The summer is gone, the leaves are changing, and a new Big Brother winner has just been crowned. On Wednesday's finale episode, Steve was named the winner of Big Brother 17 . The nine jury members deemed Steve's game superior over Liz's — duh — and essentially signed the check for $500,000. Liz came in second place, leaving with $50,000, and Vanessa left with a one-way ticket into his her girlfriend's arms. Plus, all that money she earned from poker waiting for her at home.
Steve's relationship with fans throughout the season has had its highs and its lows. He was a rather emotional player, but also a very observant one, who you couldn't help but respect. He was mad awkward — never forget when he told Da'Vonne "I love you, too" — but it at least added some light-heartedness to the season. For some, he seemed to be all talk as a Big Brother fan, while others saw him as a master strategist just waiting to pounce.
Technically, Liz and Steve were in an alliance together, although I can't say their loyalty to each other really meant anything. Both a part of the Freaks & Geeks alliance, Liz didn't care much about Steve, and I think Steve saw through Liz. With that said, they both worked together in trying times, along with Vanessa, and made it to the finals together. Whether they wanted to or not.
Steve wins the game having made some big moves throughout the season. He was the first one to take a stab at Liz and Austin, even though it turned into Julia getting evicted. That's a huge move for little old Stevie to make, and it definitely paid off. The fact that most of the other houseguests wanted to go after Liztin or the twins, but were too afraid to, definitely helped Steve convince the jury that he was worthy of winning.
As for Liz, while she won many competitions throughout the season, her strategic game wasn't stellar. For the most part, she did what she was told to do while in power. That's not the worst game to play, but it's certainly not a game worth $500,000.
Plus, Steve was just so much fun to watch as a feedster. He is a student of Big Brother and truly seemed to love that he was playing a game he's watched for years. His conversations with the feedsters made it feel very inclusive, as if we were all sitting with Steve in the HOH room when he told us his master plan to evict Vanessa and bring Liz to the final two.
Although he was questionable at times, and I will truly never understand his hatred of Becky, I believed in Steve, and he came through.
For more on this season of Big Brother, check out Bustle's podcast The Diary Room.
Images: CBS; Giphy
