Big Brother: Reindeer Games

Did You Know?

• The house used for the series was renamed Santa's Lodge, with a holiday-themed entryway featuring flying reindeer, gold-wrapped presents, and a red flannel rug.
• The kitchen was named Mrs. Claus Bakery, with red and green wallpaper decorated with Christmas symbols and gingerbread men on the counters.
• The living room had a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and wreaths.

Format

In this holiday-themed Big Brother spin-off, nine returning players competed in daily challenges rather than living together or voting each other out. Each episode featured three games leading to a Santa's Showdown, which decided who was eliminated. Winners of challenges earned safety and could assign a Naughty List Punishment to another player, giving them a disadvantage. The nominees then faced off in their own challenges to see who stayed. The loser picked a present from under the tree, which could be anything from a fruit cake to $5,000. There were no nominations, house votes, or live broadcasts. The finale had four houseguests, and one took home the grand prize.

HouseGuests

The hosts were Derek Xiao, Tiffany Mitchell, and Jordan Lloyd. Xavier Prather also participated. The HouseGuests were revealed intermittently on December 6 and 7, 2023. In 2024, Josh Martinez competed on The Challenge 40: Battle of the Eras and on the second season of Los 50. In 2025, Xavier Prather competed on The Anonymous; Britney Haynes and Danielle Reyes competed on The Traitors US; Martinez competed on Destination X; Taylor Hale competed on The Amazing Race 38. In 2026, Martinez competed on La casa de los famosos season six.

Production

In May 2023, Deadline Hollywood reported CBS was considering an additional Big Brother season with all-star contestants to fill gaps from the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, similar to Big Brother 9 in 2008 during the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike. Before the Big Brother 25 finale in November 2023, host Julie Chen Moonves teased a holiday surprise from the Big Brother universe, noting a fourth Celebrity Big Brother season was unlikely but a shortened season with returning players was possible. The labor disputes ended with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike in September and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike two months later, leaving empty schedule slots. During the Big Brother 25 finale, Big Brother: Reindeer Games was announced. It was produced by Fly on the Wall Entertainment and Banijay Americas (originally Endemol Shine North America), with executive producers Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan, and Chris Roach. In November 2024, producers said the series would not air a second season in December due to lack of airtime on CBS, though they hoped it could return. The series did not feature Chen Moonves; it was hosted by former HouseGuests Derek Xiao, Tiffany Mitchell, and Jordan Lloyd, known as Santa's Elf Ambassadors. Nine other former contestants, including one from Big Brother 25, returned to compete.

Marketing and release

Big Brother: Reindeer Games dropped its first episode on December 11, 2023, with all six episodes shot before the premiere and no live feeds. The show ran on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays across two weeks, wrapping up with a finale on December 21. A teaser trailer aired during the Big Brother 25 finale, featuring Frankie Grande, Britney Haynes, and Danielle Reyes, and it mirrored a similar promo for that season. Episodes were also available to stream on Paramount+.