There are two reality competition shows that have remained staple franchises on CBS for decades: Survivor and Big Brother. And luckily for us fans, we’ve enjoyed crossovers between the two.
For example, Big Brother 25, which is airing Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday on the network, is supplying a home to a Survivor legend this summer. Four-time contestant Cirie Fields is the first-ever Survivor contestant to ditch the island for a Big Brother (BB) key.
Although this is a Survivor-to-BB first, there have already been two former houseguests who’ve been marooned: Big Brother 12 winner Hayden Moss and Big Brother 16’s Caleb Reynolds. And the latter’s had two opportunities to take home the $1 million grand prize.
So, let’s get into their respective reality television careers.
Hayden made it deep into his Survivor stint after taking home a six-figure check
Hayden made his reality television debut when he entered the Big Brother house in 2010. He was a 24-year-old college student from Tempe, Arizona and after 75 days of play, he earned a life-changing sum of money — $500,000.
He was part of one of the most successful alliances in the franchise’s history. Coined “The Brigade,” Hayden partnered up with four other males — Lane Elenburg, Enzo Palumbo, and Matt Hoffman — on the second day of the game. Championed by Enzo, Hayden operated with the moniker “The Animal.”
And his allegiance to the three other men proved to be an early yet pivotal move in Hayden’s game.
Operating in the shadows, every name The Brigade said in the Diary Room on eviction night went home. The alliance also survived when Matt was sent to the jury on day 49 to preserve Enzo, his fellow nominee. In the end, Hayden, Lane, and Enzo were the final three houseguests remaining in Big Brother 12. As history has it, Hayden locked in his championship by winning the last Head of Household competition and eliminating Enzo. With a 4-3 vote, The Animal became the US version’s 12th champion.
Around three years later, Hayden made history as being the first Big Brother player to cross over to Survivor.
He was one of 20 contestants during season 27’s Blood vs. Water. It was a unique theme that brought back 10 former Survivor players who were accompanied by a loved one. Blood vs. Water also featured “Redemption Island,” which gave voted-out contestants the opportunity to claw themselves back into the game by winning challenges.
In Hayden’s case, he arrived in the Philippines with his girlfriend at the time, Kat Edorsson, who had previously placed seventh on season 24’s One World.
Separated into two tribes of 10, Hayden began his game playing alongside the nine other loved ones as Tadhana. And just like in Big Brother, Hayden found himself on the right side of the votes for the opening part of his game. But, he dealt with his first bit of strategic adversity in episode 4 when Brad Culpepper was sent to Redemption Island. Then, two episodes later, Kat was voted out of her “Galang” tribe — it was the first vote of the game’s post-tribe swap portion.
One of Blood vs. Water’s twists allowed a loved one to switch places with their other half. For example, celebrated competitor Rupert Boneham elected to switch spots with his wife, Laura, after she was the first person to have her torch snuffed by host Jeff Probst.
But, Hayden — like everyone else except Rupert — didn’t derail their game for their respective real-life relationship, and Kat officially went home. Hayden then made it to the individual portion of Survivor — the merge. For the first four votes, Hayden sat in the majority, which included the famous moment when Ciera Eastin voted out her mom, Laura Morett.
But, Hayden’s game seriously began to unravel in episode 11 when the season’s dominant alliance — returning players Tyson Apostol, Monica Culpepper, and Gervase Peterson — got the upper hand. Hayden was blinded when his closest ally Caleb Bankston was taken out.
But, the next episode marked one of the wildest Tribal Councils in history.
Ciera, who sided with Tyson and the returnee gang to get out Caleb, jumped back to Hayden and Katie Collins’ side to combat the trio. With only six players remaining, the two groups locked in a tie through two separate votes, which forced a rock draw. Katie ultimately drew the white rock, meaning she was instantly sent to Redemption Island.
The random draw spelled disaster for Hayden’s game as he and Ciera fell into the minority. And unfortunately for the Big Brother champion, he was the next person sent packing.
He was unable to capitalize on the Redemption Island twist as well. He lost his first battle-back challenge to Laura M and Tina Wesson, and became the fifth member of the jury. In the end, Hayden tossed Tyson a vote to win season 27, which he did over Monica and Gervase with a 7-1-0 spread.
Although Hayden didn’t win Survivor, he was one of the top players of the season and still stands as the closest a Big Brother contestant has gotten to winning the $1 million grand prize.
Known as ‘Beast Mode Cowboy’ on Big Brother, Caleb received a second chance at playing Survivor after he was medically evacuated during his first season
The only other Big Brother alum to play Survivor is Caleb, the man known as “Beast Mode Cowboy.” Further, he’s the only houseguest to be a two-time Survivor player. Caleb made his reality competition start on Big Brother 16 as a 26-year-old hunting guide from Hopkinsville, Kentucky.
Like Hayden, Caleb was a part of a super alliance early on in his BB run. Caleb joined “The Bomb Squad,” an all-male alliance that fell apart very quickly after skepticism mounted against Devin Shepherd, a driving force behind the group.
Caleb and Devin sat opposite each other for the third eviction, and the latter was sent packing via a unanimous vote. Although the Bomb Squad was no more, Caleb went through the game believing it was still intact. Specifically, he worked alongside BB16’s winner Derrick Derrick Levasseur and its runner-up, Cody Calafiore, until he was blindsided at the final 4.
Caleb’s undying loyalty to the two “Hitmen” was a big part of his eventual undoing.
But, Beast Mode Cowboy was given two more opportunities to win a CBS show. He appeared on fans’ televisions less than two years later when he played on season 32’s Kaôh Rōng as part of the “Gondol,” or “Beauty,” tribe.
Through BB16, Caleb seemed more geared for Survivor considering his physical abilities. But, his first time marooned didn’t go the way anyone predicted.
Not only was he the first person from his tribe to leave the Cambodian island, he didn’t even participate in a Tribal Council. Beast Mode Cowboy was medically evacuated on day 9 after he pushed his body to the limits in a grueling reward challenge.
The players competed under the sun for nearly an hour trying to win cooking supplies, and after his tribe placed second, Caleb collapsed onto the ground.
Continually going in and out of consciousness, the Big Brother alum was tended to by the on-site doctor. He was given oxygen while being monitored. And after the doctor determined Caleb’s heart rate was too low, he was officially removed from the game and sent to the hospital. He made a full recovery.
That wasn’t the end of Caleb’s Survivor story. He returned two seasons later for the all-veteran Game Changers iteration. Although it can be argued that Beast Mode Cowboy didn’t fit the bill in terms of the season’s theme, it was great to see him receive another opportunity to properly play.
Still, he didn’t last long. His “Mana” tribe was sent to Tribal Council for the first three votes. And although he voted alongside the majority in the first two Tribals, he once again left the game on day 9.
Spearheaded by Brad — Hayden’s former alliance member from Blood vs. Water — Caleb was voted out 5-1 in episode 2.
Don’t be surprised if we see more Big Brother contestants crossover to Survivor in the future
With CBS coming out with its own branch of The Challenge — a reality competition staple that’s aired on MTV for decades — it’s clear the network is all in on bringing back past reality stars.
The second season of The Challenge: USA is currently dropping two episodes a week on CBS, and it features past players from Survivor, Big Brother, and The Amazing Race, along with veterans from MTV’s flagship show.
Some of the Survivor contestants include Edge of Extinction winner Chris Underwood, season 43’s Cassidy Clark, and Ghost Island’s Sebastian Noel. USA 1 featured Tyson — the Blood vs. Water champion — too.
On the Big Brother end, season 23’s Alyssa Lopez, season 20’s Tyler Crispen, and season 19’s Josh Martinez are on USA 2 as well.
Considering we haven’t seen a familiar face on Survivor since 2020’s Winners at War, it feels like we’re due for returning players, or at the very least, a season with CBS staples. And with Big Brother also embracing Survivor players (Cirie on Big Brother 25), it shouldn’t shock fans if a third houseguest eventually makes their way to Fiji.
