Interview with Zach's College Roommate Mike

***As with all posts and interviews on bb8dish, we respectfully request this interview not be copied and pasted elsewhere without express written consent.

Zach's college buddy and former roommate, Mike was kind enough to chat with bb8dish today. Here's the interview!

bb8dish Carolyn: Can you please tell us your relationship to Zach... and a little background on it.

Mike: Zach was my neighbor in the dormitories at Creighton University our freshman year, and we lived together for a semester our sophomore year, before he transferred back to Tallahassee and Florida State.

This summer I got an e-mail from another college friend telling me that Zach was going to be on Big Brother. I had never watched the show before but I’ve seen every episode of this season! It’s been fun seeing him on TV. Zach doesn’t appear to have changed a whole lot from his college days.

bb8dish: Very early on in the season, back when Zach was still c-blocking Nick and Dani at every opportunity, I thought he was crushing on Nick, asked you if he was straight, and you said he definitely was - just kinda socially inept, and that the blondes in the house would be his downfall... Well, he definitely avoided the showmance pitfall, but he intentionally or otherwise, kept up the socially awkward part. Zach alternates between saying this was his choice, and that he was forced to be alone. Which do you think is most true and why?

Mike: I definitely don’t think he chose to go at it alone, but it turned out to be the best option for him because he managed to stay off the radar for so long and skate through while others were getting sent home. But I think if he had the opportunity to pair strongly with another person, he would have done it.

He definitely tried to align with Nick, Mike, and Dick at different points and was mildly successful in doing so in spots, but ultimately they all were closer to someone else in the house, and he couldn’t get between that.

I just think it takes a little bit of time to understand Zach’s quirkiness and personality and he can definitely come off as a little out there, maybe even a little bit creepy. But he means well. The whole c-blocking thing is pretty funny – I just hope when he was doing it in college he wasn’t aware what he was doing then, cause it appears that someone clued him in.

bb8dish: Having been Zach's friend on the outside, what would you like to be able to stand from the rooftops to tell everyone about him? ...Cuz he's really the HG the public feels they know least.

Mike: Well, I’d want people to know that he’s really down to earth and very intelligent. I hope he wins this thing and uses the prize money towards something he’s always wanted, or something he’s always wanted to do.

Hopefully Big Brother is just a launching pad for him as far as future success goes. He’s always had a lot of big ideas and hopefully the prize money can help him achieve some of them.

bb8dish: What do you see as Zach's strengths & weaknesses in his BB8 game play?

Mike: Zach has always been good at strategic-based games like chess, Magic Cards, video games, etc. He approaches the household like the game it is, and he has managed not to get too personally or emotionally attached to anyone or anything. I think that kept his head a little clearer than the showmancers or the Children of God.

But you can’t overlook his ability to win the competitions when they mattered for him the most. We were getting worried for a while that he’d never win a HOH or Veto Comp, and that it would be his downfall, but he has come up big in the comps when it was needed the most and that’s the reason he’s still there.

bb8dish: We're on the cusp of the most important Veto Comp of the season (for tv only viewers of Big Brother like Mike)... Zach has spent the last 36 hours telling Jameka that she's had a profound effect on his faith... Are you buying it, or do you believe he's trying to set himself up with some jury votes, via Jameka's persuasion, should she be the next out?

Mike: Before I answer this: I haven’t watched Sunday night’s episode or read any spoilers so my answer might not make sense at this point in time, but I’ll answer it anyway.

No, I’m not buying what Zach is saying to Jameka at all. I think it’s totally a set-up for the jury votes, cause he knows she’s getting the boot. I just hope that he keeps his head on straight and realizes the only way he’s gonna win this game is if he’s sitting next to Dick in the Final 2. He needs to get Daniele out, there’s no other way around it. Hopefully he realizes this and doesn’t let his love of blondes cloud his judgment.

bb8dish: What Specific things do you credit most for Zach's now being in the final 3?

Mike: I think the combination of staying off people’s radars for most of the game, a little bit of luck, and coming up big in the comps when it mattered are the main reasons he is still in the house.

He definitely hasn’t played the game perfectly, but he’s obviously played it better than a lot of the other houseguests, as he’s still in there, and they are not. Hopefully, he thinks through his decisions thoroughly from here on out, cause he’ll have some big ones to make.

bb8dish: If you could have a 2 minute, uncensored phone call with Zach right now, what would you want to tell him?

Mike: I’d probably just tell him that all his Creighton college buddies dedicate 3 hours a week to watching him on TV and that we are all rooting for him to win, and can we please have a cut of his winnings? Just kidding –

I would probably just tell him to hang in there, thank him for giving us losers something to e-mail back and forth about all summer long, and I hope to catch up further when he gets out of the house. He’s gonna need an entourage. 

bb8dish: Thanks so much for making the time to talk with bb8dish, Mike.

For all the Zach fans out there, Mike runs his myspace fan page:
http://www.myspace.com/zachbb8fanclub. Go show em some love.