Note: This story contains spoilers from “Big Brother” Season 27.
“Big Brother” fans knew what would happen in Tuesday night’s episode of the CBS competition series, but that didn’t stop it from being heartbreaking television.
Rachel Reilly, a returning fan-favorite and former winner of “Big Brother,” failed to complete a make-it-or-break-it maze game and became the first member of the Season 27 jury — a group of competitors no longer in the running for the $750,000 cash prize and now tasked with picking the next winner. She had dominated the game since its start on July 10, captivating nearly 26 million viewers as she ran circles around her fellow, newbie, houseguests, despite the massive target that her history with the series placed on her back.
So her elimination coming on the first week of jury qualification, and as the result of a twist, was not an easy thing for “Big Brother” fans to stomach. When they learned of Reilly’s fate, viewers blasted producers for robbing the season of its central character.
The summer series, which is currently on its 25th anniversary season, follows a group of competitors known as houseguests who live together in an isolated environment and compete for a cash prize, while being monitored 24/7 by live television cameras and personal microphones. Throughout the weeks-long game, houseguests are evicted by a vote from within the competitors.
But Reilly’s elimination took place outside of the traditional structure, part of a twist that introduced the timed maze game, cheekily titled “The White Locust,” leading to an immediate surprise elimination for the loser. Live feeds picked back up Friday, catching up with the houseguests and retroactively spoiling the big twist ahead of it airing on CBS Tuesday (a delay from its typical Sunday timeslot due to the 2025 VMAs).
That led to days of fan reactions lamenting Reilly’s elimination, joined by former “Big Brother” contestants.
“I don’t think production could have fumbled this one harder if they had tried,” Reilly’s husband Brendon Villegas said in a statement on X. “I commend my wife for not having touched the nomination block once in this season … I will not be surprised when the ratings start tanking because you removed the heart of your season.” Villegas and Reilly met when competing on “Big Brother” together in Season 12, the couple married in 2012 and share two kids.
Tuesday’s episode showed the footage of that elimination. Three other houseguests successfully completed the puzzle, but Reilly was not able to finish in time and was sent to the jury house. The results left Reilly and her fellow houseguests in tears.
“I’m really disappointed in myself. ‘Big Brother’ has meant so much to me … I kinda feel like I let everyone down,” Reilly said in a side interview from the episode.
In her parting words, Reilly told the remaining houseguests to step their game up now that she was out of the house. “You’re going to have to work to win this game,” she said. “If you want to be a legend like me, you have to work for it and earn it.”
The episode inspired a new flurry of reactions from fans, calling out the show for the twist and bowing out from watching the rest of the season play out.
But there’s still a lot of Season 27 to be played, and Reilly’s exit will shake up dynamics across the board for the remaining houseguests and promises to chronicle the aftermath of the “most shocking night of the summer.” Series host Julie Chen Moonves will also interview Reilly about her elimination during Thursday’s live eviction episode.
Whether all the fans will stick around to watch it all unfold remains to be seen.
“Big Brother” airs Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays on CBS. Live feeds are available 24/7 on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
