Big Brother Reindeer Games

Big Brother Reindeer Games is a reality competition television series and spin-off of the American version of Big Brother. It premiered on CBS on December 11, 2023, and is hosted by former Big Brother HouseGuests Derek Xiao, Tiffany Mitchell, and Jordan Lloyd. The series features nine former HouseGuests competing against each other across six episodes which are airing over the course of two weeks.

House
The house used for Big Brother Reindeer Games was renamed to the Santa's Lodge under the holiday-theme. The entryway of the house is decorated with flying reindeer, gold-wrapped presents, and a red flannel rug. The living room has a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments and wreaths. The kitchen, which in this season was named "Mrs. Claus Bakery", has red and green wallpaper with Christmas symbols, and gingerbread men on the counters.

Format
Each episode will consist of three games and will end in a "Santa's Showdown", the outcome of which determines the elimination of one HouseGuest. The players will not live in the BB house, will not live together, and there will be no voting off of other players. Four HouseGuest will remain in the finale with one winning a US$100,000 grand prize.

Format changes and additions
Unlike the previous seasons of Big Brother, Reindeer Games won't involve any nominations, house-voted evictions or live broadcasts. Instead, the nine houseguests from previous seasons would compete in a series of holiday-themed daily challenges.

Naughty and Nice Challenge
In this challenge, the houseguests would compete to gain an advantage for the next challenge, while simultaneously, giving a disadvantage for a houseguest of their choosing, also known as the Naughty List Punishment.

Jingle Bell Brawl Challenge
The winner, or winners, of this challenge, would receive safety from elimination.

Santa's Showdown
The nominees would compete against each other in various challenges to determine who would stay in the lodge and who would be eliminated from the game.
 * The losing houseguest would get to choose a present under the Christmas tree that contains gifts from a fruit cake to $5,000.

HouseGuests
The HouseGuests were revealed intermittently throughout December 6 and 7, 2023.


 * Notes

Competition history

 * The Houseguest won Big Brother Reindeer Games and the $100,000 prize.
 * The Houseguest was the runner-up.
 * The Houseguest was eliminated in the finale, placing third or fourth.
 * The Houseguest won the Jingle Bell Brawl challenge, securing immunity and nomination power.
 * The Houseguest was nominated to compete in the Santa's Showdown challenge.
 * The Houseguest was eliminated from the Lodge after losing the Santa's Showdown challenge.


 * Notes

Development
In May 2023 Deadline Hollywood reported that CBS was considering an additional season of Big Brother in the 2023-24 television schedule, with "all-star contestants", to fill in gaps left by the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes. CBS had previously done the same with Big Brother 9 which aired in 2008 to combat the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike.

Ahead of the Big Brother 25 finale in November 2023, host Julie Chen Moonves teased a "holiday surprise" from the "Big Brother universe". In an interview following the episode, Chen Moonves stated that a fourth season of Celebrity Big Brother was unlikely to happen, but noted the possibility of a shortened season with returning players. The Hollywood labor disputes were ultimately ceased with the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike ending in October, and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike ending the following month. With most scripted series set to begin filming shortened seasons in late-November and early-December, and most premiere dates not expected until 2024, there were still empty slots in the schedule.

During the Big Brother 25 finale, it was announced that a new spin-off of Big Brother would air in December titled Big Brother Reindeer Games. The series will be produced by Fly on the Wall Entertainment and Endemol Shine North America with Allison Grodner, Rich Meehan, and Chris Roach serving as executive producers, all returning from Big Brother.

Casting
The series will not feature Chen Moonves and will instead be hosted by former Big Brother HouseGuests Derek Xiao, Tiffany Mitchell, and Jordan Lloyd who will be known as "Santa's Elf Ambassadors"; Xiao and Mitchell competed on Big Brother 23, while Lloyd was on both Big Brother 11 and Big Brother 13 Additionally, nine other former contestants, including one from Big Brother 25, will return to compete.

Marketing and release
The series premiered on December 11, 2023, and was filmed in its entirety prior to its release. It will feature no live feeds. Big Brother Reindeer Games will air three episodes a week on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, over two weeks, totaling six episodes before its finale on December 21. A teaser trailer was aired during the Big Brother 25 finale featuring former competitors Frankie Grande, Britney Haynes, and Danielle Reyes, and was styled off a similar teaser that opened the twenty-fifth season. Episodes from the series will also stream on Paramount+.