It may be because they finally saw a current Mr O toppled.
used to be, the winner didn't lose, no matter how "off" he was.
We now see that a champ can be toppled, guts are judged harshly in every show not called the O, and Jay will never, ever, be as rippled as Levrone, wheeler, or ronnie, no matter how complete a BBer he is. And, jay's flaws are obvious and he had what had to have been his busiest off-season as a pro, doing so many appearances. No "dynasty" champ is obvious at this point.
If it was EVER a time to win, this is it. This is what 1998 was, and what 1993 was.