with Aaryn and manages to avoid being nominated. Andy votes to keep Elissa again this week and evicts Nick Uhas, who is then evicted. On week 3, Andy avoids eviction again when his ally Helen Kim wins the HOH and he votes to evict Jeremy McGuire along with the rest of the house. On weeks 4 and 5, Andy survives eviction again when his allies gain power and he continues to vote along with the rest of the house, evicting Kaitlin Barnaby and Howard Overby. Before Howard's eviction, Jessie Kowalski confided in Andy about how she was considering voting to evict Andy's ally, Amanda Zuckerman. Andy reveals this information to Amanda, resulting in a big argument between Amanda and Jessie.
On week 6, Helen also confides in Andy about the possibility of backdooring Amanda, however, Andy convinces Helen not to go ahead with the plan, and Candice Stewart is evicted instead. At the double eviction that night, Andy votes to evict his ally Judd Daugherty in order to go along with the rest of the house. On week 7, Andy wins the 'Cherry On Top' HOH competition. After his HOH win, Amanda forms an alliance between with Andy, Aaryn and McCrae Olson which they name the 3 A.M. alliance. Helen tries to convince Andy to nominate Amanda and McCrae this week, however, Andy refuses to do so and nominates Jessie and Spencer Clawson instead. When he wins the 'Black Box' POV competition as well, he decides to keep his nominations the same. Jessie reveals to Amanda that Helen had been part of the plan to evict Amanda, Andy admits to Amanda that Helen has been campaigning against her. As a result, Helen becomes the alliance's main target after Jessie's eviction.
The alliance gains power yet again on week 8 when Aaryn wins the HOH competition and nominates Helen and Elissa. Spencer is then renominated in Elissa's place when she wins the POV. Andy plans to evict Helen, however, lies to her that he is voting to evict Spencer. Helen soon realizes Andy's real intentions, and she is then evicted. On week 9, when Elissa wins the HOH, she nominated Andy's allies Aaryn and McCrae. When Amanda wins the POV and uses it on McCrae, she and Andy fear that Andy will be renominated and hatch a plan where Amanda brutally torments Elissa, and Andy then goes to console her in order to gain her trust. Their plan fails, however, and Andy is renominated. Shortly after this, Andy enters into the Exterminators alliance with Spencer, GinaMarie Zimmerman and Judd (Who returned to the game this week). His new ally members vote to evict Aaryn instead of him, and Amanda & McCrae also vote to keep him, unaware of his betrayal.
On week 10, Andy is kept safe when his ally GinaMarie wins the HOH and nominates Amanda & McCrae. When McCrae wins the POV, Spencer is nominated in his place. Still unaware of Andy's new alliance, Amanda believes that she has Andy's loyalty and thinks that she has the votes to stay in the game after convincing Elissa to keep her in. Amanda is shocked, however, when the vote is split after Andy & Judd vote to evict her and Elissa & McCrae vote to evict Spencer. GinaMarie then breaks the tie and sends Amanda home. Following Amanda's eviction, it is revealed that there will be a double eviction that night and McCrae wins the next HOH. Andy frames Elissa for Amanda's eviction, attempting to convince McCrae that it was him who evicted Spencer and Elissa who betrayed them. Andy's plotting works when McCrae nominates Elissa for eviction rather than Andy and she is then evicted that night.
On week 11, Andy is kept safe when his ally Spencer wins the HOH. The Exterminators target McCrae, with him being the only houseguest left not in the alliance, however, they are forced to vote one of the members out when McCrae wins the POV. When it is Judd and GinaMarie facing eviction, Andy decides to keep GinaMarie instead of Judd and Judd is evicted. Following Judd's second eviction, Andy wins the 'Before or After' HOH competition. Still targeting McCrae, he nominates him alongside Spencer. When Andy wins the 'Web of Lies' POV competition, he keeps his nominations the same and McCrae is evicted. At the final three, while GinaMarie wins the first part of the HOH competition, Andy wins the second part, 'Crab Grab'. Andy then wins the final part of the HOH competition, 'Jury Statements', and he decides to take GinaMarie to the final 2 with him instead of Spencer, revealing that he and GinaMarie have had a final 2 deal since the first night. At the jury vote, Andy is crowned the winner of Big Brother 15 by a vote of 7-2 with Aaryn and Judd being the only houseguests to vote for GinaMarie instead of him.
Player History - Big Brother 15
Competition History
Week 1 | HOH | Loss |
Have/Have-Not | Have-Not | |
POV | Not Picked | |
Week 2 | HOH | Loss |
POV | Not Picked | |
Week 3 | HOH | Loss |
Have/Have-Not | Have | |
POV | Not Picked | |
Week 4 | HOH | Loss |
Have/Have-Not | Have-Not | |
POV | Not Picked | |
Week 5 | HOH | Loss |
Have/Have-Not | Have | |
POV | Not Picked | |
Week 6 | HOH | Loss |
POV | Not Picked | |
HOH | Loss | |
POV | Loss | |
Week 7 | HOH | Win |
POV | Win | |
Week 8 | HOH | Previous HOH |
Have/Have-Not | Have | |
POV | Loss | |
Week 9 | HOH | Loss |
POV | Not Picked | |
Week 10 | HOH | Loss |
Luxury | Loss | |
POV | Loss | |
HOH | Loss | |
POV | Loss | |
Week 11 | HOH | Loss |
POV | Loss | |
HOH | Win | |
POV | Win | |
Week 12 | HOH Part 1 | Loss |
HOH Part 2 | Win | |
HOH Part 3 | Win |
Have/Have-Not History
Week 1 | Have-Not |
Week 2 | Have-Not |
Week 3 | Have |
Week 4 | Have-Not |
Week 5 | Have |
Week 6 | Have |
Week 7 | Have |
Week 8 | Have |
Week 9 | Have/Have-Not Phase Over |
Week 10 | |
Week 11 | |
Week 12 |
MVP History
Week 1 | Loss |
Week 2 | Loss |
Week 3 | Loss |
Week 4 | Ineligible |
Week 5 | |
Week 6 | |
Week 7 | MVP Phase Over |
Week 8 | |
Week 9 | |
Week 10 | |
Week 11 | |
Week 12 |
Voting History
Week | Position | Voted for | With Majority? |
---|---|---|---|
1 | – | David Girton | Yes |
2 | – | Nick Uhas | Yes |
3 | – | Jeremy McGuire | Yes |
4 | – | Kaitlin Barnaby | Yes |
5 | – | Howard Overby | Yes |
6 | – | Candice Stewart | Yes |
– | Judd Daugherty | Yes | |
7 | HOH/POV | – | – |
8 | – | Helen Kim | Yes |
9 | Post-POV Nominee | – | – |
10 | – | Amanda Zuckerman | Yes |
– | Elissa Slater | Yes | |
11 | – | Judd Daugherty | Yes |
HOH/POV | – | – | |
12 | HOH | Spencer Clawson | Sole Vote |
Finale | Winner | – | – |
HOH History
Original Nominees | Post-Veto Nominees | Intended Target | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Week 7 | |||||
Day 84 | |||||
Week 12 | N/A |
Post Big Brother
- Andy made a cameo in the Ginger Fever challenge of Big Brother 17 appearing in a picture with Kathy Griffin.
- On January 16, 2018, Andy appeared on The Taran Show to talk about his motives what he has been up to after winning Big Brother 15.[2]
- On April 17, 2020, Andy competed in the Big Brother Canada versus Big Brother U.S. mini of Sequester hosted by Audrey Middleton. He finished in 18th after losing a tiebreaker.
Trivia
- Andy is the first openly gay houseguest to win HOH and POV in the same week. He would be followed by Frankie Grande, Jason Roy, and Kaycee Clark.
- Andy is the second of five HouseGuests to win HOH and POV in the same week two times. The first was Danielle Murphree. They would be followed by Frankie Grande, Paul Abrahamian and Cody Calafiore.
- Every time Andy was HOH, Spencer Clawson was nominated for eviction.
- Andy is the third openly gay HouseGuest to reach the final three, following Ivette Corredero in Big Brother 6 and Kevin Campbell in Big Brother 11. Jason Roy would later follow as the fourth in Big Brother: Over The Top, Ross Mathews as the fifth in Celebrity Big Brother 1, and JC Mounduix and Kaycee Clark as the sixth and seventh, respectively, in Big Brother 20.
- Andy is the first openly gay HouseGuest to win Big Brother, followed by Kaycee.
- Andy is tied with Aaryn Gries and McCrae Olson for the most competitions won in Big Brother 15 with 5 wins each. Andy won 3 HoHs and 2 PoVs.
- He is the third houseguest to do this in the season
- Andy Herren is the first openly gay houseguest to win 4 competitions in a single season. He would later be followed by Frankie Grande and Jason Roy.
- Andy is the fourth person to win 2 POVs and end up winning the game. Dan Gheesling, Rachel Reilly, and Ian Terry were the first HouseGuests to accomplish this feat respectively (and later Steve Moses, Nicole Franzel, Morgan Willett, Kaycee Clark, Jackson Michie and Cody Calafiore).
- Andy is tied with Cody Calafiore, Austin Matelson, Nicole Franzel, James Huling, JC Mounduix, and Kaycee Clark for the most eviction votes cast in a season with 12.
- He also holds the record for the most votes cast with the majority.
- Andy was the fourth winner, and second male, to win HOH and POV in the same week, following Jordan Lloyd, Hayden Moss, and Rachel Reilly. He would be followed by Nicole Franzel, Kaycee Clark, Jackson Michie and Cody Calafiore.
References
- ↑ http://www.cbs.com/shows/big_brother/cast/214668/
- ↑ Armstrong, Taran (16 January 2018). Taran Show 27 - Andy Herren. Rob Has A Website. Retrieved on 18 April 2018.
Preceded by Season 14 Ian Terry |
Winner Season 15 Andy Herren |
Succeeded by Season 16 Derrick Levasseur |
Big Brother 15 (US) Houseguests | |||||||||||||||||||||
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