By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
It is a pleasure to welcome Reality TV star JC Mounduix to Jake’s Take.
JC became a public figure when he entered the Big Brother houselast year during the CBS summer reality TV show’s twentieth anniversary season. Eventually, he made it to the final four with fellow houseguests Kaycee Clark, Tyler Crispen, and Angela Rummans. He won the second to last Head of Household competition that sent Angela out of the game and solidifying his position in the Season 20 Final Three with Kaycee and Tyler.
After spending 99 days and placing third, JC began a new chapter in his professional career. He started an online series with AfterBuzz TV called Big Brother Small World, where he has conversations with Big Brother alumni.
I had the opportunity to meet JC in person when he was in New York City doing a press tour for Big Brother during the show’s premiere week. In this edition of A Conversation, JC opened up about the lessons he learned during his time in the Big Brother house, if he did any preparation for his exclusive conversation with casting director Robyn Kass, and talked about a potential venture into stand-up comedy.
Jacob Elyachar: When did you want to become an entertainer? How did that passion evolve into the desire to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
JC Mounduix: It all started when I graduated from college. Initially, I applied for graduate school and got accepted. However, I asked myself: “Do I want a 9-to-5 job?” I have a lot of ideas in my head, plus I cannot sit still. I needed something to spice up my life. Then, I lived in Miami, where I had so many friends who were event planners, dancers and others who worked in the entertainment industry. I decided to go for it, and I began to get involved in the industry as both a dancer and an event planner. It worked for me and job offers rained over me. I worked a lot and became successful.
Jacob Elyachar: It has been one year since you left the Big Brother house? How have you grown as a person since you left the house?
JC Mounduix: I have definitely grown a lot since leaving the Big Brother house. This experience has been the most personal growth that I have experienced in my entire life. Before Big Brother, I was not a public figure, and I never appeared on a national television show. Right now, I feel like need to be a bit more responsible, represent more, and if I can be an example for some people, then I will do it. It is not the same when you are not in the public eye. Right now, I feel like I have so many people behind me. The Big Brother experience has also taught me a lot about to respect other people’s feelings and how words can hurt. I think I became more respectful as well; that’s how I see it.
Jacob Elyachar: Together, you, Kaycee Clark, Tyler Crispen, and Angela Rummans formed the Big Brother: Season 20 Final Four. I cannot not remember a closer knit Final Four in show history. In your humble opinion, how have all four of you remain close one year later whereas viewers saw other Final Four friendships collapse once they left the show?
JC Mounduix: I do not know if this made it to television or to the Big Brother live feeds, but we agreed on that we were there to play and once we finished the game, we could move on from that, and all be friends and love each other. That’s what we did! We played the game that had half a million dollars on the line so we were coming for a TV and the producers put us there to do something, a job. We did the job, which was playing the game and then after that we were smart enough to move on and continue with our life. The four of us happen to be great friends, and we hang out like all the time. Tyler, Angela, and I went to cheer on Kaycee at one of her football games.
Jacob Elyachar: What have been some of the challenges that you faced once you left the Big Brother house? How did you overcome those obstacles?
JC Mounduix: One of the worst things that I dealt with since I left the Big Brother house is online hate. I am not the only one that is dealing with it. Every single one of us (the Big Brother 20 houseguests) have gotten so many DMs and nasty comments that I do not think they realize that they see us on TV, we are human too! I want to give you an example. When you post a photo of yourself, and you get this one person saying: “Oh, you look nasty. I hate you. I hope you die.” You feel bad. However, imagine getting 100 messages like that per hour. I have also found them in my e-mail. When I do not check social media, I have to check my e-mail, because that deals with my professional life. It was frustrating to see them when I log into my account. It was crazy that I deal with that, but fortunately, I had people in the industry around me who have been advising me and have excellent friends and its worked. Right now, I am over the online hate!
Jacob Elyachar: Let’s talk about your AfterBuzz TV online series: Big Brother Small World. Could you describe your show to my readers?
JC Mounduix: Big Brother Small World is my podcast that is broadcasted on AfterBuzz TV and also posted on YouTube. The podcast does not focus on Big Brother game talk; it is a one-on-one talk between the Big Brother alums and me. My show focuses on them as people, not just houseguests or characters that you see on television. What makes Big Brother Small World stand out is that we discuss topics that you do not hear us talk about generally on TV. For instance, we speak about dealing with being famous and dealing with hateful and crazy fans. The show allows us to showcase our personal lives to the fans. I am glad to have a platform to speak about these topics. Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to Robyn Kass.
Jacob Elyachar: I am glad that you brought up your conversation with Big Brother casting director Robyn Kass. She rarely gives interviews.
JC Mounduix: Yes, she rarely speaks with the press. I was very lucky!
Jacob Elyachar: I loved that interview, JC. How did you prepare for that conversation with her?
JC Mounduix: I am glad that you liked the interview because I did not prepare for that conversation. One of the things that I try to do when I host Big Brother Small World is to just go with the flow. I did not write down any questions or have something to follow. I grabbed a list of questions from fans and then depending on what the person is saying, then I go with the flow and have a fluid conversation. There is no preparation for any of the interviews. That is why it seems so natural. We are having fun, and it is just a 30-minute conversation that happens to be recorded.
Jacob Elyachar: Let’s talk about Big Brother 21. Did you see the pre-interviews from both Jeff Schroder and Ika Wong? Have any of the houseguests stand out to you?
JC Mounduix: I have not seen any of the interviews. I am promoting the show’s new season. I have met the press, traveled, and attended a lot of meet and greets. However, I saw their houseguests’ photos and read their biographies. I also saw several clips that fans put together about the houseguests, and watched the Season 21 premiere. I am just going to wait until I see more episodes or watch the Live Feeds until I make a decision.
Jacob Elyachar: During several episodes of Big Brother Small World and on your social media accounts, you mentioned that you started working on stand-up comedy material and performed several jokes at a club. Do you think that you want to continue to pursue stand-up?
JC Mounduix: I have plans to continue doing stand-up comedy. I had the opportunity to perform at this huge place in West Hollywood called the Laugh Factory. A lot of celebrities attend and perform at The Laugh Factory. I shared a few jokes for my friends who were there to support me. It was a fun night. I believe that my friends had a great time and they loved it, but I needed more time to prepare. When I engage in something, I want it to be perfect. I am probably going to work a little bit more when I have a little bit more time and see how that goes. My life philosophy is pretty much about going with the flow. I do not like making plans, but I liked and enjoying stand-up, I am just looking for the right time to see if I can make it prosper.
Jacob Elyachar: If you had the opportunity to meet with people who want to audition for future Big Brother seasons, what advice would you share with them?
JC Mounduix: First of all, do not be super extra in the casting interviews. Just be yourself. If you have something to tell them (the casting producers), tell them! If you are having second thoughts, then do not go to the casting session. If you make it inside the Big Brother house, I am not going to sugarcoat this, but if you want to play hard, you have higher chances of being hated and receive hate online after you get out of the house. When you play Big Brother, you are going to betray a lot of people and talk badly about them. People are going to see you doing that, and some fans do not even understand your actions. But, if you want to be liked and loved and play that way, you are going to have a lot of fans when you get out of there. You also need to remember that the producers are always watching. They brought you inside the house, and you need to treat it like a job. The fans are going to love you, but you will not have that many chances at getting back into the house or working on anything related like that. They will not give you that trust, I believe. That’s just my personal opinion.
You can listen to JC’s Big Brother Small World podcast by visiting the show’s page on the AfterBuzz TV website. You can connect with JC on social media. Visit his Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter channels.
