CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Clarksville’s very own Brandon French, who goes by “Frenchie,” was evicted from the CBS reality show “Big Brother” on Thursday evening.
The local farmer made it through two weeks of the competition before being evicted by a vote of 11-1.
“It is not every day that you get paint splattered all over you in a suit. That was definitely something that I will always remember,” French told Clarksville Now of his experience on the show.
“Getting to meet people from all across the country. That was amazing to me, and I’m the type of person where when I meet somebody, I try to learn something from them and I was able to learn so much about people in that house,” he said.
He said the “Big Brother” house reminded him a lot of Clarksville, in that the show’s cast was also a melting pot of different people, food and religions.
“Being able to get out of (Clarksville) and come to a place like California and meeting people from all across the globe, it was so amazing,” French said.
Coming home
Although getting evicted is not the way he wanted to leave the show, French is looking forward to getting back farm and to his children.
“I miss my kids so much; I’m probably going to cry when I see them,” French told Clarksville Now, adding that he was especially eager to see his 19-month-old daughter.
“I was with her every single day, and to be away for a month like this knowing that I was with her, and every two or three days she was learning something new. So to be away for a month, she could be talking a storm right now and I have no idea. So I’m just super anxious to get there and see them and hug them,” he said.
Of course, he really missed his wife, too. Before starring on “Big Brother,” the longest French and his wife had been apart was a week.
Lessons learned
French said his skills as a farmer helped him remain flexible with whatever was going on in the “Big Brother” house.
“It did help in a lot of ways, because with cows and stuff like that, you know you cherish those cattle, but you know you can’t fully trust them. And in the game, like I cherish these people, but I knew I couldn’t fully trust them,” he said.
He said his ultimate problem was thinking like a fan, and not a contestant.
“I played as a fan, and I didn’t play for myself, and that was my downfall and why I was out way earlier than I wanted to be.”
French has made some long-term friends from the show.
“Derek F. and I are going to be friends forever. I built a strong bond with him, and I adore him so much that we’re definitely going to keep in contact and as soon as he comes off the show. He’s like, ‘I’m coming to Tennessee.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, absolutely.’ We’re going to have a blast.”
What’s next?
What’s life going to be like for French after the show? First and foremost, it sounds like there are wedding bells in his future.
“My wife deserves a wedding. After what happened to my son, we didn’t really get that actual wedding, so I’m going to do everything I can to make sure she gets that,” French said.
French lost his son Westin in April 2016 shortly after he was born.
“I was humbled in this game because you think you know things in life, because you’ve been through life experiences. And you get humbled quick, you realize you’re not the only person with life experience. You realize you’re not the only person that’s been through tragedy and you have to learn how to mold that into life.”
He said the show gave him new perspective, and the ability to open up about those hard experiences. It’s something he’s excited to bring back with him to Clarksville.
“When I talk to people, like when I come home and I get to meet new people, it’s something that I know I can actually open up about because I never really opened up about any of that, like what happened with my son and stuff like that.”
He also wants to get into charity work.
“We get these platforms coming in here, and I always said that when I get out, I’m going to use that platform for good,” he said. “I want to help try to make a change, and that starts with Clarksville.”
And a word of advice to those who watched him: “If you think you can do it, you can. I promise you. It was my dream to come on this show and I put in the effort, and I believed in myself, and look where I am.”