It’s a comedic situation as old as time: Someone walks into a situation with no knowledge of what they’re getting themselves into, and hijinks ensue as they learn on the fly. Unfortunately, the ending to Chris Kattan’s story on Celebrity Big Brother 3 was far from hilarious. He navigated the game–and the house–in the dark, often surprised at the gameplay playing out in front of him. But simultaneously, emotional stress was mounting, culminating in him leaving the house unexpectedly. Throughout his 17-day stay, Chris navigated the game–and the house–in the dark. He admits he wasn’t much of a player going in but hoped to win people over with his comedy and personality. He seemed to do just that, as everyone loved him for his jokes as much as he loved some night cake. Unfortunately, that did not translate to much power in the game. He was a nomination possibility multiple times due to being an easy person to throw up. The one eviction he faced, he asked the house to vote him out and spare Mirai Nagasu, who he felt had more of a desire to play than him. But even that attempt at a move proved unsuccessful, as he didn’t even get a vote against him. The pressure of being in the house mounted in the days that followed. Eventually, he decided 17 nights at the BB Roxbury were enough, and he elected to leave the game. Now out of the house, Chris talks with Parade.com about what led to his departure, why he was so surprised by some of the gameplay in the house, and his pitch to do a baking show with Carson Kressley. Those of us that watch the feeds know you were not in a great headspace in your last couple of days in the house. But we were surprised to see the feeds come back, and all of a sudden, you weren’t there. Was there an inciting incident that led you to ultimately leave the game? It was a difficult thing being cut off from the outside world, having no communication whatsoever. And having cameras on you 24/7 with microphones, you cannot express yourself and tell your true emotions without it being on film and live on television for millions to watch. But I want to be clear; it was about my family. I missed my family; I missed my loved ones. And there was a family thing going on. My stepfather’s not doing so well. And the fact that I couldn’t communicate with them was difficult. I know those are the rules of the game, and I did sign up for that. But I’m grateful that he’s doing well now. He’s 94, which is an age that’s amazing to get to. But at the same time, he needs a lot of care. He lives up in Seattle. So it was good to know he’s doing alright. If I was able to contact them inside the house and know that, I would still be on Celebrity Big Brother. But that’s part of the game. Despite leaving so quickly, what did you make of your time in the house overall? I think there’s a way to have a lot of fun on the show. And I did have a lot of fun on the show! Some of the hardest laughs I’ve ever had in my entire life were in there, mostly because of Carson and his cake. I never knew I liked it so much at 3 a.m.! (Laughs.) But I came out with such great friendship and so much love for people like Cynthia, Carson, Lamar, and Todrick. I can’t wait to see them when they’re out. There’s nothing better than having friends like that. We really bonded, and we really got close. I wanted to end on a high note, with self-respect and self-love and some class, and I did. Well, on that note, let’s talk about when you asked the house to vote you out instead of Mirai. What led you to make that pitch on eviction night? Mirai became a friend. I saw how much she wanted to stay really badly. She was having a difficult time bonding with everybody in the house, whereas I did not for whatever reason. And I’m grateful for it; it’s nice that they felt that way. But they really wanted me to stay. They were like, “You’re not going anywhere.” And I liked that. Yet I really needed to go! (Laughs.) So instead of doing me a favor, they did themselves a favor and kept me in and voted Mirai out! (Laughs.) You were perhaps the most surprised at both nomination ceremonies during your time at the house. What made you so shocked at what was playing out, especially with your nomination at the hands of Chris Kirkpatrick? So it’s not like I didn’t understand the game. I just didn’t understand why I was a pawn. Was I a pawn? Chris’s reason for me being on the block was because we never talked the game with him, whatever the hell that meant. That was confusing to me. My first thoughts were, “Chris, you’re either an idiot or an a-hole.” (Laughs.) But I was a little confused by that. And then when Carson got nominated, I was confused with that! Because those are two cool people nominated, and I included myself in that. (Laughs.) But clearly, people have done nothing wrong. Why would Carson, of all people, be put on the block? That makes no sense! Then I realized maybe there’s something more to these games. Maybe there’s a “pawnmanship.” Maybe there is strategy. And that’s the part that’s a little bit gross to me, that kind of cutthroat stuff. Ultimately, did you learn anything about yourself during your time on Celebrity Big Brother? Being cut off from the outside world for that amount of time isn’t necessarily the easiest thing to do. We were also in quarantine for eight days previous to that, so that didn’t help either. I also think having a loved one on the outside is important. My love for Maria, my girlfriend, is very strong right now, and having that support on the outside means a lot to me. Speaking of support, I don’t know if you’ve been able to see, but the Big Brother fan community has sent a lot of positive words your way over the past couple of weeks! Oh, that’s great! Yeah, I saw the cake memes when I got out. I had no idea I was the cake guy, the cake thief! (Laughs.) Hopefully, Carson and I will have a baking show. Why not? Next, check out interview with Chris Kirkpatrick, who was evicted from Celebrity Big Brother 3 on Day 17.
