Big Brother Australia 2021 has finally come to an end, and there was no shortage of alliances, blindsides and mirrored rooms.
Last night we watched as Marley Biyendolo was crowned the winner of the reality show. And while COVID restrictions eliminated the chance of a live audience (meaning that the sounds in the venue were courtesy of a cheer track), off screen, viewers were as loud as ever as the basketballer won the $250,000.
WATCH: Big Brother’s Marley reveals his motivation behind being on the show
It’s no surprise that Marley, 26, won the public’s favour last night. The basketballer was a fan-favourite from the start due to his heart-of-gold and rough backstory.
Losing his mum to cancer four years ago, Marley has spent his days trying to make her proud. The 26-year-old even credited his mum for watching over him and helping him get through the final Big Brother challenge.
Upon learning he won last night, Marley told host Sonia Kruger that he was planning on using the money to take care of his dad, but not before he bought his fellow housemates a drink.
However, they might be waiting a while…
“Unfortunately we couldn’t go out to do anything because of lockdown,” Marley tells New Idea. “But definitely in the next couple of months when we organise a reunion, because we have to wrap this thing up, when we organise that, it’s definitely my shout for drinks for all of them.”
In the mean-time, Marley is firmly family-focused when it comes to his winnings.
“The first thing I want to do is sit down with dad and see what he wants to do with this money and where it will help him, I think that’s first and foremost my biggest mission is doing that.”
And it’s not just his dad that Marley is thinking of when it comes to the money, explaining he is going to spoil his girlfriend as well.
“My beautiful girlfriend has done everything for me my whole life and supported me and she’s just doing amazing things in her individual life herself, so I’m always looking at ways to spoil her and I think I have a little bit of an edge now.”
Now that he is a quarter of a million dollars richer, there is always a chance that his fellow housemates come out of the woodwork to cosy on up to the basketballer. We asked Marley if this was the case.
“Yeah actually, I went on a coffee date with Ari…,” Marley jokes and laughs. “Nah, I’m kidding. No honestly I think for the most part everyone was just real; they were all genuine and happy for me. No one trying to suck up or anything like that, it is what it is, we all understand. I’m just so blessed to be in this position.”
And Marley credits being in this position to his late mother, explaining that he was talking to her throughout the final challenge, asking for her guidance.
“There were moments towards the end of the challenges where I just know mum was there. In that ball challenge I was just talking to mum. I was like, ‘Mum, please get me through this’ and we did and I give it all to her and the way that game played out for me, it couldn’t have been more perfect and there’s only one reason it was that perfect and that’s because of her.”
WATCH: Big Brother’s Ari reveals he’s been lying to housemates (Story continues after video)
Another way Marley’s mum has inspired the reality star is through his love for fashion.
At last night’s finale, fans were touched when the basketballer revealed that his suit had been custom-made by his father. Marley tells us that his father also made his own suit and his brother’s suit for the final episode, revealing that fashion has always been a big part of their family.
“My suit he made in three days,” Marley says. “He’s just so amazing and so talented, I can’t believe that man sometimes. Nothing that I wore in the house he made – a lot of it he inspired, just like my mum. But fashion is huge in our family so I think it was only the right way to go out with a bang. It was cool, it was special.”
While Marley’s dad was busy making his suit mere days before the finale, Channel Seven was also scrambling to make last minute alterations due to newly-enforced COVID-restrictions.
As a result, the live finale went ahead without an audience and with a lot of social distancing. Marley confesses that the way things played out weren’t exactly what any of the housemates were envisaging.
“It was a weird vibe,” the 26-year-old tells us. “I think we were all so g’d up about having 2000 amazing fans in there, you were almost more nervous to be sitting in front of nobody rather than feeding off the energy of a crowd.”
But any “weird vibes” from the finale were soon quelled by the presence of Marley’s dad and brother who were over the moon for their loved one as he was given the win.
“They were so proud of me and, for the most part, dad was very speechless. And I know my brother is very quiet, he’s a lot different to me, so just to hear him say how proud he was and how proud mum would be of me, I truly know he meant that.”
Other than taking care of his dad, Marley reveals he may make a sentimental purchase for himself to remember his Big Brother experience, but he’s not too fussed.
“I’ve got everything I want in life, I’m so blessed with my health and everything that I’ve got, so I’ll take care of him first and foremost and then I’ll worry about myself later.
“And the housemates, I’ve gotta take care of them too. First round’s on me.”
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