Zach Cornell was a contestant on season 27 of “Big Brother.” He is currently on tour with Boom Ball, a co-ed entertainment baseball league that raises money for the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

PEER: Tell me about your religious upbringing. Did you always know Jesus? Did you grow up in the church? 

ZACH CORNELL: I am a pastor’s kid, so when we talk about growing up in the church, that has always been my foundation. I knew the stories. I went to church every Sunday. But when it came to me getting to know Christ, like my relationship with Jesus, that didn’t come about until I got into college. I was very sheltered growing up. I went to a private Christian school. But when my faith was put to the test, it really came when I first started college. 

P: What inspired you to go on “Big Brother”?   

ZC: I have always been a person that says yes to every opportunity. I had the opportunity to go play professional baseball with the Washington Nationals organization. After that, I had different opportunities for different reality TV shows to where I kept saying yes and I got to the final audition. “The Bachelorette” was another one I was supposed to be on. It got to the very end. They postponed it. That’s when “Big Brother” reached out. I have always been a “Survivor” geek. I love “Survivor.” “Big Brother” was something I knew of, but I wasn’t a complete fan of. When I got the opportunity, I said, “Let’s just full send it and see where life takes us.” I think that’s what God has called me to do with my life: Always push yourself through your slightly uncomfortable and just let Him lead the way.

P: What was the biggest lesson you learned during your time in the house? 

ZC: My biggest lesson in the “Big Brother” house was to really appreciate your time with everybody. There were people I grew close with who were there for a week and then no longer there. When you’re there with people 24 hours a day every single day it elevates your relationships with them. I was sitting in the house, and I would know somebody for a month, but it felt like I knew them for an entire year. You get to know people when you’re in that house. You understand where they’re from and their entire family. Like what drives them to be who they are as a person. What’s really cool about “Big Brother” is that it puts you in an environment with 16 other people. They are drastically different people. The people they cast — totally different personalities. They have totally different backgrounds. Learning to mesh with those people is what’s really cool about the show, and that’s what I learned.

I live in Atlanta. You see the same type of people. But when you get exposed to that type of environment [in the “Big Brother” house], you realize there are some cool people out there who have different backgrounds, who have things that really push them as a person. That’s what I really learned from the “Big Brother house” — there is a whole world out there, and you just have to go explore and meet these different people.

P: Were there any moments in the house that tested your faith? 

ZC: I would say yes. You have people with a lot of different backgrounds where maybe they didn’t have the best experience in church. They’re questioning me as the pastor’s kid, saying, “Zach, what is your belief in this? Like, why do you think the way that you think?” Those are the questions that, A, I feel like you grow closer with somebody when you get to that point in conversation, and B, it really exposes you. Like, what do you truly believe?

I think in those moments, I had multiple conversations. For example, I was with Rachel Reilly in a punishment, in a cage, for over 12 hours overnight. You learn to talk about everything under the sun. I think in those moments, you have to put yourself in a perspective of that they’re curious, and you have to understand their side as well. Either, A, they’re going to accept what you believe, or B, they’re not.

I think that’s what I really learned in the “Big Brother” house when it comes to my faith specifically; that people with their backgrounds, they’ve had different experiences in church. But I think what the biggest point of what really pushes people forward in their faith is when you do have that one conversation with Christ. It doesn’t have to mean you have to be in church every single week. It’s more of whether you are thinking about Jesus in your daily life. Are you thinking about you putting Him first in everything that you do?

That’s the type of thought process and mentality that I personally have, and when it came to the “Big Brother” house, people did question what I believe in, but it’s sticking true to what put me in the position where I’m at today.

P: What was your relationship with God like on the show? Did your faith help you remain grounded at all? 

ZC: Look, you’re in a house with 16 people 24 hours a day, so you have no privacy. Cameras are following you everywhere in every single room. There are live feeds. People are watching you at all times. There were moments where I’m sitting and I needed a moment to myself, so I would try and go into a different room. But there would be somebody in every single room, and that kind of overwhelms you a bit.

I will give a shout-out to one of my friends on the show, Keanu [Keanu Soto]. What he did — and what I started doing as well — is he would take the Bible every single day and he’d read from Psalms. He’d read one chapter in Psalms and focus on that chapter. I think when you do that, when you take time and really focus on the Lord for a little bit, it helps you stay grounded. Especially in that high-intensity, high-pressure environment, you have to find a way to stay grounded. That’s what I started doing, and it really helped me out a lot. I got that idea from Keanu from the show — and so shout out, Keanu.

You feel very vulnerable as a person because you can’t find any alone time, so you have to find a way to get personal privacy and read the Word.

P: You played for a minor league team in the Washington Nationals organization and now play for a Boom Ball league. Was playing professionally always a dream of yours? What was the moment you realized it could go from being a hobby to a professional gig?  

ZC: When I first started in college, I was a freshman that hit .220 — which is not good in baseball. I was benched as a senior. I told myself that summer that I was going to give it 100 percent. It was all I was going to focus on, and if God allowed me to continue playing, then I will continue playing. I pushed myself that summer to the point where I found a lot of success from then on out. I went to a small college. I knew that I wasn’t getting that many looks. I had a conversation with the Lord: “If it’s in your will, that’s great. If not, then you lead me into the next chapter of my life.” I was very fortunate — in my senior year, I did very, very well and I had the opportunity to sign with the Nationals. But part of what the Lord was really working in my life is I think He was teaching me a season of patience, because my first year was COVID.

That was the first year that minor league baseball happened for me, and basically, all of minor league baseball was canceled that year. So, I’m sitting there at home. After going off to college and doing crazy things and having a lot of fun, I had to sit there at home for 6-8 months training and staying diligent. In those moments you start questioning things. You start questioning your life. I think God’s plan for me was more than just baseball, and He saw that I needed to grow in specific areas. I ended up playing one more year after that, and then I got released.

I learned some very valuable qualities in that moment of my life: patience and understanding that this is God’s plan. Looking at it full circle now, I thought I was going to be done with baseball, and now I’m playing baseball again. That’s what is really cool about God’s timing— as humans, we never fully understand it. I find myself personally questioning it all the time. I could explain to you my entire reality TV journey because it’s the craziest thing that I’ve ever seen in my life. Then you look back and it’s like, “Big Brother” is exactly where the Lord wanted me.

That’s the same thing with baseball. I’m super blessed, and I’ve learned a lot along the way, but I always find myself questioning “What’s happening God?” Like, “What’s going on?” But baseball was a part of my plan, but it was one of those where I had to give it to the Lord and understand that He’s the one in control of everything and I’m just there along for the ride.

P: Do you see yourself continuing to play baseball with Boom Ball? 

ZC: With Boom Ball, it’s the first year and they’re trying to understand what clicks for fans and for everything. For me personally, I love the message. We’re partnered with St. Jude’s [Children’s Hospital]. The whole purpose of it all is to put a smile on kids’ faces. What’s really cool about Boom Ball is that we’re co-ed as well, so we have professional softball players playing with us at the same time. I think the story and the message is so sound for us — trying to inspire kids. That’s what makes me want to stay on longer. If I do have that opportunity to continue playing after this year, in the future, I would love to keep playing and having fun until I’m 40. But it’s all part of God’s plan. If He wants me to continue playing and growing, then by all means, I’m all for it. But if He wants me to hard pivot into something else in life, I just have to trust the process. I would love to keep playing baseball. It was my ultimate baby growing up, and so we’re just along for the ride right now, and we’ll see what happens.

P: What kind of legacy do you hope to leave from your time on the show and now as a baseball player?  

ZC: I want people to understand it’s the mindset of putting yourself in an uncomfortable position to see growth. With a lot of things that I’ve done in my life, people have questioned if it’s the correct move for me.

I flew out to Spain to be an alternate for a show called “Anonymous.” Did not happen. Next opportunity, I had opportunities to be on “Love Island” and “Deal or No Deal Island.” They pushed me to the final audition. That didn’t happen. Then “The Bachelorette” reaches out. The show gets postponed. Through every single part of that reality TV journey, I have people that have my best interests at heart questioning, “Zach, is this, like, the right thing for you? Like, you’ve been at this for over a year.” That is a very uncomfortable question, and you have to trust that with what you’re doing in life, God’s going to work through you in that moment. There was a reason why I didn’t make it on those four shows before I got on “Big Brother.”

I learned so much in terms of speaking skills, like interview skills, to where it’s like I’m fully prepped to go on the show like “Big Brother.” You don’t see that in the moment, but after you take a step back and look at it, it’s incredible.

What I want my legacy to be is I want to be somebody that’s inspiring in terms of a light in somebody’s day. But also, more than that, to be somebody that just continues to persevere. Minor league baseball, for example, is another reason. I thought I was going to be done after my freshman year of college. If I didn’t play my sophomore year, I was going to be done with baseball and that was going to be that. But I really stuck to it and grinded every single day that summer to put myself in a position to then get signed by the Nationals. I feel like my life has always been putting myself out there and really giving that extra effort. I’ve seen myself grow as a human being so much more in those moments where I have to take that extra step.

I highly encourage everybody that is listening to this. Whenever you put yourself in those slightly uncomfortable positions, that’s when you see growth. If you’re in your routine and you’re not pushing yourself towards some type of goal, you’re going to look back on your life and you’re going to question what happened all those years. That’s what I’ve been thinking of for the last six months, and it’s really driven me to go do things like Boom Ball. I’m putting myself out there and continuing to push the envelope. That’s really what my legacy I want it to be, especially when I get towards the end of my life. It’s looking back and being like, “Did I do enough in my life to inspire other people?” I want to inspire them through my actions, and try to push people to be better.

P: Is there anything that you hope to work on? What’s next for you in the next five years? In the next five years, where do you hope to be? 

ZC: I have goals set for myself when it comes to personal brand, social media, and reality TV. I do have those goals in five years. But I would say just to generically answer your question, I want to be somebody that is inspiring the youth. That’s why I’m so excited with Boom Ball because that is directly correlated to ultimately what I want to do — to give back, to push those kids to learn from my past experiences, my stories, and to make them better human beings and specifically better athletes. I think Boom Ball is giving me that opportunity, and if I happen to appear on another reality TV show, I’d love to send that message to them as well: to keep pushing, to keep fighting.

P: What advice do you have for Gen Z Christians who are walking in the world but also walking with God?  

ZC: Whenever I feel like I can do it all by myself, that’s when I get severely humbled in this world. God will put me in a season of humility or one when I have to work through something so that I grow closer in my relationship with Him.

When it comes to your daily walk with Christ or you’re trying to live your life, I would highly recommend to just dive into your Bible, even if it is for five minutes a day. Because if you’re able to put yourself in that mindset, especially early in the morning, then you can live the rest of your life thinking more so about Him. You can see more beautiful things in nature. I find myself more centered with Him, which allows me to grow more as a person. I think it’s important for you to have that daily devotion by yourself with Him alone in a room where you can really just focus on your thoughts and give it all to Christ.

Whenever I personally do that, that’s when there are more answers in my life. That’s when I look back and I’m like, “It’s crazy to see how God really worked in my life in that specific part.” I just know that whenever I do my daily devotion, I’m journaling, I’m writing down my thoughts, or I’m reading the Word, that’s when I know I’m the most centered as a human being, and that my relationship with Him is the most sound. Instead of brain rotting on TikTok, take that five minutes and look through Scripture or your daily devotion or whatever that may be, and you will see the fruits of that later on in your life.  

P: What is a Bible verse that’s been on your heart recently? 

ZC: I’ve never read through the entire Bible, and so that has been something on my mind very recently. So, I’m in the middle of reading Exodus. The story of Moses — where he went from a place of very high stature and then all of a sudden, he ends up killing a man, and he has to go through all these different things. Like he’s afraid of his speech impediment. God is using him in ways that, if you’re thinking about it from a logical standpoint, are insane. If you put yourself in the story of Moses, Moses is sitting there as a normal person that struggles with this speech impediment, afraid to do these things. But it’s cool to see the faith and the trust that he has in God when he has to continuously approach the pharaoh. When he’s continuously approaching the pharaoh to let his people go, that’s a serious trust of knowing that, A, God is going to perform that miracle that he said he was going to do for you, and B, realizing that God can use anybody.

Like Moses, in my opinion, was a normal human being that was struggling. But God was still able to use his life for His purpose. That’s what has been stuck on my mind, because there are a lot of things I’ve messed up in. But I know that even in those moments, God is still using me.  

That’s what I highly recommend for people. When they look at their life and they’re struggling with something they’re struggling with, whatever it may be, you have to realize that God is still working in you. As long as you trust Him in that process, He’ll pull you out of whatever you’re struggling with.  

Follow Zach Cornell on Instagram @zcorn_29.