America Is Not Ready to Say Goodbye to Derek Xiao — but Will They Have To? (SPOILERS)

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Season 23 of Big Brother.

In Season 23 of Big Brother, one clear favorite has been Derek Xiao. In fact, current Head of Household (HOH) Sarah Beth Steagall even acknowledged in her plans to get rid of him that she'd be kicking off a beloved competitor. But this show doesn't really care about favorites — and, sometimes, the more cutthroat your game is, the more you'll come out on top, even if you're not the most well-liked by fans.

After Xavier Prather pulled off a massive veto win, he was removed from the block — to be promptly replaced by Derek X., just as Sarah Beth wanted. Although he stands alongside Claire Rehfuss, he firmly believes he'll be the one to go home. But is Derek X. right? Or is Claire destined to be the next eviction? Here's how it played out.

Although Derek X. was sure he was heading to jury, betting odds actually favored Claire as the next eviction — and for good reason. On paper, it looks simple. Sarah Beth is HOH, she wants Derek X. gone, Derek X. isn't protected by any major alliance like the Cookout, and therefore Derek X. is going home. But, as all things Big Brother are, the reality is way more complicated.

According to the live feeds, Derek X. and Tiffany Mitchell had a chat that made her realize that she's made a lot of sacrifices for the Cookout, ones that the men of the Cookout haven't had to make. She attempted to confront Xavier and Derek Frazier in the kitchen and was essentially forced to stand down — or so it would seem. Tiffany said in a confessional that she was going to help Derek X. stick around.

However, that's not how things really played out. In fact, Tiffany essentially lied to Derek X. completely. In the end, the only people who voted to keep Derek X. were Hannah Chaddha, who seemed like a given, and Kyland Young, despite Kyland being the one who initially suggested that Sarah Beth backdoor him. But in a rather sad twist, Tiffany voted Derek X. out. By a vote of five to two, fan-favorite Derek Xiao went home.

Fans have been suggesting that a Battle Back could bring Derek X. back into the game, but it's important to note that Battle Backs are usually for pre-jury evictees. Derek X. is in the jury. That's not to say that a jury Battle Back can't happen, but at this stage in the game, it's unlikely to happen, particularly due to the show having a shortened season.

That said, there are rumors that a triple eviction is coming in September. In order for a Battle Back to happen, we're going to have to see at least a double eviction, so the presence of a triple eviction looming means that we might see Derek X. back someday.

To see how it all plays out, catch Big Brother Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.