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'It will be a slam dunk': Kato Kaelin predicts Celebrity Big Brother winner

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It seems fitting that the world’s most famous houseguest finally pushed his way onto Celebrity Big Brother this season.

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Kato Kaelin, who became a household name almost a quarter century ago when he took the stand during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial, joined 11 other notables for the second season spinoff of the popular CBS reality series last month.

“When the opportunity presented itself, I thought it was perfect,” Kaelin said during a phone interview this week. “I was the most famous houseguest, now it was time for me to be a part of this show. It was perfect.”

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But following the ousting of Joey Lawrence (Blossom), Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) and Olympian Ryan Lochte, Kaelin became the fourth houseguest eliminated this week following a unanimous 5-0 vote.

“People were coming up to me telling me I was such a strong player and when they say that to you on Big Brother it’s basically, ‘Goodbye,'” he said laughing.

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Still, Kaelin, 59, is grateful for his time on the show. After all, he became BFF’s with Canadian funnyman Tom Green. He also plans on parlaying his time in the Celebrity Big Brother house into making sure his 15 minutes of fame keep going.

“I have a motto: Forget what you’ve heard, recognize what you see. And you can quote me on that buddy.”

Calling from Los Angeles, Kaelin reflected on his Big Brother gameplay, dished on the house’s most toxic twosome and made his prediction for which celeb will win it all.

You were the most famous houseguest in real life and people were excited to see you join Celebrity Big Brother. What made you say yes?

I wanted people to see who Kato was. Maybe people don’t know that I have a fun spirit and I love life. So that’s what my goal was on the show. I never said, ‘I’m going to win this thing!’ I just went in there and said, ‘Here I am.’

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What was your strategy going in?

I needed to find a person I could trust. It all fell into place when I met Tom (Green). From the first day, when we started talking, we both said, ‘No matter what, I’ll watch your back, you watch my back.’ Early on, Tom was worried he was going to be the first one out. I said to him, ‘Buddy, it ain’t going to happen.’ Now he’s going to be the winner. He won HoH, so now he’s got all the power. Everything switches once someone has the HoH, and now that Tom has it everyone’s going to be kissing his b-u-t-t. He’s going to break up that alliance between Tamar (Braxton), Ricky (Williams), Lolo (Jones) and Natalie (Eva Marie). It’s going to be so great to watch. I’m hoping and thinking, Mark he’s going to say, ‘This one’s for you, Kato.’

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You and Tom really hit it off. Are Canadians just more trustworthy?

You know what, I’ve done quite a few things in Canada and I’d say, yes, 100%. The show comes with three d’s – dishonesty, deceit and dilemmas – so it was new to me and it kind of threw me. But I was talking to Tom and he said to me, ‘Kato, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re way too trustworthy.’ I remember thinking that wasn’t a bad thing, but on Big Brother I guess it is. On Big Brother, you have to be aware that people will go behind your back. There’s a lot of that going on. But I learned a lot. I’m going to be a friend of Tom’s for the rest of our lives I know that. We were together for 24 days and we never stopped having fun on the show. There are other people in there who I have (nothing) in common with.

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You went out 5-0, did that shock you?

I was shocked that it was 5-0, but I knew I was getting knocked out. The reason it was 5-0 is they had to show an alliance to whoever it was that had the power, but now they no longer have the power. That’s why it’s such a great show.

We spoke to Joey earlier in the week and he alluded to tension in the household. Did you feel any of that?

Yes, 100%. It didn’t feel like anyone wanted to have fun other than Tom and I. But a lot of the tension was down to sleep deprivation. Sleep is hard to come by on the show and that led to knee-jerk reactions to some things. There’s too much plotting and you can’t sleep and the lights are always on, so it’s really, really difficult. But that’s part of the game. I’m glad I did it. Would I do it again? I don’t think so. It’s a tough, tough thing.

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Joey, Jonathan and Ryan they were the first three houseguests eliminated. Did any of those surprise you?

All the dudes are gone. Isn’t that funny? Even when (host) Julie (Chen) read my name I said, ‘Can someone check for a typo?’

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Do you regret anything?
I regret that I didn’t trust my gut on some of the challenges.

Who did you think was the most toxic presence in the house?

I think it’s a coin toss between Tamar and Lolo. I mean they fought about what’s more expensive: sea bass or salmon? I mean fighting … yelling over sea bass and salmon. I was hearing that and thinking, ‘really?’

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So you think Tom’s going to win it all?

Tom’s going to be in the final four. There are a lot of questions to answer to get to the final two. If he does that, anyone that goes up against Tom for the final vote from the cast will lose. It will be a slam dunk for Tom. Slam dunk. He’s going to make Canada so proud.

What’s next for you?
I’m a host with Wizard World, which is a comic-con. We’re the world’s largest travelling comic-con and we get all the actors from the Marvel and DC movies. I have an entertainment stage and I bring up the talent. So you’ve got William Shatner or Jason Momoa or the cast of Justice League and then me. I’m on Instagram. Follow me and you will see the fun that I bring every day.

It’s been almost 25 years since people all over the world heard the name “Kato Kaelin” during the O.J. Simpson trial. How did this all measure up for you?

I was about as relevant as the letter b in the word, debt. But I’m back, baby. I’m back.

Kato Kaelin testifies in the O. J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles on March 22, 1995. Kaelin was the last person to see Simpson before the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in 1994. (AFP/Getty Images)
Kato Kaelin testifies in the O. J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles on March 22, 1995. Kaelin was the last person to see Simpson before the murders of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman in 1994. (AFP/Getty Images)

The next episode of Celebrity Big Brother airs Thursday night on CBS and Global.

Twitter: @markhdaniell

mdaniell@postmedia.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuZxuJxdP30&t=15s

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