Mallory Aurichio is the latest houseguest to be sent packing in ‘Big Brother 28’
Credit: CBS
NEED TO KNOW
- Big Brother 28 has said goodbye to its resident rocket scientist
- Mallory Aurichio’s fellow houseguests voted her out on Thursday, Aug. 27 in a 6-2 vote
- “I think it made me a little bit more of a strategic, logical thinker,” she tells PEOPLE of how her profession helped her in the game
Big Brother isn’t rocket science, but apparently there’s some overlap.
Mallory Aurichio, Big Brother 28’s resident rocket scientist, is the latest houseguest to be evicted after a 6-2 vote sent her packing on Thursday, Aug. 27. And while she says some aspects didn’t end up benefitting her “super well,” she tells PEOPLE her profession did come in handy during her summer spent in television isolation.
“Some things I felt prepared for were performing under pressure and handling stress. Not that I think I remained calm, cool and collected, but just in school and hard classes and stuff like that, I knew I was equipped to handle stressful things and that I would get through it,” Aurichio, 24, says. “And then it helped with the pipe queen competition. I think it made me a little bit more of a strategic, logical thinker.”
Credit: Matthew Taplinger/CBS
That logical thinking made her more aware of the competitors who were targeting her and her alliance, Aurichio says, specifically this season’s three returning reality icons: Big Brother’s Angela Murray and Survivor stars Rick Devens and Dee Valladares. “Not that it ended up benefiting me super well, but I had a feeling that the icons were going to come for F.A.P. sooner rather than later, just because logically, that would make sense.”
While Aurichio’s game ended on Thursday after she was thrown on the chopping block by Valladares, she managed to keep one big secret throughout the season. Her fellow houseguests were unaware of her profession, with the exception of (maybe) Lyric Medeiros.
“I’m sure Lyric already knows, and she was onto me. She was like, ‘I know you’re some type of engineer.’ I’d be like, ‘What?’ But I am excited [to tell them],” Aurichio says. “Nobody’s going to expect it at all. I guess Lyric kind of did, but at least Melody [Morris], Drew [Campbell], and Barrett [Pfeiffer], they’re not going to expect it, I don’t think.”
Aurichio’s eviction was a product of circumstance. While she was targeted by the reality returnees, who made it clear they wanted her gone, she also formulated a plan with fellow houseguests Morris and Pfeiffer to send Campbell packing if he was sitting next to her. Unfortunately for Aurichio, Campbell won the last-minute blockbuster competition, securing his safety and sealing her fate.
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If things had gone the other way and Campbell was sitting next to her, though, Aurichio says he would’ve been the one walking out the front door. “I think he would’ve gone home,” she says, pointing to his allegiance to the reality icons. “…We kind of started to see Drew as icon junior, and we already have three icons running it. We don’t need someone doing their dirty work for them, so I really think it would’ve happened.”
But does Aurichio think her former costars have what it takes to take a shot at the three TV returnees running the show? “I’m confident it’s going to happen eventually,” she says.
“I think it depends who wins the next HOH or whatever, but I think Barrett is mad at them. Melody’s mad at them. Yash [Patel] is, but I know he’s not going to put them up, but Taylor [Brown] and Lala [Verrett] too are mad. I want Barrett to win this next HOH and put them all up and make them regret what they did.”
Credit: CBS
Moving forward, Aurichio is leaving the Big Brother house knowing that she was the first fan-voted newbie to win a chance at a power this season, which she calls “really awesome.” She also knows she’s made a lifelong friend in Morris. The pair, who were literally tied together during a punishment this summer, are ending their time on TV together with future plans to hang out, Aurichio teases.
“We’re going to be friends forever and I’m going to miss her a lot,” Aurichio says. “We have a trip planned, because I’m trying to go to all 50 states. We want to go to [Colorado] and Wyoming, and she wants to come with me. She’s never been to New Jersey or New York City, so it’s going to be awesome to see her again. Next time I see her, it’ll probably be finale night and that’s going to be awesome.”
Big Brother airs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, with Big Brother: Unlocked airing Fridays at 8 p.m. Episodes stream the next day on Paramount+.
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