We’re a month into Big Brother 25 and the houseguests continue to change targets and alliances. The game had a surprising ejection before the first eviction. Luke Valentine was removed from the game hours after using the N-word. The houseguests were notified of his exit in a house meeting. Many fans were happy that producers stood by their previous claim that houseguests would be ejected for such behavior.
It’s week 5 and the live feeds revealed Jared Fields won Head of Household (HoH), giving him the power to nominate two people on the block. Jared is currently working with Felicia Cannon, Cirie Fields, and Izzy Gleicher. He’s also in fake alliances with other houseguests. So he had to consider who he would target in order to not ruin his game. However, one target became a hot-button issue between Jared and Cory Wurtenberger, and it reportedly got nasty.
Jared Fields Admits to Using the R-word on Big Brother Live Feeds
Cory and Jared are allies on different sides of the house. However, Cory doesn’t know Jared’s mom is Cirie. Jared nominated Cameron Hardin and Red Utley, but he wanted to plan in case one of them won the veto. Cory also grew close to America Lopez, and they basically have a showmance. America and Cory made a plan to pretend to distance themselves in hopes of protecting their game. This made America more vulnerable to other houseguests since it seemed like she didn’t have Cory’s protection.
Jared told Cory he was considering putting America on the block as a replacement nominee on September 2. This led to them arguing over whether to keep America or target her for some time. Jared accused America of throwing competitions, which made her useless as an ally. He also falsely claimed she was secretly working with Cameron. He was upset that he picked America to play in the veto because of this. The live feeds cut away from parts of the conversation, but it returned for a key moment.
“I don’t think she’s ‘the R-word,” Jared told Cory. “I slipped up. Obviously, I was angry.” The r-word is a derogatory word in reference to someone’s mental, social, or physical disability. Fans wondered if the word would be considered a slur, and therefore lead to Jared’s ejection like Luke.
“Luke violated the Big Brother code of conduct and there is zero tolerance in the house for using a racial slur,” Big Brother producers said in a statement. “He has been removed from the house. His departure will be addressed in Thursday night’s show.” It’s possible this language doesn’t fall under the show’s code of conduct since the statement specified the slur was a racial one. There hasn’t been a statement addressing Jared, so there’s no sign that he’ll leave the show.
Wednesday, September 6’s episode covers this time frame on the live feeds with the veto competition and replacement nominees. There are several scenes of Cory and Jared having their heated conversations. But there is no clip of Jared saying the word or him saying he “slipped up.” In the end, Cameron won the power of veto and used it on himself. Jared nominated Jag Bains in his place, keeping America safe from eviction this week.
Jag Bains’ Instagram Page Releases a Statement
Jag is in the Big Brother house unaware of Jared’s comments. But whoever is running his Instagram page addressed the issue. “Jag is a huge advocate and ally for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD),” the statement began. “He has dedicated nearly 13 years with Special Olympics and has been actively supporting the Spread the Word to End the Word campaigns for just as long. This cause is near and dear to our hearts.”
“Although CBS has been silent about this incident, we wanted to address this issue and spread awareness,” it later explained. “Using the r-word diminishes the dignity and humanity of individuals with I/DD and perpetuates harmful stereotypes.” For each “Team Jag” shirt sold, $5 will be donated to their local Special Olympics organization.
“Special Olympics stands behind Jag Bains and his family in their condemnation of the use of the r-word by a contestant on CBS’s Big Brother. Jag has worked tirelessly in helping our organization eradicate its use through education, advocacy, and inclusion. We are grateful that Jag’s family will be donating to their local Special Olympics programs through ‘Team Jag’ merchandise. Words matter – and we #ChooseToInclude, everybody wins,” reads a comment from the Special Olympics Instagram page.