'BB' Contestants Who Quit The Show Voluntarily

Audrey Middleton has made quite the stir on Big Brother 17 this season. Her endless scheming and manipulation is exhausting (and yet oh so entertaining) to keep up with. I have no idea how Audrey keeps her gameplay straight in her head with all those lies. Every move Audrey makes in the Big Brother house seems incredibly calculated, causing me to wonder: are Audrey's threats to walk out of Big Brother authentic or just another manipulative ploy to get what she wants?

Only time will tell if Audrey is bluffing and, for the sake of entertainment, I'm personally hoping she sticks it out. But how common is it for people to walk out on Big Brother? It's probably not as common as you'd think; apparently the whole 'being watched 24/7 and isolated from the entire world' thing is much more bearable with $500,000 hanging over your head.

I did a bit of digging to see how many houseguests in the history of Big Brother have voluntarily left the show and the number is a shockingly small one (at least as far as the U.S. Big Brother is concerned). The U.K. version of Big Brother is a whole other story, with contestants hopping over fences, kicking in fire escapes, and even staging mass walkouts to protest the producers. I guess we're just greedier in the U.S. because most of our BB contestants will not leave the house come hell or high water.

So as we try to predict what will happen with the ever-shocking Audrey Middleton of BB 17, let's look back at the Big Brother contestants who voluntarily quit the show in the past.

Neil Garcia, BB 9

In Season 9, Neil Garcia left the Big Brother house a mere week into the competition due to an urgent personal matter. Despite rumors that he departed for health reasons, Garcia revealed in a statement that he left due to an undisclosed personal tragedy that occurred to someone very close to him.

Paola Aviles, BB 12

Paola Aviles voluntarily walked out of the competition before even entering the Big Brother house in Season 12 (rumor has it she left because she found out about the cameras in the bathroom).

Dick Donato, BB 13

In Season 13, Dick Donato left the house abruptly on day 6 due to an urgent personal issue concerning a friend back home.

Clearly, if people give up their opportunity to compete in the Big Brother house, it's usually for a good reason. I don't think Audrey has a legitimate reason to go. Quitting because you want to get in one last dig at your housemates by refusing to play the game the way you're supposed to just seems like a coward's way out. Time to suck it up and figure out a way to stay in the house fairly or accept your imminent eviction, Audrey.

For more on this season, make sure to check out Bustle’s very own Big Brother podcast: The Diary Room. Listen to the latest episode below, and be sure to check out future episodes on Bustle’s SoundCloud page and iTunes.

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Images: CBS; Giphy (3)