The Reality TV Show 'Big Brother' Star Jessie Godderz Is 'Embarrassed, Ashamed and Disappointed' He Wasn't Cast on (Exclusive)

When it comes to House of Villains, there may be no bigger fan than Jessie Godderz. He seems to love the E! Network reality competition show almost as he loves his muscles. (Almost.) 

A notorious Big Brother alum who memorably competed in Seasons 10 and 11 of the CBS program (before returning for many cameo performances) and a professional wrestler known for his stage name “Mr. PEC-Tacular,” Godderz is jumping into the ring for House of Villains Season 2. He’ll be joining fellow famed reality TV anti-heroes like The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Teresa Giudice, Survivor’s Richard Hatch and Flavor of Love’s Tiffany “New York” Pollard in the House of Villains mansion to bicker, betray and backstab his way to a $200,000 cash prize and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain.”

Related: Here’s Every Time a ‘Big Brother’ Eviction Was Canceled

Ahead of the House of Villains Season 2 premiere — which will debut with a special two-episode extravaganza across two nights, with the first 75-minute episode airing on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 10 p.m. ET on E! Network and the second to follow on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 10 p.m ET — Parade chatted with Godderz about his strategy going into the new season, which fellow competitor he was most intimidated by and his decades-long beef with host Joel McHale.

Christina Izzo: It’s been fifteen years since you competed on Big Brother. Why did you decide to return to competitive reality TV after all this time, and what was it about House of Villains specifically that made you want to come back?

Jessie Godderz: As soon as I saw House of Villains Season 1, I was like, “Oh my gosh, if there was ever a show for Mr. PEC-Tacular and Jessie Godderz — because that’s how we talk to each other, it’s two different people — this was the show. All of my strengths. No weaknesses. The concept of the show is absolutely phenomenal. The first season was so stellar. They knocked it out of the park. The comedy — everything ends with a button of a punchline, and I just absolutely love it.

I almost felt embarrassed, ashamed and disappointed in myself that I wasn’t on the first season, to be completely honest with you. [House of Villains] truly emulates the framework of Big Brother because you’re inside a house, but now you’re just with a bunch of the characters who could carry a show. The only thing that’s better than [going back on Big Brother] is to get my first opportunity on House of Villains.

Did you rewatch House of Villains Season 1 to prepare at all, to make a game plan for your strategy going into the mansion?

When you play Big Brother, you replay all of your moves over and over again. So for the past 15 years, I’ve definitely gone over the mistakes that I may have made, which I can obviously live with. So going into this, I didn’t give my fellow villains any credit in [knowing] how to play a game such as this, because I knew they were going to be coming from their respective TV shows. One thing that House of Villains Season 1 taught me is that everybody is a villain in their own respect on their own show, and it has nothing to do with gameplay like on The Challenge, Survivor or Big Brother. [Playing with them] would be like herding cats — they’re playing a different game, whether it’s for clout or however you want to do it.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About ‘House of Villains’ Season 1

Did you seek out advice from any of the Season 1 stars? We know former competitors Bobby Lytes and Jax Taylor make cameos this season.

Mr. PEC-Tacular has all the faith in the world in himself, so I really didn’t seek out any help from anybody else, because I knew I could carry the weight of the world on my own shoulders. And believe it or not, I’m very polarizing, so the friends that I have in this reality TV space are few and far between.

Speaking of, villainy is subjective. Would you classify yourself as a villain and what would you say is the most villainous thing you did while on Big Brother?

First and foremost, I absolutely am not the villain on my own show, for sure, no chance. When it comes to the most villainous thing I’ve done on Big Brother, I made [castmate Keesha Smith’s] birthday known forever. Everybody was fighting with everybody else. Sometimes you see somebody falling, and you just give them a little push, you don’t try to help them out. Keesha’s birthday will forever be iconic. Obviously, I’m super abrasive, and if you think I had arch nemesis in Big Brother, it’s safe to say I have a new one after House of Villains.

Juicy! What were your first thoughts when you found out who you would be competing against this season on House of Villains? Did you have any preconceptions about your castmates?

Yes, there were two people who I thought should have been on House of Villains Season 1, and they both were on House of Villains Season 2: Richard Hatch and myself, Mr. PEC-Tacular. That was my era of reality television. I saw Richard navigate the waters and come out on top and be able to win in an outstanding fashion. Iconic and legendary is the individual, when it comes to Hatch and myself. All the other people, unfortunately, I don’t watch some of the other shows. I have a feeling that that sentiment is shared because everybody is in their own world, and they’re focused on themselves. So I had to respectfully show them what I was about. Luckily I could bring my profession into the house and literally carry them on my shoulders.

Did any of them end up surprising you?

All of them! We’re all in the house for a reason, and it takes all of a 15-minute conversation to find out why that person is there. Everybody is a gimmick, every single person. And what’s funny enough, I could relate a lot of things to Big Brother when it came to the psychology of life, but I could also relate a lot of storylines, good and evil, with the way professional wrestling actually is, because there needs to be characters. Without Batman, there is no Joker. I didn’t know a lot of them, but I sure got a crash course.

You mentioned your wrestling career — obviously physical strength is an advantage in a TV competition like this but did other skills benefit you in House of Villains?

Yeah, Mr, PEC-Tacular is all self-induced. Again, very polarizing, narcissistic, egotistical, unrelatable. But also the ‘boy next door,’ the charm, the good looks, a physique that’s world-renowned. There’s zero people who look like the Last Action Hero other than myself on reality television, so you’re welcome, House of Villains, and you’re welcome to all the viewers. As far as I’m concerned, I did everybody a favor because there’s not much to look at other than me.

Now that you’ve done House of Villains Season 2, would you play Big Brother again? Or are there other reality shows you’d like to do?

I’m hoping to roll this out like a Johnny Bananas franchise in The Challenge and do House of Villains Season 3, Season 4, Season 5 — I’m just gonna hit legendary mode now and just call my shot like the great Bambino and continue to keep being on national television as primetime PEC-Tacular. That outstanding, ecstatic response that House of Villains was able to elicit in Season 1, [is going to be] much better because I’m on House of Villains Season 2.

What should fans expect from House of Villains season 2?

Twists, turns, incredible drama, legendary backstabbing, awesome alliances and just most importantly, pure comedy — what more could you ask for? And Joel McHale! We haven’t even talked about this fella!

Oh yes, how was it having him as your host?

The guy is a saint. I mean, he talked bad about me a couple years ago, decades ago now. I don’t remember [what he said], it was just a bunch of gobbly goop…When I first started out, I knew I made it when I showed up on The Soup and he was talking about me. And to see his face again, it was a thing of beauty.

And finally, are there any other villainous reality TV personalities you’d love to see for House of Villains season 3?

To be completely honest with you, the only answer that comes to mind is me. There’s nobody better than myself. To say that I wouldn’t want to see myself on House of Villains Season 3 is a farce. Let’s be honest, let’s call a spade a spade: these pecs are made for national television, these arms, these tree-trunk legs, this ab-tacular body. We’re called ‘Back Attack’ for a reason, because we’re back, baby!

This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.

Related: Monica Garcia Joins the Cast of ‘House of Villains’ Season 2