‘Big Brother’ Season 26 fans claim Makensy Manbeck’s decision to bring back Chelsie Baham cost her the win

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After an intense 90 days in the 'Big Brother' house and a gripping two-hour finale, non-profit director, Chelsie Baham emerged victorious on Sunday, October 13, taking home the grand prize of $750,000.

In a stunning 7-0 vote, Baham triumphed over runner-up Makensy Manbeck, who earned $75,000. Fans are now speculating that Manbeck's decision to reintroduce Baham into the competition may have cost her the win, as she received no votes in the final round.

‘Big Brother,’ the reality TV phenomenon that has captivated audiences since 2000, has now completed its 26th season. The show is renowned for bringing together a group of contestants known as ‘House Guests', who live in isolation from the outside world while being monitored by cameras and microphones around the clock

Chelsie Baham defeats fellow 'Big Brother' Season 26 finalist Makensy Manbeck

Chelsie Baham, 27, triumphed over fellow finalists Makensy Manbeck and Cam Sullivan-Brown, who finished in second and third place, respectively.

According to US Weekly, Baham, Manbeck, and Sullivan-Brown collaborated on all tasks since the beginning of the game. Leading up to the finale, Baham secured the first round of the final Head of Household (HOH) competition, while Manbeck won the second. 

On Sunday, October 13, Baham and Manbeck faced off in the third round of the competition. Despite Manbeck's victory that day, she chose to bring Baham with her to the final two.

In the finale, they presented their cases to the seven jurors: Quinn Martin, T'kor Clottey, Leah Peters, Angele Murray, Kimo Apaka, Rubina Bernabe, and Sullivan-Brown. In an impressive turn, Baham won by unanimous vote. This victory was bolstered by her earlier success in the Head of Household competitions and her strong alliances, particularly with Clottey and Manbeck. She successfully persuaded Manbeck to target Leah and Angela during her HOH week, which ultimately benefited her more than Manbeck.

The season featured a significant twist: the BB AI Arena required the Head of Household to nominate three players for eviction instead of the usual two. This meant that three nominees faced eviction night, with the winner earning safety while the other two were up for elimination.

This twist lasted until week seven, complicating the contestants' ability to reach a consensus on who to vote out. This led to last-minute vote flips, such as when Manbeck chose to evict Josephe Rodriguez instead of Kimo after hearing his speech.

'Big Brother' host Julie Chen Moonves calls Season 26 'craziest year'

'Big Brother' host Julie Chen Moonves remarked to US Weekly, "The BB AI Arena forced people to make decisions on the fly. They couldn’t huddle up and rely on groupthink, which pushed them to think as individuals. … ‘I may be on the wrong side of the vote, but I gotta do what’s right for me'."

She concluded, "I think it was successful. No question, this is the craziest year of 'Big Brother'."

According to Goldderby, Makensy Manbeck stated that she harbors no hard feelings about not winning. She expressed that she feels "honestly blessed" to be part of 'Big brother' Season 26.

Talking to host Moonves, Manbeck said, "I didn’t come here for the money; I came for the experience. The other person I wanted to win was Chelsie, and she truly deserves it."

As the season wraps up, casting is underway for 'Big Brother' Season 27.

Internet says Makensy Manbeck wins ‘dumbest move of the season’

After Chelsie Baham was announced as 'Big Brother' Season 26 winner and Makensy Manbeck as the runner-up, many speculated that Manbeck might have won if she had taken Cam with her to the final round

A user mocked, "And Makensy wins the "Dumbest Move of the Season" award."

An individual remaarked, "Another flop winner and flop of a season 🥱" 

One trolled, "Trash a** loser. LOL."

Another tweeted, "@MakensyManbeck may be the dumbest human being in the World. She pretty much gave away $750,000 on @CBSBigBrother #BB26 #Dumb #GetAClue."

A person claimed, "Makensy Jo Manbeck - Tied for the most comp wins - Most female comp wins - First player to never receive a vote against or for her."

One remarked, "Best #BB26 season of them all. Thanks to Tucker, Quinn, Leah and Angela. Chelsea was a horrible player and didn’t deserve to win. Makensy Jo Manbeck deserve to win but she made a $750k bad decision. I feel so bad for her."

"Could’ve been an all time great and a legitimate inspiration to any woman playing the game, but instead cared too much about “loyalty” over respecting the game. Very obvious recruit and I’m happy you got played. Congrats on second," a fan said.

Another shared, "I hope you know choosing Chelsie lost you the game. Why in the hell would you do that. Gonna go down as one of the dumbest moves in BB ever!"

The last user declared, "@MakensyManbeck made the biggest mistake of her life! This season was definitely set up for @JCMoonves "niece" to win. Smh. #BigBrother she had an easy win against Cam."

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