Vince Panaro made waves for how close he got to Morgan Pope on Big Brother while having a girlfriend back at home, but he is adamant that his connection with his costar is platonic.
“She’s just a very good friend. She was a very good friend to me,” Vince, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly of Morgan, 33, after coming in second place in season 27. “In the game, you’re in an environment where you can’t trust anybody.”
Vince explained that he not only had a strong bond with Morgan but also with Lauren Domingue.
“Her and Lauren were the only two people I truly could trust that were actually honest with me,” he continued. “And in that uncomfortable environment, you want to be close to those people, because if they’re good to you, then that’s awesome. You gotta work with those types of people definitely.”
While Vince and Morgan had a strong working relationship, they also raised eyebrows for how affectionate they were with each other. Before entering the house, Vince was in a seven-year relationship with his longtime girlfriend, Kelsey. Vince mentioned her in the house multiple times and even had discussions about her with Morgan.
Throughout the season, Vince and Morgan shared long and close embraces and even slept in the same bed at times. Vince and Morgan’s bond became the talk of the house as fellow houseguests raised their eyebrows at the duo. Not only did fellow players take notice, but Zingbot also pointed it out when he roasted Morgan.
“What do you call someone who lights up when Vince enters the room, gives him long, passionate hugs and warm, affectionate cuddles?” Zingbot asked Morgan. “His girlfriend! Zah-zah-zah-zing!”
Looking back on their dynamic now, Vince still stands by his sentiment that he didn’t cross any lines with Morgan.
“I didn’t think anything of it. I just was living in the Big Brother house,” he explained. “I just figured that’s how everyone was, I don’t know, and [didn’t] think anything of it.”
When asked about his and Morgan’s snuggly nature, Vince defended it, claiming that everyone has gotten physically close during previous seasons.
“It’s Big Brother. I just assumed everyone would lay around. Everyone lays on top of each other,” he told Us. “Past seasons that I’ve watched live feeds, it’s just kind of the vibe, and that’s how some people are more affectionate with their closeness to you. And some people are not.”
As for his game, Vince may not have won the $750,000 prize, but he did end up coming in second place. He received one vote to win from Morgan, while the other votes went to winner Ashley Hollis.
“Morgan did fight for me more proactively. She was the one who was really good about that, and I appreciated that,” he told Us. “She’s an incredible competitor and such a strong ally.”
Vince played a role in evicting the other jury members and had a feeling they were going to be tough on him if he made it to the end.
“I knew I would probably get grilled a little bit. They were pretty harsh on me, for sure,” he recalled. “All of them were pretty, were pretty good questions, and I wasn’t the best [at] answering them.”