Mickey Lee, evicted from Big Brother 27 last week, told The Post she believes longtime franchise contestant Rachel Reilly was treated unfairly when producers removed her from the house via a safety-chain competition rather than a traditional house vote.
Reilly, a Season 13 winner, was eliminated after the live feeds were taken down for about a day; when they returned viewers learned she had been ousted through the competition. The episode that will air the elimination is scheduled for Tuesday on CBS and Paramount+.
"I do think they did my girl a little wrong," Lee, 35, said in the interview published Monday. "Getting her out on a comp is what I’m hearing. I’m like, yikes, that does really suck. I do think she should have at least gotten the right to get voted out versus just comped out." Lee added, "But they say expect the unexpected in Big Brother. And when they say that, they literally mean just that. So prime example."
Lee and Reilly, 40, had a turbulent relationship during the season and Lee criticized Reilly in some of her exit interviews. In the conversation with The Post, Lee softened that stance, saying, "Rachel and I had our ups and downs, but regardless of the fact, I do love that woman. I think she’s an exceptional girl."
The elimination and the daylong live-feed blackout prompted widespread online criticism among fans, some of whom argued the method deprived Reilly of the opportunity to face a house vote. Producers have used nontraditional evictions in past seasons; Lee framed the move as consistent with the program's history of surprises but acknowledged why viewers were upset.
Lee also addressed her interactions with fellow houseguest Morgan Pope, 33. On the CBS companion show Big Brother: Unlocked she had joked about blocking Pope on social media; in the interview she confirmed she did block Pope "mainly just to keep out things that I don’t really need to see at this moment." She likened the decision to the instinct to avoid an ex after a breakup and said the block was likely temporary.
The former houseguest commented on online chatter about a relationship between Pope and Vince Panaro, a contestant who entered the house with a girlfriend of seven years outside. Lee said she was "very surprised at how big it’s gotten, for sure," adding that being inside the house gives contestants a different perspective but that she did not know what boundaries Panaro and his partner may have established. "If I was in a relationship with Vince, I don’t think I would love what I’m seeing," she said, adding that her view was from the outside.
Lee's comments come as Season 27 continues with multiple episodes this week. Big Brother airs Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on CBS and streams on Paramount+. The format and surprise twists have been central to fan debate this season, as viewers weigh in on how production decisions affect gameplay and the viewing experience.
Producers have not publicly detailed the reasoning behind the safety-chain eviction or the temporary suspension of the live feeds. Reilly's elimination is expected to be shown in the upcoming episode, where viewers will see the sequence that led to her departure and how other houseguests reacted at the time.