Julie: That moment didn’t really hit me until this morning. I always think of myself as a train conductor. I’ve got a lot of pressure to get that train out of the station on time and then pull into the home station on time, so I have to compartmentalize.
I’m just getting to bask in it now, because I had a lot of responsibility last night to make sure Dan [Gheesling], Janelle [Pierzina], and the Cookout got asked the right questions, the evicted houseguest got enough love and support — and I have a lot of people in my earpiece telling me, “We’re over time” or “We’re under time.”
So I don’t let the emotion get to me — that’s when I channel my inner ‘Chenbot,’ and I’m like, “Just do your job, just do your job.” But there were moments when I looked out into the crowd, and I saw faces from the past. (Laughs) I think I only called one person the wrong name because of the lighting at the end of the night.
I’m old-school Chinese. I was raised by Chinese immigrants, and it was like, “You’re going to play piano, you’re going to get good grades, you’re going to be respectful.” So I’m a rule follower, and I’m kind of perfectly made to be the host of this incredible show called Big Brother, which is live, real, and raw. Then, when I can be more human, I feel like I can let my guard down and open my heart to the houseguests and to everyone.
I know God is the reason why we’re still here today. Big Brother is the little show that could. I see it as my duty and my job.