Cory Wurtenberger

Cory Benjamin Wurtenberger was a houseguest on Big Brother 25 (US).

Although nominated on Night 1, Cory would be taken off the block by the first Head of Household Reilly Smedley, and would remain in a fairly comfortable position early on by aligning with power player Cirie Fields. However, his threat level would rise week by week, after starting a showmance with America Lopez and showing some strategic capability. America would soon successfully flip the house against Cirie’s ally in Izzy Gleicher, while simultaneously laying low, projecting the image onto the house that Cory was the larger strategic threat. This all came to a head the following week when Cirie’s son Jared won HOH and targeted rival Cameron Hardin. Even though Cameron was to be easily evicted after Jag Bains won the Power of Veto, Cory got into a large argument with Jared about his betrayal in nominating him earlier that week, and forever fractured his relationship with Jared’s side of the house.

During the Double Eviction, Cory won HOH and swiftly nominated Jared and his showmance Blue Kim, after which Jared would be evicted 6-1. When Cameron re-entered and left Jared permanently eliminated, Cory’s status as a viable ally for much of the house decreased due to him being in a showmance, and giving away some of his strategic power to Matt Klotz, meaning that he would be next on the hit list for the house if there were no physical threats available to target. This would be the case, as Jag would win the Week 11 HOH in secret, and target either one of Cory or America after the POV competition. The plan would be a success, and the house chose to evict Cory in a 5-0 vote. He placed 8th, and became the second member of the jury.

In the jury, Cory voted for Jag to win over Matt due to the owning of his game and his excellent use of goodbye messages.

Biography[]

Cory Wurtenberger Biography

Retrieved from Parade.com
Age: 21
Hometown: Weston, FL
Occupation: College Student

Cory is the younger brother of Survivor 42 contestant Zach Wurtenberger.

How does it feel to be on the 25th season of Big Brother?
Well, it's incredible. I mean, season 25. I feel like all of these milestone seasons [like] 10, 20, they've all been spectacular. And to be a part of this season, it's incredible. And I feel like not only is it going to be fun for me, but it's almost my duty to make this season as amazing as it can be. So I'm looking forward to it. I hope everyone else is pumped, especially showing up here. I guess I've already been in the house ,which is incredible to think about. Just the simple things, walking, sitting at the kitchen bar, going outside, playing pool, probably being horrible at pool, going upstairs ,sitting at the chessboard. There are just so many moments I want to have, and I'm going to be able to, it's going to be awesome.

What twists do you think are happening in Big Brother 25?
Can I pitch you what I think the twist is? All winner season. Cory has a Pandora's Box twist that they're gonna have the opportunity to open on Week Three. And because it's week three, it'll probably be endurance. So I'm guessing Nicole Franzel is probably going to win. So she's gonna have the option to open the box. And then Cory enters the game of all winners. It's a crazy twist. I don't know how you guys came up with it, but should be fun, I think.

Why did you decide you wanted to play Big Brother?
This one's simple. When you talk about my skill set, whether it be my weird bouts with athleticism, or my persuasive speaking skills, you have all of that. And then you also have this super deep pool of social strategy, knowledge, and Big Brother super fandom. And you have these two ideas. And it's like, "What do I do with both of them?" It's kind of only Big Brother. I can't go play mahjong or chess and get that same rush. So I'm here to play. I'm here to have fun.

What's your experience watching Big Brother?
I'm a super fan of this show. So being in the Big Brother house is more than a dream come true. After I leave this house, I'm gonna have the opportunity to watch myself play the game two or three times, assuming it's a good season--I hope it is. So it's incredible, every single part. The Diary Room, HoH, Veto, just sitting in the house lounging. I'm excited for all of it.

What are your thoughts on Julie Chen Moonves as a host?
Julie Chen does a spectacular job of getting at what the houseguests don't want to talk about. And that's why she's so great. She asks the questions that the audience wants, even if it's not what the houseguests want. I need to win the show just so I don't have the interview after the fact.

What is your strategy going into the game?
My strategy going into the game is pretty straightforward. I'm going to try to lower my threat level as much as I can. That being said, try to win the first HoH. If it doesn't happen, I'm entering full, "I'm a child, help lead me. What do I do? Where do I go? I don't know how to do laundry. Do you know how to fold a shirt?" Once I enter that mode, I think people will start looking at me as someone they can bring along, as opposed to someone who's going to be this massive force they need to oppose.

How much will you hide about yourself during your time in the house?
Generally, I think a lot of people come into the house hiding so much when it's not even necessary. I've seen people go in being like, "I don't want to tell people I'm a student, because then they'll think I'm studious." And I'm like "Dude, no one cares if you're a student! Just be honest." You don't have to lie the entirety of the game. I would love to lie about my age, but I look closer to 15 than I do 25. So I think I'm just gonna have to deal with that. Otherwise, I think I'm gonna go full honest.

Why will you win Big Brother 25?
I'm gonna win this game because I'm built. 5'4", 140 pounds. Face 9, body 6, IQ through the roof. I think I'm in pretty good shape for this game. And I think you all will see.^[1]

Player History - Big Brother 25 (US)[]

Competition History[]

Week 1	Nomination	Nominated
	HOH	Ineligible
	POV	Not Picked
Week 2	HOH	Loss
Week 2	POV	Not Picked
Week 3	HOH	Loss
Week 3	POV	Loss
Week 4	HOH	Loss
	POV	Not Picked
	Invincibility	Loss
Week 5	HOH	Loss
Week 5	POV	Not Picked
Week 6	HOH	Loss
Week 6	POV	Not Picked
Week 7	HOH	Loss
	POV	Loss
	HOH	Win
	POV	Loss
Week 8	Re-Entry Part 1	Ineligible
Week 8	Re-Entry Part 2	Ineligible
Week 9	HOH	Loss
Week 9	POV	Not Picked
Week 10	HOH	Loss
Week 10	POV	Not Picked
Week 11	HOH	Loss
	POV	Loss
	Luxury	Ineligible
	POV	Loss

Note: There were no HOH or POV competitions in Week 8 due to the BB Zombies twist. Because of that, Cory was allowed to play in the Week 9 HOH despite technically being the outgoing HOH himself.

Have/Have-Not History[]

Week 1	Have-Not
Week 2	Have
Week 3	Have
Week 4	Have-Not
Week 5	Have
Week 6	Have-Not
Week 7	Have/Have-Not Phase Over
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11

Voting History[]

Week	Position	Voted for	With Majority?
1	Saved by HOH	Kirsten Elwin	Yes
2	–	Reilly Smedley	Yes
3	–	Hisam Goueli	Yes
4	–	Jag Bains	Yes
5	–	Red Utley	Yes
6	–	Izzy Gleicher	Yes
7	Vetoed	Cameron Hardin	Yes
7	HOH	–	–
8	–	No Voting
9	–	Mecole Hayes	Yes
10	–	Cameron Hardin	Yes
11	Post-POV Nominee	–	–
Finale	Jury Member	Jag Bains	Yes

HOH History[]

	Original Nominees		Post-Veto Nominees		Intended Target
Day 51	Blue	Jared	Blue	Evicted Jared	Jared

Post Big Brother[]

Cory and America Lopez have continued their relationship.

Trivia[]

Cory is the younger brother of Survivor 42 player Zach Wurtenberger.
- Cory and Jared Fields are the second and third houseguests to have a relation to a Survivor player, following Willie Hantz.
Cory is the first contestant to be born after Big Brother 1 (US) (and by extension, the series as a whole) premiered. He was born just nine days after the Big Brother 2 (US) finale, making him younger than the first two seasons of the show.