Trevor Butler was booted from the Big Brother house after Farmer Dave blindsided everyone by nominating him for elimination, but the one-time winner says there’s no hard feelings.
WATCH: Trevor Butler is evicted from Big Brother 2022
“It’s all about strategy,” he tells WHO, revealing that he didn’t love the show’s new format which definitely put him at a disadvantage.
With a new focus on physical challenges and secret strategizing, the 48-year-old admits there wasn’t as much of the fun banter and goofing around that he remembered from his BB experience in 2004.
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“There was no none of that strategic talk out in the open and that’s one thing that I didn’t really like,” he says.
“That’s all part of it now, it’s not a popularity contest anymore and it’s not up to Australia.”
While he enjoyed the physical challenges, being one of the oldest and heaviest housemates put him at an obvious disadvantage in tasks based on body weight and endurance.
“That last one we were holding up our own body weight. I was like, ‘great, I’m the heaviest one here. What the hell is going on’?”
There were still moments that reminded him of the 2004 glory days, like plenty of pranks, “arguments and laughter” among the housemates, but a lot of that footage never made it to air.
“It’s all about their viewers now and the audience want all that drama, they love having a bit of a moan on Twitter and Instagram,” he says.
“And what they did miss in the house was the family unit that we had in there.”
Trevor became something of a ‘house dad’ during his time in the BB house and learned all about his housemate’s backgrounds as a result, revealing that there’s plenty of “diversity” viewers aren’t privy to.
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Those connections he had with the rest of the housemates should have saved him when Dave nominated him for eviction and everyone was blindsided when Trevor was voted out.
But he tells WHO he had already made his peace with leaving – in fact, he planned it that way.
“As soon as I found out who the other two people [nominated] were, I said, ‘no, this, this isn’t gonna be the way I do it’,” he says.
He went to some of his closest friends in the house and convinced them to save the younger girls he was up against, saying “there was no way I was gonna let the two youngest people in the house leave”.
It was a bittersweet moment when he was evicted; his time with his new Big Brother family was over, but he was also about to reunite with his wife and kids.
“The reunion was epic. I got off the plane and I’m just standing there with my hands up in the air,” he recalls.
“And then Breea was the first one outta the car. She gave me a big hug and kisses, which I missed, and then my little son came out bawling his eyes out.”
While Creedance was overwhelmed to have his dad home, Trevor’s eldest Maika was “too cool for school” but Trevor caught a few tears when the 12-year-old came in for a hug.
He noticed another big change in his Big Brother experience this time around after returning home too; being a reality TV star isn’t as big a deal in 2022 as it was in 2004.
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“It’s totally, totally different. Because back in 2004 you couldn’t get a breath, everybody was still clamouring for your attention, getting photos and autographs,” he says.
“This time, it’s weird in a great way, because you’re still under the radar … people just treat me the same today.”
Of course, part of that may be because he won the show in 2004 and sensationally proposed to wife Breea during the live finale, a moment that remains a highlight in BB history.
WATCH: Trevor Butler proposes on the Big Brother live finale in 2004
So, how would Trevor have one-upped that iconic moment if he won again in 2022?
“Maybe I’d torch the whole Big Brother house?” he jokes, before agreeing a vow renewal may be a little more appropriate.
“That would’ve been great, just having the vow renewals in the BB house and getting all the housemates all dressed up in groomsman and bridesmaid clothes.”
You can watch Big Brother Monday-Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm on Channel Seven and 7Plus.
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