For Will Wikle, returning to his friends and family after leaving the BIG BROTHER 5 house was "scary and magnificent all in the same breath." The trickiest part of being a HouseGuest, he explains, is that when you return home, "your family and friends have seen every single show and Internet feed before you even get to watch the opening credits! I was scared that I had disappointed my peeps in some way, but I found just the opposite. Everyone in my network has been so supportive of my entire run on BB and of everything that has happened for me afterwards. BIG BROTHER intensified all my relationships tenfold, which is more rewarding than $500,000 could ever be." Although he now lives happily in New York, Will visits Los Angeles frequently. "I'm still addicted to the California weather," he grins, "a carryover from my stay in the house.

These days, Will describes himself as "a very blessed busy boy" who works hard at two fascinating careers. "I work full time at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Hospital in the Emergency Room as a Registered Nurse. I also host a travel show called 'Round Trip Ticket' on Viacom's new GLBT network, LOGO. We travel to popular vacation destinations and investigate the gay climate there. Our first season visits London, Paris, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Hong Kong and many more. You can catch the show on Friday nights. I can also be seen in August 2005 on Bravo's 'Battle of the Network Reality Stars' fighting for cash and prizes alongside Richard Hatch and Omarosa."

Busy as he is, Will makes time to stay in touch with several former housemates. "Diane and Lori are two of my best friends for life. We all talk at least once a week; they are like sisters to me. I consider them two of my greatest gifts from my BB experience. I also still have a crush on Scott and always see him when I'm out in LA. And surprise, surprise, I've also become much closer to Adria and Natalie. Following the show, we made amends and are proud to say that we are still close friends."

Being a HouseGuest on BIG BROTHER has transformed Will's attitude toward life. "After being locked away from family, friends and the life I love for three months," he notes, "I emerged to find everything more colorful and fulfilling. I live every moment to the fullest in a way that I never knew possible."

Will's BB experience has also given him a fresh perspective on celebrity. "There is nothing worse than going on the Internet and reading horrible, untrue things about you and the ones you love," he remarks. "Surfing the web, I read such hateful things about everyone, including me, written by people none of us had ever met. I just want to say to all the fans: Take what you see with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, we are all people with families, problems and real lives. I can understand disagreeing with someone's game-play, but there's no need to hate the individual."