"I romanticized sitting next to Rachel": Big Brother 27 star Keanu reflects on his connection with the former winner

Big Brother Season 27 saw Keanu Soto appear in the September 25, 2025, episode after being evicted midweek due to a twist played out by the Mastermind.

Keanu was sent packing during Vince’s Head of Household (HOH) reign, which, to him, was a blindside because he considered Vince to be his friend in the house. 

After being nominated by him, Keanu remembered Rachel Reilly (Big Brother Season 13 winner) and noted that she was the only player in the competition who had never lied to him. 

In an interview with Gold Derby published on September 25, 2025, Keanu shared his opinion of the former winner, confessing that he wanted to take her to the final two, so he could defeat her and feel validated.

He clarified that, irrespective of his chemistry with her, he had always dreamt of taking Rachel to the finale. However, Rachel was eliminated during the White Locust twist.

“I romanticized sitting next to Rachel. I wanted to beat a legend to become one. My only argument sitting next to someone like her, who had a great social game and was never on the block, would have been to make my resume so undeniable with competition wins that it would have been a no-brainer,” he stated.

Big Brother Season 27: Keanu says he felt “truly devastated” when Rachel got eliminated

Rachel was eliminated from the show during the White Locust twist, ending her goal of reaching the finale. She became the first juror of Season 27 despite never having touched the block.

It was a shocking elimination for the show’s fans as well as for some of the houseguests. However, her exit weighed heavily on Keanu, who shared a love-hate relationship with the former winner.

Known as “frenemies,” Keanu often clashed with Rachel. But when she was sent to the jury house, he became upset because he wanted to defeat her after taking her to the finale. 

While speaking to Gold Derby, Keanu said:

“Rachel felt like an older sister and Vince a younger brother. I truly did want to take Rachel to the end. If I were to win, it would have meant a lot more beating someone that had status already. I was hoping it would be us at the end. When she left I was truly devastated.”

The Big Brother star reiterated that it was a “no-brainer” to take Rachel to the final two. 

However, his plans were thwarted by Vince, whom he trusted with his safety. 

Looking back on the game, he admitted his biggest challenge was himself and his “trusting nature,” which made him put his trust in Vince’s words.

If he could play the game again, Keanu said he would not be so trusting of him. 

“How many times can I give someone a chance? He kept stabbing me in the back and I just kept going back,” Keanu said.

Regardless, he looked back on his journey in a positive light. While reflecting on Zingbot’s roast of his hygiene, in which it was compared to that of an ogre, Keanu said that he was all for being compared to “anything related to fantasy.”

Although his journey ended sooner than he had expected, he was proud of the game he played. He believed he was able to prove to himself how resilient he could be when faced with challenges. 

Keanu admitted he made a few mistakes along the way, but he stated that they made him a “better person.”

Stay tuned for more updates.