After 62 drama-filled and highly competitive days in the Big Brother house, Reggie Bird has been crowned the winner of Big Brother Royalty Vs New Contenders.
The nail-biting and highly-competitive season drew to a close with Bird taking home the $250,000 cash prize — money she says she's using to "put a roof over [her family's] heads".
The fan favourite is the first ever Big Brother contestant to win the reality TV show twice. As the last ‘royalty’ contestant standing, she has spent a total of 148 days in the house.
"I can't believe it, Sonia," she said, moments after the announcement. "Thank you, thank you to everyone that voted for me. I hope I did you all proud."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
This year's runners-up were newbie contestants Taras Hrubyj-Piper, who described himself as "half Buddha and half Steve Jobs," and Johnson Ashaka, a self-confessed Big Brother super fan.
Bird has been applauded for playing an honest and authentic game. She's previously expressed that her strategy was to "be [herself]."
"Going into Big Brother this time, I've got two beautiful children and I really wanted to do this for them. When I walked into this house, I knew that I just had to win no matter what."
The legally blind Hobart local was the first-ever woman to win Big Brother Australia and has since become an advocate for disability support. "I'm here to prove to people that having a disability doesn't stop you from achieving goals," Bird previously said.
2022 has been the year of celebrating Big Brother's 21st birthday in Australia — a year that host Sonia Kruger has dubbed the "biggest game ever”. Team challenges, changing alliances, differing strategies — this year’s Big Brother was nothing short of entertaining.
There wasn't a shortage of drama on the grand finale live stage, either, with the first evictee Josh Goudswaard making a dig to the returning cast — "I [didn't] want to do this show, aren't all these Big Brother has-beens has-beens? Evidentally not”.
It was a season of romance and heated reunions. The Tully Smyth, Anthony Drew and Sam Manovski love triangle had us all hyped up — though Drew and Manovski confirmed that they have since broken up.
"We came out of the house and got to know each other in the real world," Manovski said. "Drew lives in Melbourne, I live in Queensland. We are very different, so [it] just didn't work out.”
Bird stakes a claim in the existing line-up of 14 Big Brother Australia winners which includes last year’s Marley Biyendolo, and returning contestants Tim Dormer and Trevor Butler.
Want more? Get Refinery29 Australia’s best stories delivered to your inbox each week. Sign up here!
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT