Interview with Eric and Jessica

From CBS.COM---

Eric & Jessica: The Inside Scoop

Everyone knows about the showmance that developed between Jessica and Eric, America's Player, last season on BIG BROTHER 8. Now they've turned up on BIG BROTHER: 'TIL DEATH DO YOU PART to participate in the very first HoH competition! This adorable twosome kindly answered a few questions for CBS.com about how things are going for them, and what they're looking forward to in the future.

What was it like to go back to the real world when you left the sequester house after being isolated for so long?

Jessica: It was really crazy to get back into the real world. I had no idea what to expect, and I couldn't believe how many fans and supporters of BIG BROTHER and of Eric and I that there are out there. When I came home to friends and family, I couldn't believe how many tributes and videos and forums that there were on the internet made for me and Eric and for us together. It took a little while to look at it all, and I really appreciated it. A lot of the fans have been so positive, whether I've seen them in person, or they've written emails or we've even chatted on the phone. I am really happy with the response I received when we got out of the house.

Eric: I completely agree. It was surprisingly wonderful when we got out, to see what was awaiting us. It was just fantastic to see the support we had--I echo Jess's entire sentiment. We were really lucky that we seem to have struck a wonderful chord with so many of the viewers. They reached out to us to share that with us and it was just amazing. To see the support that we had was wonderful to come back to.

How have you kept your romance going?

Eric: We've been very lucky outside of the house to be able to see each other quite often. First, through a lot of show-related things, plus we did a couple of appearances. We won the Best Showmance award at the Fox Reality Really Awards, which was nice. We were able to keep the momentum running quickly both inside and out of the house. We've been lucky enough to be able to visit each other in New York and in Kansas, which has been fantastic. We talk all the time, so we've done a great job with the circumstances to get to see each other and we're running with it.

Have you stayed in touch with any of your former housemates?

Jessica: I've actually become good friends with Jen outside of the house. We weren't that close on the show, but when I was in sequester we got to know each other. I've seen her a couple times since the show and I talk to her a lot. I also speak to Dustin and Zach every once in a while, so I keep in contact with them. Eric and I saw Jen and Nick together in California when we shot the HoH competition. And I've seen Jameka and Amber--we've seen a lot of people at the Reality Awards. As far as keeping in contact, the people I talk to [the most] are Jen and Dustin.

Eric: I personally don't keep in particularly close contact with anyone, but I feel that it's a bond that we're going to share forever regardless. I view it like when you go away to summer camp when you're younger--they're the type of people you're going to share these memories and experiences with always. [It's nice] whenever we have the chance to spend time with them, like we just did with Nick and Jen. We caught up with Jameka and Dustin and had dinner with them in New York over Thanksgiving too. It's been great every time we've had the chance to sit down with someone. You just kind of pick up right where you left off, or in some cases actually in better places than you left off. I feel I don't need to speak to them every single day to still have that bond, and whenever we do meet up, it's always a good time.

Jessica, how much did Eric's position as America's Player impact your feelings for him after you found out the truth?

Jessica: After that, I was in shock. When Julie revealed that Eric was America's Player, I could not understand the whole concept. That was not anywhere near the whole spectrum of what Eric went through in the house. That night Eric and I stayed up until 8am like we used to in the house, and he explained everything that he had to do. He didn't have a choice. He was given money for the tasks that he completed, and he answered every question that I had. I understood that we all came into this game expecting the unexpected, and that is what Eric had on his plate. The producers said, "This is what you have to do, otherwise you're not going to be on BIG BROTHER," and he did one heck of a job completing all those tasks. I never really had a problem with it, and when he explained it even more to me, I was just fine.

Eric: From my standpoint, Jess was absolutely incredible about it. If you were to speak to any of the diary room people, the producers, the production assistants, I was beside myself for weeks on end, let alone [during the days] leading up to the actual reveal. At that time, all that concerned me was Jessica's reaction. I honestly didn't care if the twelve other people turned to me and said they'd never speak to me again. I quite frankly was just so, so worried, and she was nothing but incredible about it. She was so amazing, and she couldn't have handled it any more gracefully; it was such a relief for me. It really was. If anything, it strengthened my desire to see this through--it helped me believe everything I knew we already had because she was just so kind and so understanding, so loyal and fantastic.

Of the new HouseGuests, who do you think has the edge? Do you have any early favorites?

Jessica: So far, I like them all, they seem to be really outgoing, with these bright shiny personalities. I think everyone is truly going to be fun to watch. It's hard because we already have the inside scoop on who gets evicted… I was definitely going to go for a fellow Kansan in the beginning once I found out that Sharon was in the house, but now she's already gone. I'm just going to go for the people who enjoy the game the most, and have the most fun. They all seem like they're going to be able to do that.

Eric: I think also that it seems like a really dynamic bunch, and now we're sitting on the other side of things. It sounds really cliché, but I'm rooting them all on, because we've been in their boat. We know the whole process, we know how grueling and exciting and surreal and fantastic the whole thing can be, so I can't in good faith root against any of them, or for any of them. I'm just rooting for them all to make the most of the experience, to leave nothing behind. To really put themselves out there, and let it unfold as it may. Already it seems like it's shaking out to be rather exciting, and it's going to be interesting to get to know everyone a little bit better.

What are you two doing for Valentine's Day?

Eric: We were just together in Los Angeles, to film the HoH competition, so we took a little time out to celebrate there. And I can't really disclose if there's anything else still to come; it would be ruining the surprise! But Jess and I have always found a good way of still celebrating and making the most of all of these types of events from afar. We definitely enjoyed ourselves and acknowledged it while out in LA, and I'm sure we will do the same tomorrow.

What are your plans for the future?

Jessica: I hope and plan on seeing Eric as much as our schedules will allow us. I'm currently back in school as a full time student, and working at a radio station, Channel 963 in Wichita. I love it. Working full-time and going to school full-time makes it hard, but I'm sure we will try to plan as many trips and get-togethers as possible.

Eric: I think Jess and I are doing great--we're going to keep on doing what we're doing. As she said, we're going to continue to make the most of our situation, talking all the time and seeing each other whenever we can. From a career standpoint, it's interesting. I used to be a behind-the-scenes entertainment guy, but since being on the show, I'm getting some more attention as potentially an on-air person. I love reality TV, and television in general. I was a television major; that's part of what possessed me to audition for the show in the first place. I'm hoping to continue to ride the momentum, host things, correspond, what have you, to stay a part of the TV world for as long as possible.

Thanks a million, Eric and Jessica, for taking the time to chat with us at CBS.com!

Source-CBS.Com