Rochelle is Big Brother’s most underserving winner yet

Rochelle’s appalling behaviour has been given more grace from ITV than anyone before her (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother) Big Brother has crowned its latest winner in Rochelle Rackham, who left the house last night to a tsunami of boos from both the studio audience and her fellow housemates. So, how did such an unpopular contestant, the most nominated in 13 years and one who managed to upset almost every minority group going, sway the majority of the estimated 4.9 million votes in her favour? Well, it’s simple: we live in a country that celebrates bigotry and bullying over kindness. Going into the final, it was clearly a two-horse race. Rochelle’s only competition was stylist and party-starter Lucy ‘Twinks’ Burnett, a champion of trans rights and love, and a staunch feminist who calls herself a ‘witch’. Twinks’ reception when she left as runner up was the polar opposite of Rochelle’s. The cheers were booming, some of the loudest I’ve ever heard on Big Brother, with the crowd chanting ‘you should have won’ and holding up signs reading ‘we love Twinks’, while the actual winner was still inside soaking up the validation that her unnerving brand of cruelty had just won her £100,000. Twinks’ reception when she left as runner up was the polar opposite of Rochelle’s (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother) Twinks had a rough time on Big Brother, largely thanks to Rochelle and her equally nasty friends Philip Reagan and Rhianna Collins. From the moment Twinks entered the house, all three of them made a concerted effort to make sure she knew she wasn’t welcome, constantly whispering about her at a level loud enough for her to pick up, but never loud enough for her to understand. Twinks was the epitome of a Big Brother winner, particularly since it moved to ITV, with every single previous champion celebrated for overcoming the worst of Britain with dignity, determination and warmth. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video During her exit interview, Big Brother hosts Will Best and AJ Odudu had to beg the audience to stop booing because it was drowning them out. And with good reason: Rochelle’s appalling behaviour has been given more grace from ITV than anyone before her. Every single one of her housemates appeared deflated and utterly broken by Rochelle’s win. Some housemates have alluded to an offensive comment she made that was a turning point for them. It was just one of the many incidents that sparked calls for her to be removed from the house (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother) Whatever it was, ITV didn’t show it. Big Brother is a show that relies on transparency, a popularity contest where surely the winner must be determined by a public that has been presented with all the facts. Why it was deemed significant enough for housemates to distance themselves from Rochelle, but not significant enough to be aired, is a question ITV is yet to answer. Outside of the house, some of her historic Facebook posts rang alarm bells, including one racist comment targeting Muslims. A family source said that she ‘regretted’ sharing it and would ‘never want to cause anyone hurt or upset’. What is your opinion on the outcome of Big Brother crowning Rochelle Rackham as the winner? I think Rochelle's win was deserved.Check I believe Twinks should have won instead.Check Neither deserved to win.Check Want to get bespoke updates on the TV shows you love? Sign up to Metro's TV newsletters and tell us which ones you can't get enough of It was just one of the many incidents that sparked calls for her to be removed from the house. In the first week of this series, she told Charlotte Nott, who lost the lower parts of her arms and legs to bacterial meningitis when she was a toddler, that she felt ‘scared’ when she first saw her. Viewers, disability advocates and anyone with common sense were understandably furious, one of the first indications that her blind ignorance was worryingly extreme and downright harmful. She was also, very mildly, told off by Big Brother for making offensive jokes towards Yasmin about her weight. She was also, very mildly, told off by Big Brother for making offensive jokes towards Yasmin about her weight (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother) At one point, Rochelle spoke about trans people with such disdain, telling housemates: ‘I wouldn’t be happy with a transgender in the toilet with me.’ This, somewhat predictably, again went unpunished by Big Brother. The show that has historically championed the LGBTQ+ community with unrivalled might couldn’t even pull a housemate up on blatant transphobia. It’s bitterly disappointing for the queer community to watch comments like this be normalised again and again, but even more so on a show that has always felt like it was in our corner. ‘I’m going to be more tolerant,’ Rochelle promised during her interview with Will and AJ. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video But she was given so many chances during the last eight weeks alone to be more tolerant, and proved time and time again it was just beyond her reach, at least for now. But why would she bother to become more tolerant now when so much of the public has decided they love her exactly as she is? It’s genuinely quite heartbreaking to watch the bad guys win. What’s even sadder is that I’m becoming numb to it. The last decade has been defined by nasty politics, the removal of Pride flags and protests actively berating immigrants, with prejudices that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago now being said out loud on shows like Big Brother. She represents huge swathes of this country who are driven by ignorance and self-importance above all else (Picture: Shutterstock for Big Brother) Whatever lessons Rochelle could have learned from her housemates going forward have gone up in flames. It’s a win that proves we are so far from the tolerant society we claim to be because Rochelle isn’t an anomaly, far from it. She represents huge swathes of this country who are driven by ignorance and self-importance above all else. When given the option to celebrate hope, feminism and one of the biggest hearts Big Brother has seen in runner-up Twinks, more people decided to reward cruelty instead. Deals of the Day The Orlando holiday deal Disney fans shouldn't miss We're adding this discounted NEOM gift set straight to basket Want an LED face mask for less? This Black Friday deal could save you hundreds This teeth whitening sale could save you up to 64% before Black Friday These Simba Black Friday deals are too good for tired shoppers to ignore Twinks deserved better and so did a phenomenal series of Big Brother, tarnished by a crushing conclusion. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.co.uk. Share your views in the comments below. Arrow MORE: I confronted my rapist in court – I know how Russell Brand’s victims feel Arrow MORE: All the Emmerdale cast returns, exits and new arrivals in 2026 Arrow MORE: Are Emmerdale and Coronation Street on tonight? Latest schedule overhaul TV Newsletter Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.