Tassie battler Reggie Bird touted as likely winner of $250,000 Big Brother prize

“She’s the matriarch and I don’t think anyone can topple the Queen”: Tasmania’s Reggie Bird is tipped to win the Big Brother crown for a second time.

She’s being hailed as Queen Reggie, and many believe Tasmania’s Regina Bird will be impossible to beat in the Big Brother house.

Bird, who shot to fame in 2003 when the then 29-year-old Cambridge fish and chip shop owner won $250,000 on season three of Big Brother, has returned to the Big Brother house in 2022 and remains a strong contender to win, as the grand final approaches and 21 housemates have been whittled down to nine.

In a recent challenge, housemates were asked which contestant they thought was most likely to win Big Brother, and almost all declared Bird as the favourite.

“She’s the matriarch and I don’t think anyone can topple the Queen,” fellow contestant Anthony “Drew” Drew said during the episode.

Reggie Bird during a drawing challenge on Big Brother. Picture: Nigel Wright.

Meanwhile the Logies red carpet was abuzz with question about whether Queen Reggie could take out the title for a second time, with former Big Brother housemate Chrissie Swan raving about Bird, declaring her “the best Big Brother winner ever, the great Queen Regina’’. Bird has also attracted a strong fan base, with 23,000 followers on Instagram and 11,000 on Facebook.

“It’s an honour to be called Queen Reggie – there are so many amazing housemates who have gone through the show and to have that title is pretty cool,” Bird says of the moniker.

“The public’s reaction to seeing me on the show for a second time has been incredible and people’s support is humbling. Everyone I meet is so lovely and supportive”.

Betting odds have shown Bird to be the clear favourite of punters, with Sportsbet naming her most likely to take out the Big Brother crown when the season kicked off.

However the betting odds this week swung in favour of fellow housemate Jaycee Edwards, after he sent Drew home in the last eviction, with Bird now sitting as second favourite.

Reggie Bird and Big Brother housemate Brenton Parkes during a challenge on the show. Picture: Nigel Wright.

Bird, who grew up on the Tasman Peninsula but now lives on Queensland’s Gold Coast, was diagnosed with rare and hereditary degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa 18 years ago. She is legally blind and has no night vision or peripheral vision.

The 48-year-old has two kids, Mia, 15, and Lucas, 12, who has cystic fibrosis.

Bird prides herself on being authentic and honest in the house – she finds it impossible to lie – which has endeared her to housemates and fans.

Housemates have the ability to vote other housemates off the prerecorded show, but the overall winner – who will take home $250,000 – will be decided by public vote at a live grand final on July 12 in Sydney.

Watch Big Brother Monday-Wednesday at 7.30pm on Channel 7.