Big Brother icon Rachel Reilly is returning to The Bold and the Beautiful on November 13 and 14 in scenes with Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer), Don Diamont (Bill Spencer), and Heather Tom (Katie Logan).
Her comeback marks Reilly’s 30th and 31st appearances on the soap, which has a long-running tradition of featuring Big Brother contestants when their seasons wrap. Reilly first guest-starred in 2010 and last appeared in 2014, and as a surprise guest on the most recent Big Brother, she says this return is one she’s been manifesting.
“One of the biggest things I was hoping for going into Big Brother was that I would get to have another walk-on role on Bold and the Beautiful,” Reilly enthuses. “I was so excited.”
Matthew Taplinger
Reilly’s connection to B&B runs deep — long before her first stint in 2010. “I’m a huge fan of the soap,” she relays. “I used to watch it with my nana — it’s her story. Everyone is so kind, and I feel like over the past 15 years, I’ve gotten to know the actors and everyone that works behind the scenes, so it’s just such a dream come true. I feel so grateful to be back on set and have had the opportunity to work with them again.”
This time around, her character, Rachel — a bartender at the Bikini Bar — has evolved, adding energy healer and spiritual cleanser to her résumé. Reilly drew on some real-life inspiration to find the new facets of her alter ego. “Funny enough, I kind of channeled my inner Kaitlyn Herman from Big Brother,” she reveals. “She was like an energy healer on Big Brother. So, I was just being very calm and really understanding the environment, picking up on the vibes as the Gen Zs say.”
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Having worked with Clifton, Diamont, and Tom before, Reilly says stepping back onto the B&B set felt effortless. “It feels like home, so I don’t really get nervous anymore,” she shares. “I’m such a fan of the show, and I watch the show still, so it’s really fun to be part of that world and to have the opportunity to interact with the actors I worked with 15 years ago. There’s a new studio and the storylines are always changing, but you still feel the original energy from the Forresters and the Spencers, so it’s really fun to be in that environment.”
And if Reilly has her way, Rachel might just be due for a new position. “I told them I think that maybe a new manager role at the Bikini Bar should be opening soon because I think I need a promotion!” she quips. “In my head, I’m being promoted or maybe I’m going to buy the Bikini Bar because I’ve been saving up from all the tips I’ve been getting.”
Her husband, Big Brother alum Brandon Villegas, who also appeared on B&B as a server at the Bikini Bar, is cheering her on — and maybe a little jealous. “He’s very jealous,” she says with a laugh. “He’s played a bartender at the Bikini Bar as well, and the last time we were on together, we let everyone know that we were engaged, so that’s really cute.”
Reilly’s enduring Big Brother legacy remains a huge point of pride. “To such a major role in the franchise of Big Brother, it’s been such an honor,” she notes. “I love the game. I’m a student of the game, and I’ve just enjoyed my experience so much. And every time I’ve gone back, it’s been another really cool, life-changing, iconic moment for me. I met my husband for the first time. I went back, I won the game. This time, I am the only person now that can say they’ve never been nominated or evicted from the show. It was so much fun to go back and to be able to play the game again. I love Big Brother, and it feels like a natural place to be in my life.”
Matthew Taplinger
Reilly would be open to returning yet again — provided the circumstances are right. “If it was an all-winner season, I would absolutely be honored to be part of that cast, so I’m hoping that they do something where it’s legends or winners,” she says. “And maybe a little bit shorter than 90 days. I’m a mom of two young kids, so leaving for 90 days is a lot. But I think that I would absolutely love to go back, and next time I’m coming for that mastermind.”
Something she was unable to do in Season 27 because she didn’t know their identity. “No, of course not,” she insists. “I don’t think they would have told me that. Everything just unfolded at the finale this year, and I was like, ‘Of course, there’s, like, four masterminds, and they’re all my friends.’”
While she’s thrived in both scripted and unscripted television, Reilly admits she may have found her true calling. “I love, love, love the soaps,” Reilly says. “They feel very unscripted, and the stories are so over the top. You get to be a larger-than-life personality, and that’s why I love unscripted as well, but I think I really am leaning towards scripted. The older I get, these competition shows are a lot of work, I’ll just say that. They’re not for the faint of heart. Some of these physical competitions are tricky, and they test your strength, so I think that living in the glamorous world of The Bold and the Beautiful sounds kind of nice.”
Matthew Taplinger
That said, Reilly isn’t slowing down. Next up, she’s filming a new movie, The Other Side of the Window, where she plays a red carpet host, though she’s not ruling out another CBS reality adventure. “I would love to test my mental fortitude and my skills on Survivor, out on that island,” she reveals. “So, I’m hoping for that to happen. That would be really exciting.”
Grateful for every opportunity, Reilly says she’s still amazed at how far this journey has taken her. “Big Brother literally changed my life,” she reflects. “It will always have a special place in my heart. I would have never imagined in 2010, walking through that door on Big Brother, that in 2025, I would be coming back again and that I would have opportunities to go back on Bold and the Beautiful and film other scripted movies and series. It’s just been such an incredible adventure and journey, and I think it’s just getting started. I’m excited for what the future holds.”
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