Big Brother Season 27 hasn't felt the same since news got out that Rachel Reilly was evicted due to a twist involving a Hamster Wheel maze first introduced in the holiday spinoff, Reindeer Games. Unfortunately, Rachel wasn't able to figure out the maze despite others finishing the maze much quicker, so what went wrong?
As someone who once advocated the Hamster Wheel maze become a part of the game (sorry), I took my chance to submit a question to Rachel asking her what went wrong with the challenge. Obviously, we didn't get to see her compete on the live feeds when watching Big Brother online with a Paramount+ subscription, and the episode is edited in a way that can often make things unclear. Rachel cleared the air, though, and explained where she realized things went wrong with the "Hamster Wheel of Death":
So, when you get put in the hamster wheel of death [laughs], make sure that you follow the maze. I thought about it after the fact, and I was going back and forth in one direction, and I think I needed to go 360 [degrees] with the disc. So, I think what I messed up was the direction of the disc. I think if I would've had a chance to focus and to have a little bit more time, I would've figured it out.
I believe Rachel would've eventually finished the maze if she had more time, but unfortunately, she couldn't figure out the key to making a full rotation in order to drop the ball down to the next chamber. Without that realization, she had no hope of escaping The White Locust, and her Big Brother journey ended.
The episode showed Morgan complete the challenge pretty quickly, and while I'd say that's further proof she is primed to win the game, it also confirms Rachel could've finished the challenge had she known how it fundamentally worked. As far as how she wasn't able to make it sus out what she needed to do, Rachel said the following:
Unfortunately, I wasn't focused, and I was just kind of all over the place in that competition and when my back was up against the wall I wasn't able to pull out the win. In Big Brother you need to be present and you need to be focused, especially when you go into a competition and especially when your Big Brother life is on the line.
Rachel revealed one of the keys to what not to do if you want to win Big Brother. Let's remember, she played a near-flawless game to that point, going sixty days without even being put up for eviction despite being a former winner. All it took was taking her eye off the ball once, and getting caught off guard, and unprecedented or not, her game was over.
Rachel is on the jury, though there are viewers who still believe she has a role in this season. I've even seen theories that she will be revealed as the Mastermind, though I can't imagine that CBS had the foresight to orchestrate Rachel's eviction ahead of the season to prepare for some wild twist like that.
Based on her tone in the interviews, I would wager that Rachel is now in the jury house and ready for the remaining weeks of the competition to conclude so she can get back to her family. Personally, I think the reveal of The Mastermind might be a previous cast member, but I highly doubt it'll end up being Rachel. It might even end up being Zingbot, whom we still have yet to see this weekend. Where the hell is he?
Big Brother continues on CBS, but those behind can always catch up on Paramount+. Even with Rachel gone, this season still has potential to be entertaining, so be sure to stick with it!
