BB28 Week 1 Exit Interview

Summary

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RHAP: We Know Big Brother — BB28 Week 1 Exit Interview with Ashley

Date: July 17, 2026
Hosts: Rob Cesternino, Taran Armstrong
Guest: Ashley (week 1 evictee, Big Brother 28)

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Episode Overview

Rob Cesternino and Taran Armstrong conduct the season's first Big Brother 28 exit interview with Ashley, the first houseguest evicted this season. The episode delves into Ashley's perspective on her eviction, her social strategies (and missteps), and the house dynamics that led to her exit. Along the way, the discussion touches on Ashley's quirky food habits, her experience as a BB superfan, and her picks for who might win it all.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

How Surprising Was the Eviction?

• Ashley describes the mood leading up to eviction night:
  “I kind of felt like I had a little bit momentum going... but at the same time, I knew that Taylor had the numbers.” ([01:10])
• She acknowledges she realized her fate when she heard about a "miss vote," causing her heart to sink.

The Murky Advice and Confused Plans

• Taran notes the late-night scramble:
  Drew, Barrett, and D switched to keeping Ashley, but their advice was “a little murky.” ([01:32])
• Ashley’s response on grasping at any support:
  “I was so desperate to have anybody on my side ... Whatever they say, like, should I just do. I feel like maybe and in my everyday life, like I am not a dramaster.” ([01:53])
• She admits she probably should have second-guessed rather than acting immediately on advice from her “newfound posse.”

The Shift: Where Did it Go Wrong?

• Rob asks about the vibe shift:
  Did Ashley notice a change after she started spreading the idea she had the numbers? ([02:44])
• Ashley explains:
  “I thought this is what you wanted. So I think it all went wrong whenever I spoke to Melody ... She was just a little too on the fence and she was on the other side.” ([02:56])
• Ashley analyses her mistake:
  Giving names to Melody, rather than speaking about “the other side” in more general terms, “turned it into less...It was just a little drama.”

The House’s Alliances & How the Plan Exploded

• Taran breaks down the hidden alliances:
  • “The big alliance is the Crossovers alliance, which is the three vets with Drew and Barrett, secret alliance. They're working with Kamu, Chuck and Haley as the Red Corner alliance.” ([03:42])
  • Both groups fleetingly come together to save Ashley — but panic when word spreads.
• Taran summarizes the group’s reaction:
  “It got out that you were saying their names, so they panicked and they were like, in order to keep our cover, we need to send Ashley home.”

Regret or Acceptance?

• Ashley reflects on the chaos:
  “For all of it to just go down next week anyways. I just was the one that, like, planted the bomb.” ([05:23])
• Did Ashley regret how she handled things?
  “No regrets ... if they wouldn't have thought of that plan and tried to be on my side anyways, I probably wouldn't have been able to get the votes.” ([06:33])

Notable Game Relationships: Melody, Lyric, and Mallory

• Ashley’s attempts to warn Melody:
  “I just wanted her to be with me and be with us of what my group would have been. So it’s just so crazy that she ended up being my downfall.” ([05:41])
• Taran on the house response:
  Lyric and Mallory also ratted out Ashley’s pitch, but Melody did so with the most urgency. ([06:14])

Ashley’s Food Adventures in the BB House

• Rob asks about Ashley’s infamous lack of food experience:
  “You had never had a burger and you had your first burger in the house ... you had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Are there any other foods you have waited until this point in your life to try?” ([07:11])
• Ashley’s candid admission:
  “If you name it, I probably haven’t had it. ...I need to get on my vegetable grind ... I’ve never had a tomato. I’ve never had mustard.” ([07:31])
• On her first PBJ:
  “I have never tried an official peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However... I tried an uncrustable. So it's almost like a little baby step, like a little nudge of what I'm missing.” ([08:31])
• Review of her first-ever burger:
  “It wasn't the best thing ever, but it was really good. ...I can see where they're coming from about burgers these days.” ([08:59])

Who Ashley Will Miss (or Not)

• Rob on FOMO:
  “Is there anybody from the house that you’re not going to miss the rest of the summer?” ([09:33])
• Ashley’s sunny answer:
  “I really was just annoyed by anybody at all, really. I think that it’s kind of sunshine and rainbows for who I was hanging with.” ([09:44])

Winner Picks: Who Could Go All the Way?

• Taran asks for Ashley's picks:
  “Who’s your pick to win? Who do you want to win? Who do you think will win?” ([09:52])
• Ashley’s answer:
  • Wants: “Angela” — “Kind of obsessed with her these days.”
  • Thinks could win: “D could win or Devin’s could win. Like, really, they’re just skilled professionals and they might take over the newbies.” ([09:57])

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Memorable Quotes

• “I just was the one that, like, planted the bomb.”
  — Ashley on her role as the catalyst for Week 1’s chaos ([05:23])

• "If you name it, I probably haven’t had it... I need to get on my vegetable grind."
  — Ashley on her notoriously picky eating ([07:31])

• “I would have never even thought of that plan. So the fact that it was like, I. Sorry, I'll give myself the lack of knowledge of creds. I would never even thought of that. So I genuinely, like, I was being a little puppeteer mastered.”
  — Ashley reflecting on her eviction and being swayed by others ([06:33])

• “It wasn’t the best thing ever, but it was really good. And I can see where they're coming from about burgers these days.”
  — Ashley on trying her first burger ([08:59])

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Timestamps for Key Moments

• [01:10] Ashley on eviction surprise
• [01:32 – 02:44] Discussing late-game scrambling & advice confusion
• [02:44 – 03:42] Vibe shift and the “Melody mistake”
• [03:42 – 04:30] Taran explains secret alliances and chaos
• [05:15 – 06:33] Regrets and the plan fallout
• [07:11 – 09:33] Ashley’s food journey, including burgers and PBJ
• [09:44 – 10:11] Who Ashley will miss and her winner picks

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Final Thoughts

This exit interview gives insight into how quickly Big Brother can turn on even the most earnest houseguests, especially when trust and paranoia run high. Ashley’s blend of openness, strategic inexperience, and unique personality made her a standout despite an early boot — and set the stage for a season likely to be filled with shifting alliances and dramatic blindsides.

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Transcript

[Ashley]

Foreign.

[Rob Cisterno]

What's going on? Rob Cisterno back here for our first big brother exit interview of the season. And last night we saw Ashley evicted from the big brother house. And this morning she joins Taryn and I to talk about her experience with. We will, as we have for many years, have exit interviews here with the pre jury of Big Brother 28. So look for those here on Friday and because we talked to the evicted house guest around 11:50, Taryn is going to join me for this and then hop on to the big brother live feed update and it'll be a doozy. And those will be at noon eastern on Fridays. So just be on the lookout for that Saturday schedule wise. And without further ado, let's bring in Ashley. Hey, Ashley, what's going on? It's Rob and Taryn from rhap. Very sad to see what happened to you last night. How big of a surprise was this for you?

[Ashley]

You know what, it really was teetering both ways. I kind of felt like I had a little bit momentum going, a little bit of a, hey, this could pull through. But at the same time, I knew that Taylor had the numbers. And so whenever I was put up against her and I heard that you miss vote, yeah, one of my heart sunk. I knew it was to me, to my demise.

[Taryn]

There was a lot going on on Wednesday night where ultimately, you know, Drew and Barrett and D were trying to give you advice because at this point they had come around to the idea of keeping you. Their advice was a little murky.

[Rob Cisterno]

What.

[Taryn]

What did you take from what they were telling you to do?

[Ashley]

You know, I was so desperate to have anybody on my side. I was like, wow, perfect. Like my people I've been searching for and they're coming to me right now and confiding all of this great knowledge. And I was like, okay, you know what, Whatever they say, like, should I just do. I feel like maybe and in my everyday life, like I am not a dramaster. I think in the house even I would have never just thought of a grand scheme of a plan. So whenever they were telling me this instead of just taking it full and I was so desperate to just grasp on anybody that wanted me, obviously some like fighting for my life on the block too, that I just, I didn't even second guess it. And they were like, go, go, go, Ashley, honestly, stop wasting your time on us and go. I said, my gosh, they're right. And so I should have just given it a bit more of a second maybe instead of just being like, okay, this is what my newfound posse wants me to do, and I'm just. I'm less drama even that. So I just maybe should have given it a second guess.

[Rob Cisterno]

Did you notice a vibe shift on Wednesday after you had started telling people that you had the numbers to when the group that was going to save you started to panic?

[Ashley]

Funny you say that, because I was like, was it just me? That feels really weird, intense, because I'm on the block. But all of a sudden, I mean, I felt like I was doing good. I was like, okay, I talked to the other side. I talked to Chase and I talked to Taylor. Like, they're sweating. We want them to sweat. But then all of a sudden, whenever my side's sweating, I'm like, wait, why is this occurring, guys? I thought this is what you wanted. So I think it all went wrong whenever I spoke to Melody because it's like she was on the fence anyways. Yes, we knew, but we wanted to talk to the on the fence people to make them feel like they were, you know, out of the loop and to be on our side. So I think she was just a little too on the fence and she was on the other side. She. She wasn't hopping over. So I think that's where I went wrong because she kind of turned it into less of a. Like, more. It was just a little drama.

[Taryn]

The signals kind of got crossed, I think, in terms of what they were trying to tell you because basically, if you haven't been told already, the. The big alliance is the crossovers alliance, which is the three vets with drew and Barrett, secret alliance. They're working with Kamu, Chuck and Haley as the red corner alliance. And so that. That's the group. That's all of the people that wanted to vote to keep you came together. They were two separate alliances, but they kind of came together to keep you. Same night they came together was the same night they were wanting. They were telling you all this stuff. And then morning, all of a sudden they're hearing all of their names put together and like, how. How does everybody know? And it got out that you were saying their names, so they panicked and they were like, in order to keep our cover, we need to send Ashley home.

[Ashley]

Right. And so unfortunately, that is where it all struck into chaos is whenever I told Melody the names, however, I didn't think saying the names at the time would be such a bad thing just because, I mean, their names would have been implied anyways if I would have just not named them as the other side of the house. I mean, if you just subtract Melody and her two girls and then Rome, Lala and Jason, it's like, yes. I didn't say their names, but it's like, it is other side of the house. I thought that if anything, it would have just confirmed to her even more so, like, okay, like, she just needed to see the votes physically on a finger with names. So I hate that it was such a drama fest that they found out that their names are being said, but I feel like it would have just been implied anyways if I would have been like, other side of the house. So I should have just said other side.

[Taryn]

It's worse too, because Devin's won the HOH and he's planning to basically just like, draw lines in the sand anyway.

[Rob Cisterno]

Yeah. Right.

[Ashley]

So it's like, for all of it to just go down next week anyways. I just was the one that, like, planted the bomb.

[Taryn]

Yeah.

[Rob Cisterno]

You seem like that you were really trying to look out for Melody in particular and try to get her on the right side of the vote and she really took that as like, oh, now, now we really need to get rid of Ashley.

[Ashley]

I know. I really hate that. I really was just trying to confide in her so much and I would be like, uh, oh, Melody, you better watch out. People are seeing you with your trio. And even she accidentally mentioned one day in the dining room, we were all chatting and she just so happened to slip out and say, like, oh, yeah, like, I'm just kind of in a trio with Lyric and Mallory. And I was like, girl, you better watch out. You know, people are eyeing you. And I just wanted her to be with me and be with us of what my group would have been. So it's just so crazy that she ended up being my downfall.

[Taryn]

Yeah. I mean, to be fair, Taylor, Mallory and Lyric, or Lyric, at least not Mallory as much. They all also ratted out what you were telling them. They just had less urgency than. Than Melody did. Melody front to Drew right away, like, are you playing me? Are you with that side? And so Drew was like, what are you talking about?

[Ashley]

Right, Right. No regrets. Regrets you have? No. Because, yeah. Like, the thing is, at the end of the day, guys, I would have never even thought of that plan. So the fact that it was like, I. Sorry, I'll give myself the lack of knowledge of creds. I would never even thought of that. So I genuinely, like, I was being a little puppeteer mastered. And yeah, it's almost like the people that had me really did end up just being like, let's kick her out anyways. But you know what? It really was a final plea because if they wouldn't have thought of that plan and tried to be on my side anyways, I probably wouldn't have been able to get the votes.

[Rob Cisterno]

So now, Ashley, we heard in the house that you had never had a burger and you had your first burger in the house. We had also heard that recently you said that you had never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Are there any other foods that you have waited until this point in your life to try for the first time?

[Ashley]

Oh, my gosh. An immense amount. It's because whenever I was a little girl, I was just a little picky eater, little spoiled brat. You know, my parents gave me everything, which I'm also very grateful for. However, they gave me fear. They instilled fear a bit because it's like I was getting so used to just eating a Milky Way for dinner and like a little side of Kraft Mac and cheese. So whenever it comes to my adult everyday life now, I'm like, okay, let me just stick to what I know. And I, like, I live alone. Like, it doesn't really matter. People. People see me putting together these weird combinations and just like eating a little bit under my age range. So I mean, yeah, like, if you name it, I probably haven't had it. Like, I need to get on my vegetable grind. I need to get on like, simply even peas. I mean, enough these though, however. But yeah, like, even just example of like condiments and ingredients to put on a burger. I've never had a tomato. I've never had mustard. So it's like I always fear every day, like, am I going to put something in my mouth that I try one day and I'm like, allergic.

[Taryn]

Have you tried a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at this point? Because I feel like that was the most big brother appropriate food to have tried in the house.

[Ashley]

Shocking, right? I know. It'd be like the late night snack comfort food. So I have never tried an official peanut butter and jelly sandwich. However, not just a few months ago, it was. I tried an uncrustable. So it's almost like a little baby step. Like a little nudge of what I'm missing.

[Rob Cisterno]

Yeah. An unofficial peanut butter and jelly.

[Ashley]

Yes. It's almost like a tease. It's like, come on, like, let's just try the real thing.

[Rob Cisterno]

Yeah. How was the.

[Taryn]

How was the burger that you tried in the house? Was it really? Because it didn't look that great. I'm not gonna lie, honestly.

[Ashley]

For a first time ever burger. If I, like, waited this long, you think it would have been a little bit more appealing and attractive? It was like, honestly to the point too, where I was fearful because I was like, okay, I've never even had, like a little bit of pinkish beef before. Yes. I like, get my steak, like medium well. There's little pink, but like, for like a beefy little ground meat thing to have some red in it. I was already a little intimidated. So biting into it, I didn't want to show too much fear because it's already like, whoa, girl. It's a burger that calm down. Like, you're not going into war. It wasn't the best thing ever, but it was really good. It was really good. And I can see where they're coming from about burgers these days.

[Rob Cisterno]

Ashley, you said you were going to have a lot of FOMO leaving the house, but is there anybody from the house that you're not going to miss the rest of the summer?

[Ashley]

I really was just annoyed by anybody at all, really. I think that it's kind of sunshine and rainbows for who I was hanging with.

[Taryn]

Who's your pick to win? Who do you. Who do you want to win? Who do you think will win?

[Ashley]

I want Angela to win, of course. Kind of obsessed with her these days. But I think that, I mean, playing on top of that, I think D could win or Devin's could win. Like, really, they're just skilled professionals and they might take over the newbies.

[Rob Cisterno]

Looking good, Tara. Anything else for Ashley?

[Taryn]

I think that's it.

[Rob Cisterno]

Yeah. Ashley, you were a lot of fun to watch in the house. We can't wait to see what you do or say now that you're out of the house. So thankfully, you'll be spending the rest of the summer with us.

[Ashley]

Yes, of course. It was so good talking to you guys.

[Rob Cisterno]

Great to talk to you too. And all the best out of the house. Okay.

[Ashley]

Okay. Perfect. Yes. Have a good day. Thank you.

[Rob Cisterno]

Thanks. You too, Ashley. Bye. All right, everybody, there you have it. Ashley seems like a very fun person to have been cast on the show. A quirky character that we didn't get to see as much of as it would have been fun to have seen over the course of the season. But the good news is we're gonna see her do all sorts of things outside the house now, and that'll be all the more fun as we continue to follow what should be a wild week in the big brother house. Of course, Taran has live feed update coming up on Friday and then I will be doing a Big Brother Q and A on Friday afternoon at 3pm Eastern for the patrons of Rob is a podcast. Then also I'll be on the coverage Sunday night as we take a look at what happens as we learn the nominations for this week on the episode and watch the HOH competition play out. Thank you for for being here with us so far to a fun start to big brother 28. Take care everybody. Have a good one.

[Taryn]

Bye.