“Big Brother” fans watched Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas fall for each other in real time, but few could have predicted how far their love story would go. More than a decade later, the reality TV couple is opening up about meeting on the show, surviving life in the spotlight, and building a family beyond the “Big Brother” house.
41 Days Turned Into 14 Years
During “Big Brother” 12, Rachel and Brendon spent 41 days together. Their showmance has now turned into 14 years together and two kids.
In 2010, the then-cocktail waitress and high school swim coach entered the “Big Brother” house vying for $500,000. Reilly clashed with many of the other houseguests, but she hit it off with Villegas.
After their 75 days of isolation, they took their showmance to the real world. The couple has a long reality TV resume since BB12.
Together, they have both appeared on “Big Brother” 13 (which Rachel won) and placed third as a team on “The Amazing Race” seasons 20 and 24. They’ve also appeared on “Celebrity Fear Factor.” Reilly has branched out on her own also, competing on “The Traitors” season 1, “Big Brother” 27, and “Worst Cooks in America.”
Reilly, who shares daughter Adora, 10, and son Adler, 5, with Villegas, told PEOPLE, “Our whole life has been on TV.”
Best Part of Meeting on Reality TV
Rachel and Brendon had their love story shown for the world to see. We all watched them on the live feeds as their showmance bloomed. Now, 14 years later, what’s the best part of finding their person on reality TV?
Rachel told PEOPLE, “Fan edits! They rock my world. We love to watch them on anniversaries and if we ever fight.”
Brendon added, “Every moment, with the exception of our first kiss under a blanket, was captured on television, which makes it easy to relive those moments. Sometimes it feels like we have shared so many intimate moments with the fans that you want some of those personal moments to keep for just yourself. At some point, being able to show your grandkids how grandma and grandpa met on reality TV would be a very cool experience.”
Telling Their Kids How They Met
With a 10- and 5-year-old in the house now, how do Rachel and Brendon talk to them about how their parents met?
Rachel said, “I like to show them parts of our ‘Big Brother’ season, our wedding, and the other shows we’ve been on. However, they don’t seem very impressed.”
Brendon added, “We have told the kids how we met, but who knows what any of it means to them now. I think there will be a day when someone points out to our kids how it was cool that we met on reality tv and they might finally agree because someone else points it out.”
