In an eye-opening exclusive interview with The U.S. Sun, Big Brother Season 27 contestant Isaiah “Zae” Frederich pulled back the curtain on the grueling and isolating pre-show process that contestants endure before stepping into the iconic Big Brother house. Far from the glitz and drama of the reality TV spotlight, Zae revealed a shocking reality: a mandatory two-week sequestration in a tiny hotel room, cut off from the world, with strict rules that left him counting meals to “stay sane.”
Before the cameras roll and the houseguests start scheming, Big Brother contestants are subjected to an intense isolation period that Zae described as “insane.” For nearly two weeks, competitors are confined to a small hotel room with no contact with the outside world—not even a glimpse of another human being. “You’re just sitting in a hotel room,” Zae explained. “No contact with anybody. You can’t leave, not even with an escort.”
For Zae, a 23-year-old fitness enthusiast from Provo, Utah, who is launching his online personal training business, Zae Lifts, this meant forgoing his usual gym routine. “You can work out inside the hotel room, but that’s it,” he said. Armed with only dumbbells and a resistance band, Zae made do with what he had, squeezing in 30-minute workouts to break the monotony. But with no gym access and no freedom to roam, the days dragged on.
With little else to do, Zae turned to a small DVD player for entertainment, watching movies for up to 16 hours a day. “It was just movie, movie, movie, movie,” he said with a wry smile. “I’d call downstairs to request new ones, eat, maybe work out for a bit, and that was my life for two weeks.” The hotel phone, which automatically connected to staff, became his lifeline for requesting snacks or swapping out DVDs.
The isolation took a mental toll, and Zae found himself using meals as “mental checkpoints” to stay grounded. “I’d think, ‘Alright, how many hours until the next meal?'” he admitted. “That was my way of staying sane.” While the disconnection from the outside world was oddly freeing—”You literally have nothing to worry about,” he noted—it also left him craving human interaction. “You want to talk to people, see people,” he said. “You’re about to go on this crazy show, and you don’t even know who you’re up against.”
Adding to the surreal experience, contestants are sequestered when the cast list is released to the public, leaving them in the dark about their fellow houseguests and how they’re being perceived online. “You know the cast list is out, but you haven’t met anyone,” Zae explained. “Everyone else knows who you are, but you’re just sitting there, completely cut off. It’s a weird place to be.”
This pre-show limbo, filled with movies, minimal workouts, and meal-based timekeeping, left Zae grappling with both boredom and anticipation. Yet, despite the challenges, he found a silver lining: the isolation allowed him to clear his mind before the high-stakes game began.
Zae entered Big Brother Season 27 with high hopes, but his journey was cut short when ally Rylie Jeffries blindsided him, making him the first evictee of the season. Though his time in the house was brief, Zae’s candid revelations about the pre-show process offer fans a rare glimpse into the unseen struggles of Big Brother contestants.
As the season races toward its climax, Zae will reunite with his fellow Season 27 houseguests for the live Big Brother finale, airing on September 28, 2025, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. Fans can expect more drama, surprises, and perhaps a few more behind-the-scenes secrets from this unforgettable season.