There's one less guest staying at the BB Motel.
The July 14 episode of Big Brother saw Paloma Aguilar self-evict herself, just hours before there was supposed to be a live eviction. Paloma explained she wasn't sleeping and had been struggling with anxiety since entering the house, so she felt it was best to leave.
The houseguests learned about her departure through a note, which Head of Household Daniel Durston shared with the group. "Due to a personal matter, Paloma will no longer be continuing in the Big Brother game," he read. "She wanted to pass along that she loves you all and wishes you all the best."
Because of Paloma's surprise exit, the houseguests were saved from voting for either Taylor Hale or Terrance Higgins to participate in the Backstage Boss challenge. Whoever received the most votes would've gone up against one of the Backstage Pass holders—Alyssa Snider, Brittany Hoopes and Paloma held a pass—and whoever lost in the battle would've gone home immediately.
Tensions were running high ahead of the planned eviction. Earlier in the week, Taylor broke down in tears after seemingly becoming the outcast among the houseguests. This breakdown led to backlash on social media, with season 23 winner Xavier Prather calling the other contestants' behavior toward Taylor, who's Black, "reprehensible."
"Members of the Black community (especially Black women) and other people of color stand no chance in the Big Brother House," he wrote, "due to the perpetuation of micro-aggressions and unconscious biases which plague our society."
Host Julie Chen acknowledged that micro-aggressions are a real problem within the Big Brother house, but asked viewers to be mindful of the pressures the contestants are under. "We haven't walked in their shoes," she told E!'s Daily Pop July 14. "We haven't been in the Big Brother house. We haven't been in that pressure cooker situation. And a lot of times when someone is feeling insecure about themselves, or seeing another individual as a threat to their game, that's when you see classic Big Brother 'I'm going to trash talk someone behind his or her back.'"
In other words, nobody's perfect and Julie hopes people "practice some compassion and some mercy and some grace to one another."
Big Brother airs Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays on CBS.