Who wins Big Brother Reindeer Games?

This article accommodates spoilers for the first season of Big Brother Reindeers Games.

The vacations are formally in complete force after Big Brother Reindeer Games crowned its first champion.

After Big Brother 25 wrapped in November, nine Big Brother stars returned to the franchise for any other shot at earning a six-figure grand prize. They confirmed up for Reindeer Games, an authentic CBS spin-off display not anything like its predecessor.

Instead of Head of Households, Power of Vetos, and eviction nights, the contestants dueled in a challenge-based game that performed out through six festive episodes.

All in all, five former Big Brother champions joined the roster — Nicole Franzel-Arroyo, Taylor Hale, Xavier Prather, Josh Martinez, and Cody Calafiore — in addition to four fan favorites: Frankie Grande, Britney Godwin, Danielle Hendricks (previously Reyes), and Cameron Hardin.

The legends fell one at a time in “Santa’s Showdown” until 4 avid gamers remained on finale night. Then, they duked it out within the “Reindeer Games,” and by the point the hour was once up, one competitor earned $100,000 just prior to Christmas.

And that was Nicole.

Regarded as an underdog heading into the show, the three-time houseguest was Big Brother Reindeer Games’ sole champion through besting Taylor in a head-to-head showdown.

So, how did Nicole as soon as once more ascend into reality TV glory? Let’s take a temporary have a look at the Big Brother 18 champion’s sport.

Nicole eradicated a few of Reindeer Games’ largest pageant threats en route to the $100,000 grand prize

Through three separate stints on Big Brother — seasons 16, 18, and 22 — Nicole had never been thought to be a “festival beast.” She relied on her social and political wheeling and dealing to propel herself forward. So, when Nicole confirmed up for a game that’d in the end be decided via competition wins, she was considered a heavy underdog when stacked up against the likes of Frankie, Cody, and Xavier.

Luckily, Reindeer Games concerned strategy and social dynamics as smartly.

Nicole ensured that she was insulated by more than one alliances. Although Cody had betrayed her all over season 22, she, Cody, and Frankie temporarily grouped up as part of the Big Brother 16 alliance. Also, Nicole buried the hatchet with Britney while setting up an all-female alliance with the lady in the home.

Nicole floated through the first two rounds of play. Although she didn’t win a competition, she also wasn’t despatched into Santa’s Showdown — the loser-go-home challenge that capped off the episodes. Cameron, “America’s Favorite Player” from Big Brother 25, was once the first to be sent packing courtesy of Big Brother 23’s king, Xavier. And Cody, season 22’s champion and 16’s runner-up, adopted him out the door an afternoon later when he got here up quick in opposition to Xavier and Frankie, his fellow Big Brother 16 alum.

Nicole notched her first Reindeer Games victory in episode Three when she toppled the roster in the “Jingle Bell Brawl.” The win earned her safety that day, and later, Danielle, an icon from Big Brother 3 and 7, had her franchise comeback derailed.

Then, Nicole showed off her championship mettle in episode Four when she found herself in Santa’s Showdown reverse Josh, Big Brother 19’s winner. In a sport that had them clinging onto a swinging candy cane for dear existence, Nicole narrowly outlasted Josh, who toppled to the ground a second earlier than Nicole.

The victory landed her in the final five, and she followed it up along with her first and simplest “Naughty and Nice” win. She served Xavier a punishment, however it wasn’t enough to eliminate him. Xavier and Big Brother 12 and 14’s Britney were partnered up for the Jingle Bell Brawl, and later, they confronted off in Santa’s Showdown.

Nicole’s ally Britney bit the mud, and the finalists for the primary annual Reindeers Game had been established. Before the finale aired on December 21, Nicole shared a video via Instagram of herself and her husband, Big Brother 18’s Victory Arroyo, baking snacks whilst writing in the caption that after she made it to the end sport, she already felt like a winner.

“I made it into the reindeer games (last 4) and that felt like a win to me. Actually me just going and being surrounded with such wonderful pals is the true win.”

In episode 6, Xavier won the general Naughty and Nice mission, and he earned the ability to determine the semi-final bracket. Viewing Nicole as a lesser threat than Frankie and Taylor, Big Brother 24’s queen, Xavier matched himself up with Nicole while the opposite two squared off.

Because Xavier chose her, Nicole used to be hit with a 30-second time penalty at first in their undertaking, which had them building a puzzle with gears that at last cracked nuts. As history has it, Nicole flew in the course of the puzzle and ended Xavier’s impressive venture run.

Then, Taylor beat Frankie of their contest, setting up an all-female, all-winner final.

The challenge was once broken down into three levels that had them climbing objects to snag “magical mistletoe,” maneuvering antlers via a three-stacked maze, and stacking dozens of different-sized snowflakes. Taylor led many of the sport. But, the general portion proved tough, and Nicole came from at the back of and pulled the rug out from underneath her.

By taking pictures the Reindeer Games trophy, Nicole used to be awarded $100,000 and the bragging rights that got here with another franchise first-place end.

Nicole took to Instagram to react to her Reindeer Games triumph after the final episode ended whilst additionally revealing that she was retiring from her Big Brother occupation. She wrote:

“THANKFUL for this revel in, thankful for my CBS family in LA & grateful for this cast. I am so grateful for each unmarried part of this adventure ESP the amazing relationships I’ve made. PS im retired. FOR REAL.”

No contestant has ever gained two seasons of an American-based Big Brother season. Some contestants have come close — Cody and Dan Gheesling both positioned as winners and runner-ups in their two showings. However, Nicole now stands as the only former houseguest to succeed in victory in two iterations of CBS’s flagship collection.

Because of this yr’s author’s strike, Big Brother Reindeer Games got here to existence. And with Hollywood again into complete swing, this may be the first and handiest time the CBS unique hits our tv monitors. And if that’s the case, Nicole’s identify will stay as the one Reindeer Games champion etched within the historical past books.

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