“Reality royalty has officially arrived” — Rachel Reilly declares as she enters Big Brother 27 as the mystery houseguest

Big Brother season 27 premiered on July 10, 2025, with a 90-minute episode that introduced several twists, including the arrival of a surprise houseguest. The season’s theme, “Summer of Mystery,” was established early on, with a power outage during the premiere and a masked figure known as the “Mastermind” appearing on screen.

Host Julie Chen Moonves disappeared during the blackout, adding to the suspense. Sixteen new houseguests entered the “Hotel Mystere” and faced immediate competition.

However, the night’s biggest twist came at the end of the episode when the Mastermind revealed that a “mystery houseguest” would be joining the cast.

That houseguest turned out to be Big Brother legend and former winner Rachel Reilly. She made her entrance in a red dress and stood at the top of the stairs before announcing,

“Floaters, grab a life vest! Reality royalty has officially arrived.”

The other houseguests greeted her with chants, but confessionals showed concern about competing against a past winner.

Rachel was announced as the 16th player, not the 17th, and the Mastermind revealed that someone in the house had been working as his accomplice. The houseguests now must identify that person as part of this season’s ongoing mystery.

Rachel makes her surprise return to the Big Brother game

 

 

 

 

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Rachel Reilly entered the Big Brother 27 house through a hidden door after a message from the Mastermind.

In the video message, the masked figure said, that this time, he was not taking anything away but instead adding something in.

The cast reacted with chants of her name as she descended the stairs, but several contestants appeared uncertain about her return.

In the diary room, Cliffton “Will” Willis reacted by saying,

“Are you serious, Big Brother? That’s what we’re doing? Rachel won this show.”

Rachel then took her seat among the other players as the Mastermind informed everyone that she was not an extra addition but had replaced someone who had been secretly working for him.

This callback to Rachel’s original season revealed that an accomplice had been helping the Mastermind from inside the house.

If the group fails to correctly identify this person, consequences will follow. With Rachel back in the game and the house already facing deception, the season began with both nostalgia and uncertainty.

Rachel’s past experience and reality TV history

Rachel Reilly has been part of Big Brother and other reality shows for many years. She first played in Big Brother 12, where she was known for winning competitions, her showmance with Brendon Villegas, and saying some memorable lines.

She was evicted in ninth place that season, but came back for Big Brother 13. That time, she worked closely with her alliance, won several competitions, and ended up winning the $500,000 prize—even though most of the houseguests were new.

After Big Brother, Rachel joined other reality shows. She was on The Amazing Race three times and made it to the final leg twice.

She also appeared in season 1 of The Traitors, where she tried to figure out who was lying among the group. Her experience with games that involve strategy and deception could help her in the new season.

In this season of the show, Rachel isn’t just a returning houseguest. She is part of a mystery twist involving a secret helper called the “accomplice.” With her past experience and knowledge of the game, she might be able to figure out who it is.

But the other players already seem unsure about her, which could affect how the season plays out.

Stay tuned for more updates.