Another show, another Drew appearance.

Big Brother star Drew Campbell appears on Netflix’s* Wonka’s The Golden Ticket* (exclusive)

Another show, another Drew appearance.

By Dalton Ross

Dalton Ross is a writer and editor with over 25 years experience covering TV and the entertainment industry. *Survivor* is kind of his thing.

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September 14, 2026 12:15 p.m. ET

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Drew Campbell and Vanessa on ‘Wonka’s the Golden Ticket’. Credit:

Courtesy of Netflix

- Drew Campbell may currently be locked in the *Big Brother* house, but that did not stop him from somehow appearing on Netflix’s new reality show *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket.*

- *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket *showrunner* *Alison Holloway shares all the intel on Drew and then-girlfriend Vanessa applying to be on the show.

- Clearly, Drew is aiming for nothing less than complete reality TV/game show world domination.

Netflix’s *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket* takes the famous story of *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory* and brings it into the reality TV realm, as players compete to survive Willy Wonka’s factory without having their tour “terminated” like poor Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt. And for whichever contestant emerges victorious, a lifetime of money (not chocolate) awaits.

But first, those would-be contestants need to actually make it onto the show, which premieres Sept. 23. And, like the book and movie adaptations, that means finding a golden ticket in their Wonka chocolate bar.

Interestingly enough, *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket* does not just show the lucky 24 contestants (12 pairs of two) vying for the ultimate prize, but also reality TV hopefuls who just missed the cut — opening up a chocolate bar only to find no ticket staring back at them. Sad.

But perhaps even more interesting than *that* is the appearance of a very familiar face to reality fans among those unfortunate ticketless souls. Currently well-coiffed *Big Brother* season 28 star Drew Campbell and his then-girlfriend Vanessa are among the pairs shown briefly who find no ticket and are not selected to enter Wonka’s factory.

Drew Campbell and Vanessa on ‘Wonka’s the Golden Ticket’.

Courtesy of Netflix

Perhaps it should be no surprise to see Drew pop up on one reality show while he is competing on another. Prior to appearing this summer on *Big Brother* — where Drew is part of the final seven and enjoying games of footsie with Melody Morris — the hair-raising personality had appeared on multiple reality and game shows.

Drew was player 655 on *Beast Games*, appeared dressed as a tube of toothpaste while trying (and failing) to win a car on *Let’s Make a Deal*, competed with Vanessa on Game Show Network’s *America Says*, showed up on some Jubilee show called *The Hot Seat* where he and Vanessa put each other through a lie detector test (sample question: “Did you cheat on me when you went to Italy?”), and reportedly was in the audience but not selected to play on *The Price Is Right*.

But just how close did Drew and Vanessa come to getting on *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket* as actual contestants? How would Drew have done had he made it? And how did *The* *Golden Ticket* producers react when they found out Drew made it onto *Big Brother* after just missing out on their world of pure imagination? We asked showrunner Alison Holloway all that and more.

Drew Campbell on ‘Big Brother’.

**: So, how far did Drew and his girlfriend Vanessa make it through the casting process?**

**ALISON HOLLOWAY:** Drew and his girlfriend Vanessa made it all the way to the top 50 for *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket,* and that’s saying something as we had several thousand people apply within minutes of the show being announced on Netflix. They cut through the masses, and we really liked them.

Barrett Pfeiffer and Drew Campbell on ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

**How did you all choose who to show opening bars with no golden tickets?**

We told our finalists they wouldn’t know if they were on the show until they opened their Wonka Bar and pulled out a Golden Ticket. We wanted that moment to be completely pure and real. And just like in the original movie, there was disappointment along with elation. You can only capture that moment once. We showed as many reactions as we could in the show opening.

Netflix announces Willy Wonka-inspired reality show 'The Golden Ticket'

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**How do you think Drew and Vanessa would have done on the show had they made it on?**

Drew’s application to be on the show was hilarious. He said, “I am busting through those doors and doing the nastiest cannonball you have ever seen into that chocolate river.” We knew he’d be up for anything, and that sort of enthusiasm might have got him far in the competition.

But there’s a layer in *Wonka’s The Golden Ticket* that’s deeper than even the Chocolate River — the crazy psychological ride all players must go on. To fully know if Drew would have done well, he’d have to have been in the Factory.

Drew Campbell on ‘Big Brother’ season 28.

Evan Mulling/CBS

**Did you know Drew had made it onto *Big Brother* and, if so, what was your reaction when you found out?**

We heard Drew was on *Big Brother* and we weren’t surprised. Drew told us his mom learned how to speak English watching reality TV. It seems he craved a full-circle moment not just for himself, but for her.

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Source: “AOL Big”