Derek Xiao has now been eliminated from Big Brother 23, and his eviction will have a huge impact on the overall game being played inside the BB23 house. Coming into this season, Derek X. described himself as a 24-year-old startup founder from Hell’s Kitchen, New York. Derek also made it known that he had been recruited by producers to be on the show, which meant that he hadn’t necessarily submitted an application as a fan of the show.
In fact, Derek X. was the first one to admit that he didn’t know that much about Big Brother. Tiffany Mitchell and Hannah Chaddha were among the houseguests who tried to teach him about the game and give him a few tips. Week after week, the fans were extremely impressed by how quickly Derek X. picked up the game and how well he played for a newbie. It didn’t take long for him to become a fan-favorite for many viewers watching BB23 at home.
But now that Derek X. has been evicted, one needs to forecast the big impact that his absence will have on the game. For one, Hannah has now lost her quasi-showmance, trusted ally, and Cookout pawn. This means that Hannah will be much more exposed to anyone willing to take a shot at her. Meanwhile, it should also be noted that Derek X. would’ve helped Hannah, Tiffany, and Azah Awasum in the game, but those women are now on their own against Big Brother competition beasts like Xavier Prather and Kyland Young. On the flip side, it’ll now make a lot of sense for players like Xavier and Kyland to be targeted given that Derek X. and Christian Birkenberger were taken out with the excuse that they were comp beasts.
Tiffany won the Head of Household competition that followed Derek X.’s eviction, so it is pretty certain that she’ll get vengeance for her ally by trying to evict Sarah Beth Steagall. After all, it was Sarah Beth who back-doored Derek X. and ultimately sent him home. With that said, even if Sarah Beth goes home this week, it’ll be interesting to see how Derek X.’s eviction will impact the weeks to come. It’s possible that the Cookout will keep running the BB23 game and take themselves to the Final 6 together, but cracks are already showing within the alliance, and other players are catching onto it as well.
While unfortunate, Derek X.’s eviction is likely to open up the game of Big Brother after this week. The Cookout is on the verge of being exposed to other players, and comp beasts such as Xavier and Kyland are likely going to have to fight for their spots in the house soon enough. May the best player win!
Big Brother 23 airs Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST/PST on CBS.
