'Big Brother Canada' winner Bayleigh Pelham calls LGBTQ+ support 'heartwarming': 'They welcomed me with open arms'

Bayleigh Pelham's season 12 Big Brother Canada win came with some unexpected support from the LGBTQ+ community. In a new interview, the 34-year-old Nova Scotian admitted she was surprised by the support she received from fans — mainly because she previously considered herself an outsider within the queer community. During an episode of the Happy to See Me podcast, Pelham spoke candidly about the public's response with host Erika Casupanan, a queer woman and the first Canadian to appear on — and win — Survivor.

"I have a bit of imposter syndrome with this because I'm new and I'm bi," Pelham said. "So a lot of times, I'm like, 'Do people even take me seriously? Or am I part of the LGBTQ community? Do I fit in?' Coming out of it, so many people were like, 'Thank you for representing for our community.' It was really overwhelming. ... They just welcomed me with open arms."

After winning the show back in May, Pelham headed home to Halifax to host a Pride event. The reality star said it was "really overwhelming" to receive so much positive attention from the queer community.

"It felt really nice to be recognized just for being who I am. I just never thought that would even happen," she said. Pelham said she's happy there seems to be an increase in people becoming more comfortable with their sexuality.

"I don't know if it's just because I just recently came out, but there's a gay awakening happening in the world," she said. "I feel like more and more females, especially, are just being comfortable with saying, 'Maybe I like girls, too.' It's just so nice to see that and resonate with that and celebrate that.

"It makes me so happy for the next generation. They will not feel so hidden."

Pelham explained she was initially interviewing to be on Season 11 of Big Brother Canada, but was ultimately cut at the last minute. While it was devastating at the time, she shared she's grateful she was able to wait a year before getting on the show, in part because she was able to meet her first-ever girlfriend, Stephanie Cassano.

A month after Pelham won Big Brother Canada earlier this year, Corus Entertainment announced it was cancelling the popular reality TV series.

"If there's going to be one last winner, I'll take it. But I would never have wanted that," she said, adding she was looking forward to watching future seasons, possibly hosting a competition on the show or even being a mentor to the next winner.

"I can still watch other countries' versions of Big Brother, but it's not going to be the same and it will never be the same. ... Nothing surprises me anymore, but I do hope that it's not over forever."

Looking ahead, Pelham noted she's putting trust into the universe to guid her "along the way" because of how things played out with Big Brother Canada. After winning her season, which included the biggest prize in the show's history at $200,000, Pelham said she was fortunate enough to take the summer off and "digest" her win.

"I'm just figuring out what sparks joy for me. I've always dipped my toes into different ponds of things that make me happy and focusing my energy on only those things," she said. "And I trust that the doors that will open for me will happen at the right time."

She wrapped her conversation by reminding people we're human beings and things shift all the time: "We all feel the same things. Some days, we wake up and feel like we're killing it. Some days, we wake up and we think, 'What the hell am I doing with my life? I'm a failure.' So it ebbs and flows. You just have to let those things go through you and leave you."

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