Big Brother 25: Reilly Smedley Knows Why She Was Evicted (& What She Would Change)
Former "Big Brother" Season 25 contestant Reilly Smedley unpacked the events leading up to her eviction and revealed what she would do differently if given the chance.
Season 25, Episode 6, which aired on August 16, saw the 24-year-old bartender from Nashville, TN evicted from the "Big Brother" house in a unanimous 12-0 vote. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross, Smedley discussed the reasons behind her eviction. She admitted that while she would happily repeat the experience, there were certain changes she would have made in order to keep her spot in the house.
"I definitely think I played hard right off the bat, and that ended up biting me in the butt," she said, chalking it up to her inherently competitive nature. "I'm such a competitor, I've been competitive my whole life, especially with myself. So, it's definitely a hard pill to swallow not making it as far as I had imagined I would."
The 12-0 vote made Smedley the second houseguest evicted from the long-running reality show's 25th season after molecular biologist Kirsten Elwin. As the first person ousted from the season, Elwin partly attributed her eviction to losing her first competition. According to "Big Brother" host Julie Chen Moonves in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Elwin was evicted for reasons similar to Smedley. "She played too hard, too soon," Moonves said.
Former houseguest Reilly Smedley says she was too competitive, too early
According to Reilly Smedley, her competitive nature led her to go after the coveted title of Head of Household early in the season. Seasoned "Big Brother" fans will know that the HOH, named every week, is a position of extreme power in the house.
Smedley was named HOH in the season's second episode after only a few days in the competition. She said it was likely this decision that hurt her game and put her on the chopping block. In her interview with Entertainment Weekly, the 24-year-old noted that while she was proud to have been named HOH early in the season, the position inevitably draws unwanted attention from the other competitors. "I'm super proud that I got that position in the house so early, but again, that always puts a target on somebody's back," said Smedley.
Smedley added that she initially didn't want the title of HOH at all, knowing the repercussions it could have on her ability to succeed in and potentially become a winner on "Big Brother." However, she explained that her attitude toward being HOH changed once she officially entered the competition. "And then I got there, and me being my competitive self, I totally gunned it and went for it," she said. When asked if she would have thrown the vote to avoid being HOH and remove the target from her back, Smedley added, "I don't know if I'd throw it. I wouldn't be so determined to win it, though."
Smedley reacts to Hisam Goueli's veto ceremony speech
Leading up to the vote that would seal Reilly Smedley's fate, fellow (and now former) houseguest Hisam Goueli chose not to use his vetoing power and instead implored the other contestants to vote Smedley out. "It was definitely a shock," she said.
Despite having her own alliance with Jag Bains, Matt Klotz, and Blue Kim, Smedley said she encouraged her friends to vote with the majority of the house in order to protect themselves and stay in the game. "I didn't want them to blow their game up," Smedley explained. "I think right now there's a lot of fear in the house, and nobody wanted to be on the wrong side of the vote, regardless of if it was anonymous or not."
Since being evicted, Smedley has repeatedly stated that she does not regret her experience on "Big Brother." In her Entertainment Weekly interview, Smedley said, "I would do it again in a heartbeat." She echoed this sentiment via a statement on Instagram shortly after she was voted from the house.
"While no part of me felt it was my time to go, I vowed that no matter what, I would put every ounce of my soul into this & I am forever grateful I could play the game I've always dreamt of playing," Smedley wrote. "I would do it all over again & again & again."