Big Brother crowned Jag Bains its Season 25 champion over runner-up Matt Klotz in a 5-2 jury vote during Thursday night's special live two-hour finale broadcast on CBS.
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"Congratulations Jag, you are the winner of Big Brother 25!" Big Brother host Julie Chen said as she revealed the jury vote that cemented Jag's victory. "Come on out [of the Big Brother house]!"
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Jag, a 25-year-old truck company owner from Omak, WA, and Matt, a 27-year-old Deaflympics gold medalist from Cameron Park, CA who currently resides in Baton Rouge, LA, became the Big Brother season's Final 2 houseguests after Jag defeated Matt in the third part of the season's three-part final Head of Household competition and then opted to vote Bowie Jane out of the Big Brother house.
"I'm on top of the world," Jag said after he had exited the Big Brother house with Matt and accepted congratulations from the season's previously eliminated houseguests.
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"Like this has been the greatest experience of my life," he continued. "And to be able to win this with integrity and loyalty the whole time is exactly what I wanted to do and I just hope I made my family proud."
"You made history," Julie replied, noting that Jag -- who was the first Sikh houseguest in the 23-year history of CBS's Big Brother -- also became the reality show's first-ever Sikh winner.
As Big Brother's Season 25 winner, Jag will receive the competition's $750,000 grand prize. As runner-up, Matt will receive $75,000.
Jag received votes from Big Brother jury members America Lopez, Blue Kim, Bowie Jane, Cameron Hardin and Cory Wurtenberger, while Matt received votes from Cirie Fields and Felicia Cannon.
Prior to facing off in the third part of the season's three-part final Head of Household competition, Matt had bested Jag and Bowie in the Part 1 competition and Jag had then defeated Bowie, a 45-year-old barrister and DJ from Melbourne, Australia who currently resides in Los Angeles, CA, in the Part 2 competition.
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Jag had formed separate Final 2 alliances with both Matt and Bowie weeks earlier, leaving him in the position of betraying a close Big Brother ally regardless of his eviction decision.
In the end, he decided to remain loyal to his alliance with Matt -- who had used a game-changing Power of Invincibility advantage he had won to keep Jag in the Big Brother game after Jag was unanimously voted out of the house in Week 4 -- even though Jag believed he would likely fare better against Bowie in the jury vote.
"Matt, in Week 4 my back was against the wall," Jag told Matt and Bowie as he revealed his eviction decision. "I was questioning everything and I truly prayed with everything in my soul for an answer and you answered those prayers. You didn't turn your back on me, and it would feel wrong if I turned my back on you now."
"Ultimately I have to do what I think is right and make the decision that I hope my family will be proud of, the decision that I hope my Sikh community will be proud of, and I hope the decision that Bowie Jane you are proud of as well," he continued.
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"If I sit next to Matt and I lose 6-1, the one thing that I pray is that that one vote is from you, Bowie Jane. I have to take Matt to the Final 2 [so] I have to vote to evict you."
After revealing Jag's Big Brother victory, Julie also revealed that Cameron had been voted America's Favorite Player by the show's viewers. As America's Favorite Player, Cameron will receive a $50,000 cash prize.
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Cameron appeared genuinely shocked by his victory and overwhelmed by emotion.
"Oh my God, thank you! So, so much!" he said as he seemed to struggle to control himself. "On my God, I don't -- I am speechless. Thank you so much. Thank you."
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According to Julie, Cirie and Matt were the other two houseguests in who finished in the America's Favorite Player's Top 3 voting results.