An interview with Erika Landin - This time it's a whole different game
In case you were not a Big Brother fan back when CBS Big Brother Season 4 came around, let me introduce you to Erika Landin. She is the beautiful Pilates Instructor who gracefully entered the Big Brother 4 house, only to have the rug pulled out from under her, when Big Brother announced the X Factor. The season 4 houseguests were told to "expect the unexpected" but no one could have ever expected that their exes would be in the house with them. Erika, ended up being trapped inside the Big Brother house with her former boyfriend Robert, "a self-proclaimed cheater whose infidelities led to the end of a two-year relationship with Erika". Despite the complication of having her ex in the house, Erika proved herself to be a strong competitor. She aligned with Jack, the FBI agent, and set off to do what she needed in order to win the $500,000. In a turn of events, that left Jun, Alison, Robert and Erika as the Final 4, Erika's past ties to Robert, along with his playing both sides against the middle with Alison and Jun, were the deciding factor in Erika departure from the Big Brother House. Join me, as Erika Landin reflects back on her struggles inside the CBS Big Brother 4 house and shares her thoughts, opinions, and hopes about the upcoming All Star season.
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I'm always nervous when I call a Big Brother houseguests. After all, I am a huge fan. I've interviewed Erika before, but those butterflies always seem to flutter around just before the call is placed. The butterflies quickly subsided when I was greeted on the other end of the telephone with a cheerful "What's up Lexie?"
After a few minutes of girl talk, I asked Erika how she was feeling about the All Star rollercoaster ride she was on. Without hesitation, she answered " I'm exhausted, I'm pleased, I'm anxious and I'm nervous." She talked about how crazy her life had been since the CBS announcement of the 20 All Star candidates. I, of course, thanked her for taking the time to stop by our forums on BigBrotherUpdates.com and share some time with her fans there.
We talked more about the week long campaign for votes and how after the voting ends on Wednesday, she'll only have two days to get her life in order, before Big Brother takes control. I asked her if she knew when they would be sequestered, she told me that "they" didn't tell them much, only that they are on a "need to know basis" and they didn't need to know that.
We talked on about campaign week, I had heard that Erika was on stage with INXS, so I asked to tell me about that experience. She said that "it was announced that she was there and they pulled up on stage." She even got to share a kiss with, JD Fortune, the 32-year-old from Toronto who had lived in his car before appearing on Rock Star: INXS and winning the spot as lead singer for INXS. Erika said the entire event was a "surreal experience". Erika also did some rollerblading on Venice Beach over the weekend handing out flyers. She said that "some people knew who she was and some didn't". I asked her how she felt about her popularity among Big Brother fans and she very graciously added that she appreciated all the support that she had been given throughout the years since Big Brother 4 and even more so now since being out of the house and being able to read what people had thought and said about her while she was inside the house. She admits that it's hard to read that some thought "she was boring, she has nothing to say, she's not a good gamer". She promises that this time around we'll see a whole different side of Erika. As she stated on CBS.com as to "Why viewers should vote for me" - she says "the last time she played Big Brother I was really thrown off my game because of the X Factor, but this time, I’m taking no prisoners!"
I asked her if she worries about going back inside the Big Brother house. She told me she really hadn't thought about it, because she had been so busy with her campaign to get back inside the house. She laughed and said it was funny that she had found that her competitive nature had taken over and she really wanted to have the "best campaign out there." She said, that "last night someone came up to her while she was at dinner and said Hello to her, added that they were voting for her - but had a question for her. "Do you really want to do this?" Erika said that was "really the first time that she had sat back and said - what am I doing? - am I really doing this again?" She went onto say that she had "vowed that if she ever had the chance to do an All Star or do it again- that she was just going to have a lot more fun this time."
She talked on about the X-factor and what a "raw deal" that was. She thinks that to this day "people don't really understand" how hard that was. She suggests: "think about your worst breakup ever" - then times that by a thousand". We talked more about how hard it was to be in the Big Brother house, playing an already stressful game, then having an ex in there with you who had put you through a "really horrible" time in your life.
I asked her again then why? Why do it all again? She said "when she was first approached, she said she would think about it, she would consider it, then said no, then she called them back said yes, she wanted to do it. She didn't want to let the opportunity pass her by.
I asked her if she would be bringing in her pink hat again this season. She laughed and said " no, they told me no more hats." She said " she never thought that a pink hat would gather so much attention. She said, in fact, the pink hat was a last minute purchase before she left for Big Brother 4, adding that it was her mother who reminded her that she might need a hat for those sunny LA days. Gotta love Mom! In fact, speaking of family, I asked her what her family thought about her returning to the house once again. She said that after she said yes, her mother was very concerned but now is very excited for her and of course her #1 fan!
We reflected back on Season 4 when the endurance HOH called the "Steel Cage Match" where Erika and her other 5 house mates had to work their way through three cages, each which is smaller than the last. The last of the three cages can only hold two houseguests. The only way to get through the cages was for two houseguests to leave each cage, leaving the final two houseguests to battle it out for Head of Household. Erika won that HOH. She said " there was no way she was getting out of that cage" she laughed and said " they would have to drag her dead body out first." We talked on about the Big Brother house and I asked Erika -" how hard is it to be in the house without and kind of communication to the outside world and does she worry about that going back in this time around?"
She said that "the worst thing in the house is the down time, the boredom".
We talked about the fact that if she does return to the Big Brother house, this will be the second time that she's not a stranger in the house. Which was the original concept of Big Brother. Wonder if we'll ever get back to that format? She talked about watching last season ( BB6) and how they were paired with friends and how different of a game that would have been for her. She said she has a long talk with Janelle at the Big Brother 6 wrap party and Janelle told her " Erika, we had such a blast." Which according to Erika was quite a different reaction than the Season 4 houseguests had after their experience.
I couldn't end the interview without asking her about the live feeds. We talked about how she was probably one of the first, along with David, who talked to the cameras and even got them to respond to her. We talked about how back then how she and many other houseguests didn't realize how many people were watching via the live feeds. I asked her if now that she knows and knows what to expect will that affect her differently? She laughed and said "oh my, now like every little move I make, I'll be oh, no, how does BigBrotherUpdates think I did? " She continued saying " it's a whole other element in the game".
As always, I suggested to her that she talk to us during the game. She said that even back in Season 4 she did try to do shout outs to websites that she liked but they (BB) would cut you off saying - stop talking to the camera." We talked about how the All Star season would be filled with houseguests trying to do shout outs and how secret codes are being created for websites just like this one! Let's hope she can get one out to us!
We chatted a little bit more about some of her possible house mates this season. She looks forward to the possibility of Howie being in the house with her and even compared him to Season 4's David, whom she and Jack had an alliance with and enjoyed his crazy antics. We both agreed that the down time wouldn't be so boring with Howie in the house for entertainment. Erika said "even if I don't get in, I hope that Howie does, because he's so much fun to watch."
We talked about not having Jack in the house with her this season. She said that in many of her interviews she had been asked that very question - "What if Jack is not in there with you?" She answered by saying, she would have loved to have him, but together they would have probably been a huge target. She went onto say that she thinks this season will be fun - there are a lot of different age groups there, it's a good mix".
I asked Erika if there was anything else she'd like to say to her fans she wanted me to add that she's very thankful and appreciative of everyone who has supported her for the past 3 years. She sincerely grateful for all of you and your response to her.
She looks forward to stopping by our forums again before she's carted off to unknown destinations. And, she's agreed to come back for an "after the Big Brother House" interview, or if sadly she doesn't make it in, she promises she'll be watching and checking in to give her thoughts on what's happening inside the Big Brother 7 house.
It was truly my pleasure to talk to Erika, she was delightful. She's kind, she's strong, and she's more than ready to play the game once again. Vote her in!
It's not too late - head over to CBS.com and cast your vote for Erika!
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