'Celebrity Big Brother' star Teddi Mellencamp has no regrets about not kissing up to Miesha Tate: 'I have to have some integrity at the end of this'

• Teddi Mellencamp was the first contestant eliminated from "Celebrity Big Brother" season 3 Friday.
• She said she refused to kiss up to HOH Miesha Tate because she wanted to keep some "integrity."

Former "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Teddi Mellencamp became the first person eliminated from this season of "Celebrity Big Brother" on Friday.

But she told Insider in an interview following her exit that she has no regrets about not kissing up to the first head of household of the season, UFC fighter Miesha Tate.

"I have to have some integrity at the end of this," Mellencamp said of her decision not to kiss up to Tate. The two women were among the group of eleven celebrities who moved into the "Big Brother" house this season to play the game of strategy and psychology and outsmart each other to win the $250,000 grand prize.

The person who wins each week's "Head of Household" competition becomes the head of household, or HOH, and holds the power to nominate two other contestants for eviction from the house. They also get to have their own room for the week of their reign, dubbed the HOH room.

A common "Big Brother" tactic for contestants who don't win HOH is to befriend the HOH during that player's time in the master suite to increase their chances of avoiding nomination and staying in the game longer. Mellencamp said some of her castmates used this tactic, perhaps because they admire Tate's career outside of the house.

"Chris Kirkpatrick, I think, would die for her," Mellencamp told Insider on Saturday of the former NSYNC member's loyalty to Tate.

The HOH naturally has a lot of power over the house while they hold the title, given that they partially control the fate of people in the game. But some HOHs demand respect for their title more than others, and Mellencamp said Tate was one who "didn't take that job lightly."

"We're like at her beck and call," said Mellencamp, adding that she was shocked by the athlete's attitude. Tate was carefully planning her meals as she prepared for an upcoming fight, but the former reality TV star said that Tate had housemates "cleaning up after her" throughout the house.

If Mellencamp had held the HOH title, she said the vibe of the house would have been different. "I would've made it fun," she said, explaining she had a deal with housemate Lamar Odom that he could have her HOH room if he voted to keep her in the competition this past week and if Mellencamp ended up winning HOH in a future week.

"So HOH would've been a completely different experience had me or Lamar been in that room," she added. According to Mellencamp, Tate kept her door closed most of the time and was "zero fun."

"Celebrity Big Brother" airs Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on CBS, with eliminations taking place twice weekly on Friday and Monday nights.