Celebrity Big Brother has hit the scene! After every eviction, Parade’s Mike Bloom interviews the latest celebrity to leave the Big Brother house.

Tamar Braxton has a way with words, a quality which was on full display during her time on Celebrity Big Brother 2. It supported her energetic Diary Room sessions, sometimes merely communicating her feelings through a series of sounds. It led to quite a few conflicts in the house, as she was confident in her ability to call out something she thought was unjust. And it ultimately had her piece together a string of thoughtful and eloquent responses to the jury of evicted celebrities, which gave her a unanimous win–only the second in Big Brother history–over Ricky Williams.

Tamar entered the house with glee, as a fan of the show since the very beginning. But she changed her tune quickly when she saw one of her competitors would be singer Kandi Burruss. The two had a former friendship that turned rough on the road, and it led Tamar to start her game with blinders on (not to be confused with her trademark visor) as she ferociously targeted Kandi. When her plans came up short, she stopped seeing red and started seeing gold and green. The gold was her roommates in the Gold Room–Ricky, Lolo Jones, and Natalie Eva Marie–with whom she formed a tight bond and coalition that took her all the way to the finals. The green was her new nemeses in Tom Green and partner Kato Kaelin.

Throughout the game, Tamar was able to put power to her words and further her objectives. America voted for her to have “The Power of the Publicist,” protecting her from two crucial evictions. She mended fences with Kandi and served as the pivotal vote to save her back during the second week of the game. She won Head of Household, a Veto competition, and a Safety competition to stop the growth of any “Tomato” seeds in this game. With the end in sight, she secured relationships and deals on all sides to guarantee a spot in those final two chairs. She got her wish when Ricky won the final HoH and took her, where she proceeded to tell the jury about her accolades, her regrets in being too emotional, and the profoundly spiritual experience she had. In the end, despite the conflicts she got into with just about everyone in the house at one point in time, they all cast their votes for Tamar, making her wig out in ecstasy as she walked out the door.

Now out of the house, Tamar talks with Parade about the shocked reaction that came with her win, how her sense of authenticity contributed to her success, and how she feels about being Big Brother’s first African-American winner.

We’re talking about twelve hours after you’ve been crowned the victor of your season. Has anything died down since then?

No, it has not, because I have not slept yet. [Laughs.] I’m still in disbelief. It’s the best day on top of the best feeling ever. I’m going to ride this high for as long as I possibly can.

You won in a unanimous vote. Were you surprised by any particular juror’s vote that you got?

All of them! [Laughs.] A unanimous vote is not what I envisioned. I can’t believe that every one of my housemates voted for me. It’s such an amazing feeling to have that kind of love back at you. In the Big Brother house, you make connections with people, but you don’t know if they’re real or not. But last night solidified the fact that it was real.

You gave some very comprehensive and thought-out responses to the jury, which may have contributed to your ultimate victory. Did you think those through beforehand, or were you speaking off the top of your head?

Absolutely top of my head. I did not expect to make it to the final two! Especially after my alliance decided they were not going to bring Kandi to the final four. I thought I was doomed to disaster, honey. I thought I was going home in third or fourth and that was going to be it.

So if you have won that final Head of Household, which you were very close in doing, would you have taken Ricky as he took you?

I would have absolutely brought Ricky. We talked about this last week. Ricky and I connected on a level that I can’t even communicate. You meet one of those people, and they become a family member instantly. That’s who Ricky is to me. There was no question for me that I would bring Ricky. My paranoia is why I didn’t believe our relationship was as real as it was until after the fact. He’s just an amazing person, and I hope everyone gives him the chance to show who he really is. I promise you I haven’t met a lot of people like Ricky. He’s amazing.

You mentioned in your jury speech about how your biggest regret in the house was getting too emotional. How much did you struggle with keeping your emotions in check when tempers ran hot?

You’re talking to Miss Emotional.com! [Laughs.] I am one to not hide her emotions. The more I try, the more they come out. I wish I could grasp the fact that I couldn’t suppress my emotions. That’s one of the things that hindered me in the house. Although I came out the winner–thank God–it could have really gone the other way because of my emotions. And I’m well aware of that. Because I’m aware of that, I’m going to use that in my efforts outside of the house. It was a journey for me to look within myself and say, “You need to chill with your emotions, homegirl. It’s too much!”

On that note, I know that things got heated between you, Tom, and Kato, including some personal remarks exchanged between you three. What’s your perspective on how that all came about?

Here’s the thing. I’m not trying to throw anybody under the bus. I don’t if you took this away from my Big Brother experience, but it’s hard for me to lie. When I lie, I’m obvious about my lie. [Laughs.] I’m not making anything up when I say someone’s a bully. I think sometimes guys have it hard because people can say they’re a bully, and then they have the stigma of being a bully forever.

It was a lot, and they did too much at times. When Kato said, “I’m nominating you because you need to go home to your son” and “I stepped on some shrimp and basil and onion,”–which is a complete lie–that is bullying. “If you don’t do what I want you to do, I’m going to do something to you.” That is bullying. Saying I look like Miss Cleo because I have an African wrap is bullying. It was too much.com! But we’re in a bubble, and I’m not going to hold it against anybody. Of course, I said things I didn’t mean. So who would I be to ask forgiveness for things I didn’t mean if I knew they were in the same situation?

Near the end of the game, you had to walk a tricky tightrope between the Gold Room alliance and your mended relationship with Kandi. What was it like to maintain bonds with both sides/

Oh my God! It was the hardest I worked. My bedroom alliance was not feeling Kandi at all. I kept pitching her, and you can imagine having a friend who doesn’t really mesh well with the rest of your friends, and you keep talking about her. It’s a lot! [Laughs.] I was a salesperson for Kandi. But I knew she was important for me to continue a relationship with and have her trust inside and outside the house. That meant I had to do some things that weren’t necessarily comfortable for me. It was worth it. I’m really grateful for the time Kandi and I had in the house. That was not an easy fence to mend. It’s been over twenty years that I’ve known Kandi, and we’ve never been in this situation where we can depend on each other, and that’s unfortunate, to be honest.

You spoke before about your difficulty in lying. How much do you think your sense of authenticity contributed to your success in this game?

I think people can see the difference between when you’re a hardcore liar and when you’re just playing the game. I don’t think any of my housemates felt like I was a poker player. When you’re in the Big Brother house, you expect people to play the game, but you also respect who play the game and know they’re not that kind of person. I’m grateful for the people who made the choice to see that difference in me.

You have officially made Big Brother history as the first African-American winner. How does it feel to earn that honor?

I went onto Instagram and saw that! It’s like the best feeling on top of the best day ever. You get to win Big Brother, one of your favorite shows that you’ve been watching for nineteen years, since Chicken George. You get a chance to be in the house, cook in the kitchen, and meet people who you connect with in a unique way that you’ll never be able to explain. Breaking the record in a house that you always wanted to be in, you can’t plan things like this. I’m just so grateful to God that he chose me even to experience such an amazing time that only a group of fewer than 250 people have ever felt. Then, on top of that, to break records. Are you kidding me.org?