Confetti rained down on Dane Rupert and his toothless grin once the Pretty Boy was named the deserving winner of the eventful seventh season of Big Brother Canada . The 27-year-old Kelowna-based civil technician was handed the title on Thursday night following a unanimous vote from his seven former houseguests after securing the final Head of Household competition and racing through a high-energy plea to the cast where he proved he had the biggest impact on the game with his incredible social charm, ruthless strategic power moves and seven wins of the 14 competitions he competed in.
“There’s only one Dane Rupert and he’s a winner,” the Season 7 champion exclaimed following the whirlwind finale. “I’m such a huge fan. I’ve been watching for 20 years and I can’t even comprehend what just happened. I’m just so excited and so blessed. I made my dream come true. All the episode watching and studying the greats before me really helped get me into the winner’s circle.”
For the majority of the game, Dane applied pressure on the house, eliminating threat after threat with the help with his dominating Pretty Boys alliance to become the last houseguest standing. After solidifying his own spot in the final two, he won the power to choose who he wanted sitting next to him at the end and selected his closest ally Anthony Douglas to face the jury with him.
Although his Pretty Boys counterpart used his slick speeches and social graces to wow the Canadian cast, they inevitably sided with Dane who was the more well-rounded player, despite any bitter feelings they still harboured over their own sudden evictions.
“I played a good game and gave my loyalty to three guys and a lot of people thought they had my loyalty, but I had to cut them at one point. I knew it was going to be very tough. But I told myself going into the house that I was not going to be emotional and I came here to do a job. It was hard to talk to the jury members that I cut,” Dane said.
“I did not expect to get seven votes. I really appreciate everyone voting for me and I know they’re truly fans of the game, because I felt like I really played one of the best games this season and I respect their decision. Comp wins, social game and strategy — Anthony didn’t compare to me.”
Despite failing to secure the title, Anthony is more than happy with the runner-up position and the $20,000 that comes with it, sharing that he believes Dane is the best player to represent their action-packed season.
“I knew Dane was going to take me. I have done a lot of things for him in this game as he has for me. But I saved him twice. I knew he owed me a big one and I’m happy that his loyalty came through down the stretch,” he said.
“I’m grateful but I know that Dane played a number one champion game and I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
As the winner of Big Brother Canada, Rupert walks away with a grand prize of $100,000, a $25,000 home furnishing makeover from Leon’s, $10,000 worth of groceries, and a trip for two anywhere in the world.
Copyright Postmedia Network Inc., 2019
