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Mother Of ‘Big Brother 17′ Winner Steve Moses Has Advice For New Contestants’ Families

By Sarah Field
Published on: 15:50 PST, Jun 12, 2016

In less than two weeks, Julie Chen will introduce a new Big Brother cast. They will endure psychological game-playing, physical and mental competitions, alliance-making, boredom, isolation, stress, and homesickness — all in full view of the public. In addition to three episodes a week, the Big Brother cast is accessible on 24-hour a day live feeds. It is hard on those inside the house, but for their families at home, it can be even worse.

For the mother of Big Brother 17 winner Steve Moses, it was reaching out to family members of other Big Brother contestants — her son’s competitors — that helped her through the ordeal. She said the mothers of Shelli Poole and Meg Maley were “life savers” in a blog post written for Big Brother Network. For those who will have the experience soon with the start of Big Brother 18, Kathleen Moses said connecting with others going through the same thing is essential.

From the unique perspective of a mother, she urged friends and family to think of the contestants’ parents as they watched the upcoming season.

“To the family members, loved ones, and friends of the BB18 cast – I recommend you give extra support and encouragement to the Moms and Dads throughout the season, the kind only you can give. While you will be feeling some intense emotions, they will be feeling the same emotions tenfold.”

Steve eventually came home with the top prize of Big Brother 17 — but he was a target early on. Kathleen Moses described her experience of turning on the live feeds for the first time — by the time they were available, her son had already been playing the game for two weeks — to discover he’d already been nominated for eviction. She recommended family members stay off feeds and internet discussion groups, even though she found that hard to do.

Steve was known for his camera talking during Big Brother 17, when he would discuss his thoughts and strategy to feed audiences while alone in rooms. He received some chiding for his particularly close relationship with his mother, which he said on a RedditAMA in October 2015, was played up for the sake of the Big Brother game.

“I’m definitely close with her, but I played it up to be the sweet, innocent, naive kid. The the show exaggerated it to be a lot more creepy and intense (like camping) than it actually is.”

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter just after he stepped out of the Big Brother house, Moses said he talked to some network employees as well as his parents before chatting with the press. It was then that he learned his mother had become almost as famous as he during his three months inside the compound.

“Apparently my mom was an overriding theme this season.”

Kathleen told other mothers to take care of themselves while their children are battling for the big money on a notoriously emotional and competitive reality show.

“My best advice is to accept it won’t be easy no matter how prepared you think you are. Try to keep busy, exercise, eat healthy, and find a few trusted people you can talk to. The way you will feel is normal. I know how much we love our children. They are adults even though they are still our babies. This opportunity for your son or daughter is once in a lifetime so remember to celebrate for them. I was happiest when I remembered that.”

Each year on Big Brother, fans are told to “expect the unexpected.” There are already rumors flying that we may see the return of the “coach” twist from Big Brother 14 when notable players from years past entered the house to provide guidance. They eventually entered the game themselves. Fans will have a better idea of what’s going to happen when at least some of the new cast is revealed Monday, June 13.

Big Brother 18 premieres Wednesday, June 22 on CBS.

[Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images]

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