The Zach Nichols Podcast - The Amber Borzotra Interview! | ZNP EP. 99

Episode Date: March 24, 2025

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Hey, this is Amber. We are talking about all things to challenge on Zach Nichols' podcast. So tune in. Ready to go? I'm ready to go. I'm ready to go. I'm super excited. I think first things. First, we got to welcome Amber.

You're going to have to help me with your last name. Okay. Challenge champion. All star. Welcome to the show. There she is. But no, how is you're the official pronunciation of your last name? Borzotra.

Just how it looks. Borzotra. Is that Polish? No, I heard it's, I actually don't know what it is. I heard it's Italian, but I'm like. I don't know. Borzotra. Yeah, that sounds Italian, right?

I feel like you need it now. What did you win one of these? And borzotra. We love it. Wait, you won your rookie season, right? Yeah. We have something in common. Oh, round of applause for the rookie champ.

Rookie champ. But you know what the problem with that is? What's that? You probably got done with that and you're like, I'm just going to win like five or six more these. That's exactly what I thought. It seems like, yeah, you'll get there. If you get there, you can.

Well, that's what I felt. Like, after I won one, I was like, dude, I'm just going to continue to win these and never get a job. And then I lost the next 12 I did. So did you leave that first one thinking that? Did you think I'm going to be her for as long as I do this thing? Or did you, how did you feel winning your rookie season? Honestly, I packed enough to just be there for like a week, too. I was like, I'm going to this.

I already know I'm going to be out early. So winning my rookie season was just like. life changing um i you know move had moved back home because the pandemic had no job was living you know back with my mom so i was like wow and like probably like four weeks after i've moved home i got an email for the challenge i was like what is this like i didn't even know if it was real i was like let me just yeah you thought it was like some spam some fishing bullshit yeah exactly and so it was like the perfect time to go because i needed the money um and i ended up winning which was insane like I did not expect that, but I knew if I could get to the final, like, because I wasn't working out all season.

I didn't do anything. I ate, like. It was Iceland. Like, yeah. Like, yeah, like, I'm jealous. Iceland is, like, the one location I've always wanted to go to. And I haven't gotten to. So, so no intimidation.

Like, as an athlete, how confident are you going into this thing? Or did you not even think about it? You're like, I've done a TV show before. No, I was not. Like, I've done a TV show before, but it's so different on Big Brother. Like, we have, Big Brother, you don't have cameras in your face. You're kind of just freely living in the walls, right? Yeah, it's all behind the walls.

There's no team that ever comes in? No, not even when you go to the backyard for the games, like for the challenges. No one's out there. They explain it through like, I'm just like, where's that voice? Like the PA in school? Yeah. So I always figured like there were cameras all over the place. But I also thought like at least for like nominations and stuff like that,

they brought in a camera crew and stuff. No, it's all behind, yeah, the walls. That changes the social dynamic for sure. Yeah, it was always so when my first season, that was one thing. It took a minute for me to warm up with like a camera being. Like four other people in the room that no one knows they're in there. But that it's crazy because when I first started, there was like, they were a lot more strict on like don't, like don't address the camera people.

But like nowadays, at least by the time I was done, like you, they'd be sometimes part of it. Or they'd be like, hey, go have that conversation again and you'd get to know them really well. And it's like almost kind of. It's nice. Yeah, it's nice. I love to, like, get away from everyone else that I, in the moment, cannot stand and go have a conversation with a camera, a cameraman or something, you know? You get to know them. I mean, you're spending a, you miss them after a little. Think about it, too, like a lot of people, like, for example, like Johnny and CT, like you're doing 20 plus seasons with these people times that by 10 weeks.

It's a lot of weeks to be, have somebody in a room with you while you're living your life. A lot of history. You get pretty close to them, I would say. I know that. I want to take a step back. I want to talk about these accolades. I just want to make sure that we give. this beautiful champion the respect she deserves on all fronts five challenge seasons

three flagship world championship she was invited to world championship round of applause for the world championship invite championship multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars won 455 to be exact elimination record in the positive

five and three and then from Big Brother the first Big Brother winner ever isn't that wild the first person to win the challenge from Big Brother from Big Brother yeah I was like you You didn't win your season.

No, no, no, no. Yeah. But the first bit, so, you know, something that. That is huge. Think about it. We hated you guys for so long, big brother people. Yeah, so you hated us for a while. So I'm the biggest hater for rookies.

Like, it takes me like several seasons, all right. They're cool. You know. Yeah, I knew you had it out for me once. I saw Twitter a little tweaky day. He was like, what the is this? And I was like, he's a hater. He's a known hater.

Yeah. And I'll admit it. And then after like a couple seasons, I'm like, okay. Like, then you see like you kind of get ganged up against like with the big brother people. And then you're like that, you know, like I'm watching the show. I'm like, okay. Like, all right. And then you win.

You're like, damn. But no, for real. I always hate on the new people. I hated on my own wife because she was from like they brought them in separate from us on X's too. I'm like, she was on a real world season. But she came with Ari the one people. I'm like, who are these losers? They don't want to be here.

But then here come the big brother people. Oh, that pissed me off. Who was the first? Was it Natalie and Victor? No. Vendettas. Oh, right. No, Pauly.

It was Pauley because no, Vendettos was before Final Reckoning. So Natalie Nagradi and Victor were on. Did Josh come, was on that season? Josh didn't come until War of the World's won. Got it. I barely talk to Josh's rookie season. I don't talk to rookies. I vote them in.

Well, because it's like a free week. You know what I'm saying? Like when there's new people. That's why I didn't talk to Big T. I'm like, you could be gone. Yeah, so big. Big T. Big T.

I'm sure you got to know her a little bit on your season. But she didn't want, she didn't want to do our show because she said that Zach was a little dismissive of her in their early, early years. Was. Oh, exactly. But she also stole my slides at the pool. Oh, you're not the only one that she still slides from. Exactly. You have a slide story?

Well, so I was the first. We already told this story, but essentially like I'm very like type A, like this is my space. like this is my space or whatever so like when i go into the pool like folded towel like it's like it like it wasn't like i just kicked them off like kyle will you know how kyle just lives throughout the house and all of a sudden i get out of the pool i'm like where the hell my slides and i refuse to walk anywhere barefoot i hate it you know and uh i'm like what the hell well big t just thought she would throw them on and live in them how does it feel to know you're not special other people get their shit stolen a lot better it does a lot better so tiny too can i she grabbed a size 12 yeah like

what are you doing her toes are like curling on the first I was like, what's going on? So, yeah, no, I'm very dismissive of rookies. So that's true. So let's start from the beginning. How did you end up on TV in general? Oh, my goodness. So big brother, I actually wasn't even looking for the audition.

So I moved to Los Angeles. I was kind of sleeping on a couch. You're going to be famous. Working on the bar. You know, that kind of thing. Yeah. So I just went out there to live. I was just like, okay, enough of Tennessee.

It's just like the same thing, you know. So I went out there after like three months, four months of sleeping on a friend's couch that I had met there. It was the point sometimes where I was like in the gym like showering. Like I was trying to figure life out. You were grinding. Yeah. I was so.

I saved up enough. I got rid of had a little bug. I sold it and saved up enough, um, working to get a place finally. So I was like, cool. I went to go find this place and could not find it and came across an audition. Someone was like, are you lost? Do you look for audition? I was like, what audition?

And they're like, big brother. So they're like, you might as well like audition. You're here. So I was like, cool. I audition. got a call back and I ended up on Big Brother. Those are the type of people they want though. It's just so random.

It was like I was just walking down the street and that was it. So one of the things I love to ask people that are on Big Brother or they made it on the real world is like did you really, how did it feel to be literally one in a million choice? Because so many people apply to something like this and they tell you that you're one of the special six or eight or nine or 12. I don't know how many people go on, 14? For me it was the real world. I think it was seven or eight. But for Big Brother, it's like, what, 16 people? Yeah, 16.

I mean, same out. Yeah. Yeah. Well, way, less than a decimal point. How did it feel? Honestly, I, I, it felt great for me. I was like, dang, I'm looking for a place to live. I don't have to spend any money right now.

I can go get fed, not pay rent. I was living on Cloud Mountain. Oh, yeah, because you're not on your place. No, I didn't even go. After that, I was like, not needing. Like, let me sleep in my car a little bit longer. Let me sleep on the couch, whatever. And hopefully I get on the show.

And I did, of course, it. did not win that because of some guy that wanted me to like him. He was aggressive. So you've seen her season? Yep. That was one of the seasons that I watched. Okay. What did you,

what did you think about her performance on Big Brother? I mean, like she said, she kind of got railroaded by a guy. Like he made a weirdo. Yeah, he made him a bunch of stuff about her and got her. Turn the whole house against him.

Yeah, because, yeah, he thought they were like dating. It was kind of weird watching. I'm like, oh, that's weird.

So this guy or whatever, or kind of has it out for you, why do you think you got casted or called through the challenge or emailed, I should say? I don't know. They saw something. I mean, I needed a second chance or something. But I don't know.

I think that for me, I'm honestly the most emotional, like, fall of, of a human. I feel everything. I, like, I'm very intense and passionate in all that. I think that I'm just because I'm that character,

you know what I mean? It's like, What are we going to get from you? But it was me again, like Hannah is on the challenge, usually me against the house. And that's how it was on Big Brother. And it was like, it was a lot. I don't know why I got the call, but I'm very happy. Again, it has changed my life.

Well, I know from the fan perspective. And for me as a fan, like you are a fan favorite. So many of the DMs came flooded in. Queen, love her, obsessed with her whenever we posted that you were coming in. So let me ask you this. How do you feel you've been received by the fans and has that, change since the start of your challenge career until now. Challenge fans can be brutal.

I love the fans. I don't have a lot. That concludes the free preview of the Zach Nichols podcast. So go to Patreon and subscribe to see the rest of the shit that we talk. Go do it now.