Caleb Reynolds

Caleb Matthew Reynolds (born November 27, 1987) is a hunting guide from Hopkinsville, Kentucky. He is best known for his appearance on the sixteenth season of the reality series Big Brother, where he placed fourth. He also competed on the 32nd season of Survivor; Survivor: Kaôh Rōng. He was medically evacuated on day 9 of the competition, after he collapsed from heat stroke due to extreme heat. This resulted in him placing 15th.

Big Brother

Caleb was a contestant on the sixteenth season of Big Brother. Frequently referred to on the show as "Beast Mode Cowboy," Caleb was recruited after applying for The Amazing Race with his friend.^[1] He was in the second group to enter the house and became the Head of Household after winning the "Over the Coals" competition. He later became the first official HoH after his nominees (Donny and Paola) failed to win the "Battle of the Block" competition. Caleb created the "Bomb Squad" alliance with his fellow HoH Frankie, which includes Amber, Christine, and all of the men except Donny and Hayden.

In week 3, Caleb volunteered for Derrick to nominate him so Derrick and Nicole could backdoor Devin; Derrick then nominated Caleb and Jocasta. In week 6, Caleb was nominated alongside Victoria by Donny, who was HOH along with Nicole. However, Caleb and Victoria won Battle Of The Block, dethroning Donny and securing their safety from the block. However he had to endure three punishments, which included eating slop for 2 weeks, Adam and Eve (chained to Victoria in leafy costumes for 48 hours) and one had to shave their head. On Day 49, Caleb won his second HOH of the season making the him the first person to hold the title twice officially.He nominated Hayden and Donny for eviction. However, Donny won the POV and Caleb named Hayden's showmantic partner Nicole as the replacement nominee, resulting in Hayden's eviction.

On Day 70, Caleb won his third HOH of the season, which was an endurance competition making him the first person to be HOH officially three times unlike Frankie and Nicole who have four and three HOHs respectively and were dethroned twice. He nominated Nicole and Christine for eviction. Christine won POV, which meant that Caleb named Victoria the replacement nominee alongside Nicole, in hopes that Nicole would be evicted a second time. In Week 12, Caleb won his fourth HOH of the season. Only counting official or permanent HOHs, he is tied with Drew Daniels (winner of season 5), Janelle Pierzina (third place on season 7), Hayden Moss (winner of season 12), Rachel Reilly (winner of season 13), Ian Terry (winner of season 14), Aaryn Gries (eighth place on season 15), Vanessa Rousso (third place on season 17), and Steve Moses (winner of season 17) for the most HOHs in a single season. He then nominated Frankie and Victoria for eviction.

In Week 12, HOH Derrick nominated Caleb and Victoria for eviction. Cody won the veto and decided not to use it, leaving the nominations the same. On Day 90, Caleb was evicted by Cody, coming in 4th Place.

Caleb had a well known unrequited crush on Amber which many other housemates regard as "creepy and obsessive". Caleb was disliked by several houseguests at the beginning of the game, especially Cody and Zach due to his obsession with Amber but managed to obtain a friendship with the two. He also had close friendships with Derrick, Brittany, Devin, Donny, Frankie and Amber. Caleb voted for Derrick to win Big Brother.

Survivor

In 2015, Caleb was selected as a contestant on Survivor: Kaôh Rōng, where he was placed on the season's Beauty (Gondol) tribe. Though the Kaôh Rōng season is the 32nd season to air, it was the 31st filmed, having been filmed before Survivor: Cambodia, which aired first; the two seasons were filmed back-to-back in the same location.^[2] Host Jeff Probst's initial reaction to Caleb joining the show was met with cautious optimism, saying "Initially I wasn't sure about Caleb, but he definitely won me over in a big way. There is zero doubt that he is made for this game. He's very likable, an incredibly hard worker, and he has just the right amount of confidence/cockiness that you need to get the jury to vote for you to win."^[3]

Caleb quickly formed a bond with fellow tribemate Tai Trang, despite the two coming from radically different worlds which even involved Tai trying to steal a kiss from Caleb.

On Day 9, after a long, physically-demanding challenge, Caleb collapsed and was pulled from the game due to heat exhaustion. He placed 15th.^[4]

Caleb is reported to return to Survivor for thirty-fourth season will be entitled Survivor: Game Changers – The Mamanuca Islands.^[5]

Personal life

Controversy

Prior to the premiere, Caleb created controversy after an Instagram post surfaced which voiced his disapproval of U.S. President Barack Obama. In addition, it was revealed that he used homophobic slurs in his responses and referred to Obama as a Muslim monkey. The comments were made public after TMZ covered the story shortly before he entered the house.^[6]

Relationships

He is married to Ashley Jay. He now has a stepdaughter from Jay named Kylie, who is four. He is also extremely close to his older brother Blake Reynolds, a pastor. He was the best man at the wedding of Blake, and Blake officiated the wedding of Caleb and Ashley as minister.^[7]

References