Don’t hate the participant, hate the sport.
That’s how 4 “Big Brother” winners really feel concerning the backlash that Danielle Reyes — thought of the best participant to by no means win the present — is getting from followers on-line for her gameplay on “The Traitors” Season 3.
“Cyberbullying is ruining reality TV,” Xavier Prather, who gained “Big Brother 23” and in addition performed with Reyes, 53, on “Big Brother: Reindeer Games,” solely informed The Publish.
“Critiquing her gameplay is one thing, but many of the comments online have gone far beyond that, which is deeply upsetting,” Prather stated. “In my opinion, the participants in the game and Danielle’s family are the primary people who may be justified in feeling some way about Danielle’s gameplay. Everyone else who feels they ‘hate’ Danielle is allowing themselves to become a victim in something that has nothing to do with them.”
Prather added of the web hate, “Seems like a very toxic response for something that’s intended to be a guilty pleasure.”
Chelsie Baham, who gained “Big Brother 26” final yr, can also be turned off by the extraordinary response to Reyes.
“The outrage over a woman playing the game she was assigned is beyond ridiculous,” Baham informed The Publish.
“Is she playing the cleanest game? Maybe not,” Baham stated. “But she’s playing a strong game, a bold game, and that deserves respect. And let’s be real—if she were a man or fit a different mold, she’d likely be celebrated for it.”
Josh Martinez, winner of “Big Brother 19” who was additionally on “Reindeer Games,” informed The Publish that he’s loved watching Reyes “owning her villain ways” on “The Traitors.”
“These people signed up to play a game and she as a Traitor not only entertained, but played her heart out,” Martinez famous. “As a TV personality she makes you feel something. You’re passionate about loving or hating her. She didn’t go on to clean her image or boost her career. She’s there to win.”
Not too long ago, Reyes has been accused of swearing on her grandkids and mendacity throughout the recreation by a number of of her eradicated castmates, together with her fellow Traitor Carolyn Wiger.
“That triggered me,” the “Survivor” alum solely informed The Publish final week of Reyes’ alleged actions. “And again, everyone is different with how they play and what they feel is morally okay.”
Prather informed The Publish that he “wouldn’t put it past” Reyes if she did swear on her household to remain within the recreation.
“The lines between right and wrong in games of deception are always blurry because they are subject to what each game player can tolerate morally,” Prather stated. “Danielle is willing to push the envelope between what’s right and wrong, which is why she is so polarizing.”
Taylor Hale, who gained “Big Brother 24” and got here in second on “Reindeer Games,” informed The Publish she finds the web hate for Reyes “disgusting, frustrating, and unfortunately, unsurprising.”
“There are certain boxes the public expects Black women to fill when they’re on reality TV. When you don’t fit in those boxes, or when your presence reflects that of your white counterpart, the backlash is vile, heinous, and unjust,” stated Hale, the primary Black girl to win “Big Brother.”
Hale can also be unbothered over the talk about Reyes allegedly swearing on her household. “Her job is to lie and be convincing in her lies. I understand swearing on anything may carry weight for other people, but a core truth of these competition games is that not everyone plays by the same moral compass,” she stated.
Reyes has but to verify the household swearing allegations herself — although the subject will certainly come up on the reunion that follows tonight’s Season 3 finale.
In a latest interview with Self-importance Honest, Reyes admitted she performed a “ruthless” and “cutthroat” recreation.
“I had to change the way I was perceived, because if I came in like myself—calm, cool—they would’ve automatically assumed I was a Traitor based on the fact that I was from ‘Big Brother,’” she stated. “I was going to have to play this crying, nervous Nellie.”
Reyes did, nevertheless, acknowledge that a few of her dramatic actions — particularly how she fell to the ground in hysterics after Wiger revealed herself as a Traitor — have been “so cringey.”
“But I’m just cracking up,” she stated.
The Season 3 finale of “The Traitors” airs tonight at 9 p.m. ET on Peacock.
