‘Big Brother’ fans divided as Chelsie Baham wins Season 26 as Makensy Manbeck's blunder cost her title

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Big Brother 26' officially wrapped up with Chelsie Baham crowned as the winner. And what an incredible journey the art director had this season to clinch the ultimate glory!

The grand finale of 'Big Brother 26' aired on Sunday, October 13, with Chelsie, Makensy Manbeck and Cam Sullivan-Brown in the top three positions. Makensy, after winning two out of the three HoH competitions, had the discretion to eliminate one and decide on the final two. 

It was then Makensy chose to take Chelsie with her to the jury - a move considered by many that cost Makensy the title and $750,000. After Chelsie won the title, the Internet was left divided in their opinion regarding the final winner. 

Though many viewers felt Chelsie's win was well deserved, the others castigated Makensy for not understanding the tempo of the game and choosing Chelsie -- who is dubbed as one of the strongest contenders by many -- for the final jury vote out.

Internet divided over Chelsie's win over Makensy

The Internet was left divided by Chelsie's win over Makensy. While a section of the fans felt Chelsie deserved the win because of her sheer genius gameplan, some complained that Makensy made a blunder by choosing Chelsie over Cam after winning the final HoH. 

One of the social media users said, "Chelsie Baham Makes Big Brother History as First Woman to Win Unanimously in Iconic #BB26 Victory!"

"Her performance was outstanding, and she truly earned this victory," said someone else. 

Another fan, however, made a case for Makensy, saying, "Chelsie Baham winning Big Brother 26 feels undeserved. She coasted through the season without making any bold moves, relying on others to do the heavy lifting. It’s disappointing to see gameplay like that rewarded.😡."

Meanwhile, someone else noted, "Chelsie's journey was incredible. She deserved that win."

"Chelsie played a smart game from day one!," said another enamored fan.

Someone else sided with Chelsie, explaining, "MJ/Makensy choosing Chelsie to be her final 2 was the last bit of PROOF that her Social game was the Best! Chelsie deserved the win! She played the Best game in #BB26! MJ/Makensy tried to claim the Leah nom, but Chelsie got her to move against her OWN ally. That's how u do BB!"

"Not sure how often jury answers change votes, but Chelsie got Angela to switch by saying MJ hates her. LMFAOOO BB26," noted another fan hilariously.

Someone else too celebrated the gamechanging moment, saying, "Oops Chelsie said MJ couldn’t stand Angela! Just like that her vote switched! 🤭 #BB26."

"MJ being Chelsie’s minion one final time is a shock to anyone???," questioned another fan.

Another fan sounded impressed as they praised Chelsie's gameplan, "Wow…and she didn't see the jury roundtable but still pinpointed what she had to do for that unanimous vote."

Another fan of Makensy explained, "Makensy completely fumbled the bag. You don’t pick Chelsie for final 2. You go 90 days, win the most important comp and made an eviction that cost you $675k. That’s why she’s 2nd place. Ridiculous move. #bb26."

"I mean Makensy could have cut Chelsie and been the queen who won lol was no chance in hell cam was winning so whomp whomp Makensy just cost herself 750k 🤷🏻‍♂️," said another disappointed fan.

Chelsie's winning journey on the Grand Finale

Chelsie's remarkable win on Sunday put her winning gameplan back into the discussion. The Season 26 winner shared her strategy that brought her ultimate glory, saying, "I was strategic, I was social, I was skillful. I made wise decisions, knew when to speak, knew when not to."

She further added during the show, "I played a competitive game, I won when I wanted to, not when I had to."

Indeed, she won the most HoH competitions during the season, making her one of the strongest contenders in the house. She put up 12 nominees and eight houseguests for nominees as well. 

In the end, when Makensy took her to the jury after eliminating Cam, she revealed to Angela that her competitor hated her in the competition, making her vote against Makensy. 

In another interview, as reported by Yardbarker, she said, "I was very confident. There was an ounce of me that said Makensy could change her mind, but her and I have really grown to love each other throughout the past couple of weeks. So I felt pretty confident no matter if I won this last HoH that I was gonna sit in those last two chairs."

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