On Monday, September 29, “Big Brother 27” airs its highly anticipated finale, and one familiar face is returning. Former winner Cody Calafiore is set to run the jury roundtable, a role that cements him as part of the show’s legacy. But Calafiore’s story stretches far beyond the CBS soundstage—he’s carved out a second career in front of the camera, this time in scripted holiday films.
Candice T. Cain, the writer and director behind a string of indie romances and holiday flicks, revealed that Calafiore’s casting was anything but conventional. “When Cody auditioned for me, I liked him the best,” Cain told Parade. “And I sent him his contract behind everybody else’s back, because people didn’t want to cast the reality star, and I felt it was unfair to pigeonhole them.”
That leap of faith launched Calafiore into a surprising new lane: becoming a regular in Cain’s cozy Christmas world.
From ‘Big Brother’ to Christmas cheer
Calafiore’s first acting credit came with Cain’s 2016 film “What Happened Last Night.” What started as a gamble quickly turned into a working partnership. By 2019, Cain had written him into several Hallmark-style movies, including “Ivy and Mistletoe,” “The Maltese Holiday,” “Magic in Mount Holly,” and “Joy and Hope.”
“I look at Cody like a little brother,” Cain explained. “I had an opportunity to do a Christmas movie, and I pitched him the idea for ‘Ivy and Mistletoe.’ I even wrote the lead role with him in mind.”
The pair developed an easy rhythm, with Cain creating roles that played to Calafiore’s natural humor and charisma. “I don’t look at him as a reality star. I was able to take pieces of Cody’s personality and write to his strengths,” she added.
Building a reality TV-to-Hollywood pipeline
Cain’s casting of Calafiore also sparked a trend. Over the past decade, she has welcomed other reality TV veterans into her projects, including Paulie Calafiore, Cara Maria Sorbello, Faysal Shafaat, and Gervase Peterson.
“I like being able to give people opportunities,” Cain said. “If people want opportunities, and they’re kind to the people close to me, I’m going to take care of that. That’s just the type of person I am.”
Even inside the “Big Brother” house, Cain’s work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Contestants on both “Reindeer Games” and “Big Brother 27” have mentioned her Christmas movies in casual conversation—proof that Calafiore’s dual identity as a reality TV winner and Hallmark star has taken root.
As Cain looks ahead, she’s open to expanding her roster. “I would love to work with Rachel Reilly,” she admitted. “If she wants to be in a Christmas movie that badly, I want to put her in one.”
