Xavier Prather is the first Black winner of the long-running reality show Big Brother. The 27-year-old won the show’s 23rd season on Sept. 29, according to Entertainment Tonight online.
Prather thanked his crew and rival contestants, The Cookout, for helping him become the first Black winner of Big Brother. The only Black contestants on the reality show banded together early on to form an alliance as a strategy to remain on the program until the final six.
Known collectively as The Cookout, the alliance ensured that the show would finally have the first Black winner in 23 seasons. Prather also thanked the jury members.
“It’s surreal,” he said. “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.”
The Cookout included Prather, Kyland Young, Azah Awasum, Derek Frazier, Hannah Chaddha and Tiffany Mitchell.
Mitchell was voted out first by the group before Chaddha and Young were also evicted. Young was surprised to not end up in the final two because he and Prather had made a pact and called themselves The Gentlemen. However, Prather’s move was strategic, and he voted against Young.
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Prather took home $750,000 for winning Big Brother, but he wasn’t the only contestant who went home with winnings. Twenty-nine-year-old Derek Frazier came in second place and took home a $75,000 prize, and Mitchell, 40, was voted America’s Favorite Houseguest and took home $50,000.
“I’m very happy,” said Frazier. “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.”
“Thank you America,” said Mitchell.
