Halloween is fast approaching, and “The Bold and the Beautiful” is bringing viewers a special treat for the spooky holiday: A candy-bowl plethora of “Big Brother” contestants! Season 16’s Donny Thompson, Amber Borzotra, Cody Calafiore, Zach Rance, Hayden Voss, Nicole Franzel, Caleb Reynolds and Devin Shephard, Season 11 & 13’s Jeff Schroeder and Jordan Lloyd, Season 12 & 13’s Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas, and Season 15’s Elissa Slater will be appearing on the sudser for two special Halloween episodes, as previously reported. But there’s no need to wait until Thursday, October 30 and Friday, October 31 to get a taste of the delicious drama: Soap Opera Network sat down with some of the aforementioned stars to get the scoop on the special episodes!
It hasn’t been long since Season 16 of “Big Brother” wrapped, but rather than contention, all of the reality series’ stars were buzzing with excitement about their upcoming daytime gig. “We’re filming the Halloween episodes, and we’re all really excited, because everyone is coming to the Bikini Bar for this amazing Halloween party, and they’re doing contests and stuff, and it’s going to be so much fun,” says Rachel Reilly-Villegas, who’s appeared with her real-life husband, Brendon Villegas, as a “B&B” Bikini Bar waitress in the past. “Fans are going to love it.”
The special episodes will mostly revolve around Donny Thompson — who stole America’s hearts in the latest season of the show — and a joke regarding the long-running mystery of Thompson’s real-life career. “When I was reading the script back at our hotel, I was laughing hysterically, because everything from our season [is included in the episodes],” says Devin Shepherd. “I mean with Donny, what is he, a doctor? What? There was so much speculation over the season of what Donny is and he’s coming in here and dressing up as all these different characters. It’s really cool; it all ties in and it’s really funny.”
“There’s going to be a lot of costumes!” Thompson adds with a laugh. “So many people thought that I was a different profession, so they [make reference] to that.”
As for why it made sense for the two shows to crossover, Thompson says, “Big Brother is a real-life soap opera. It’s got drama, some years it has relationships and smoochin’ and conniving. It’s all that stuff, kind of like a soap opera, and it’s good for them to work together, because you have the daytime people that watch TV and then you have the evening people who watch TV, and [each] has a big following, so they could help each other.”
Adds Hayden Voss: “Soap operas are very dramatic, and reality TV [is filled with] very dramatic people. So there’s definitely a correlation there. We’re ourselves on the show, but to a certain extent, we’re characters and dramatic-like people, whether it’s good dramatic or bad dramatic. So it makes sense.”
“’Big Brother’ is a soap opera, too!” Reilly-Villegas adds. “’Big Brother’ is one giant three-month soap opera, and I think that’s why there’s so much synergy between the two shows. ‘The Bold and the Beautiful’ has the hottest cast on all the soaps, and it’s all about fashion and fun and a lot of drama and romance, and Big Brother has all of that included in the show, too.”
As for whether or not the reality stars were feeling nervous for their “B&B” scenes, it seemed most were up for the challenge without feeling too much heat. “It feels so much better, because it’s scripted and you know what you’re getting into!” says Shepherd. “You know how it’s going to be laid out and what you’re doing.”
“I feel the same: It’s a capper,” says Caleb Reynolds. “It wasn’t that long ago [that I got out of the house], and to be part of this, to get to see these faces and know that what I’m saying in this show ain’t gonna rub nobody the wrong way, knowing that I’ve got a few things to say, only four words, and I can’t screw it up, it’s a good thing!”
Watch for the special “B&B/Big Brother” episodes on Thursday, October 30 and Friday, October 31!
