I don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, but at this point, it’s pretty clear we’re going to get another season of Big Brother with former Survivor castaways and/ or notable contestants from other reality shows. For better or for worse, Rick Devens and Dee (alongside returning BB fav Angela) created so much cultural noise and attention that it would be wild not to go back to the well again. Ratings were up. Fans were invested in the season, whether they rooted for or against the icons. It’s happening.
Who those players might be, however, is the big question mark. Survivor legend Cirie Fields was on Big Brother 25. She was a lot of fun to watch, but she also quite clearly had mixed feelings about the experience. Dee and Devens, however, loved it. They really embraced the game and brought a level of scheming and last minute vote chaos that could have a long-term impact on the game. So, who else might be a good fit? Big Brother superfan and 28 houseguest Barrett Pfeiffer dropped some suggestions, and his answers are top tier.
The question came up during a Reddit AMA Barrett did earlier this week. He was asked by a fan if Dee, Devens and Angela weren’t the returning icons, who are some other Survivor players who would have been good fits? Barrett said he’s not an expert on the franchise but then proceeded to drop three home run names, one for the comedy and two who could actually make a deep run. Here’s a portion of his quote…
I'd love for Emily Flippen to be on BB lmao. I think Rizgod would thrive on BB too. Oh and Kyle Fraser.
First, let’s talk out the Emily Flippen of it all real quick. A standout character from 45 (which is Dee’s season) and Survivor 50, Emily is a good strategist and fun character, but she’s also quite terrible at tolerating people she doesn’t like or see value in. She would be a fantastic perjury character in Big Brother, but her chances of making a deep run in the game are not strong. His “lmao” says everything you need to know here.
Kyle and Rizgod, however, both have the potential to be top tier Big Brother players. They’re fantastic with social relationships and are quietly sneaky in a way that doesn’t read as nakedly deceptive or untrustworthy. Kyle is also really physically fit but also coordinated and steady in a way that would likely make him a Yash level comp beast.
Now, does that mean we’ll actually see these players get cast? I think Emily Flippen is the most unlikely. She did some Big Brother 28 analysis on podcasts during the season and would be able to handle herself strategically, but I’m not sure she would take an entire summer off work or even really want to. I’m also not sure she’s a big enough name with casual fans that CBS would go out of its way to grab her.
Kyle probably has the highest upside as a potential winner. With all due respect to Dee, I think he’s probably the best player of Survivor’s New Era, but he’s also not the most loud or personality-heavy player. He’s very likeable but in an understated and relatable kind of way. He doesn’t have that bigger than life Big Brother energy. So, once again, I’m not sure they’d cast him either.
Rizo, however, checks all the boxes Big Brother fans would look for. He’s maybe the most popular player of the entire New Era. He’s a goofy, larger than life character with big energy, and he’s an elite confessionalist that would eat up all his diary room appearances Rick Devens style. He’s the right age range and has shown an ability to get along with and strategize beside a wide variety of different personality types. He would be perfect. It’s not just Barrett and I saying that either. He was referenced several times on the live feeds by Dee and Devens who said they thought he’d be perfect.
Big Brother has already been renewed for 29 and 30. Many fans would like to see the show do a season of all new players on 29 and some kind of all-star season on 30, but I’m not so sure CBS is going to go for that. They brought fan favorite Rachel Reilly back for 27 and the Survivors plus Angela in for 28. It seems like they may want to stick with that formula, and if they do, it could be Rizo’s moment. We’ll see.
