Big Brother housemates worry that Hallie was evicted because she is trans
Big Brother housemates Olivia and Hallie. (ITV/Big Brother)
The Big Brother house lost an iconic housemate last night, after 18-year-old Hallie was evicted by public vote.
Hallie, who came out to her housemates as a trans woman during her first week in the Big Brother house, was among three nominees up for eviction on Sunday (29 October), alongside Trish and Dylan.
When it came down to the public vote, it was Hallie who had to leave the house.
The London-based youth worker took the eviction, like everything else, in her stride, and strutted out of the house to a cheering crowd.
But her fellow castmates who remained in the house didn’t take the news as well.
Contestants like Olivia and Kerry couldn’t figure out what Hallie had done to deserve being evicted from the house and feared it might have been down to prejudice from viewers at home.
“What do you think she might have done?” a devastated Kerry, 40, asked Olivia, 23.
Olivia, who was one of Hallie’s closest friends in the house, suggested that maybe it was down to Hallie’s “kicking off” every now and again, before noting: “People can have prejudice towards certain things.
“I just think it really puts it in perspective, like, how many people sat at home and opted to use their vote to get rid of someone.”
“An 18-year-old girl”, added NHS worker Kerry, who was also particularly close with Hallie.
“I think it’s wrong on so many levels,” said Olivia.
“I’m just baffled, man. Out of the three people nominated, right? They don’t feel a specific way about two of them, but they really despise one of them.”
The Scottish dancer continued: “You don’t want to ever think that Hallie being a trans female… but there are horrible people out there.”
Some of the housemates disagreed with Olivia’s comments – particularly Jenkin and Chenelle, who countered that it was just a game.
“I don’t understand how Hallie being trans has got anything to do with the voting,” complained Jenkin.
“Everyone is from a minority, do you know what I’m saying?”
But a lot of viewers at home saw where Olivia was coming from.
“So disappointed in Jenkin & Chanelle,” read one tweet from a Big Brother viewer. “I think Olivia is just bringing up the very real & serious issue of the current state of the UK and the horror and hatred that the trans community go through! She IMO is completely right and is calling it out!”
Another fan argued: “Olivia raising a very valid point about the recent eviction and Jenkin dismissing it saying ‘we’re all from minority groups’ UM has he seen the UK media hate against trans people atm?!”
Others complained that, by voting Hallie out of the Big Brother house, the ITV reality series wouldn’t be as fun to watch.
Commenting on the official Big Brother Instagram account, one follower asked: “Why are we evicting the people that make it interesting?”
Another agreed: “The public want a boring show, I hate this.”
And a third complained: “Literally my fave, absolutely gutted she left.”
Whatever the reason for Hallie’s eviction, the 18-year-old wants you to know that she hasn’t left the house with any regrets.
In her exit interview, she said of the eviction: “I thought, ‘this is my moment. I’m going to take it and I’m going to milk it.’ I had my sunglasses on ready, looking like a diva, and I stepped out on that runway and strutted my stuff. I just let the world know that this is Hallie and I am that b***h!”
On representing the trans community in the Big Brother house, she said: “It meant a lot to me to represent my community because I feel like trans visibility is very important. I wanted to inspire and make my community proud and just show them that they can be confident and unapologetically themselves.”
Big Brother continues on ITV2 and ITVX from Sunday to Friday.
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