The Cookout Alliance Was Founded to Help a Black Contestant Win 'Big Brother' — Who Started It?

The extra-fierce competition came to an end with the Season 23 finale of Big Brother on Wednesday, Sept. 29, 2021. Xavier Prather, a true power player and the most influential member of the Cookout alliance, was crowned as the winner, beating Derek Frazier and Azäh Awasum to the $750,000 cash prize.

Xavier put up an incredible fight, smashing every round of the game on the Season 23 finale. He became the first Black winner, thereby making the Cookout's plans come true.

An unparalleled strategic genius, Xavier demonstrated exceptional forward-thinking and interpersonal skills throughout Season 23 of Big Brother. An attorney by trade, he managed to build close connections with just about every Big Brother contestant.

Xavier won the Head of Household title on the Season 23 finale of Big Brother. Over the weeks, he was granted the title several times. As a member of the Cookout, Xavier played so as to help a Black contestant win. But did he start the Cookout?

Hannah Chaddha, a graduate student from Chicago, Tiffany Mitchell, a phlebotomist from Detroit, Mich., Kyland Young, an account exec from San Bernardino County, Calif., Azäh, a sales operation director from Baltimore, Md., Derek F., a safety officer from Philadelphia, Pa., and Xavier were the members of the Cookout, according to Insider. While Derek F. has been credited as the brains behind the operation, he wasn't the one who started the group.

There's some confusion surrounding the real identity of the person who started the Cookout. As Tiffany told Us Weekly, even the Big Brother contestants had some unexpected trouble with settling for one origin story.

"In the house, I think people just wanted to stop talking about the master plan," she told the outlet. "They did not want to give it more life than it already had. Considering how Big D [aka Derek F.] tried to tell me less than two weeks ago that he is the one that came up with the master plan, I don't even know if it was my idea anymore. Did I get enough credit? I don't know. We should ask Big D."

As Tiffany hinted in the interview, the Cookout was her idea, even though fellow contestants like Derek F. have tried to dispute this since then. Either way, Tiffany came up with the concept that was going to bring the alliance to victory, devising an elaborate strategic framework ensuring their success.

Xavier won big in the Season 23 finale of Big Brother, but Tiffany won a title too. Following a fierce competition, she snatched up the coveted title of America's Favorite Houseguest from Derek Xiao (aka Derek X.), winning $50,000 in the process.