"My hat off to her" – Big Brother 27 runner-up Vince Panaro admits Ashley’s under-the-radar game earned his respect

Vince Panaro entered the Big Brother 27 finale expecting to face questions about his jury management and overall strategy. In an interview with Parade on September 29, 2025, he was asked what he anticipated going into deliberations and how he reacted to Ashley Hollis’ performance.

Panaro admitted his outlook shifted quickly and explained that he knew Morgan Pope’s game well and thought Hollis would be the easier opponent, but her explanations in front of the jury revealed more than he expected.

“I mean, she played a way better game than I was aware of. And my hat off to her, because that was a very under-the-radar game,” he said.

Vince Panaro reflects on jury deliberation, Ashley Hollis’ gameplay, and his Big Brother 27 finish

Facing Ashley in the Final Two

Panaro explained that he did not know much about Hollis’ moves during the season, believing he had a better chance against her in the end than against Pope.

He said he did not know "Ashley’s game" because they had not worked closely throughout the season. He added,

“I knew Morgan’s game. Morgan played an unbelievably good game. I mean, she was a frontrunner to win this thing all the way through, incredible. So I felt like I would have lost against Morgan. I thought I had better odds against Ashley, just because I didn’t know her game as well.”

He added that Hollis’ performance in front of the jury shifted his view of her strategy. Panaro said that once she began speaking and he noticed the jury’s reactions, he realized that his “jury management” might have cost him the game.

Gaining respect for Ashley’s gameplay

Throughout the season, Panaro had expressed doubts about Hollis’s impact in the game, at times describing her as "doing nothing." After hearing her answers to the jury, however, he revised that perception.

He explained that all he had was his own view of what he thought Hollis had done up to that point, and he had no idea about the social aspects of her game.

When she began explaining her moves, Panaro said he became a supporter of her approach and realized that her gameplay was valid.

Hollis also revealed that Pope had intended to target Panaro if she had won the final Head of Household competition.

Panaro reacted to that confirmation by acknowledging he still would have cast his jury vote for Pope.

“I figured I never got confirmation, but I would have still voted for Morgan for sure. I know she had to do what was best for her game, and I know what this game meant to her, too. So you know what? If I’m the one saying, ‘All is fair in the Big Brother house,’ then if somebody does it to me, who am I to complain about it?” he said.

Responding to jury criticism

During the finale, several jurors accused Panaro of manipulating players emotionally. He rejected that view, explaining he did not expect to be so emotional but felt strongly at times.

He said he could not “fake cry” or fabricate those reactions, noting he only spoke passionately and was unaware of how it was perceived.

Panaro added that he played the best game he could, with some tears naturally falling in the process.

Panaro summarized his overall approach by repeating the plan he had going into the house.

“The winging it and then adapting seemed to have worked, I guess, to a second-place finish,” he said.

Stay tuned for more updates.