SPOILER ALERT! Do not read unless you’ve watched the Season 28 premiere of Big Brother on CBS.
Big Brother fans were treated to not one but three appearances by former CBS reality stars in the season premiere July 9, but one made an unexpected exit by falling into an erupting volcano. Silly? Sure, which is probably what prompted Buzz Feed Canada to call Julie Chen Moonves‘ employer “the most embarrassing show on TV right now.”
That didn’t sit well with former BB player Frankie Grande, Ariana’s brother who became a household name after appearing on season 16 of CBS’ summer hit. He told the outlet to “shut up” and that “camp is part of its DNA and charm.”
Let us backup and explain. BB13 winner-cum-fan favorite Rachel Reilly — who had returned last summer to play the game for a third time — was invited back for Thursday’s premiere. The 14 new houseguests expected that Reilly — along with BB26’s Angela Murray and Survivor 50‘s Rick Devens — were joining the game. The theme this summer is time travel, so the cast was expected to “travel back in time” to the Jurassic Period to see who would become their first HOH.
Only the three reality show veterans were eligible to compete.
The backyard was transformed into a jungle while the cast donned leopard skinned dresses and hairy skivvies. Right after Chen Moonves asked Reilly what it felt like to appear in back-to-back BBs, a velociraptor suddenly appeared and proceeded to drive Reilly into a volcano. The episode ends with everyone breathing through their mouths and wondering how, exactly, to react.
Chen Moonves went on to call it “the most unexpected season premiere in the history of Big Brother” before confirming that Reilly is, most sincerely, out of the game. Chen Moonves promised to find someone to take her place, however. (On Friday’s episode of Big Brother: Unlocked, it was revealed that it was Survivor 50’s Dee Valladares).
Anyway, the prehistoric shenanigans prompted Buzz Feed Canada to call out the show’s “absurd choices” before saying, “there’s camp, and then there’s whatever this is. Why do we still watch this?” That’s when Grande replied to the outlet’s post on Instagram by saying it’s part of the show’s DNA and adding, “no one is forcing you to watch.” Fight the good fight, Frankie!
Devens and Valladares are the second and third Survivor players to compete on Big Brother. Cirie Fields was the first in 2023. This is the first time, however, that a velociraptor has pushed a player to an untimely exit.
