A Reality TV Revival Question: Will Celebrity Big Brother or Reindeer Games Return
If you’re a fan of CBS’s Big Brother universe, you may have wondered whether two of its spinoff experiments, Celebrity Big Brother and Big Brother: Reindeer Games, will ever return. After digging through network plans, interviews, and the shows’ track records, here’s what seems likely (or unlikely) for 2025, 2026, or beyond.
First, a brief history. Celebrity Big Brother in the U.S. premiered in February 2018 on CBS. It was a winter edition intended to run concurrently with the Winter Olympics as counterprogramming.
A Reality TV Revival
In that format, celebrities move into the house for a short run of about three weeks and compete for money or charity prizes. Over its run, Celebrity Big Brother aired three seasons: Marissa Jaret Winokur won season 1 (2018), Tamar Braxton won season 2 (2019), and Miesha Tate won season 3 (2022).
Celebrity Big Brother Gets Shelved
After the 2022 season, though, CBS shelved it. According to producers, the show “didn’t fit” into the CBS winter schedule for 2025, and no renewal has been confirmed. There is some talk that Celebrity Big Brother might return only during Winter Olympics years like 2026, but that remains speculative and contingent on network priorities. So for 2025, it’s essentially off the table; for 2026, it’s possible but not confirmed.
As for Big Brother: Reindeer Games, this was a holiday‑themed mini‑spinoff that launched in December 2023 on CBS.
In its only season, nine returning Big Brother alumni competed over six episodes in festive challenges. The grand prize was $100,000, and the winner was Nicole Franzel (a veteran Big Brother contestant) over runner‑up Taylor Hale.
The show was placed on hiatus in 2024 because CBS claimed there was no room in the late‑year schedule. Producers did express hope that it could return as a special or within a more flexible seasonal slot (for instance, around holidays) if a programming gap opens. But as of now, there is no confirmed 2025 or 2026 edition.
Why are both of these effectively benched? The common theme is scheduling. CBS already plans its network lineup far in advance, and its fall, winter, and summer slates leave little room for niche spinoffs.
More Reasons Given By Producers
Executive producers Grodner and Meehan have noted external constraints and limited airtime as the key blockers. In particular, Celebrity Big Brother struggles to find a place outside its Olympic counter-programming niche, and Reindeer Games can’t easily displace other holiday programming without a clear open slot.
In some cases, spinoffs like these become victims of cost‑benefit calculations; the network has to ask whether the audience boost is worth squeezing programming around.
Is A Reality TV Revival Be Possible
Given all that, will they ever return? The short answer: maybe, but on the network’s terms. Celebrity Big Brother seems unlikely in 2025, but 2026 (an Olympic year) could be its best shot.
Reindeer Games, while dormant now, may resurface as a flexible seasonal special rather than a fixed annual series—if CBS can carve out the space. But there’s no guarantee. For now, if you want Big Brother on TV, the core summer season remains the sure bet—these spinoffs are on life support rather than canceled outright.
Guessing the Odds: Will Celebrity Big Brother or Reindeer Games Return in 2026?
If I were to put a stake in the ground right now, I’d give Celebrity Big Brother (U.S.) a moderate chance of returning in 2026 — but Reindeer Games is more of a long shot, more “maybe someday” than “definitely next year.” Here’s how I arrive at that.
Let’s start with Celebrity Big Brother. As we know, the show first aired in February 2018 on CBS, designed to counter program around the Winter Olympics. It ran three seasons (2018, 2019, 2022), and Miesha Tate won the third (2022) edition.
After 2022, it was put on pause because it didn’t find a stable winter slot in CBS’s lineup. Producers have floated the idea that Celebrity Big Brother could emerge only in Olympic‑years as a kind of quadrennial event, rather than an every‑year fixture.
Will Celebrity Big Brother Return in 2026
2026 is an Olympic year, which gives Celebrity Big Brother its best shot. The show’s past pattern supports this: its seasons have aligned with Winter Olympics years, making 2026 its logical comeback window.
That said, executive producers Grodner and Meehan have been cautious. As much as they’d love to bring it back, they repeatedly point to “factors beyond our control” chiefly scheduling, cost, and whether it fits into CBS’s broader priorities.
For 2025 they’ve already confirmed there are no plans, but they haven’t categorically ruled out 2026. So, I’d estimate maybe a 50‑50 chance: enough to hope, but not high confidence.
Now for Big Brother: Reindeer Games. That spinoff debuted just once in December 2023 on CBS. It featured returning Big Brother participants in holiday‑style competitions (no classic eviction format). Nicole Franzel won that first season.
But CBS declined to renew it for 2024, citing an already packed late‑year schedule and saying there was simply no airtime. Producers have expressed hope for a return “if scheduling allows.” They even reimagining it for other holidays (Halloween, Valentine’s Day, etc.), but no firm dates are on the table.
Some insiders have also mentioned disappointing ratings may have played into CBS’s cautious stance. Given all that, I’d put Reindeer Games at maybe a 20–30 percent chance of reviving in 2026. Possible as a seasonal special, but unlikely as a full series next year.
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