In 2025, some of my favorite Big Brother players returned to reality TV. Rachel Reilly, Tiffany Pollard, and Frankie Grande tried to learn to cook on Worst Cooks in America. Then Danielle Reyes and Britney Haynes brought drama and shocking moments as part of The Traitors Season 3 cast. Recently, Big Brother 2 winner Dr. Will Kirby left reality TV retirement to play on Deal or No Deal Island.
Like most Big Brother fans, Will is one of the players who first sparked my love for the long-running reality TV show. He changed the series and helped make it my must-watch TV show every summer. Dr. Will is one of the most memorable Big Brother winners, after all. Unlike many popular reality TV stars, he has done some reality TV shows but not enough to grow tiresome. It’s always been a treat seeing him host the Big Brother roundtable each year. That’s also why his departure as host has been sad, but I am also happy to see Taylor Hale take over the gig.
Seeing Dr. Will return at least once more to reality TV is the just one reason to celebrate his Deal or No Deal Island appearance.
Will Brings A Brand Of Calculated Chaos That's Perfect For Reality TV
Will is someone who understands reality TV and its fans. He knows we want chaos, heroes, villains, and something to gossip about the next day. His understanding of it makes it easy for him to play to the audience and producers. Dr. Will isn’t going on Deal or No Deal to win friends or take home a big check. He’s going on to create good television. Will isn’t just a doctor but a natural performer. Therefore, I can trust him to purposely bring so much chaos to this NBC reality TV show.
Sometimes you want your reality TV stars to be humble, genuine, likable, and give you the most heart-wrenching stories. Sometimes you just want them to do something unexpected, or silly, call people out, and try to maneuver their way around the game strategically.
I am confident that Will plans to make a big impression on Deal or No Deal Island, and that could mean him delivering plenty of great reality TV moments, which I am sure will be chaotic.
He Came On Deal Or No Deal Island With A Fun Mission
In several interviews, Dr. Will discussed that his whole reason for going on Deal or No Deal Island was to do something to make his daughter smile. He shared these details about his mission with People.
My kids are 11 and 14, and they've never seen me on a competition reality show. My daughter in particular, we watched Deal or No Deal Island Season 1. I won't tell you what it was, but she said, ‘It would be really, really funny if you did this on that show.’ And I said, ‘You know what, sweetheart? I'm going to do that.’ And I did it. I think she's going to watch it and love it, and it's going to be hilarious.
I don’t know what exactly Will plans to do to make his daughter smile but just having that goal should lead to something entertaining, and probably silly. It’s also cool that he’s going to use the game to show his children his reality TV personality. This is probably the normal person equivalent of watching your parent play an old sport they were good at in their younger days. It’ll probably be a little cringe, but heartwarming for them to see him relive his glory days for a bit.
I also think he’ll fully take on his persona because he’s doing it for his daughter. We’re probably going to witness Will completely unhinged.
...But He’s Also Playing Strategically
When I originally read that Will decided to appear for his daughter, and to do something she thought would be funny, I was worried that he wouldn’t take the show seriously. He would just be on there for a couple of episodes then return home. However, an article from Entertainment Weekly suggests that Will stays around long enough to annoy the crew and also later win them over.
He also discusses, in the previously mentioned People interview, preparing for Deal or No Deal Island by doing some research. He admits that he didn’t try to win many competitions, and he thought his chances of winning the game were low because he entered it so late and relationships had already been established by then. However, Will also says some things in this interview that suggest he wanted to entertain but also play a good game.
I don’t think we’ll get the same level of strategy that he gave during his Big Brother seasons. He also doesn’t seem like he was confident in his winning potential, but it doesn’t seem like he didn't have any plans or strategies. This means we may see a little bit of the Will that nearly won Big Brother twice, but we should probably not expect him to win Deal or No Deal Island.
I am fine with him just being there to entertain but I am also glad he may show some of the strategic Will. It’s going to be worth the weekly viewing.
It Could Be Will's Last Time On Reality TV, So He Will Likely Make It Memorable
In the same People interview, Will also talks about reality TV being a young person’s game. So this is likely his last reality TV show appearance or performance. Then he may retire for good. That makes sense and it's also why I will cherish every moment of him here. It’s probably the last time we’ll get to see Will for longer than a cameo or guest spot. He may even give us some new great reality TV moments.
I Am Excited To See Will Play With Other Reality TV Legends
The Deal or No Deal Island cast includes a bunch of newbies to reality TV and a few veterans. This cast includes Survivor legend Parvati Shallow and Australian Survivor legend David Genat. While some contestants were starstruck over Parvati, Will wasn’t exactly part of the fan club. However, he mentions in several interviews that he researched the Survivor all-star before entering the show, just in case she was part of the cast.
His antics, which included him just saying facts about her to her, didn’t immediately win over Parvati. She told Entertainment Weekly that she was happy to have him on the show as someone else to draw attention, but didn’t think their personalities would mesh well.
In a perfect reality TV world, Parvati and Will would work together to take out all the rest of the players. However, watching them go head-to-head might be just as entertaining.
Will Could Be A Game Changer On Deal Or No Deal Island
Deal or No Deal Island is still in its early years, so what it becomes is yet to be determined. Boston Rob Mariano helped shape the show in Season 1 by simply being a big reality TV name. He is probably the reason why they continued to have former reality TV contestants on, along with newbies.
However, Parvati, David, and Dr. Will will likely help alter and define the series even more and separate it from Survivor and other similar reality TV programming. Will helped turn Big Brother into what it's become, so I think he may have some sway here as well. Maybe now every season they will add a disruptor, in honor of Will. Who knows what the doctor will bring, but I am excited to see how he (and the other reality TV stars) influence this season.
Deal or No Deal Island airs Tuesdays on NBC and streams on Peacock the next day.
