Adam Wins "Big Brother 9"
It was a dramatic conclusion to Sunday night's "Big Brother 9" finale.
Adam Jasinski, 29, a native of Cherry Hill, N.J., and Ryan Quicksall, 27, of Columbus, Mo., were the final two players in the "Big Brother" house, and Jasinski walked away the winner with a check for $500,000.
The Early Show's Julie Chen, who is also the host of "Big Brother," spoke with both finalists following the live finale.
"So how does to feel to win a half million dollars?" Chen asked.
"You know, I'm blessed. The Lord helped me through this, my family pulled me through in times of need, and this man right here is my ace in the hole," Adam said of Ryan. "I mean, I think it was a lot of hard work."
Photos: Meet The Houseguests
As the second person left in the "Big Brother" house, Ryan left $50,000 richer.
"I walked out that door with my head held up high," he told Chen. "I
didn't get evicted out of here. And there's nobody I'd rather have the
$500,000 than this boy right here. [Adam's] going to do good things with the money. And I'm happy for him."
Seven previously evicted houseguests served as the jury, voting 6-1 in favor of Adam winning the grand prize. Before voting, each juror had the chance to grill the final two on how they played the game.
Video: Julie Grills The FinalistsDoes Ryan think he deserved the win over Adam?
"I mean, I don't know. He played a great game. I felt he was
deserving. I felt I was deserving, too," Ryan said.
Chen then asked both competitors if the game was what they thought it would be.
"Pretty much," Adam admitted. "My cousin also gave me a tip. He said, 'Play your base, when the ball comes to you, field it, play your position.' And it was what I thought it was going to be, but yet, it was so much different. The monotony in the house gets to you.
Recap: The Finale
"The other houseguests over think the game too much," Adam continued. "You know, ask Ryan. It's more of a simple game -- make a decision when needed and that's it. Everybody just thinks it out. As Sheila would say, 'scenarials' really aggravated me."
In this season's big twist, each houseguest filled out a "love match" profile as part of his or her application and were matched up with a partner for part of the show. Ryan and his real-life girlfriend, Jen, were one of two real-life couples on the show who were matched with other people.
Jen and her "Big Brother" match were among the first to be evicted.
For Ryan, the game provided more anxiety than anticipated.
"I went to bed stressed...had dreams about campaigning, being
stressed out. I woke up stressed out," he said. "I mean it was tough all around, and so it was more stressful and harder than I thought it would be."
"Was it worth this $50,000 check I'm about to hand you?" asked Chen.
"It was definitely worth it," Ryan told her. "If I was booted out last week, it wouldn't have been worth it."
Adam, who claims to work for an autism foundation, came under fire early in the season for a disparaging comment he made on the show in February, angering his fellow housemates and the national autism advocacy group, Autism United.
He says he's going to give $100,000 of his winnings to the organization.
During the live finale, viewers got the chance to vote for "America's Favorite Juror" on CBS.com. Fans chose James, the ousted houseguest who sported a bright pink mohawk, as the winner of $25,000.
"Big Brother 10" premieres July 13 on CBS.