Big Brother 23 finale recap: Xavier is crowned the winner
After a summer of backstabbing, secret alliances, and cutthroat strategy, we’ve finally reached the end of Big Brother 23, the history-making season that saw the franchise crown its first Black winner, Xavier, since the show’s inception.
The Cookout – an alliance composed of the house’s Black contestants – also made history by reaching the final six together, securing their status at the most successful alliance in Big Brother history. Though his path to victory has been all but decided since Tiffany’s eviction at final six, Xavier managed to stick the landing – nabbing a crucial win over Azah in part three of the final Head of Household competition and sticking to his word to bring Derek ‘Big D’ Frazier to the Final 2.
Big Brother 23: Final HOH Parts 1 and 2
Xavier started things strong by winning part one of the final HOH event, which, as per tradition, was an endurance competition. The win secured his spot in part 3 of the HOH on finale night and meant that Azah and Big D would face off to see who could compete against him for the final HOH. Part two of the HOH competition was a massive slot machine-style combination physical and memory comp which challenged the houseguests to line up the right portraits of former competitors corresponding to certain criteria – wildcard winners, veto users, etc. Azah snagged the win in a nearly 7-minute victory over Derek F, knocking him out of the running for the final part of the HOH.
After winning part two of the HOH, Azah began to reconsider her plan of taking Big D to final 2 – especially after he undermined her gameplay to her face and criticized her perceived lack of action in the game. Though we found this ironic, coming from the man who didn’t win a single competition or make any game moves this season, Big D’s words seemed to strike a chord with Azah. As a result, she told both he and Xavier that, should she win part three of the final HOH, she would take Xavier to the end, going back on her initial plan to bring former Jokers teammate Big D with her.
Big Brother 23: Final HOH Part Three and Jury Questions
After some glimpses of the jury – including Kyland’s arrival and the all-important group roundtable (sans normal host/BB legend Dr. Will Kirby), the finale episode began in earnest with part three of the final HOH competition which was, as always, a question-and-answer style memory quiz.
Unfortunately for Azah, she missed the first question, and despite getting every subsequent answer correct, it wasn’t enough to beat Xavier’s perfect score, and he nabbed the title of final Head of Household of the summer, guaranteeing his spot in the final 2 and at least $75,000.
Xavier then had to quickly turn around and decide which of his fellow Cookout members he would take to the final two with him, and X stuck to his early-game promise to Big D, honoring their deal and evicting Azah, making her the final member of the jury.
With Azah joining the jury in the studio, they then questioned Xavier and Big D about their gameplay and strategy all season – most questions were directed at Big D’s lack of gameplay, which he insisted was actually not the case. Big D took credit for The Cookout in both his final 2 speech and his jury pleas – despite not, in fact, having started The Cookout – and jury members Tiffany and Hannah seemed simultaneously frustrated and amused by his delusions of grandeur.
Big Brother 23: Xavier wins by a vote of 9-0
After answering the jury’s questions and making their final speeches, Xavier and Big D’s fate was left in the hands of their former housemates, and as each houseguest put their vote for the winner in the key wheel, the vote pattern seemed to be leaning in Xavier’s favor, with the exception of Kyland – who referenced wanting Big D to “live forever”. Kyland’s comment towards Big D likely stemmed from Kyland’s post-eviction clash with Xavier – a tension-filled few minutes which culminated in Kyland questioning Xavier’s ability as a parent and taking jabs at his family.
Still, even with Kyland’s clash with Xavier, he ended up putting the game first and gave his jury vote to his former friend, making the vote unanimous. Despite Big D’s antics, the entertainment value wasn’t enough to topple Xavier’s season-long strategic gameplay and near-perfect social game. As a reward for his many competition wins, dedication to the cookout, and friendship with a majority of the house, the jury crowned Xavier Prather the winner of Big Brother 23 by a vote of 9-0, a landslide victory that also secured him a place in BB history as the first Black winner.
Just before the evening came to a close, there was one last prize to hand out: America’s Favorite Houseguest. According to Julie, the houseguests received a record-breaking number of votes for AFP, but there could only be one winner – after Derek X and Tiffany were revealed as the top two vote-getters
Next. Midnight Mass review: A miraculously eerie slow burn. dark
, it was Tiffany who snagged the title of America’s Favorite Houseguest.
It was a long, often highly strategic summer, but between the stellar cast of game players, The Cookout’s new status as the best alliance of all time, and Xavier’s historic victory, Big Brother 23 more than redeemed the lackluster seasons 21 and 22 – looking forward to season 24, the future of Big Brother is certainly bright.