Big Brother Reindeer Games: What Makes It Different from Big Brother

'Big Brother Reindeer Games' features 9 legends in a holiday spin-off. No live feeds, new format, and a $100k grand prize.

The new spin-off show, Big Brother Reindeer Games, premiered on Dec. 11 on CBS and features nine Big Brother legends competing in a two-week holiday version of the game. The season has been pre-recorded, so there will be no live feeds and a winner has already been named. This holiday rendition of the show is different from a regular season, with the absence of Julie Chen Moonves as the host and the players not actually living in the famous Big Brother house.

The nine players, including past winners and fan favorites, are competing in a brand-new version of the famous game. Big Brother Reindeer Games is only two weeks long, with six episodes, including the two-hour premiere and the finale. The lack of live feeds means viewers will only see a limited amount of game talk done between the players in between competitions.

In addition to the lack of live feeds, there will also be no host for Big Brother Reindeer Games. Julie Chen Moonves will not be a part of this spin-off show. Instead, three additional former players will be featured on the show as guides for the competitions, referred to as "Santa's Elves" rather than hosts. The former Big Brother players that will also be returning to the house to assist the legends in playing the new game are season 11 winner Jordan Lloyd and season 23's Derek Xiao and Tiffany Mitchell.

Another major difference is the fact that the players are not actually living inside the famous house. While the Big Brother house is decorated head to toe in Christmas decor, there are no bedrooms. Instead, there are different lounge areas for the players to relax in between competitions. The former houseguests will compete solely to advance in the competition, but they won't always compete alone. Some competitions will be done in duos or groups, while others will be individual competitions.

The spin-off show is set to air every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for the next two weeks, totaling six overall episodes. The finale will air on Thursday, December 21, 2023, at 8pm EST on CBS. Past episodes of Big Brother can be streamed on Paramount+.