Getty TV personality Ragan Fox speaks at Reality Rocks Expo - Day 2
In a recent interview, “Big Brother” alum Ragan Fox recently got very candid talking about how production manipulated things on the show, including making Rachel Reilly a huge villain. Find out what he revealed about the show, plus how Reilly is actually not at all a villain in real life.
Fox Said Production Made Him Sabotage Reilly
In an interview on fellow “Big Brother” contestant Nicole Anthony’s podcast, Fox talked at length about his relationship with Rachel Reilly. The two had a blowout in season 12 that has gone down in infamy with “Big Brother” fans — and it was that fight that made him start to worry about her, especially after production made it known to him that she was the “villain” of the season.
“I knew that Rachel was the villain of our season because when I was the saboteur — and this is another way production gets in your head — all of my suggestions would be like ‘throw Rachel’s quote-unquote nasty hair extensions into the pool,'” said Fox, adding, “I would say 70 percent of the suggestions were mean stuff directed at Rachel.”
He then said after they had their huge fight, he sat her down to talk to her about what things might be like outside of the house.
“I sat down with her after and I was like — Rachel, I get it, you want attention. I want attention. But you are not at the point in your life when you discern between good attention and bad attention, it’s just all attention to you. And you want good attention. You really in your heart don’t want bad attention and I just hope that this experience doesn’t destroy you,” said Fox.
Reilly Had a Hard Time After Her First Season
Fox praised Reilly’s ability to know what the show was looking for, but he said even being as savvy as she was, she was not prepared for the backlash.
“Rachel knows what it takes to make amazing television and I’m so grateful that she was on my season because it really would’ve been a snooze without Rachel. She was so self-aware the entire time,” said Fox, but he added, “She said to Brendon [Villegas] I came out and I’m known as the villain and no one wants to hire me or talk to me or any of this other stuff. So even somebody as self-aware as Rachel, knowing ‘OK, I’m going to make really good television’ — she knew what show she was on — was not at all prepared for the blowback that she got. And luckily, for her, she was able to come back and reverse course and get the fans on her side.”
Indeed, Reilly appeared on season 13 with her now-husband Villegas and became a fan-favorite contestant. Fox said he thought it was great to see get some redemption and he also said that their friendship formed “very soon after the show ended” and now he’s very close with both Reilly and Villegas.
Eric Curto Revealed Another Side to Rachel Too
During the interview, Anthony’s podcast co-host Eric Curto revealed that when his parents’ house was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, Reilly stepped in to help them financially. Curto has been covering reality TV for a long time through RealNetwork’s Superpass, Reality Nation, and Rob Has a Website, which is how he knew Reilly outside of the show.
He said that when his parents lost their house, she reached out to him in the kindest way and didn’t want any recognition for it.
“Rachel was the one person who called me, right after she won ‘Big Brother,’ and was like, ‘Do you need me to help your family financially?’ That’s Rachel. That’s Rachel. Not for attention, not let’s make it a thing for social media, she’s like we do not tell anyone – do you need me to help you, do you need me to help your family? That’s the Rachel I’ll always know,” said Curto.
Reilly and Villegas recently welcomed baby No. 2, a boy named Adler Mateo Villegas. He joined big sister, Adora, who is 5.
Big Brother U.S. returns in summer 2021 for its 23rd season. Big Brother Canada returned for its ninth season on March 3.
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