Big Brother fans wanted a proper legends spinoff to tide them over between the end of Season 25 and the start of Season 26, but CBS had other plans. Instead, we're getting a spinoff called Big Brother: Reindeer Games, which recently revealed a cast of former Houseguests that will compete for $100,000. Now, legend Janelle Pierzina is blasting the network and said that CBS contacted a former winner but ended up ghosting her for another player.
Janelle Pierzina has never been afraid to criticize Big Brother when it comes to not living up to its prior intensity, or doing wrong by others. This time, she went to bat for one of her friends. After the official cast reveal for Reindeer Games, the former Season 6, Season 7, Season 14, and Season 22 Houseguest revealed that Season 13 winner Rachel Reilly was in the mix but was bumped off in favor of one of the other cast members:
CBS called my bestie Rachel Reilly to be on Reindeer games and GHOSTED her for Nicole. I’m absolutely disgusted by this decision! Rachel is a fucking queen! How dare they ! 🤬What are your thoughts on this? and why so few women??! #BBReindeerGames #ReindeerGamesDecember 7, 2023
Rachel Reilly told CinemaBlend back in 2021 that she wanted to return to Big Brother, so it is sad to hear she might've returned but was apparently "ghosted." The Season 13 winner was originally asked to be in Season 22 but had to decline due to being pregnant (via CheatSheet). Janelle ended up playing in Season 22, where she had a few fights with Nicole Franzel-Arroyo, the woman who allegedly took Rachel's spot. Here is the full list of competitors for Big Brother: Reindeer Games:
- Nicole Franzel-Arroyo (Season 16, 18, 22)
- Danielle Reyes (Season 3, 7)
- Taylor Hale (Season 24)
- Frankie Grande (Season 16)
- Josh Martinez (Season 19)
- Cody Calafiore (Season 16, 22)
- Cameron Hardin (Season 25)
- Xavier Prather (Season 23)
- Brittany Haynes (Season 12, 14)
As of writing, it's unknown how Janelle knew that Rachel was overlooked and her spot was taken by Nicole Franzel-Arroyo, unless she got the news from Rachel herself. Those who have seen Janelle interact with Nicole know that there's some bad blood between these two, and surprisingly, it goes back to before they were ever on Big Brother together.
It would appear that the feud began when they all competed together on The Amazing Race Season 31, which can be watched online with a Paramount+ subscription. For those who want the short version, the drama essentially boiled down to a miscommunication between Rachel's team and Nicole's team about a U-turn, and that general mistrust during The Amazing Race led to Janelle not trusting Nicole in Big Brother Season 22.
Janelle and Nicole went to war on Big Brother 22, but it didn't last long. Janelle had a target on her back from the very beginning, and Nicole had a majority alliance with the eventual winner of the season and fellow Reindeer Games Houseguest, Cody Calafiore.
Nicole and Cody ultimately had a falling out, and she unfollowed several Houseguests after the game when he chose to evict her at the Final Three. It's possible the chance to see them play against each other factored into any potential ghosting more than anything. As a fan, I do love Rachel Reilly, but I can't deny I like the idea of seeing Nicole and Cody playing against each other yet again.
Big Brother: Reindeer Games premieres on CBS on Monday, December 11 at 8:00 p.m. ET with a two-hour premiere. I still am unsure about the spinoff, though with all this drama it's already cooking up, I'm feeling the same excitement I often have before a regular season of the flagship show.
