Big Brother 27houseguest Rachel Reilly returned to the game 14 years after she wonBig Brother 13in 2011, and this time she came armed with a diabolical strategy that I absolutely love. Rachel got herBig Brotherstart in season 12, during which she placed 9th andfell in love with her now-husband, Brendon Villegas.
The couple returned the following year forBig Brother 13as part of the Returning Duos twist. Because of her strategic gameplay,Rachel took home the $500,000 prize and became aBig Brotherlegend. Her statement,“Floaters, you better grab a life vest!,“has become one of the most iconic quotes in the show’s history.
Big Brother 27marks the first timethat Rachel is playing the game without Brendon, so she’s on her own in the house. Because she’s a returning player, she was clearly going to be a huge target,so she had to come up with a plan to outsmart her fellow houseguests. I think that Rachel’s strategy is so clever, and it’ll definitely serve her well duringBig Brother 27.
Big Brother 27’s Rachel Reilly Wants To Encourage Showmances Among The Younger Contestants
Rachel Knows They’ll Be Distracted By Romance
Rachel’sBig Brother 27strategy is to encourage the younger contestants to pursue showmances in the house. She’s been paying attention to the romantic connections that seem to be brewing, and working to make them happen. I think this is such a sly strategy because it’s already evident that people such asZach Cornell and Lauren Domingue are fighting their attraction to each other.
In one of her confessionals, Rachel stated that she was clearly pro-showmance because she found the love of her life onBig Brother, and she’d like to see others do the same. However,her real goal was to make them as distracted by their showmances as possible. I think that Rachel would genuinely like to seeBig Brother 27showmances develop, but she also knows that she can use them to her advantage.
When Rachel noticed that Rylie Jeffries seemed to be interested in Katherine Woodman, she asked him if she had a crush on her. He admitted that it was true. She told him to start on a friendship basis and see what happens. While Rachel appeared to be Rylie’s confidante and advisor,she was really manipulating him by shifting his focus from the game to romance.
Rylie is a huge physical threat in the game, and Rachel knows that she probably won’t be able to beat him in that area, so I love thatshe’s trying to distract him by making him think more about Katherine than the game itself. Rachel did something similar with Zach, when she told him about how her showmance led to her getting married to the love of her life.
In his confessional,Zach said that he wanted to win the money, but he was fired up to do the same exact thing as Rachel and find the love of his life too. I hope that Rachel continues to use the fact that she and Brendon ended up getting married to shift the houseguests' focus from the game to romance.
Rachel Shared Her Strategy With Her Closest Ally Amy Bingham
Rachel and Amy, who are two of the oldestBig Brother 27houseguests at 40 and 43, immediately bonded. They connected over the fact that they’re both moms, andthey formed an alliance called the Mom Squad.
Rachel and Amy agreed that they’d never be able to beat the physical threats in the house such as Keanu Soto, so insteadRachel told Amy that they should let the younger contestants focus on each other and get distracted by romance, just like she did during her showmance with Brendon.
WhenRachel was aBig Brothercontestant in the past, she won every endurance competition that she ever competed in, but she now knows that physical competitions are no longer her strength. Amy feels the same way, so insteadthey had to come up with a different way to win the game.
Rachel can use her relationship with Brendon as an example of why showmances aren’t a bad idea,all the while knowing that their romance was the exception rather than the rule.
I loved the fact that Rachel was looking back on her ownBig Brotherexperiences and admitting that her showmance interfered with her game. After watchingBig Brotherfor over two decades, I know that showmances cause people to have to think about protecting each other in the game more than their own interests.They also make the two people in them targets because their fellow contestants want to break up powerful duos.
I think thatRachel’s strategy could definitely work, and thatshe and Amy can sit back and watch as the younger houseguests target any developing showmances and pick each other off before them.
Rachel Is Learning From Her Past Big Brother Experiences
Rachel’s Showmance With Brendon Villegas Led To Marriage
The best part about Rachel’sBig Brother 27strategy is thatshe’s learning from her own past mistakes. She acknowledged that her showmance with Brendon distracted her so much, and she’s now using that experience to manipulate others into making the same missteps. Brendon and Rachel, or Brenchel, as they were known, were fiercely loyal to each other during both of theirBig Brotherseasons.
I know thatRachel would never consider her showmance with Brendon a mistake because it led to them getting married and having their two children. However, she admitted that it shifted her focus from her game, and she’s right. IfRachel and Brendon’s relationshiphadn’t worked out in the real world, then it’s very possible that she would’ve regretted giving him so much attention when $500,000 was at stake.
I’ve always been one of Rachel’s biggest fans, and I was so happy to see her come intoBig Brother 27with a long-term strategy. Although it’s diabolical that she wants to use the houseguests' emotions and romantic feelings to benefit herself, I know that she’d also genuinely like to see another couple follow in her and Brendon’s footsteps.Rachel is a mastermind, and I hope that she becomes the first two-timeBig Brotherwinner.
Big Brother 27airs Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays on CBS.
