Many people dream of being a part of their favorite TV show, but, for most, it stays like that–a dream. However, for 25-year-old Omaha native Quinn Martin, his dream became a reality when he was one of the sixteen contestants selected for season 26 of CBS’s hit reality TV show, “Big Brother,” hosted by Julie Chen Moonves.

“Big Brother follows a group of people living together in a house outfitted with 94 HD cameras and 113 microphones, recording their every move 24 hours a day,” CBS wrote on their website. “Each week, someone will be voted out of the house, with the last remaining Houseguest receiving the grand prize of $750,000.”

The “Houseguests” competed in a series of competitions, all with the same goal of making it to the finale. The season premiered on July 16 and continued for 90 days, concluding on Oct. 13 when Chelsie Baham was crowned the winner. Martin’s journey ended earlier when he was evicted on day 59, becoming the first Houseguest to join the Jury House.

“I have been watching the show since ‘Big Brother’ 11; I think I was in about seventh grade, or, no, probably that was in elementary school, and so I’ve always been a fan of the show,” Martin said. “Then it might just be delusion or just an absurd amount of confidence, watching it, I just always told myself, ‘I’ll probably be on there someday.’”

At the time, Martin was working in Omaha, but he was not happy with his job. During this period of dissatisfaction, he then realized that he could apply to be on “Big Brother.” One day, while watching a podcast, he saw one of the hosts share their audition video for the show, and that’s when it hit him: anyone could be on “Big Brother.” Inspired, he then submitted an audition. Before long, he was living his dream all while becoming one of the most memorable players of the show.

“I think that what made my season stand out compared to other seasons was our dedication to doing the least optimal move. People loved the chaos, and, at a certain point, it felt like, ‘you know what guys, let’s just commit to being bad at the game’, myself included,” Martin said. “So much of what I did was so dumb, but, in my head, I’m, like, ‘if you win and you pulled this off, you’re the greatest player of all time.’”

Season 26 of “Big Brother” will definitely be remembered for the calamity that surrounded it. From unpredictable twists to drama, the season never lacked excitement, especially the fiery confrontations among the Houseguests, frequently sparked by Angela Rummans.

“We had people dedicated to acting wild. You know Angela, not the best roommate, but admittedly, as a costar, she was providing a lot for the season and so for that, I’m thankful,” Martin said. “You know this is my favorite show on TV, so when people are dedicated to good TV, I’m like this is great.”

Rummans undeniably added a lot to the season, fully embracing “Big Brother’s” motto, “Expect the unexpected.” While the show is famous for its intense strategy and drama, it also creates a reality that continues to amaze the viewers. The unpredictable nature of the game turned each moment into a rollercoaster by bringing new challenges, alliances and confrontations between the Houseguests each and every day.

“I think that my favorite part of being on the show was that it really was like a dream come true,” Martin said. “It felt like I was on a playground. I was having a phenomenal time. Even when things were not going well for me, I always had the context of like, ‘well the alternative is I could be selling software as a service.’”

Since his time on “Big Brother,” Martin has had the chance to connect with some of the most iconic players of the game. Recently, he spent time in Los Angeles with Taylor Hale and Jag Bains, the winners of seasons 24 and 25, respectively.

“These are people I watched on the show who are now, in my eyes we are friends, but maybe we are just like coworkers. Don’t want to overstep any boundaries here, but that has been just the craziest experience,” Martin said. “I now know these people that I celebrated when they won.”

One of the constants throughout Martin’s life has been his relationship with Tyler Garder, a science teacher at Gretna High School. Garder has known Martin since their time together at Doane University, and he has been a firsthand witness to his friend’s rise to fame. Throughout the “Big Brother” season, Garder watched as Martin stayed true to himself, even in the midst of an extremely competitive and chaotic environment.

“I’ve always known Quinn was going to be famous one way or another,” Garder said. “The version you see on TV is the version you see in real life, like that’s truly who Quinn is. He’s just a goofball at heart, really caring, kind person. I can’t think of a more deserving person to achieve that kind of fame and publicity status and have a fanbase like his, because he is going to be a really good advocate for things he cares about.”

In the past few months, Martin has advanced his popularity by gaining a dedicated fanbase known as the Quinnions. As his following continues to grow, so does his influence on social media. His large number of followers have brought even more eyes onto him and how his gameplay was.

In a game like “Big Brother,” strategy and friendships often intersect. One of Martin’s biggest regrets from his season was choosing Joseph Rodriguez as his replacement nominee. He thought Rodriguez would be safe from eviction, but the house chose to send him home, which was not Martin’s plan. In hindsight, he wished that he would have put up T’kor Clottey instead, but he did not because he wanted to stay on good terms with Baham, who he believed was the strongest player. By protecting his own game, Martin ended up losing one of his best friends and allies.

“I know that Joseph didn’t get the most glamorous edit in terms of like the season, but he is such an incredible guy. He is so funny, he is so nice, his sense of humor is so dry,” Martin said. “He is like the storm cloud, and I’m like the sunshine and rainbows, and he finds me exhausting, but he loves me, so seeing him go was devastating on a personal level.”

“Big Brother” creates so many relationships for Houseguests that last them a lifetime. Since they are stuck in a house for, in Martin’s case, 59 days, they all get extremely close and make bonds with one another that can not be replaced.

“The hardest part, I mean, I missed Taco Bell so much,” Martin said. “I’ll be honest, I grew up a military brat, and so my dad missed several birthdays, like, I’m very comfortable. I went to college eight hours away from my hometown, so the idea of being away from my family and friends was not the most insane idea for me. It was something I was very comfortable with, especially because I felt like I was on a business meeting. You know, I needed to go cash a 750K check.”

When the Houseguests are in the house, they have nowhere else to go. The competitions for the game are set up in the backyard, so they would have to go days without being able to step outside and do a simple task, like going for a walk.

“And so four days without seeing the sun does a number on you. I think that’s probably the most difficult aspect, but, literally, we get free food, so can’t complain,” Martin said. “Like anything bad happening I’d be like, ‘we are getting free food, we’re on TV, the AC is on, it’s not the craziest thing ever.’”

Despite the difficult aspects of living in the “Big Brother” house, Martin found enjoyment in the competitions along with finding the logic and strategy behind the game. But beyond the physical and mental challenges that he faced, what kept him to continue to fight for his game was knowing the support he had from his friends and loved ones.

“Oh my gosh, revisiting the Corn Coast, my friends that live in ‘the good life,’ I was so excited to see my besties who I had no idea how much of the show they were watching, but I knew that their hearts were with me,” Martin said. “And so being in the house separated from your group of people, like, loved ones. It is like a very isolating experience, but knowing that they were out there the whole time just provided a light for me in the game.”

This story was originally published on Gretna Media on November 13, 2024.