It’s been long overdue as Big Brother finally crowned its first ever Black champion, after a groundbreaking season.
Xavier Prather, a lawyer and model from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, received all 9 votes from fellow houseguests, securing him the $750,000 grand prize, and bringing him to tears.
“It’s surreal,” Prather, 27, said after learning his fate. “I wouldn’t have been here without all the members of The Cookout and every single member of the jury. And those members not in jury, who were part of the season, can’t thank you guys enough. I’m so blessed to have met every single one of you and we all made history this season, so I think we should all be proud.”
During the first couple of days in the house this season, Frazier, along with Tiffany Mitchell, Azah Awasum, Kyland Young, Hannah Chaddha, and Xavier Prather agreed they wanted a Black player to win the show.
They pointed out Black players don’t often make it to the jury house, so they created one of the greatest alliances in the history of the show, called The Cookout, to protect each other as far as possible, with the goal of one of them winning.
All six members made it to the end of the game, making the alliance one of the greatest in the history of the show.
Frazier was the runner-up earning a $75,000 prize.
“I’m very happy,” Frazier, 29, said. “I wanted to come in here and fight for my mother and be able to help her and change her life, and I feel like I’ve been able to do that now.”
Tiffany Mitchell was voted “America’s Favorite Houseguest,” winning a $50,000 grand prize of her own.
Big Brother season 23 featured the most racially diverse cast in the show’s history, with only seven white contestants out of the 16-person cast.
This came after CBS promised in November 2020 that 50 percent of individuals cast on its unscripted shows would be Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC).
The Cookout laid out a deliberate plan in direct reaction to what happened last year on Big Brother All-Stars when Cody Calafiore led an all-white group of players called ‘The Committee’ to victory.
The Committee had voted out a Muslim player, three Black players and one gay player early on in the season, leaving the final weeks with all white players.
Congrats to Xavier Prather, the historic new champion of Big Brother!