Julie Chen Moonves Reveals Dark Horse AFP Candidate for Big Brother 26

The Big Brother 26 finale is mere days away and there is more at stake than just the $750,000 grand prize.

As always, Big Brother will hand out an additional $50,000 to America’s Favorite Houseguest, as voted by the fans. Big Brother host Julie Chen Moonves spoke exclusively to Us at the Us Weekly + Pluto TV Reality Stars of the Year Party at the Dream Hotel on Thursday, October 10, where she broke down who she thinks has a shot at winning the popularity contest — and the answer might not be what you expect.

Chen Moonves, 54, first named the two favorites, Tucker Des Lauriers and Leah Peters, as possibilities. Tucker was a stream of constant entertainment with his unpredictable gameplay and made-for-TV personality, while fans loved watching Leah’s relationship with Quinn Martin evolve from friends to maybe something more.

“If Tucker had lasted at least into the jury, he’d be fresh in people’s minds,” she said. “If they voted the week that he got evicted, I think it would be a landslide. Then Leah was coming on strong. America was falling in love with her. I think it’s either Leah or Tucker.”

But according to Chen Moonves, it’s not just between those two. She thinks Angela Murray, the 50-year-old real estate agent from Utah, may have garnered favor from the fans despite her paranoia in the house leading to some famous blow-ups.

“I don’t know. If the moms show up for Angela, she could win,” Chen Moonves said. “ She swung things around.”

Angela’s chaotic reign in the house began in Week 1 when she unexpectedly went off on fellow houseguest Matt Hardeman, famously referring to him as “crazy eyes.” She then turned to her potential allies in The Collective alliance, calling their genuine attempt to work with her an acting job befitting “a low-budget movie.”

If Big Brother fans reward anything, however, it’s entertainment value, and Angela covered the entire spectrum. She’ll be remembered not only for her legendary rant, but also her famous eviction night speeches that became monologues about her love for the show (“It’s Big freakin’ Brother!”) and her reaction when Tucker used the Power of Veto to save her instead of himself. She even kept performing after being evicted, pulling off a brilliant Jennifer Coolidge impression during her exit interviews.

In addition to the AFP race, Chen Moonves weighed in on who she thinks will win the game. At this point, it seems clear that Chelsie Baham is the heavy favorite, but the longtime host warned fans not to sleep on Makensy Manbeck.

“You never know when someone is going to vote emotionally on the jury,” she explained. “Yes, Chelsie does seem like the mastermind, but did she make anyone angry? So I think it’s either hers to win it or Makensy. Makensy won nine competitions.”

The Big Brother 26 finale will air on CBS Sunday, October 13, at 9 p.m. ET.