"If I didn't win it, it would not have been worth it" - Miesha Tate describes Celebrity Big Brother as a "diabolical game"
Miesha Tate put her big UFC comeback plans on pause earlier this year to take part in Celebrity Big Brother, one of the biggest reality shows on American television. Not only did Tate perform better than many expected, she wound up winning the entire show, beating out stars like the NBA's Lamar Odom, NSYNC's Chris Kirkpatrick, and Saturday Night Live's Chris Kattan.
On a new episode of The MMA Hour, Tate broke down just how tough an experience Big Brother is. She said:
"That was kind of a training camp in itself in its own right. The mental grind, the emotional fortitude it took to get through that show ... With the quarantine, it was five weeks. The worst part for me was not knowing what was going on with my kids. They're such a big part of every day for me. To not see them or not know how they are. It was definitely a test."
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Passing the test came with a pretty hefty financial reward. Asked how much she made from winning Celebrity Big Brother, Miesha Tate said:
"A quarter million. It was $250,000. So no small feat, for sure. For a month, it's not a bad payday. It worked out. If I didn't win it, it would not have been worth it. No way. Second place got $50,000. Forget that. I'm just telling you right now, it was way harder than anyone could have imagined. To be locked in a house with strangers, and then it's such a diabolical game. You create these teams so you keep the votes on your side, but then you're forced to cannibalize your own team and teammates as the game goes on."
Watch Miesha Tate discuss her Celebrity Big Brother experience below:
Miesha Tate credits Chuck Liddell for getting her on Celebrity Big Brother
While the UFC didn't do too much to promote Miesha Tate's winning run on Celebrity Big Brother, they were the ones that came to her with the opportunity. Tate explained that she was just following in the footsteps of Big Brother and Dancing With The Stars alumn Chuck Liddell.
"In my case they reached out to the UFC. I don't know if you knew this, but Chuck Liddell was on season one of Celebrity Big Brother. And I think through that correlation and them wanting to fit an athlete role, a female, maybe that connection was already made and they reached out to the UFC. The UFC reached out to me and I was like 'This sounds insane but sign me up.' You know me, I'm a risk taker."
The risk was worth it in the end for Miesah Tate. Unfortunately, 'The Iceman' didn't fare as well when he was on Celebrity Big Brother. Liddell was the first person voted out of the house after just ten days.
Chuck Liddell Gets Evicted From Celebrity Big Brother #UFC #MMA https://t.co/mgoaP85xwd