Big Brother’s house is open once more! Every week, Parade.com’s Mike Bloom will be bringing you interviews with houseguests as they get evicted from the game.

As Jackson Michie brought up recently, Cliff Hogg III has played Big Brother with two credos: Always play your own game and adaptation is the key to survival. It’s these mottos that kept the petroleum engineer alive for 93 days in the game despite evictions, buybacks and an extremely fluid house. But the rare moments when he couldn’t follow his philosophies spelled the end for Cliff, as his risk-taking to get him and Nicole Anthony to the final three coupled with some inopportune competition wins ended up whacking the Hoggfather.

Superfan Cliff figured he’d have to work against his age gap. The test was immediate when Jackson put him up for banishment on the first night, though he crawled his way to safety. Cliff sat on the block twice in the first three weeks as a likable pawn. But when the others overheard him talking game to the cameras, they decided to discontinue “Cliff’s Notes.” The “Six Shooters” alliance took aim, blindsiding him and their former allies in turn. Cliff became the final member of “Camp Comeback,” but the rest of the house could barely blink before he had crushed the competition and undid his eviction. He continued his hot streak with an HoH win, and though he was unable to get revenge, he brokered a deal with a power-wielding Christie Murphy to get himself to jury.

As the Six Shooters–and the game–broke open, Cliff doubled down on his reputation as being “good to his word.” The others perceived him as honorable, now bringing him into alliances with “Cliff’s Angels” and the remnants of the Six Shooters. When those sank, he got close with fellow Southerner Jackson, as they formed a final four deal with their close allies Nicole and Holly Allen. That new foursome wreaked havoc, as a pair of competition wins from Cliff and Nicole finally sent Christie to the jury. At the final five, the two faced a difficult choice: Evict a threat but lone soldier in Tommy, or break their deal and split up a powerful pair by evicting Holly. A last-minute lie from Jackson led them to honor their agreement, but not before Cliff made Holly promise to throw the HoH to Nicole.

With the preschool aide now safe, Cliff had to win the final Veto to guarantee his spot on finale night. Unfortunately, the dodgeballs were not in his court, as Jackson earned the sole vote to evict. Cliff was confident Jackson would honor their final two deal, though he couldn’t reciprocate it. But the server was still steaming from them nearly evicting Holly. Though initially angry at the broken deal and even threatening his jury vote, Cliff walked out with his head, and hat, held high.

Now out of the house and joining the jury, Cliff talks with me about his decision to pride his loyalty, the various choices he made at critical points, and what he makes of the three houseguests left to contend for the $500,000 prize.

As the oldest houseguest in the game, how did you utilize your age to benefit your strategy?

It was very difficult being the oldest houseguest. I believe with especially with some of the young ladies, I presented as a father figure. It helped me develop relationships with them that served me later in the game. Also, because of my age and being less of a physical threat, I was hoping to be less of a target than the young, physically fit men.

Your game was predicated on you being “good to your word,” to the point where you revealed your deals and even volunteered for the block a few times. What chose you to navigate a policy of honesty in a duplicitous game like Big Brother?

I actually came into the game saying I would be as ruthless as possible. But in the beginning, I wanted to show a character of honor and integrity, and the more I did it, the more it seemed to work as an advantage for me. Later in the game, where there were times where I perhaps could have lied, I discovered that being cutthroat and ruthless was more difficult than I envisioned. It’s something I would not do in the real world. I’m afraid I may not be as cutthroat as I needed to be for this game.

Your game got outed via your Cliff’s Notes, which caused you to get evicted and immediately return. How did that series of events affect the way you approached your place in the game?

My strategy had been to fly under the radar, perhaps find an alliance, and play a little soldier. But because I have a big mouth, I became a threat earlier than I expected. That forced me to fight more aggressively to break up the alliance of eight and get Jack out the door.

As HoH, you chose to backdoor Bella after Christie threatened to use her power to put her up herself. What led to you making that decision, and how did that pave your role in the house moving forward?

Because I knew that Christie had told everyone she had the power, I was very concerned she would feel obligated to use it. And if she used it, I lost all control over who was going up on the block as a replacement nominee. My fear also was that I would then have a huge target on my back from the alliance. By working a deal with Christie, that gave me two weeks of safety, and I was able to sit back until the alliance imploded.

You and Nicole were constantly wavering on whether to evict Tommy or Holly. Were you worried your indecisiveness would play badly to whoever stayed?

I was worried about that. But I was more worried about making a decision that best helped my game and also Nicole’s.

What ultimately led you to keep Holly over Tommy?

I was very worried about competing against both Tommy and Michie in the Final 4. Tommy would be strong at memory competitions, and Michie obviously is a physical beast. I also was worried that Tommy and Michie had been working together and perhaps would do so again if they were both together, making me the odd man out. I also was afraid of the connection between Tommy and Christie. I had just learned about that the day before, and that might have let him control the jury house if he stuck around.

Why were you so convinced that Jackson would hold to what he promised and take you to the final three, especially after you told him the deal couldn’t be reciprocated?

Jackson and I had talked about honor and trust many times this season. Up to that point, he had never betrayed my trust to my knowledge. When I shook his hand and looked him in the eye, I believed him. Obviously, looking back now, that was a foolish decision on my part.

After you found out you would be evicted, you had some anger towards Jackson, even threatening to not vote for him. Now that the initial shock has settled, how do you feel about the game he’s played?

I think he is obviously a strong physical competitor. I’m not sure from a “social” standpoint that he has handled the game as well. I know that there are a lot of jury members that could potentially be upset with him. If he doesn’t win, it’s going to be because he didn’t handle the jury very well.

Jackson chose to evict you over Holly, who has now survived the block twice in a row. What do you think of her game?

I think she is playing a great game. She kept her word in throwing the HoH to Nicole if we kept her. I admire Holly as a person and game player.

Let’s talk about that promise to Holly. While it protected Nicole as HoH, it left you vulnerable to get evicted instead. Looking back, how do you feel about the lengths you went to make sure you and Nicole would get to the finals?

I believed that having Nicole and I both in the final three would have helped my game. So I did go to greater lengths to make sure she could go to the final three with me. But when she won HoH, that plan blew up in my face. Now I’m facing the music.