Matt Klotz is a name that Big Brother fans will never ever forget.
Competing on Big Brother 25 for a total of 100 days — with his journey coming to a close on finale night (November 9), falling short to his Minutemen Alliance partner Jag Bains in a 5 to 2 jury vote — Matt made history as the first deaf individual to compete on the beloved competition series. How impressive is that?
Not only did the 27-year-old compete on the hit competition show, but he thrived, having a social game that was truly unmatched (only being nominated for eviction one time by Bowie Jane), as well as a few competition wins under his belt.
Playing a phenomenal social game, Big Brother fans were blown away time and time again with how the Deaflympic swimmer was able to build such strong bonds in a house full of whispers, having admitted on numerous occasions that they are impossible for him to decipher.
In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly after the season had come to a close, Matt reflected on his time in the Big Brother house (also known as Sound Stage 18 at CBS Studios in Los Angeles), with an emphasis on the challenges he faced being deaf.
Within the interview, reporter Dalton Ross asked, “How difficult was it for you being deaf in that house since Big Brother is often a game played in whispers?”
Naturally, Matt admitted that “it was a big challenge,” prior to diving into how he was able to overcome his disability during his time on Big Brother 25.
“Obviously, the first half was the hardest part,” he prefaced, explaining that the dynamic of the Big Brother house definitely took some getting used to. “The last half got easier when the house got smaller, less people, easier to talk one-on-one with some people.”
“Something I couldn’t do was be in group conversation when it’s whispering in a room. That was an impossible feat for me, and I tried to maneuver around that. That was kind of what most people saw,” Matt revealed, before diving into one aspect of his game that a majority of viewers at home were unaware of.
The California native decided to live in the Have-Not room, stylized as the Humili-Verse room for Big Brother 25. Have-Not room is known for being undesirable (to say the least), with this season’s iteration consisting of beds that looked like hot dogs, blocks of cheese, and more.
While nobody would willingly choose to sleep in the Have-Not room, Matt revealed that it was his escape, allowing him to have one-on-one conversations with his fellow houseguests, ultimately building genuine connections and contributing to his exceptional social game.
“I spent the whole season basically in the Have-Not room, because that was my way of getting away, pulling in people one-on-one, actually having a normal conversation without having to hear whispers, because whispers definitely pissed me off,” he dished. “I found a way to get through, I found a way to push through and make it work, and adapt to the situation, and I think that’s why I got to day 100, because there were a lot of things against me.”
Despite failing to take home the $750,000 cash prize in the end, Matt definitely made history within the franchise, and his legacy will never be forgotten.
To watch Matt Klotz’s journey on Big Brother 25 from start to finish, fans of the beloved competition series can stream the entire season on Paramount Plus now.
