Members of the all-Black Cookout alliance from “Big Brother 23” and different “Big Brother alums” from previous seasons used the hashtag #BlkBBWeekend (Black Big Brother weekend) to doc their go to to Phoenix, Arizona over the weekend of January 15.
The attendees included Tiffany Mitchell, Kyland Young, Hannah Chaddha, and Azah Awasum from BB23, Beau Beasley from BB6, Parker Somerville from BB9, Lawon Exum from BB13, Jodi Rollins from BB14, David Alexander from BB21 and BB22, and Andrew Miller, Angie Tackie, and Breydon White from “Big Brother Canada.”
“This was a particular weekend as a result of we have been capable of personally thank the earlier Black BB alumni gamers for opening up, not solely their arms to welcome us locally, however opening the door for The Cookout to make ‘Big Brother’ historical past,” Tiffany Mitchell advised Us Weekly. “It is their years of struggling to be accepted and represented that fueled our need to make sure a Black winner for season 23.”
Not all of the members of The Cookout have been current. Derek Frazier and Xavier Prather, the primary Black winner of “Big Brother,” have been lacking.
Mitchell Says All Black BB Alums ‘Had a Turn’ in The Cookout’s Success
The six-person Cookout alliance labored collectively to attain a standard objective on “Big Brother 23” — guaranteeing the show bought its first Black winner. They did not all the time get alongside, however they caught to their promise and made it to the ultimate six collectively.
Tiffany Mitchell, America’s Favorite Player, says that every one the previous Black alums of the show contributed to the Cookout’s success in 2021. “It’s like popping the cork to a champagne bottle. We every had a flip in loosening the cork. The Cookout made historical past however we didn’t get up to now alone. This weekend allowed us to share our experiences and bond collectively. As a fan of the show, I’m honored to be accepted into the BB group as not only a participant or a buddy, however as household,” she advised Us Weekly.
“The superfan in me was elated on the considered rubbing shoulders with Black BB legends and assembly the black cast members of Big Brother all through its a long time lengthy trajectory,” Azah Awasum, who got here in third on “Big Brother 23,” wrote on Instagram. “However, as soon as touchdown in Phoenix, I rapidly realized it was a lot greater than that. To come collectively and share the human experiences of id, insecurity, and acceptance as a black individual dwelling in each America and the Big Brother home left such a mark on me. So uncooked, so actual, so real. This weekend was for the books.”
‘Big Brother 23’ Was the Show’s Most Diverse Season Ever
In 2020, CBS introduced that actuality exhibits together with “Big Brother,” “Survivor,” and “Love Island” would have casts that have been not less than 50% individuals of colour. Suddenly, individuals of colour sticking collectively was a viable technique for profitable “Big Brother”, which is strictly what occurred on season 23.
Some followers have critiqued the formation of The Cookout, calling its existence and mission racist. Longtime “Big Brother” host Julie Chen Moonves weighed in on this notion.
“I feel it is laborious for some people who find themselves not of colour to grasp the significance of the Cookout making it this far,” Chen Moonves advised Entertainment Weekly. “I’ve heard some name the formation of the Cookout a type of racism. In my humble opinion, it isn’t. As a fan of the show, it is spectacular to see an alliance this large make it this far. That hardly ever occurs.”
