Warning: this post contains spoilers from the Sunday, February 25, finale of Celebrity Big Brother!
And then there was one! Celebrity Big Brother came to an end after Marissa Jaret Winokur, Ross Mathews, Mark McGrath, Ariadna Gutiérrez and Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth battled it out for the number one spot.
The skiing HOH competition was the first of the night. When Mark and Ross were the final two, Ross let Mark know that he’d keep him safe, trying to make a deal. Regardless of Omarosa obnoxiously screaming and telling Mark not to take a deal, the singer ultimately gave in, letting Ross win so that he could get a letter from his mom. Ross then put Ari and Omarosa on the block, with Lady O being his target.
During the final Veto competition, each player had to figure out which day in the house certain events happened on – so it was all about who had been keeping track and paying attention. Only Marissa and Ross answered all eight questions correctly, but Ross did it in far less time! He did not use the Power of Veto, and after one heck of a speech, Omarosa was sent home.
The Final HOH
“Hash It Out” was the live final HOH competition with Ross, Ari, Mark and Marissa all competing in a trivia battle. It came down to a three-way tie between Ross, Mark and Marissa — and Marissa won! Ultimately, she chose to bring Ross, her best friend, with her to the final two. Mark and Ari both were bummed that they had lost the $250,000 but weren’t surprised or upset since Ross and Marissa played such a great game.
The entire cast returned to question the final two, then vote for who they wanted to win. Both Marissa and Ross made great arguments for why they should win: Marissa, because she stayed true to her game from day one and even brought Ross with her when she knew he may beat her; and Ross, because he had been a fan since day one and played quite the game.
Here’s who voted for who:
Mark: Ross
Ariadna: Marissa
Omarosa: Marissa
James: Marissa
Brandi: Ross
Metta: Ross
Shannon: Marissa
Keshia: Marissa
Chuck: Marissa
Marissa became the first-ever winner of Celebrity Big Brother, taking home $250,000! However, Ross did get voted America’s Favorite Houseguest, winning $25,000.
