Rachel Reilly is cheering for Dee Valladares and Rick Devens to clinch victory in “Big Brother 28,” even if it means giving “Survivor” contestants enduring bragging rights.
Reilly voiced her support for this “Survivor” duo in an exclusive conversation with Page Six. She was joined by fellow “Big Brother” alumni Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes, as they celebrated the 1,000th episode of the popular reality show, which aired on Thursday.
“I really want them to dominate because if Dee and Devens can outwit, outplay, and outlast their competitors while winning challenges and strategically using their abilities, it sets the stage for more exciting battles in future seasons,” Reilly explained.
Reilly, who triumphed in “Big Brother 13,” highlighted how Valladares, 29, and Devens, 42, have managed to maintain their momentum alongside “Big Brother 26” veteran Angela Murray, partially due to the actions of some overly talkative newbies.
“This season, we’re seeing Drew [Campbell] and Barrett [Pfeiffer] delivering information to the ‘Icons’ — what’s going on with that?” she remarked, noting the unusual alliances forming within the house.
“So I think the fact that they’re able to outplay these people so easily… I give them props. You have to give it to the gamer.”
Reyes, however, feels differently.
“If you’re ‘Big Brother’ alumni, we do not want them to win,” the Season 3 runner-up told us. “We want to see them play the game, but we don’t want them to win because that’s our kingdom.”
“We don’t want them to come into our ‘Big Brother’ house and win, when we have this inner struggle of what’s the harder show, ‘Big Brother’ or ‘Survivor?’ So that’s where I stand in watching these two play this game.”
Haynes agreed she’s rooting against Valladares and Devens because of the unspoken “rivalry” between “Big Brother” and “Survivor” players.
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“Winning both shows, which Dee the potential to do, that is something that has never been done,” Haynes told us. “So of course, there’s that piece of you that wants the ‘Big Brother’ person to be the first one to do it.”
Mixing veteran players with new contestants has happened before on “Big Brother,” including in Season 14, which saw Season 10 winner Dan Gheesling lose to newbie Ian Terry in a controversial jury vote that fans still debate today.
But Haynes, who voted for Terry to win despite being a returner that season, doesn’t think there will be as much resentment against the Season 28 vets.
“The difference was that sentiment was spread through the house the very first week,” Haynes explained. “I haven’t really seen the same type of communal uprising on ‘Big Brother 28.’”
Looking toward the future, Reilly, Reyes and Haynes all believe CBS should keep bringing players back in some capacity.
“I would love to see some of the more recent players come back and play against other people from other seasons, even sprinkling in some like really old-school players,” Reilly said. “I think that would be so much fun.”
Reilly added, “I think they could do a legends season for like three weeks or something like that. I mean, I would go for that. But for a whole summer, I would absolutely love to see a full All-Star season.”
Echoing Reilly’s opinion, Reyes name-dropped Season 2’s Monica Bailey and Season 3’s Lisa Donahue — who beat her in the final jury vote— as deserving returners.
“I would love to see Lisa play again. I think people don’t give her flowers for what she did,” Reyes explained.
“And I know people are like, ‘Oh, Dani, you should have won the game.’ But I would love to see Lisa come in and cement her legacy in ‘Big Brother. “I would love for them to give her a chance and to play the game again.”
“Big Brother 28” airs every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and is available to stream the next day on Paramount+.