'Big Brother' Just Crowned Its First Female Winner Since Season 20 (EXCLUSIVE)
Updated Sept. 26 2022, 11:50 a.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the September 25, 2022 episode of Big Brother.
On Sept. 25, fan-favorite houseguest Taylor Hale became the latest woman to win Big Brother. The 27-year-old personal stylist prevailed after facing severe bullying and ostracism from many other players, and we couldn't think of a more deserving person to win and claim that $750,000 grand prize.
With that said, fans have just witnessed a female named the winner of Big Brother for the first time in over four years — how crazy is that?! On that note, we are dying to know: How many women have won Big Brother?
Plus, stick around because Distractify spoke exclusively with Season 18 winner Nicole Franzel-Arroyo to discuss her winning strategy and reveal what she's been up to since last playing the game.
How many women have won 'Big Brother'?
When it comes to Big Brother, crowing a female winner seems to be a rare, virtually impossible feat; out of 24 completed seasons, only nine women (including Big Brother: Over the Top) have won Big Brother.
If our basic math skills are anything to go by, only 38 percent of all Big Brother winners are women. Wow — that's pretty depressing. With that said, let's take a look at the female winners of Big Brother...
Here are all nine female 'Big Brother' winners.
The first female winner in the history of Big Brother came in Season 3, when Lisa Donahue claimed victory over one of the greatest players to never win, Danielle Reyes, by a jury vote of 9-1. Since winning the reality competition series, the New York native has kickstarted a photography career and launched her own company in Los Angeles.
The following year, Jun Song was crowned the winner of Big Brother 4 and became the second female victor as well as the first Asian champion in franchise history. In June 2022, Jun revealed to Entertainment Weekly that since winning the game, she moved to Belgium, became a mother, and had "several career changes."
By the end of Season 6, Maggie Ausburn was declared the winner of Big Brother by a jury vote of 4-3. After winning the reality competition series, Maggie stepped away from the spotlight and returned to everyday life.
After 73 days in the house, Jordan Lloyd was crowned the winner of Big Brother 11. While on the show, Jordan met her husband, Jeff Schroeder, and competed alongside him on Season 16 of The Amazing Race. The couple, who share two kids, returned as houseguests on Big Brother 13.
Although Rachel Reilly finished in ninth place on Big Brother 12, she redeemed herself on Season 13 and was crowned the winner. After winning the game, Rachel competed on three seasons of The Amazing Race — two with her husband and Big Brother showmance Brendon Villegas, and one with her sister and Big Brother 15 player Elissa Slater.
During the finale of the 2016 spinoff series Big Brother: Over the Top, Morgan Willett was crowned the winner. Since then, she's moved to Los Angeles and participated on several MTV reality shows, such as Ex on the Beach and The Challenge.
In 2018, Kaycee Clark claimed victory on Season 20 of Big Brother. After winning the reality competition series, she went to compete on several seasons of The Challenge and secured victory on the Spies, Lies, and Allies installment.
The most recent woman to win Big Brother is Taylor Hale.
The former pageant queen was crowned the winner over her showmance partner, Monte Taylor, by a jury vote of 8-1. Taylor made plenty of history on finale night, becoming the first Black woman in franchise history to win the game as well as the first player to win the season and America's Favorite Houseguest on Big Brother. Taylor will take home $800,000 in prize money.
'Big Brother' Season 18 winner Nicole Franzel-Arroyo opens up about her experience on the show.
After competing on Big Brother 16, Nicole Franzel returned for a second chance on Season 18 and claimed victory over fellow houseguest Paul Abrahamian. She also competed on Season 31 of The Amazing Race as well as Big Brother 22: All Stars, where she finished in third place.
Regarding her winning strategy, Nicole recently told Distractify that winning competitions isn't everything in Big Brother.
"I believe you should only win comps if that’s what you need to do, not want to do. It’s all strategy in the end. If you have to win to stay, then of course. If you have obvious targets, fine. But not just because you want an HOH basket," Nicole said.
She added, "Winning when you don’t need to just causes more issues for your game in the long run. No one wants to sit next to a person at the end with a ton of competition wins. You make enemies by putting people on the block. People can read your game a lot better when you have to make decisions in front of the whole house."
During Big Brother 18, Nicole was the strongest competitor due to her social game.
On that note, she exclusively told Distractify that having a strong social game is "the most important thing to have" in the Big Brother house, adding that you "don't ever have to win a competition" if you can "get out of situations socially."
Now, here's what we're all dying to know — what has she been up to since her days on Big Brother?
Nicole exclusively told Distractify that she owns a small business called Franny & the Fox and hosts a podcast with her mom titled Coco Caliente. Additionally, Nicole revealed that she's married fellow Season 18 houseguest Victor Arroyo; the lovebirds are also parents to "the best and cutest boy named Arrow."