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Derek Xiao was a houseguest on Big Brother 23 (US). He was also a co-host on Big Brother: Reindeer Games.

A member of the Aces, Derek hoped to lay low for the majority of the game, however, he immediately got onto the radar of first HoH Frenchie French. After Frenchie overheard him talking about him with some of the other guys, he decided to make him one of his many targets that week. Fortunately, Derek won the first veto of the season, and exercised the power by removing his friend Kyland Young from the block, unfortunately dooming his other ally Travis Long in the process. And though he lost an ally in the short term, he gained alliances in the long term. He became part of the Royal Flush alliance that brought together the Kings and the Queens, and got closer to his fellow Ace Hannah Chaddha, as well as Tiffany Mitchell.

After winning HoH in Week 5, Derek decided to make the most of his power. With jury in sight, he decided to make a big move, going for the biggest competition threat in Christian Birkenberger. It was also an interesting week for his relationship with Sarah Beth Steagall, with him both nominating her as a pawn and allowing her to keep $5,000 from the veto competition. And when she edged him out to become HoH two weeks later, he was top of mind. Viewed as a competition and strategic threat, a backdoor plan was put in motion. And between Derek not playing in the “Chopping Block Roulette” or being picked for the veto, everything seemed to line up. The odds against him, Derek made an impassioned plea on eviction night, throwing Sarah Beth under the bus. But despite his speech, and an attempted flip from Tiffany, Derek was evicted by a 5-2 vote, placing 10th and becoming the second member of the Jury.

Derek received the second most votes for America's Favorite Houseguest, losing to Tiffany.

Biography[]

Derek Xiao Biography

Derek Xiao
Age: 24
Hometown: Baltimore
Current City: New York City
Occupation: Start-Up Founder

Three words that describe you: Funny, logical, and thoughtful.

Favorite activities: I’ve been really into chess and surfing recently. I just spent a month in Hawaii, and I would surf every morning and then play chess on the beach. Growing up I fell into the typical Asian stereotypes and played tennis and piano. My mom only cooked Chinese food growing up, so I started learning how to cook so I could make random food that I craved, like mac and cheese. Now I love cooking and trying new recipes. My least favorite activity would be cleaning the dishes afterwards though.

Who are your favorite Houseguest duos? Those who became best friends in the Big Brother house or had a showmance?
Dr. Will and Mike Boogie. They looked like they were having a great time in the house, while also playing the game extremely well.

What are you most excited about living inside the Big Brother house?
Meeting interesting people from across the country. I love meeting new people and getting everyone laughing.

What do you think will be the most difficult part about living inside the Big Brother house?
Not being able to see my friends and family for the whole summer.

What is your favorite past moment on Big Brother?
Dan’s funeral speech in Season 14. That moment was flawless game play that leveraged both emotional and logical strategy.

What is your strategy for winning the game?
Build relationships with everyone in the house and slowly turn friendships into alliances. And then layer in unassailable logical reasoning to influence peoples’ decisions.

My life’s motto is…
“If you laugh at yourself first then everyone is just laughing with you.”

What would you take into the house and why?
-A journal so I can keep track of all the funny stories to share with my friends.
-My laptop so I can keep working on my business.
-An iPod so I can get hyped for competitions or relax after long days.

Fun facts about yourself:
-I rented a Citi bike to compete in a triathlon in college…and then crashed the bike.
-I was stung by a jellyfish in Thailand and then was later forced to eat the jellyfish.
-I was one of two Asian guys in my high school graduating class.
-I started a company that ships meal kits by food influencers across the U.S.
-I took hip hop dance classes in New York.[1]

Player History - Big Brother 23 (US)[]

Competition History[]

Week 1 HOH Part 1 Loss
HOH Part 2 Ineligible
HOH Part 3 Ineligible
Wildcard Not Selected
POV Win
Week 2 HOH Loss
Wildcard Not Selected
POV Win
Week 3 HOH Loss
Wildcard Loss
POV Not Picked
Week 4 HOH Loss
Wildcard Ineligible
POV Loss
Week 5 HOH Win
POV Loss
Week 6 HOH Previous HOH
High Roller Sat Out
POV Not Picked
POV Bet Ineligible
Week 7 HOH Loss
High Roller Sat Out
POV Not Picked

Have/Have-Not History[]

Week 1 Have
Week 2 Have-Not
Week 3 Have
Week 4 Have
Week 5 Have
Week 6 Have
Week 7 Have-Not

BB Bucks History[]

Beg. Bal Gain/Loss End Bal.
Week 1 Twist Not Active
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6 0 +100 -0 =100
Week 7 100 +100 -0 =200

Voting History[]

Week Position Voted for With Majority?
1 POV Holder Travis Long Yes
2 POV Holder Frenchie French Yes
3 Brent Champagne Yes
4 Whitney Williams Yes
5 HOH
6 Britini D'Angelo Yes
7 Post-POV Nominee
Finale Jury Member Xavier Prather Yes

HOH History[]

Original Nominees Post-Veto Nominees Intended Target
Week 5
Christian Birkenberger
 Evicted
Christian

Post Big Brother[]

Hosting[]

Other[]

  • Derek and fellow BB23 houseguest Claire Rehfuss revealed about 2 weeks after the season finale that they were dating, having pursued their connection while in the Jury House.[3]
  • Following Derek's appearance on The Challenge: USA, he and Claire competed on the 34th season of The Amazing Race.[4] After winning three legs throughout the season, they won $2,500 each, alongside trips to Bangkok, Thailand and London, England. They made it to the final leg and following a very close race, they ended up finishing in first place and winning the whole season, the second Big Brother team to win The Amazing Race following Cody Nickson & Jessica Graf.
  • Derek attended the wedding of fellow Amazing Race castmates Aubrey Ares and David Hernandez in November 2023.[5]
  • Derek & Claire appeared in the premiere of The Amazing Race 35, handing clues to the teams after their completion of the first Roadblock.

The Challenge[]

Derek Challenge USA

Derek's Cast Photo for The Challenge: USA

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. Derek Xiao. CBS (1 July 2021). Retrieved on 1 July 2021.
  2. https://parade.com/tv/big-brother-reindeer-games-holiday-special
  3. Tharp, Sharon (14 October 2021). Big Brother 23's Derek Xiao and Claire Rehfuss Are Dating: 'We Really Connected in the Jury House' (Exclusive). USA Magazine. Retrieved on 20 October 2021.
  4. Derek & Claire. The Amazing Race Wiki (24 August 2022).
  5. Congrats Aubrey and David on a beautiful wedding!. Instagram (12 November 2023). Retrieved on 17 December 2023.
  6. Derek's The Challenge Wiki Page
Big Brother 23 (US) Houseguests
BB23 Xavier Small
BB23 Derek F Small
BB23 Azah Small
BB23 Kyland Small
BB23 Hannah Small
BB23 Tiffany Small
BB23 Alyssa Small
BB23 Claire Small
BB23 Sarah Small
BB23 Derek X Small
Derek X
BB23 Britini Small
BB23 Christian Small
BB23 Whitney Small
BB23 Brent Small
BB23 Frenchie Small
BB23 Travis Small
Winner
Runner-Up
Jury
Evicted
Big Brother: Reindeer Games Houseguests
Reindeer Small Nicole
Reindeer Small Taylor
Reindeer Small Frankie
Reindeer Small Xavier
Reindeer Small Britney
Reindeer Small Josh
Reindeer Small Danielle
Reindeer Small Cody
Reindeer Small Cameron
Reindeer Small Derek
Derek
Reindeer Small Jordan
Reindeer Small Tiffany
Winner
Runner-Up
Finalist
Eliminated
Elf Ambassadors
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