BIG Brother is over for another year, but before it came to an end a new winner was crowned.
The reigning champ is Chelsie Baham, who is riding high after scooping the prize pot of $750K.
Chelsie Baham is the Big Brother 26 champ[/caption]
The reality star won the show on October 13, 2024[/caption]
Born on December 28, 1996, Chelsie Baham is the winner of Big Brother season 26 from California.
Before becoming a reality star, she worked as a nonprofit director.
Chelsie’s Facebook profile lists her as a creative/art director for Abundant Living Family Church in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
She also played college basketball for Biola University and La Sierra University.
Big Brother champion
After 90 days in the Big Brother house, Chelsie won season 26 on October 13, 2024.
Her time on the show was often filled with drama, which included her being the victim of a devastating power shift that lost her two of her closest allies.
However, keeping her cool, she managed to turn things around and joined forces with Makensy Manbeck.
And after a final vote, Chelsie was victorious and scooped the $750 prize and the title of being a Big Brother champion.
Speaking about her big win, she said: “I was strategic, I was social, I was skillful. I won when I wanted to, not when I had to.
“If you look at my game, it’s not one-sided, it’s a diamond. If you look at it from multiple perspectives, you can say, ‘That is beautiful.’”
Chelsie went into more detail about winning Big Brother, when she spoke to Parade.
She told the outlet: “I am winning right now in so many ways. Not only have I won Big Brother, I get to see other people! I am winning right now.
My goal was to get past Week One. I didn’t think that I would win this game and have the statistics that I did.
Chelsie Baham
“This has been a dream of mine.
“And to not only be on the show, but to make it all the way and play a really great game, I’m just proud, and I’m shocked just as much as anybody else.”
Speaking about her game plan she added: “I came into this show as a microchip because I didn’t follow the directions!
“My goal was to get past Week One. I didn’t think that I would win this game and have the statistics that I did.
“I am grateful. I am shocked hearing those stats.
Chelsie said she enjoyed her time in the famous house[/caption]
Chelsie is also an Instagram star[/caption]
“I was just trying to be smart in the game. I didn’t even know there were people who kept statistics of Big Brother.”
Chelsie continued: “But as a fan of this show, as somebody who has respected the game so much, it is an honor to get this far and not only survive Big Brother, but as you speak and share these stats, I did thrive.
“And that’s pretty cool.”
Becoming a social media star
Since being in the Big Brother house, Chelsie’s Instagram account has blown up.
As of October 2024, she has almost 30K followers on her popular handle @chelsiebaham.
Her Big Brother journey has been documented on there by the person she put in charge to run her account during her time on the show.
The rest of Chelsie’s grid is filled with pics of her before going into the famous compound.
MEET THE SEASON 26 HOUSEGUESTS
Here are the 16 houseguests announced for Season 26.
- Angela Murray – Age: 50 Hometown: Long Beach, Calif. Current City: Syracuse, Utah Occupation: Real estate agent.
- Quinn Martin – Age: 25 Hometown: Lawton, Okla. Current City: Omaha, Neb. Occupation: Nurse recruiter
- Leah Peters – Age: 26 Hometown: Pittsburgh Current City: Miami. Occupation: VIP cocktail server.
- Tucker Des Laruriers – Age: 30 Hometown: Boston Current City: Brooklyn. Occupation: Marketing and sales executive
- Kenny Kelley – Age: 52 Hometown: Boston. Occupation: Former undercover cop
- Lisa Weintraub – Age: 33 Hometown: Los Angeles. Occupation: Celebrity chef.
- Kimo Apaka – Age: 35 Hometown: Hilo, Hawaii. Occupation: Mattress sales rep
- Makensy Manbeck – Age: 22 Hometown: Houston. Occupation: Construction project manager.
- Brooklyn Rivera – Age: 34 Hometown: Covington, Ga. Current City: Dallas. Occupation: Business administrator
- Matt Hardeman – Age: 25 Hometown: Loganville, Ga. Current City: Roswell, Ga. Occupation: Tech sales rep
- Chelsie Baham – Age: 27 Hometown: Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Occupation: Nonprofit director.
- Joseph Rodriguez – Age: 30 Hometown: Tampa, Fla. Occupation: Video store clerk.
- Cedric Hodges – Age: 21 Hometown: Running Springs, Calif. Current City: Boise, Idaho. Occupation: Former marine.
- Rubina Bernabe – Hometown: Los Angeles. Occupation: Event bartender.
- T-Kor Clottey – Age: 23 Hometown: Chicago via London. Current City: Atlanta. Occupation: Crochet business owner
- Cam Sullivan-Brown – Age: 25 Hometown: Bowie, Md. Occupation: Physical therapist (seen above)
